Written Answers of 21 June 2004

DEFENCE

  Territorial Army
  Gregory Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were in the Territorial Army on 1 January(a) 1997 and (b) 2004. [179379]

  Mr. Caplin
  The strength of the Territorial Army (TA) on 1 January 2004 was 38,900. This includes 3,320 Mobilised Reservists.

  The hon. Member will recall from my reply to him on 26 January that I am unable to provide comparable figures for 1 January 1997.

  Defence GII Agency
  Mr. Rendel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department's study of the future of the Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency's estate will be completed. [179380]

  Mr. Ingram
  Initial conclusions are expected to be reached late in 2004. However, these will be subject to further consideration within the Department, within the context of other on-going estate studies. No announcement is likely before early 2005.

  Joint Strike Fighter
  Mr. David Stewart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the US Administration regarding the introduction of the joint strike fighter. [179382]

  Mr. Ingram
  Ministers and officials regularly discuss the progress of the Joint Strike Fighter programme with our US partners.

  Nimrod Project
  Ms Coffey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress with the Nimrod project. [179383]

  Mr. Ingram
  The agreement reached with BAE Systems in February 2003, embodied in a formal contract amendment on 23 February this year, has put the Nimrod MRA4 programme on a much sounder footing for the future. Under the restructured contract, design and development and production have been separated as far as possible, to ensure that technology is adequately de-risked before making further commitment to production price and schedule. The MOD, however, has been approving low risk production activities when it makes sense to do so, where these help maintain essential skills and product knowledge as well as preserve schedule.
  1178W
  While risks and challenges remain, the development and manufacture of the first three Nimrod MRA4 aircraft to be used in the flight trials programme is well under way and we are making good joint progress towards first flight this summer with the first trial aircraft having successfully undertaken low speed taxy trials at Woodford on 12 June 2004.

  Armed Forces Deployment
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which countries members of the UK armed forces are deployed; how many individuals are deployed in each area; on what dates the deployment(a) began and (b) is expected to end; for what purpose the forces were deployed; whether each deployment was at the request of (i) the UN and (ii) another body; and what organisations are in command of UK forces in each area. [177897]

  Mr. Ingram
  United Kingdom armed forces are deployed overseas on peace-keeping and conflict prevention/resolution operations in the following countries:

  Approx personnel numbers

  Year current ops started

  UN mission or other

  Middle East (Inc Iraq)

  9,500

  2003

  Coalition

  Bosnia

  800

  1996

  NATO/UK

  Afghanistan area

  600

  2002

  Multinational

  Cyprus

  410

  1964

  UN

  Kosovo

  190

  1999

  NATO/UK

  Georgia

  7

  1993

  UN

  Sierra Leone

  20

  1999

  UN

  Dem Rep of Congo

  5

  1999

  UN

  Ethiopia/ Eritrea

  4

  2000

  UN

  Liberia

  3

  2003

  UN

  The UK's participation in all of these operations is kept under regular review. Information on other overseas deployments are provided in the Ministry of Defence's Annual Report and Accounts 2000–2003, and copies are available in the House of Commons Library (ref: HC1125)

  UK personnel remain under the ultimate command of the UK at all times. Varying degrees of local command and control are delegated to deployed commanders—including commanders from other UN, Alliance or Coalition members—in order to allow them to complete assigned tasks. In such circumstances, the UK retains a veto over specific missions and tasks given to UK personnel or formations.

  Army Medal Office
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what basis, and with what external advice, the site of the Army Medal Office in Droitwich was(a) assessed as being suitable for residential development and (b) valued. [178996]

  Mr. Caplin
  The land was assessed as suitable for housing based on earlier informal contacts with the Local Planning Authority and a series of inquiries received from, or on behalf of national housebuilders. In the four years preceding the valuation date, five
  1179W
  enquiries or re-enquiries were received of this nature. These continued approaches indicated a local demand for building land.

  The valuation was prepared by Defence Estates 1 own in-house Chartered Surveyors. In making the valuation, due regard was given to knowledge gained from open market residential land transactions, while taking into account the nature of the site at Droitwich.

  British Indian Ocean Territories
  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which UK armed forces are deployed in the British Indian Ocean territories; and what use they make of the US facilities on Diego Garcia. [179697]

  Mr. Ingram
  There is a small Royal Navy, Royal Marine and Army detachment deployed on Diego Garcia within the British Forces British Indian Ocean territory. Their use of US facilities extends to accommodation, the recreation facilities and some logistic support.

  Dentists
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many dentists there were for every 3,000 members of the armed forces in(a) 1987, (b) 1997 and (c) the latest year for which figures are available. [179227]

  Mr. Caplin
  The number of dentists for every 3,000 members of the UK regular forces is as follows:

  Number of dentists

  1 April 1987

  4.16

  1 April 1997

  4.12

  1 April 2004

  3.65

  All figures are rounded to two decimal places.

