Written Answers of 12 July 2004

  Irish Language Agency
  Lord Laird
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  What consultations took place with officials of the Eire Government before that Government announced on 3 December 2003 the relocation of the Irish Language Agency to Donegal.

  The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos):
  There was no consultation with officials of the Irish Government before the announcement on 3 December 2003 on the proposed relocation of the Irish Language Agency to Donegal. However the announcement made it clear that any such move would be subject to NSMC agreement.

  Language Implementation Body
  Lord Laird
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 10 June (WA 42) concerning the Language Implementation Body's budget, why there was no agreement with the agencies concerning the setting of the 2004 budget.

  Baroness Amos:
  I refer the noble Lord to my Answers of 22 March 2004 (WA 73), 21 April 2004 (WA 39), 17 June 2004 (WA 80) and 22 June 2004 (WA 113). I have nothing further to add to these Answers.

  Ulster-Scots Agency
  Lord Laird
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  Whether they have discussed with the Eire Government the suitability of certain grants made by the Ulster-Scots Agency to groups supporting Ulster-Scots culture; and if so, when such discussions were held.

  Baroness Amos:
  I can confirm that no such discussions were held. The board of the agency has responsibility for the exercise of the functions of the agency. Decisions on the payment of specific grants are primarily for the board of the agency with due regard to the approved business and corporate plans and also the remit of the agency.

  Lord Laird
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 14 June (WA 53) concerning the appointment of a Cultural Affairs Officer by the Northern Ireland Department of Culture and Leisure, what steps the officer has taken to promote the work of the Ulster-Scots Agency outside the island of Ireland. [HL3480]
  WA116
  Baroness Amos:
  The Cultural Affairs Officer has offered the Ulster-Scots Agency the opportunity to promote its work at meetings and events in the United States. The agency's website has been featured on a number of occasions at events in Washington and a package of leaflets produced by the agency ("The Ulster-Scots in America") was among literature distributed at a number of events in the United States.

  Ulster-Scots Culture
  Lord Patten
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  Whether they will define what they mean when they use the term "Ulster-Scots culture".

  Baroness Amos:
  "Ulster-Scots culture" is defined in the North/South Co-operation (Implementation Bodies) (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 as relating to the cultural traditions of the part of the population of Northern Ireland and the border counties which is of Scottish ancestry and the influence of their cultural traditions on others, both within the island of Ireland and in the rest of the world.

  Northern Ireland: School Funding
  Lord Laird
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  What, since 1990, has been the required number of pupils enrolling in a school in Northern Ireland for the school to receive government funding; whether there have been any exceptions; and, if so, what schools were involved; and what were the reasons given.

  Baroness Amos:
  The numbers enrolled at schools are kept under review with the relevant school authorities and amalgamation or closure is agreed for schools that are no longer considered viable. There are no set enrolments below which funding is automatically withheld: viability is considered on a case-by-case basis. To receive government support schools must also satisfy the following requirements:

  School management—the school must have a scheme of management under Article 123 of Education Reform (NI) Order 1989 and a board of governors constituted under Article 11 of the Education and Libraries (NI) Order 1986.

  Teachers—teachers must be properly qualified under Article 70(i) of the Education and Libraries (NI) Order 1986 and must observe days of operation under the teacher's regulations.

  Curriculum—there is a specific statutory requirement under the Education Reform (NI) Order 1989 that to qualify for grant a school must teach the Northern Ireland school curriculum as specified in the order.

  The department is also required to ensure that the establishment of a new school will not result in unreasonable public expenditure and will be viable in the long-term.
  WA117
  The current enrolment criteria for all new schools to qualify for funding are:
  Primary schools:
  Rural areas Minimum P1 intake of 12 pupils
  Urban areas Minimum P1 intake of 15 pupils
  Secondary schools: Minimum intake of 50 pupils

  The criteria for primary schools have been in place since 2000 and for post-primary schools since 2001. In recent years, new schools have generally been in either the integrated or Irish-medium sector. The criteria that applied to integrated schools prior to the introduction of the current requirements are below. These covered the Irish-medium sector since 1998.

  Primary Year 1 intake

  Secondary Year 8 intake

  1990

  15

  60

  1996

  25

  100

  1998

  25

  80

  2000

  12/15

  As above

  2001

  12/15

  80

  1 Rural/Urban respectively

  Two new schools received funding without strictly meeting the relevant intake criteria, as follows:

  In 1996, Meanscoil Feirste, the only Irish-medium post-primary school in Northern Ireland, was awarded grant-aided status, although it did not achieve the required intake. There was, however, firm evidence from the school's previous intakes and the growth in the Irish-medium primary school sector that the school would shortly achieve the level of enrolments and that these would be sustainable.

  In 2002, Bunscoil Bheanna Boirche, an existing independent Irish-medium primary school in Castlewellan, was approved for funding with a year 1 intake of 10 instead of 12. The decision was taken on the basis that the school had just fallen short of the minimum but had 12 pre-school children in the attached pre-school unit. The school at the time also had a total of 32 children of compulsory school age already attending.

  Northern Ireland: Loyal Order Parades
  Lord Laird
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 22 June (WA 115), why Tourism Ireland has not promoted and supported Loyal Order parades in Ulster as tourist attractions; and what steps it is now taking to do so.

  Baroness Amos:
  Tourism Ireland Limited carries out strategic all-Ireland destination marketing in all markets outside the island of Ireland.

  Responsibility for promoting and marketing detailed listings of tourist attractions in Northern Ireland lies with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) and in the Republic of Ireland it falls to Failte Ireland. NITB maintains a database record of the
  WA118
  major Loyal Order parades and ensures these are published on its consumer website.

  I also refer the noble Lord to my Answer for HL3439.

  Lord Laird
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 22 June (WA 115), concerning the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, why the only Loyal Order parade listed in the annual events listing brochure for 2004 was the Maiden City Festival. [HL3439]

  Baroness Amos:
  The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) maintains a database record of the major Loyal Order parades and ensures these are published on its consumer website.

  NITB has recently met with the Grand Orange Lodge to examine ways to work with it to increase the promotion of the 12 July parades.

  Police Service of Northern Ireland
  Lord Laird
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  In each recruitment round for the Police Service of Northern Ireland since its creation, how many application forms have been requested; how many were received; what was the number in each merit pool; and what was the number of recruits from each round, broken down into Roman Catholics and non-Roman Catholics. [HL3501]

  Baroness Amos:
  I am advised that the numbers requested are as follows:

  Total number appointed on 50/50 basis

  Campaign

  Number of application forms requested

  Number Received

  Number in Merit Pool

  Roman Catholic

  Non-Roman Catholic

  1

  20,283

  7,843

  602

  153

  1152

  2

  9,607

  4,910

  458

  98

  98

  3

  8,929

  4,674

  419

  83

  83

  24

  8,579

  4,410

  857

  199

  197

  25

  9,752

  6,047

  1,087

  125

  140

  26

  6,660

  5,420

  880

  11

  17

  27

  4,596

  5,420

  34,800

  1 Excluding one non-R.C., candidate who withdrew at the final moment.

  2 Appointments are not yet complete for these campaigns. The number recorded reflects those appointed to date.

  3 Including online applications.

  Ulster Political Research Group
  Lord Laird
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  Whether there has been any contact between the North/South Ministerial Council Secretariat in Armagh and the Ulster Political Research Group; if so, why such contact was made; and what is the Cross-Border Implementation Body's mandate for such contacts. [HL3502]
  WA119
  Baroness Amos:
  The NSMC Secretariat is staffed by officials drawn from the Irish Government and from the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister. Those staff may exercise both secretariat and other, wider, functions. Acting in their capacity as officials of the Irish Government and OFMDFM, staff of the secretariat have helped to facilitate meetings between members of the Ulster Political Research Group and a number of external organisations.

  Belfast: Waterways
  Lord Laird
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 24 February (WA 40), why those public authorities who own land or roadways adjacent to the Knock and Connswater Rivers do not clear the channels of those rivers; and why clearing of rivers in Northern Ireland is not the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Rivers Agency.

  Baroness Amos:
  The major urban sections of the Knock and Connswater Rivers are designated watercourses within the terms of the Drainage (NI) Order 1973 and therefore channel maintenance to ensure free flows is the responsibility of the Rivers Agency, and not adjacent landowners.

  Only very short sections are undesignated and the public authorities owning adjacent lands have been advised of their responsibility for channel clearance.

  The Rivers Agency's drainage remit in clearing rivers in Northern Ireland is limited to those watercourses designated by the Drainage Council for Northern Ireland. In general designated watercourses are those deemed to be beyond the maintenance capability of adjacent landowners and in which works at public expense provide value for money.

  Rehabilitation of Offenders (Northern Ireland) Order
  Lord Hylton
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  What progress they are making on the review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Order (Northern Ireland); and whether they are consulting about the special needs of persons convicted of scheduled offences.

  Baroness Amos:
  The representations we received in our consultation exercise on reform of the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 included views on scheduled offending.

  My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Northern Ireland (Mr Spellar) is currently considering the responses received and anticipates bringing forward legislative proposals in the autumn.