  Flight ZD576
  Mr. Arbuthnot
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the wreckage of flight ZD576 is located. [179587]

  Mr. Caplin
  The wreckage of light ZD576 is held in secure storage at the Defence Aviation Repair Agency Fleetlands in Hampshire.

  Iraq
  David Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes are planned in the nature of the deployment of British troops in Iraq after 30 June. [179370]

  Mr. Hoon
  On 30 June, the UK will no longer be an Occupying Power under the terms of the Geneva Conventions in Iraq. The Iraqi Government will increasingly take direct responsibility for security. Prime Minister-designate Dr. Iyad Allawi explained in his letter to the Security Council that he intends to establish appropriate security structures that will allow his Government and Iraqi security forces to progressively assume security responsibility. These structures will include the Prime Minister's Ministerial Committee for National Security which will set a broad framework 1180W
  for security policy and to which he will invite representatives from the multinational force as appropriate.

  In Multinational Division South-East, British forces will fully support this process. Iraqi local authorities and security forces will take responsibility for local security wherever possible on 30 June, with multinational forces in support.

  Mr. Carmichael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the current situation in Iraq. [179377]

  Mr. Hoon
  An Interim Iraqi Government has been chosen and stands ready to assume full sovereignty and authority on 30 June. This marks the end of occupation governed by the Geneva Convention. Details of the political process have been set out in UN Security Council Resolution 1546, which acknowledges the continued role of the multinational force in supporting the Iraqi Government. The UN Electoral Commission is preparing for full elections to the Transitional Assembly before the end of January 2005.

  In my visit to Iraq last week, I was able to see for myself the contribution personnel from the United Kingdom are making to Iraq's future. For example, they have trained some 8,000 police in the south. In Baghdad a United Kingdom Ministry of Defence team is helping the Iraqi Minister for Defence set up and develop his department, and officers from the New Iraqi Army are due shortly to begin training at Sandhurst. After 30 June, responsibility for security will pass to the Iraqi Government. The United Kingdom is fully committed to this process and the transition has already started—for example, control of the Iraqi Coastal Defence Forces, which were trained by UK personnel, was passed to the Iraqis on 12 June.

  Mr. Tynan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance British forces have provided to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission regarding military cemeteries and memorials in Iraq. [178605]

  Mr. Caplin
  British forces have provided security, general clearance and maintenance assistance at cemeteries and memorials in southern Iraq.

  The present climate is not conducive to the commencement of any major CWGC projects in Iraq. However, the situation will be re-assessed after the new interim Government of Iraq has assumed its responsibilities.

  Adam Price
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the names are of those individuals reported to have been killed or injured as a result of action by Armed Forces personnel in Iraq in whose cases the commanding officer of the regiment concerned decided there was no case to answer. [179011]

  Mr. Ingram
  I am withholding the names of alleged Iraqi victims of abuse at the hands of UK soldiers, where these individuals are still living, in accordance with Exemption 12 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. Information on the numbers of cases where the commanding officer decided there was no case to answer is currently being collated from unit records.
  1181W
  Mr. Gerald Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cases of(a) dysentery and (b) similar conditions were reported by British Forces serving in Iraq in the year ending 31 March. [176374]

  Mr. Ingram
  For the year ending 31 March 2004, 50 suspected cases of dysentery were reported. Central records of similar disorders are not held, and it would not be possible to calculate these except at disproportionate cost.

  Official Vehicles
  John Barrett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of official vehicles used by his Department are run on(a) petrol, (b) diesel, (c) liquid petroleum gas and (d) compressed natural gas. [172769]

  Mr. Caplin
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Alexander) on 25 May 2004,Official Report, column 1538W. The Government have signed up to various targets for improving the performance of its own vehicle fleet, details of which, together with reports on each Department's progress towards these targets, are available at www.sustainable-development.gov.uk.

  The Ministry of Defence's Ministerial vehicles are provided by the Government Car Service (GCS). Detailed information on the breakdown of the GCS vehicle fleet is being provided separately.

  The MOD's non-operational fleet, which might be regarded as the official vehicle fleet, is supplied under the terms of contracts for service provision and is not owned by the Department. It is not therefore possible to provide a breakdown of vehicles used by fuel type.

  The MOD also operates a large range of operational vehicle fleets. When procuring new operational vehicles MOD ensures compliance with current domestic and EU legislation and the current NATO Single Fuel Policy. Since the acceptance and implementation of this policy by the UK in 1991, all operational vehicles procured will run on diesel or kerosene type fuels. For older vehicles, conversion programmes have been undertaken where this represents a cost-effective option for the remaining life of the fleet.