  Parliamentary Estate: Dust
  Lord Roberts of Conwy
  asked the Chairman of Committees:
  What analyses have been carried out over the past year of the dust content of the atmosphere in the Parliamentary Estate; and what were the results of any such analyses, in particular, what proportion is attributed to the demolition of buildings; and [HL3589]

  What proportion of the dust in the Parliamentary Estate is thought to be carcinogenic. [HL3590]

  The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara):
  Analyses of the dust content of the atmosphere are not carried out as part of the regular monitoring of the Parliamentary Estate. However, whenever works require asbestos to be removed, or if the encapsulation of any asbestos is disturbed, or if any previously unknown asbestos is discovered, then air tests are done in the vicinity. Tests have been carried out on 10 sites in the past year, and in none of these cases was any airborne asbestos dust found. There is therefore no particular cause for concern that the dust on the Parliamentary Estate is carcinogenic.

  Cameroon: Elections
  Lord Avebury
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  What further discussions they have had or will have with President Biya of Cameroon on progress towards free and fair elections in October 2004; whether they will ask why observer status was refused by the Ministry of Territorial Administration to certain applicants who wished to observe the partial rerun of the 2002 municipal elections held in the Cameroon on 13 June.

  The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean):
  My right honourable friend the Prime Minister and my honourable friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Africa (Chris Mullin) have discussed the importance of a free, fair and transparent election with President Biya when he visited the UK in March 2004. The UK maintains a constant dialogue with the Government of Cameroon on preparations for the election. We were not aware of refusals by the Government of Cameroon to grant observer status to applicants wishing to observe the partial rerun of the 2002 municipal elections. Two representatives of the British High Commission observed the election reruns and we are discussing their observations with the Government of Cameroon.

  Libya: Capital Punishment
  Lord Hylton
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  What representations they are making to the Government of Libya and to international bodies concerning the proposed execution of a Palestinian doctor and five Bulgarian nurses. [HL3573]
  WA121
  Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean:
  I spoke to Libyan Foreign Minister Shalgam on 9 May to express our concern at the verdict. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to Bulgarian Minister Passy immediately after the verdicts were handed down to offer our support. He also spoke to Mr. Shalgam on 25 May raising our concerns.

  The European Union Troika met Mr. Shalgam during the Euro Med Ministerial in Dublin on 6 May to highlight the EU's concern at the court's decision and underline that a satisfactory resolution to this case is a factor in the further improvement of Libya's relations with the EU. An EU demarche was made on Libyan Prime Minister Shukri Ghanem in Tripoli on 12 June.

  The defendants have signalled that they will appeal the decision. The Government will continue to monitor developments through our Embassy in Tripoli and push for an early hearing.

  Home Detention Curfew
  Baroness Anelay of St Johns
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  How many prisoners have been released on the home detention curfew scheme since January 1999; what were the categories of offences for which they had been sentenced; how many such prisoners were released in each category; and, in relation to each category, what was the average sentence received. [HL2973]

  The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal):
  The requested information, for the period 28 January 1999 to 30 April 2004, is provided in the table.

  The table includes releases relating to sexual offenders. These were eligible to be considered for release under the home detention curfew (HDC) until March 2001. Since then prisoners subject to the registration requirements of Part 1 of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 (now replaced by Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) are statutorily excluded from the scheme and all other prisoners convicted of a sexual offence are presumed unsuitable for release on HDC. In addition, since 14 July 2003 prisoners convicted of certain serious offences including offences involving the death of the victim, attempted murder, threats to kill and racially aggravated offences are presumed unsuitable for release unless there are exceptional circumstances.

  HDC discharges by office type

  28 January 1999 to 30 April 2004

  Average sentence (months)

  Total

  92,280

  14.5

  Violence against the person

  16,717

  14.8

  Sexual offences

  97

  11.4

  Burglary

  8,596

  19.6

  Robbery

  4,417

  27.9

  Theft and handling

  12,319

  11.0

  Frauds and forgery

  6,505

  13.4

  Drugs offences

  13,323

  22.2

  Motoring offences

  14,372

  5.4

  Other

  15,934

  12.8

  Whitehall: Access for Peers
  Lord Smith of Clifton
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  Under what circumstances, when Whitehall is cordoned off, a Metropolitan Police officer may refuse passage to a Member of the House of Lords even when a Lords' pass is presented.

  Baroness Scotland of Asthal:
  If an area is cordoned off, the decision to refuse passage to any person is based entirely on the safety of that individual, in what may be a dangerous area, or to facilitate a rescue operation. Every endeavour is always made to restore normality as speedily as possible.

  Armed Forces: Recruitment
  Lord Astor of Hever
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  Where the Armed Forces recruiting offices are in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man; and [HL3510]

  How many individuals, broken down by single-Service and multi-Service, each Armed Forces recruiting office has recruited in the past year. [HL3511]

  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach):
  The locations of the Armed Forces careers officers (AFCO), and the single-Service (predominantly Army) satellite recruiting offices are detailed in the table below. Also included is the number of individuals recruited by each AFCO, by Service, in financial year 2003–04:

  AFCO

  RN

  Army

  RAF

  Total

  Aberdeen

  45

  83

  101

  229

  Aldershot

  —

  113

  —

  113

  Ashington

  —

  46

  —

  46

  Bangor

  —

  68

  —

  68

  Barnsley

  —

  121

  —

  121

  Barnstaple

  —

  56

  —

  56

  Baroow-in-Furness

  —

  75

  —

  75

  Bathgate

  —

  49

  —

  49

  Belfast

  74

  120

  163

  357

  Birkenhead

  —

  122

  —

  122

  Birmingham

  139

  327

  286

  752

  Bishop Auckland

  —

  80

  —

  80

  Blackburn

  —

  85

  —

  85

  Blackheath

  —

  110

  —

  110

  Blackpool

  —

  94

  —

  94

  Bolton

  —

  153

  —

  153

  Boston

  —

  67

  —

  67

  Bournemouth

  76

  89

  107

  272

  Bradford

  —

  170

  —

  170

  Brighton

  46

  200

  152

  398

  Bristol

  141

  226

  189

  556

  Burnley

  —

  103

  —

  103

  Burton-on-Trent

  —

  118

  —

  118

  Cambridge

  16

  107

  120

  243

  Canterbury

  25

  63

  —

  88

  Cardiff

  74

  160

  208

  442

  Carlisle

  46

  432

  82

  560

  Carmarthen

  —

  39

  —

  39

  Catterick

  —

  25

  —

  25

  WA123

  Chatham

  44

  135

  111

  290

  Chelmsford

  33

  150

  —

  183

  Chester

  —

  82

  —

  82

  Chesterfield

  —

  62

  —

  62

  Chichester

  —

  60

  —

  60

  Coleraine

  —

  30

  —

  30

  Coventry

  47

  167

  100

  314

  Croydon

  —

  168

  —

  168

  Darlington

  66

  90

  —

  156

  Derby

  64

  63

  —

  127

  Doncaster

  —

  144

  —

  144

  Dover

  —

  42

  —

  42

  Dumbarton

  —

  48

  —

  48

  Dumfries

  —

  78

  —

  78

  Dundee

  65

  67

  190

  322

  Dunfermline

  36

  112

  —

  148

  Durham

  —

  120

  —

  120

  Edinburgh

  93

  144

  128

  365

  Elgin

  —

  40

  —

  40

  Exeter

  71

  79

  171

  321

  Galashiels

  —

  48

  —

  48

  Glasgow

  90

  202

  116

  408

  Gloucester

  57

  85

  178

  320

  Greenock

  —

  48

  —

  48

  Grimsby

  —

  110

  —

  110

  Guildford

  46

  —

  —

  46

  Halifax

  —

  71

  —

  71

  Hamilton

  —

  141

  —

  141

  Haverford West

  —

  54

  —

  54

  Hereford

  —

  78

  —

  78

  Herford

  —

  23

  —

  23

  Huddersfield

  —

  104

  —

  104

  Hull

  117

  150

  77

  344

  Ilford

  21

  210

  —

  231

  Inverness

  19

  72

  108

  199

  Ipswich

  48

  58

  —

  106

  Irvine

  —

  148

  —

  148

  Kirkcaldy

  —

  83

  —

  83

  Lancaster

  —

  77

  —

  77

  Leeds

  87

  180

  227

  494

  Leicester

  59

  142

  182

  383

  Lincoln

  57

  78

  152

  287

  Liverpool

  174

  223

  257

  654

  London

  182

  170

  253

  605

  Luton

  69

  135

  99

  303

  Manchester

  206

  256

  211

  673

  Mansfield

  —

  113

  —

  113

  Middlesborough

  88

  295

  174

  557

  Milton Keynes

  —

  95

  —

  95

  Newport

  —

  118

  —

  118

  Newport I of W

  —

  39

  —

  39

  Norwich

  58

  118

  215

  391

  Northampton

  —

  128

  —

  128

  Nottingham

  93

  124

  281

  498

  Oldham

  —

  111

  —

  111

  Omagh

  —

  14

  —

  14

  Oxford

  55

  82

  196

  333

  Paisley

  —

  69

  —

  69

  Perth

  —

  36

  —

  36

  Peterborough

  25

  128

  225

  378

  Plymouth

  239

  171

  172

  582

  Pontypridd

  —

  124

  —

  124

  Portadown

  —

  22

  —

  22

  Portsmouth

  207

  92

  218

  517

  Preston

  91

  115

  207

  413

  Reading

  —

  116

  —

  116

  Redruth

  67

  62

  91

  220

  Rhyll

  —

  84

  —

  84

  Salisbury

  —

  77

  —

  77

  Scarborough

  —

  48

  —

  48

  Sheffield

  85

  149

  206

  440

  Shrewsbury

  48

  108

  185

  341

  Southampton

  50

  85

  —

  135

  WA124

  Southend

  —

  129

  93

  222

  South Shields

  —

  87

  —

  87

  St Helens

  60

  —

  —

  60

  Stirling

  —

  71

  —

  71

  Stockport

  —

  118

  —

  118

  Stoke

  32

  175

  97

  304

  Strand (London)

  —

  603

  —

  603

  Sunderland

  —

  117

  —

  117

  Swansea

  75

  132

  108

  315

  Taunton

  91

  84

  —

  175

  Torquay

  —

  75

  —