  Procurement
  John Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures his Department is taking to improve the procurement process for equipment for the armed forces; and if he will make a statement. [179369]

  Mr. Ingram
  Following a comprehensive review of the Defence Procurement Agency's performance a package of measures have been put in place to re-invigorate the Smart Acquisition measures introduced from 1998.

  This work includes strengthening the Corporate Governance within the DPA, improving key acquisition processes—including greater early investment in projects to reduce risk, making better use of available skills, knowledge and experience and building on the Department's relationship with key suppliers.

  This work complements changes to transform the acquisition processes of the Defence Logistics Organisation.
  1182W

  Remembrance Events
  Mr. Tynan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the support given by the armed forces to remembrance and other events at Commonwealth War Graves Commission and similar sites in(a) France and (b) Belgium; and what such events have taken place in the last year. [178589]

  Mr. Caplin
  There were just over 1,900 UK Armed Forces personnel in Normandy for the commemorative events that took place between Saturday 5 and Monday 7 June.

  Support for other events is routinely arranged by our Defence Attaches, including the Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme and the 75th Anniversary of the dedication of the Menin Gate. Unit Commanders are also able to authorise attendance at various remembrance and other events at Commonwealth War Graves Commission and former battle sites in France and Belgium throughout the year, consistent with their regimental histories.

  Attendance reports for these events are not held centrally and it is not possible to provide a report covering every event that has taken place in the last year.

  Royal Irish Regiment
  Mr. Dodds
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many(a) soldiers and (b) ex-soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment have been (i) investigated and (ii) prosecuted in regard to fraudulent claims for payment associated with resettlement in each year since 2000. [175724]

  Mr. Caplin
  Information relating to fraudulent resettlement claims since 2000 by serving soldiers will take further time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House. The investigation of ex-soldiers is a matter for the appropriate civil police authority.

  Mr. Dodds
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers belonging to the Royal Irish Regiment received payments as part of their resettlement on leaving the Army in 2003; and what the average amount was. [175725]

  Mr. Ingram
  A total of 74 soldiers from the Royal Irish Regiment received payments of Individual Resettlement Training Cost grants on leaving the Army in 2003. The average amount paid was £454.29.

  There are associated travel and subsistence costs but this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Suez Medals
  Mr. Laws
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of how many General Service medals with Canal Zone clasps have been issued to date. [179378]

  Mr. Caplin
  As at last Friday 18 June the four single Service medal offices had between them cleared 9,709 cases out of the 39,666 applications so far received.
  1183W
  A total of 489 Naval General Service Medals 1915–62 and 7,884 General Service Medals 1918–62 had been issued with the new clasp Canal Zone, plus another 961 clasps on their own, where recipients had previously received the medal with another clasp for other qualifying service.

  UK Sites (US Use)
  Mr. Willis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions have taken place with the US on using UK sites for anti-ballistic missile interceptor sites. [179206]

  Mr. Hoon
  [holding answer 17 June 2004]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 25 May 2004, Official Report, column 1616W to the hon. Member for Nottingham, South (Alan Simpson).

  UN Convention Against Torture
  Adam Price
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance he has issued to UK service personnel on whether the use of hoods on detainees constitutes inhuman treatment for the purposes of the UN Convention Against Torture. [173019]

  Mr. Hoon
  [holding answer 13 May 2004]: The directive issued by the Chief of Joint Operations to the Commander of British Forces in Iraq covers methods that may be used when obscuring vision, and circumstances in which these methods may be applied. Hoods will not be used when apprehending or detaining Iraqi citizens in Iraq.

  Although the armed forces do not generally hood detainees, the MOD does not believe that the use of hoods on apprehended persons amounts to torture or inhuman treatment for the purposes of the UN Convention in all circumstances. There are occasions on which we believe its use to be appropriate, for example, the temporary obscuring of vision by hooding or other methods to prevent persons who have been apprehended from recognising their locations or other apprehended persons. We do not believe that the use of hoods is acceptable during questioning.

  Veterans
  Laura Moffatt
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made in producing a comprehensive document outlining his Department's support for armed forces veterans. [179381]

  Mr. Caplin
  In March 2003 the Ministry of Defence launched the 'Strategy for Veterans'. This was the result of work which aimed to establish a structured relationship between key deliverers of services to veterans across government and the voluntary and corporate sectors. It also established a strategic framework to assist all areas of Government to develop policies and activities affecting United Kingdom veterans. The document outlines three principal areas of activity: optimising arrangements for transition from Service to civilian life; ensuring that appropriate help is given to those veterans who need it; and increasing the recognition of veterans and their achievements by the wider society.
  1184W

PRIME MINISTER

  Chief Adviser on Delivery
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the(a) powers and (b) duties of his Chief Adviser on Delivery. [179819]

  The Prime Minister
  As Chief Adviser on Delivery, Professor Michael Barber advises me on delivery of the Government's public service priorities, including the joint Cabinet Office/Treasury Public Service Agreement target:'Improve public services by working with departments to help them meet their PSA targets, consistently with the fiscal rules.'