  75

  Tunbridge Wells

  —

  29

  —

  29

  Upavon

  —

  93

  —

  93

  Wakefield

  —

  106

  —

  106

  Warrington

  —

  100

  —

  100

  Wembley

  —

  23

  —

  23

  Wigan

  —

  127

  —

  127

  Wolverhampton

  24

  168

  —

  192

  Worcester

  —

  118

  —

  118

  Workington

  —

  42

  —

  42

  Wrexham

  29

  121

  204

  354

  York

  —

  58

  —

  58

  Lord Astor of Hever
  asked Her Majesty's Government:

  How many recruits joined the infantry in the past year.

  Lord Bach:
  During financial year 2003—04, 4,660 untrained soldiers joined the Regular Army infantry from civil life.

  Note that figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

  Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston: Laser Facility
  Lord Stoddart of Swindon
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  Whether the proposed replacement laser facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston, will be capable of testing and certifying a new generation of nuclear warhead; and, if so, whether this complies with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

  Lord Bach:
  The purpose of the proposed ORION facility is to contribute towards ensuring that the United Kingdom nuclear warhead capability remains safe and reliable. The use of such technology with respect to nuclear warheads and nuclear material does not contravene the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

  Lord Stoddart of Swindon
  asked Her Majesty's Government:

  Whether they will call in the planning application to build a replacement laser facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston. [HL3555]

  Lord Bach:
  There is no need to do so. The Ministry of Defence uses the procedure under Department of the Environment Circular 18/84 Part 4 paragraph 21,

  WA125
  whereby the Secretary of State for Defence reviews objections made during the planning process and considers whether it is appropriate to refer these to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. This procedure has been followed in the case of the proposed laser facility. The Secretary of State for Defence believes that objections on planning policy issues have been taken into account.

  Naval Discipline Act
  Lord Astor of Hever
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  What guidance is given to commanding officers in relation to administering summary justice in accordance with the Naval Discipline Act 1957. [HL3558]

  Lord Bach:
  The main sources of guidance available to commanding officers in relation to administering summary justice in accordance with the Naval Discipline Act 1957 are the Manual of Naval Law, A Guide to Discipline Reporting and A Guide to Summary Punishments. Training on Service discipline matters is provided incrementally throughout an officer's career. Additionally, guidance is also available from a Service legal adviser who is always contactable.

  Gibraltar: Military Aircraft
  Lord Hoyle
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  What representations are being made to Spain to allow military aircraft from NATO or NATO members to fly over Spain if Gibraltar is their airfield for arrival or departure. [HL3586]

  Lord Bach:
  None.

  Planning Inspectorate
  Lord Avebury
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  What steps they are taking to ensure that the Planning Inspectorate is able to communicate decisions electronically, and that its website allows members of the public to access appeal decisions. [HL3493]

  The Minister of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Lord Rooker):
  The Planning Inspectorate is developing a new online planning casework service for making and tracking the progress of planning appeals and other casework. The new service will enable the public to search for and view new appeal decisions. It is anticipated that the new service will be rolled out progressively from mid-November this year.

  Gypsies and Travellers
  Lord Avebury
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  What has been the outcome of their consideration of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Connors v United Kingdom (Application No 66746/01); in particular, whether they have concluded that a change in the status of Gypsies residing on local authority residential sites is appropriate; and if so, whether they will ask the Law Commission to consider the matter as part of its current tenure review. [HL3496]

  Lord Rooker:
  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is still considering whether changes in the tenure status of those living on local authority Gypsy and Traveller sites would be appropriate. If our current review of Gypsy and Traveller accommodation concludes that changes are required, then the Law Commission's tenure review work is likely to be an appropriate way to take this forward.