  Iraq
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Prime Minister when Saddam Hussein is to be handed over to the Iraqi authorities. [178252]

  The Prime Minister
  Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi has confirmed that criminal proceedings will be brought against Saddam Hussein and President Bush has confirmed the intention of the US to pass Saddam Hussein to the Iraqi authorities to face criminal prosecution. The Iraqi authorities and the US are in discussions about the transfer.

  Lord Lieutenants
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Prime Minister how many lord lieutenants and deputy lieutenants in(a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Lancashire were (i) Masons and (ii) members of political parties in the last 10 years. [179286]

  The Prime Minister
  The information requested is not held centrally. Lord lieutenants and deputy lieutenants are of course aware that their role is essentially non-political and impartial.

  Minister Without Portfolio
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the work of the Minister without Portfolio. [179817]

  The Prime Minister
  Details of the responsibilities for the Minister without Portfolio can be found in the List of Ministerial Responsibilities, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

  US Military Activities
  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Prime Minister what discussions took place in his recent meetings with the US President concerning US military activities on Diego Garcia and the Chagos Islands; and if he will make a statement. [179699]

  The Prime Minister
  I regularly discuss a wide range of issues with President Bush. As with previous administrations, it is not the practice of this Government to make public all the details of discussions with foreign Governments.
  1185W

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  D-day Commemorations
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many D-Day veterans benifited from Lottery and Government money to revisit the beaches. [179515]

  Estelle Morris
  The National Lottery Veterans Reunited initiative includes the Heroes Return scheme, which provides Lottery funding to help Second World War veterans arrange commemorative visits to the overseas areas where British Armed Forces served in the Second World War. Through Heroes Return, over £1.9 million has already been awarded to veterans, their wives and husbands, widows and widowers and, where required, their present day carers, to return to the overseas areas where the veterans saw active service. Of the funding awarded so far, £1.2 million has been awarded for visits to Normandy. The funding has enabled over 4,200 people, including over 2,100 veterans, to travel to Normandy this month.

  Mr. Boris Johnson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assistance her Department provided to the D-day 60th Anniversary events and commemorations. [179183]

  Estelle Morris
  The Department did not assist directly in the commemorations, but funding has been made available through the National Lottery Veterans Reunited initiative to ensure that all generations of UK residents can commemorate the momentous events that led to the end of the Second World War. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State first announced our intention to provide Lottery support in this area last October.

  The Veterans Reunited initiative has three strands: Their Past, Your Future, focusing on activities for schools and young people; Heroes Return, focusing on overseas visits for veterans and their carers; and Home Front Recall, providing funding for events and activities in the UK. The initiative has an overall budget of over £25 million and will continue making awards until the end of 2005.

  Through Heroes Return, over. £1.9 million has already been awarded to veterans, their wives and husbands, widows and widowers and, where required, their present day carers, to return to the overseas areas where the veterans saw active service. Of the funding awarded so far, £1.2 million has been awarded for visits to Normandy. The funding has enabled over 4,200 people, including over 2,100 veterans, to travel to Normandy this month.

  One of the elements of Their Past, Your Future was a competition with opportunities for schools to win visits to the D-Day commemorations. The first prize winners were Abbey Grange School in Leeds and a party of pupils and teachers joined the official 60th anniversary cruise and commemorations. Further visits are planned for schools later in the year to commemorate other major events such as Arnhem.
  1186W
  Home Front Recall was the most recent element of the Veterans Reunited programme to be launched. One of the first awards to be made was to allow the Rotherham branch of Normandy veterans to travel to Portsmouth for the official D-Day commemorations.

  Greyhounds
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the turnover was for bookmakers on greyhound racing in 2003. [179234]

  Mr. Caborn
  This information is not collected by the Department; but I understand that the British Greyhound Racing Board estimate that the total turnover of on and off-course betting in 2003 was about £3 billion.

  Ministerial Visits
  David Davis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many journeys were made by helicopter by each Minister in her Department and its predecessors in each of the last 10 years; and what the journey length was in each case. [175742]

  Tessa Jowell
  I have been unable to recover information about helicopter trips taken by Ministers in this Department before the General Election in 2001. Since then there has been one helicopter journey made by me on 20 September 2003. The journey was from Tirana to Butrint in Albania and back again. The approximate distance was 99 miles each way, so 198 miles in total.

  None of the other Ministers have made journeys by helicopter.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

  Abandoned Vehicles
  Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many abandoned vehicles were removed by local authorities in Greater London in each year since 1997, broken down by borough. [176708]

  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 7 June 2004]: Statistics for abandoned vehicles removed and destroyed were first compiled in the Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey for 2000–01. Results for authorities in London are available for 2000–01 and 2001–02. Results for 2002–03 are supplemented by results from the Defra Abandoned Vehicle Survey 2002–03.

  Numbers of abandoned vehicles removed and destroyed by each London borough and Waste Collection Authority are listed as follows:

  2000–01

  2001–02

  2002–03

  Barking and Dagenham

  2,761

  n/a

  3,201

  Barnet

  3,287

  4,431

  3,940

  Bexley

  1,356

  1,776

  2,391

  Brent

  3,471

  4,115

  4,184

  Bromley

  3,895

  4,215

  3,129

  Camden

  1,629

  1,897

  1,676

  City of London

  n/a

  n/a

  158

  Croydon

  2,878

  4,376

  4,200

  1187W

  2000–01

  2001–02

  2002–03

  Ealing

  3,754

  4,916

  3,975

  Enfield

  4,711

  6,347

  4,973

  Greenwich

  3,120

  4,200

  4,429

  Hackney

  2,700

  4,066

  3,609

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  1,430

  1,473

  2,188

  Haringey

  6,500

  14,560

  5,900

  Harrow

  1,914

  12,249

  2,650

  Havering

  1,250

  3,126

  2,086

  Hillingdon

  2,286

  3,128

  3,741

  Hounslow

  2,247

  3,118

  3,125

  Islington

  2,619

  3,643

  2,748

  Kensington and Chelsea

  195

  232

  265

  Kingston upon Thames

  739

  2,159

  3,053

  Lambeth

  3,308

  3,775

  3,577

  Lewisham

  5,000

  4,671

  3,554

  Merton

  1,683

  2140

  2,165

  Newham

  6,704

  8,117

  3,105

  Redbridge

  1,562

  2,219

  2,005

  Richmond upon Thames

  1,201

  1,201

  970

  Southwark

  1,934

  2,848

  2,245

  Sutton

  1,651

  2,166

  2,055

  Tower Hamlets

  n/a

  n/a

  2,781

  Waltham Forest

  2,716

  3,466

  3,351

  Wandsworth

  2,571

  2,794

  2,753

  Westminster

  496

  333

  336

  London total

  83,900

  104,500

  94,500

  n/a=results not available.

  1 for 2001–02=GLA estimate.

  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the percentage change in the number of abandoned vehicles in England and Wales was in each year since 1997–98. [177057]

  Mr. Morley
  Figures for numbers of abandoned vehicles removed and destroyed in England were first collected in the Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey for 2000–01. Results for 2002–03 are supplemented by the Defra Abandoned Vehicle Survey for 2002–03.

  Figures for 2001–02 showed an increase of 28 per cent. from 2000–01.

  Figures for 2002–03 showed an increase of 8 per cent. from 2001–02.

  Bovine TB
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish, by payment area, the compensation paid to farmers for each bovine TB breakdown for each of the last three years. [178785]

  Mr. Bradshaw
  TB compensation paid to farmers in relation to cattle for England, Scotland and Wales for the period 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04 is detailed in the following table. A more detailed breakdown is available only at disproportionate cost.

  £

  Payment area

  2001–02

  2002–03

  2003–04

  England

  6,933,629

  23,576,532

  24,093,542

  Scotland

  45,788

  226,570

  538,449

  Wales

  2,264,024

  8,137,810

  9,782,904

  Total compensation paid to farmers in Great Britain

  9,243,441

  31,940,912

  34,414,895

  Fisheries
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with British trawlermen who are fishing or who aim to fish off the disputed waters of Western Sahara. [179297]

  Mr. Bradshaw
  The UK Government has had no discussions with British trawlermen about fishing in the waters of Western Sahara and is not aware of any existing or anticipated fishing activities in that area.

  Galapagos Islands
  Mr. Watson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with the Government of Ecuador to ensure that the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos Islands is not adversely affected by activities of fishermen protesting against quotas. [179171]

  Mr. Rammell
  I have been asked to reply.

  Our Ambassador in Quito has made clear our concerns for the safety of foreign scientists to the Ecuadorean authorities, including the Minister of the Environment. The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, through its Darwin Initiative is funding two UK organisations to carry out biodiversity conservation research projects on the Galapagos Islands and is in close communication with them regarding any security concerns. At present, neither project personnel or project work have been adversely affected by the protests.

  Hazardous Waste
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the(a) location and (b) capacity is of each site presently licensed for (i) hazardous and (ii) contaminated waste, broken down by region; which sites will continue to be licensed for such waste after the implementation of the EU Landfill Directive; and which sites (A) are and (B) will be licensed to take contaminated soil. [176384]

  Mr. Morley
  The location of each site presently licensed for hazardous waste is set out in a table which I have placed in the library (table 1). These are the sites for which operators submitted a conditioning plan to the Environment Agency on 16 July 2002, outlining their proposals for meeting the requirements of the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002. From 16 July 2004, when the co-disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste ends, the majority of these sites will revert to a non-hazardous classification.