  Regional Chambers
  Lord Stoddart of Swindon
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  What is the purpose of incorporating regional assemblies as private limited liability companies; and what is the legal basis for such incorporation. [HL3545]

  Lord Rooker:
  The regional chambers—often referred to as assemblies—are voluntary, independent bodies, designated by the Government under the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998. Some Chambers are unincorporated bodies while others are incorporated bodies limited by guarantee under the terms of the Companies Act 1985.

  Chambers receive government grant to enable them to undertake their scrutiny and regional planning functions. For unincorporated chambers grant is paid to a third party—an "accountable body"—that has the requisite legal status and financial viability to receive government grant. Where a chamber has incorporated then government grant can be paid to it directly.

  The Government are not "incorporating" regional chambers, nor have they instructed them to incorporate. An unincorporated chamber may choose to move to incorporated status, but that is a matter for its members to decide for themselves.

  Sexual Health: Internet Sites
  Baroness Finlay of Llandaff
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  What action the Teenage Pregnancy Unit is taking to ensure that Internet searches by teenagers guide them to bona fide United Kingdom sites for authoritative and responsible advice on sexual activity and sexual health. [HL3469]
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  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland):
  It is not possible to guarantee that young people searching the Internet for information on teenage pregnancy or sexual health will not inadvertently access an inappropriate site, in particular if they are using home-based Pcs.

  We do, however, provide clear guidance to schools, in order to minimise the risk of young people accessing inappropriate material from a school-based computer. Recent guidance issued by DfES to schools: Superhighway Safety: Safe use of the Internet raises awareness of both the benefits and risks of the Internet and related technologies, providing an understanding of their appropriate and effective use both in and outside the classroom. Through the National Grid for Learning (NGfL), we provide access to high-quality educational resources within a safe area of the Internet. All sites linked to the NGfL conform to published standards and a code of conduct, one of the principles of which is that sites should "provide no direct access to undesirable materials". A copy of the code of conduct can be accessed from www.ngfl.gov.uk.

  While schools are relatively protected areas, where pupils are able to access different technologies under human and technological supervision and monitoring, this level of protection will not necessarily be the case where young people access information from home. Guidance therefore makes clear that schools should aim to bridge the gap between home and school, sharing policies and approaches to Internet safety with parents so that the same messages can be extended into the home environment.

  The Government have created a youth portal—www.need2know.co.uk—to provide a first-stop shop to responsible and authoritative sources of information for young people on a wide range of issues that they have identified as being important to them, including sexual health. The website that supports the teenage pregnancy strategy's national awareness campaign (RUThinking.co.uk) purposely does not have the word "sex" in its name, to minimise the risk of young people accessing inappropriate sites.

  State Pension
  Lord Hoyle
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  What is the number of state retirement pensioners; and how much is being paid in state retirement pensions in Warrington. [HL3575]

  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Baroness Hollis of Heigham):
  The total number of people in Great Britain in receipt of a state pension as at 30 September 2003 was 10,398,740.

  The total number of state pension recipients in the unitary authority of Warrington as at 30 September 2003 was 32,600.
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  In 2003–04 the state pension expenditure in the unitary authority of Warrington is estimated to have been around £150 million.

  Notes:

  Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.

  Caseload figures are based on a five per cent sample from the pensions strategy computer system as at 30 September 2003, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.

  Figures for Warrington were calculated using caseload and average amount information from the pensions strategy computer system and calibrated to the estimated outturn for Great Britain for 2003–04.

  Source:

  Caseload figures—IAD Information Centre five per cent sample.

  Winter Fuel Allowance
  Lord Hoyle
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  How many people receive the winter fuel allowance in Warrington; and what is the cost to the taxpayer. [HL3577]

  Baroness Hollis of Heigham:
  The number of people in the Warrington local authority area who received a winter fuel payment for winter 2003–04 was 36,030 at a total cost of £5,854,000.

  Source:

  IAD Information Centre, WFP data winter 2003–04 100 per cent sample.

  Notes:

  Figures for total number of payments made are rounded to the nearest five.

  Please note that the figures for 2003–04 refer only to the main payment run so they do not include the late payment run figures. We estimate that there are approximately 100,000 people in Great Britain paid in late payment runs (0.8 per cent of all payments). Since most of the payments made in late payment runs are people who are not receiving another benefit from DWP and whose claims had not been received by the qualifying week, most are men aged 60.

  Local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory.