  Sites whose operators have applied for permits for their respective sites to receive hazardous waste after the implementation of the EU Landfill Directive are set out in two further tables which I have placed in the Library (tables 2 and 3).

  The 22 applications listed in table 2 are for permits to become merchant or in-house landfills for hazardous waste. The identity of two of the in-house landfills in table 2 cannot be revealed for reasons of national security.
  1189W
  The 35 applications listed in table 3 are for permits for sites to contain single cells for the disposal of stable, non-reactive hazardous wastes.

  Data on capacity of individual hazardous waste sites is not held centrally. Most types of waste are 'contaminated'. Approximately 1,000 landfills are licensed and permitted to take waste for disposal in England and Wales.

  The Environment Agency has no centrally stored information on which sites are presently licensed to take contaminated soil.

  One merchant landfill site has been granted a permit to take contaminated soil after the implementation of the EU Landfill Directive: at Purton Brickworks (table 2, number 1). The operators of two merchant landfill sites have applications still under consideration for permits to take contaminated soils after the implementation of the EU Landfill Directive: at Eardswick Hall (table 2, number 6); and at Whitemoss (table 2, number 7).

  Mr. George Osborne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Environment Agency has to encourage the cement and lime industry to become major operators of hazardous waste incinerators; and whether the Agency has considered plans to locate an incinerator at Lostock Gralam in Cheshire. [176824]

  Mr. Morley
  The Environment Agency takes no part in the commercial decisions of industry to undertake specific activities and is not aware of any applications from the cement and lime industry to operate hazardous waste incinerators. Several cement and lime operators are permitted to incinerate hazardous wastes as substitutes for conventional fuels used in the cement-making process, such as coal and petroleum coke. This is only permitted where the operator can demonstrate to the Agency's satisfaction that no net detriment to the environment results in comparison with the use of conventional fuels alone.

  The Agency has not received an application for an incinerator at Lostock Gralam in Cheshire.

  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contingency plans she has put in place to deal with hazardous waste following the forthcoming ban on co-disposal, with particular reference to warehousing and other storage facilities. [177496]

  Mr. Morley
  The Government and the Environment Agency are monitoring closely waste industry plans for the provision of treatment and disposal capacity, and the response of waste producers. For example, a recent survey of the chemical industry, as reported to the Hazardous Waste Forum, shows that waste producers in that sector do not envisage difficulty in meeting the Landfill Directive requirements. Waste producers should ensure that they are meeting in full the requirements of their duty of care and avoid the need for warehousing or storage of waste over and above that which normally occurs.
  1190W

  Heat Pumps
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department is taking to encourage the development of(a) ground source and (b) air source heat pumps. [176760]

  Mr. Morley
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State, Trade and Industry (Mr. Stephen Timms) on 10 June 2004,Official Report, column 564W.

  Landfill Sites
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which body is responsible for(a) decontamination and (b) preventing the leachate if a closed landfill site begins to leak contaminants into the water supply or environment. [174587]

  Mr. Morley
  Under the provisions of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000, enacted in January 2004, the quality of a public, potable water supply to a consumer's premises (up to the tap) is the responsibility of the relevant water undertaker for that location. This includes responsibility for decontamination.

  If a closed landfill site begins to leak contaminants into the water supply in England and Wales, responsibility for the overall process of preventing the leachate is divided. The Environment Agency is responsible for 'investigating' the incident. The body (or person) who causes or knowingly permits the pollution of controlled waters is responsible for 'remedying' the pollution. The Environment Agency in turn is responsible for 'ensuring' that the body (or person) who caused or knowingly permitted the pollution takes remedial action. The Agency has powers to prosecute the perpetrator of the pollution in these circumstances.

  The Drinking Water Inspectorate investigates incidents affecting drinking water quality. Local authorities are required to monitor the quality of private water supplies, namely those not provided by a water undertaker.

  Responsibility for the aftercare and maintenance of closed landfill sites, including the prevention of environmental pollution, will depend on the legislation that was in force at the time the landfill site ceased operations. Sites that closed before the implementation of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 were subject to a different regime to the one currently in place.

  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Castle Point, of 24 May 2004,Official Report, column 1292W, on landfill sites, how many offences were identified for each year from 2000 to 2003; and what the (a) highest, (b) average and (c) lowest fine was in each year. [178703]

  Mr. Morley
  The Environment Agency's data in the following table on landfill pollution charges relates
  1191W
  to events which were categorised having a major (category 1), significant (category 2) or minor (category 3) environmental impact. No environmental

  Landfill pollution charges

  Total charges

  Enforcement notices

  Cautions

  Prosecutions

  Total fines (£)

  Highest fine (£)

  Lowest fine (£)

  Average fine (£)

  2000

  5

  0

  0

  15

  36,000

  20,000

  2,000

  9,000

  2001

  19

  0

  4

  215

  15,500

  8,000

  7,500

  7,750

  2002

  20

  1

  5

  315

  103,250

  15,000

  6,000

  10,325

  2003

  29

  0

  10

  419

  30,000

  10,000

  1,000

  3,333

  1 Five convictions (four fines, one conditional discharge).

  2 Two convictions (both with fines), 13 acquittals.

  3 10 convictions (all with fines), five acquittals.

  4 15 convictions (nine fines, three absolute discharges, three no evidence offered), four acquittals.

  Pesticides Tax
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on a pesticides tax. [179595]

  Alun Michael
  A Voluntary Initiative to reduce the environmental damage caused by the agricultural use of pesticides has been in place since April 2001. In Budget 2004 the Government confirmed the view that the initiative will be effective in reducing the environmental pollution associated with pesticides provided that it is fully implemented. However, to cover the possibility that the initiative might not deliver the required environmental benefits within a reasonable time scale, the Government have kept the options for a tax or economic instrument under review.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Departmental Decisions (Judicial Review)
  Mr. Oaten
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) which decisions by his Department were challenged by judicial review in session(a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99 and (c) 1999–2000; and in how many cases the (i) Department's decision was upheld by the court, (ii) court found for the applicant, (iii) Department submitted to the judgment and (iv) Department appealed successfully against the decision; [158466]

  (2) which decisions by his Department were challenged by judicial review in the session 2002–03; and in how many cases the (a) Department's decision was upheld by the court, (b) court found for the applicant, (c) Department submitted to the judgment and (d) Department appealed successfully against the decision. [161158]

  Paul Goggins
  There are no central records containing the information sought. This could be obtained only by consulting individual case files and would involve disproportionate cost. There are no central records containing the information sought. This could be obtained only by consulting individual case files and would involve disproportionate cost. The Administrative Court's records are organised by reference to the subject matter of judicial review claims, not the government department concerned. They contain the following information for immigration and 1192W
  impact (category 4) incidents included in the previous answer have not beet included, as the offences did not involve the release of pollutants.

  asylum claims, which make up more than 90 per cent. of the judicial review cases brought against the Home Office.

  Asylum, October 2002 to November 2003

  Number

  Claims received

  2,693

  Claims allowed

  36

  Non-Asylum Immigration Cases, October 2002 to November 2003

  Number

  Claims received

  272

  Claims allowed

  2

  Asylum, October 1997 to September 2000

  Number

  Claims received

  5,748

  Claims allowed

  1685

  1which is 11.9 per cent. of the total

  Non-Asylum, Immigration Cases, October 1997 to September 2000

  Number

  Claims received

  1,117

  Claims allowed

  150

  1which is 4.5 per cent. of the total

  These figures show that in the period in question of the immigration judicial review cases brought against the Home Office only 10.7 per cent. were successful.

  Drug Treatment and Testing Orders
  Phil Sawford
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in(a) England and Wales and (b) Scotland have been given a drug treatment and testing order in each year for which figures are available who otherwise would have received a prison sentence of over six months. [174852]

  Paul Goggins
  Information about how many offenders in England and Wales and Scotland given a drug treatment and testing order (DTTO) who would otherwise have received a prison sentence of over six months is not available.
  1193W
  It is impossible to predict with any degree of accuracy what the outcome of cases where a DTTO was made would have been if the DTTO had not been available as a sentencing option. However, the DTTO is targeted at offenders with entrenched patterns of drug misuse who have generally committed a considerable amount of crime to fund their drug habit. While the vast majority of DTTO cases are likely to be heard in the magistrates courts, a significant number (perhaps as many as a quarter) of offenders on DTTOs are sentenced at Crown court. In view of the frequency and seriousness of offences committed by offenders in the target group, we anticipate that a significant proportion of those who are sentenced to DTTOs would otherwise have been sent to prison.

  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug treatment and testing orders were made in Crosby in 2003–04. [177937]

  Paul Goggins
  According to data from the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse, 60 drug treatment and testing orders (DTTOs) were commenced within the area covered by Sefton Drug Action Team in 2003–04, of which five related to residents of Crosby.

  Electoral Fraud
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the sentencing guidelines for electoral fraud to strengthen their deterrent effect. [179222]

  Mr. Leslie
  I have been asked to reply.

  My Department does not issue or review sentencing guidelines. That is a matter for the Sentencing Guidelines Council. However, I will keep this matter under review and if it appears that guidelines are necessary I may ask the Sentencing Guidelines Council to consider the issue.