  Lord Hoyle
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  How many over-80s in Warrington are receiving the extra winter fuel allowance; and what is the cost to the taxpayer. [HL3578]

  Baroness Hollis of Heigham:
  The number of people in the Warrington local authority aged 80 or over who are in receipt of the extra winter fuel payment is 6,380 at a cost of £1,622,700.

  Source:

  IAD Information Centre, WFP data winter 2003–04 100 per cent sample.
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  Notes:

  Figures for total number of payments made are rounded to the nearest five.

  Please note that the figures for 2003–04 refer only to the main payment run so they do not include the late payment run figures. We estimate that there are approximately 100,000 people in Great Britain paid in late payment runs (0.8 per cent of all payments). Since most of the payments made in late payment runs are people who are not receiving another benefit from DWP and whose claims had not been received by the qualifying week, very few indeed are aged 80 or over.

  Local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory.

  Pension Credit
  Lord Hoyle
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  How many people in Warrington qualify for pension credit; how many are receiving this; and what is the cost to the taxpayer. [HL3579]

  Baroness Hollis of Heigham:
  Estimates of the level of eligibility for pension credit are not available in respect of individual constituencies or local authority areas. However, we estimate that approximately 500,000 households in the north-west region (rounded to the nearest 50,000) are likely to be eligible for pension credit in 2004–05.

  At 31 May, 3,995 households in the constituency of Warrington North and 3,456 households in the constituency of Warrington South (rounded to the nearest five) were receiving pension credit, with average awards of £39.42 and £38.50 respectively.

  Information on the administrative costs of pension credit is not available. In accordance with the requirements of resource accounting and budgeting, the department now accounts for its administration and benefit expenditure by strategic objective, as set out in its public service agreements (PSA), and by individual requests for resources (RfRs), as set out in the departmental estimates and accounts.

  Web Accessibility: Disabled People
  The Earl of Northesk
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  What progress is being made in their discussions with the Disability Rights Commission following its April report on web accessibility; and when they anticipate making recommendations arising from these discussions. [HL3581]

  Baroness Hollis of Heigham:
  The recommendations for government in the Disability Rights Commission's report on web accessibility are the responsibility of a number of departments. Officials are meeting to consider those recommendations and we will respond to them in due course.

  Television Licences
  Lord Hoyle
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  How many people in Warrington receive free television licences; and how much they cost. [HL3576]

  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Lord McIntosh of Haringey):
  TV Licensing, which administers free television licences for people aged 75 or over as an agent for the BBC, is not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, 2001 Census data for parliamentary constituencies identifies 12,209 people aged 75 or over living in the Warrington North and South constituencies.

  Financial Services Compensation Scheme
  Lord Laird
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 1 July concerning the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (WA 46), what is meant by "compensation is payable to eligible claimants, nearly always irrespective of current residence". [HL3594]

  Lord McIntosh of Haringey:
  The statement "compensation is payable to eligible claimants, nearly always irrespective of current residence" refers to certain types of claim against insolvent insurers. For claims from individuals in respect of certain types of insurance contract, the habitual residence of the claimant at the date the insurance contract commenced may determine whether a contract is protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, although the scheme's present rules provide that, for this purpose, residence in the UK (including Northern Ireland) does qualify. The scheme's rules are written by the Financial Services Authority and form part of the authority's handbook, which can be found on the FSAs website (www.fsa.gov.uk). The following link goes straight to the scheme's rules: http:// www.fsa.gov.uk/vhb/html/comp/comptoc.html The particular rules illustrating the above point are 5.4.2, 5.4.3 and 5.4.4.

  Lord Laird
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  Whether the Financial Services Compensation Scheme has paid out to an individual or company based in Northern Ireland in respect of an incident which occurred outside Northern Ireland. [HL3595]

  Lord McIntosh of Haringey:
  The Financial Services Compensation scheme has paid compensation to claimants based in Northern Ireland. The scheme's rules do not prevent compensation being paid to claimants in Northern Ireland in respect of incidents that occurred outside Northern Ireland. Records of individual claims paid are not available to Her Majesty's Government but further details are available from the scheme at: Financial Services Compensation Scheme, 7th Floor, Lloyds Chambers, 1 Portsoken Street, London El 8BN.

  TB Testing: Collection of Roadside Carcases
  Lord Rotherwick
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  Whether the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs's Wildlife Unit collect badger and deer carcasses from the roadside for tuberculosis testing in all regions of the United Kingdom; and, if not, in which regions removal of such wildlife carcasses is the responsibility of the highways agencies alone. [HL3392]

  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty):
  In Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire and Dorset, Defra's Wildlife Unit will collect any badger carcases from the roadside deemed suitable for TB testing. Defra is also undertaking a survey of badger carcases (and deer with suspect lesions) in the Furness peninsula, Cumbria.

  Outside these counties, the local authority is responsible (or, in the case of motorways, the appropriate highways agency).

  Lord Rotherwick
  asked Her Majesty's Government:

  What guidance they give for the treatment of wildlife carcasses collected by highways agencies. [HL3394]

  Lord Whitty:
  The carcases, or parts of carcases, of wild animals are exempt from the scope of the Animal By-Products Regulation unless they are thought to be diseased or are used to produce game trophies. Although the regulation places them under no legal obligation, owners of property on which there are dead wild animals are advised to contact their local authority for advice on appropriate disposal methods.

  However, in some parts of the country, (these are the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire), badger carcases may be collected for examination for TB as part of a limited road traffic accident (RTA) survey of badger carcases. Road accident badger carcases in Cornwall, Devon or Dorset should be reported to Defra on freephone 0800 389 7395 and those in Gloucester, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire reported on freephone 0800 389 7423.

  Orchards
  Baroness Byford
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  How many acres of traditional orchards there were in each of the years 2000 to 2004; how many of these had dual use for grazing; and what percentage of that total for dual use was within the Stewardship Scheme. [HL3402]

  Lord Whitty:
  Data are not collected on traditional orchards or the area of orchards that are used for grazing. The June agricultural census gives the area of non-commercial and commercial orchards grown on
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  holdings. Traditional orchards may fall into either of these categories. Provisional figures for June 2004 will he published in September 2004.

  Area in hectares of orchards in England

  Non-commercial

  Commercial

  2000

  3,331

  22,479

  2001

  3,557

  22,441

  2002

  3,365

  20,250

  2003

  3,496

  19,870

  Source:

  June agricultural census.

  Notes:

  The areas shown are the field area of the orchard, not the tree area.

  Non-commercial orchards are those where the fruit is not sold for any purpose.

  Exotic Birds
  Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  (a) why the guidance leaflets issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to members of the public wishing to import exotic birds from third countries not classified under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) agreements make no reference to the requirement to place sentinel birds in exotic bird transport; and, (b) whether they plan to place exotic birds not covered by the CITES import requirements under those requirements in the interests of animal welfare, [HL3548]

  Lord Whitty:
  (a) Defra's guidance leaflets make no reference to a requirement to place sentinel birds with exotic birds during transport as it is not an animal health requirement under EU or national law.

  Exotic captive birds must be imported in line with the animal health requirements and the veterinary certification laid down in Commission Decision 2000/666/EC as well as current animal welfare rules.

  (b) There are no plans to place exotic birds which are not covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) under such requirements in the interests of animal welfare. CITES is not a body which has control or authority in matters of animal welfare. The aim of CITES is to protect certain plants and animals by regulating and monitoring their international trade to prevent it reaching unsustainable levels.

  There are separate EU welfare rules which are implemented in UK by the Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order.

  Eggs: Mercosur Negotiations
  Baroness Byford
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  Following the refusal by the Mercosur countries to consider animal welfare issues within the trade negotiations with the European Union, what steps they will take to ensure that consumers can identify those products containing eggs that do not conform to the standards required of European Union producers. [HL3566]

  Lord Whitty:
  We have already made clear to the Commission our concerns regarding the inclusion of eggs and egg products on the list of goods from which tariffs will be removed in the EU's market access offer to Mercosur. The EU's offer, which has now been submitted, is an ambitious one, covering a wide range of products.

  The WTO does not allow restrictions on imports purely on the basis of production or processing method. In the light of this, the EU has been pressing in the WTO for recognition of the right of member countries to choose for themselves the level of consumer information about production and processing methods that can be included with imported products. But this has met with little support from elsewhere. I have asked my officials to keep the British Egg Industry Council informed on developments.

  Cross-compliance and National Reserve Consultation
  Baroness Byford
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  Whether they have set a date for the publication of their response to the cross-compliance and national reserve consultation. [HL3666]

  Lord Whitty:
  Announcements will be made on the issues addressed in these consultations later in the summer.

  Civil Service
  Lord Lester of Herne Hill
  asked Her Majesty's Government:
  What steps they are taking to ensure that their reforms of the Civil Service do not adversely affect the number and proportion of disabled people employed in the Civil Service or the targets promoting disability equality in the service.

  Lord Bassam of Brighton:
  The Government remain committed to achieving a Civil Service which is representative of the society it serves, at all levels. Departments will be expected to consider the impact on diversity in the workforce in developing their plans for reform, to ensure that specific groups of staff are not disporportionately affected.