  ICT
  Mr. Simon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his targets are for improving the information and communication technology (ICT) skills base of staff within(a) his Department and (b) its agencies; and what method he uses to certify the competence levels achieved by stall receiving training in ICT. [173713]

  Fiona Mactaggart
  Through the formal performance and development reporting process line managers would normally assess the competencies of staff in using information and communication technology (ICT) to carry out their work.

  The target for the Home Office and its agencies (excluding non-departmental public bodies) is for all staff to obtain the standard competency level in the computer systems that they use regularly (e.g. Word processing).

  The Home Office has developed a strategy that identifies the skills required and creates opportunities for staff to develop and make best use of the technology available to them. Across the Home Office and its agencies we have defined IT competencies that are aligned with European standards, such as the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL). This is the
  1194W
  internationally recognised qualification used in over 125 European countries, which enables people to demonstrate their competence in computer skills.

  As part of the rollout of new PC software across the Home Office and the Immigration and Nationality Directorate the Home Office intends to provide access to electronic learning tools for all core computer systems.

  Furthermore the Home Office will also provide opportunities for staff to gain advanced level competencies and qualification through the British Computer Society and the internationally recognised Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification.

  National Criminal Intelligence Service
  Mr. Paice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total funding of the National Criminal Intelligence Service has been in each year since its inception; and how many(a) directly employed staff, (b) contracted in staff and (c) seconded officers it had in each year. [177469]

  Caroline Flint
  [holding answer 9 June 2004]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale West (Mr. Brady) on 6 May 2004, Official Report, column 1699W.

  I also refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Winchester (Mr. Oaten) on 15 June 2004, Official report, column 863 W.

  Probation Hostels
  Mrs. Helen Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many probation hostels are operational in England and Wales; how many places were available in probation hostels in England and Wales on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many of those places were occupied by(a) bailees and (b) convicted sex offenders. [172267]

  Paul Goggins
  There are 100 approved premises in England and Wales. During March 2004 2,198 places were available. No central data are available on the number of places occupied by bailees or those convicted of sexual offences.

  Probation Service
  Mr. Roger Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost per square metre of providing office and storage space for the National Probation Service in Central London was in 2003. [177734]

  Paul Goggins
  [holding answer 10 June 2004]: The cost of providing office and storage space in 2002–03 for the London Probation Area was £11,726,000, equivalent to £223 per square metre.

  With effect from 2003–04, all costs across the whole of the National Probation Estate were paid centrally and pooled. The national average cost per square metre was set at £180.

  The London Probation Area had their grant reduced by £1,734,000 in recognition of the fact that their costs have been reduced as a consequence of the national pooling arrangement.
  1195W

  Secure Training Centres
  Dr. Vis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions the police have been called to secure training centres in each of the last five years; and for what reasons. [176780]

  Paul Goggins
  Police attendance's at secure training centres (STCs) are not individually recorded.

  Sex Offenders
  Mr. Oaten
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of residents in probation hostels are convicted sex offenders. [172395]

  Paul Goggins
  We do not maintain a central record of the number of residents in approved premises who have been convicted of sexual offences.

  Tom Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) men and (b) women were on the sex offenders' register on 1 May. [177815]

  Paul Goggins
  The 2003–04 Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements annual reports, which will provide statistics on the number of registered sex offenders living in the community on 31 March 2004, will be published later this year.

  Victim Care Charities
  Andrew Selous
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will change his policy of charging victim care charities market rents for office space created for agencies working closely with the criminal justice system in new magistrates courts. [179008]

  Mr. Leslie
  I have been asked to reply.

  Magistrates courts are expected to provide office space at no cost for 'Support Care Staff' for the use of referring to papers and conducting occasional interviews while at the courthouse. Agreement on the provision of accommodation is reached on this basis. Should the requirement of victim care charities exceed this agreement, negotiations are made locally. However, the launch of Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) in April 2005 will provide an opportunity to assess all current estates, contracts and maintenance arrangements and

  Crown Prosecution Service case outcomes

  2001

  2002

  2003

  Number

  Percentage

  Number

  Percentage

  Number

  Percentage

  Magistrates courts

  Finalised of which

  1,373,426

  —

  1,411,903

  —

  1,485,408

  —

  Pre-charge advice

  45,580

  —

  57,505

  —

  117,172

  —

  Non-criminal proceedings

  11,063

  —

  9,221

  —

  15,337

  —

  Case outcomes

  Discontinuances (including bind overs)

  198,908

  16.2

  197,940

  15.7

  181,423

  14.3

  Warrants etc.

  73,790

  6.0

  78,758

  6.3

  73,432

  5.8

  Committals discharged

  766

  0.1

  931

  0.1

  1,693

  0.1

  Dismissals no case to answer

  1,632

  0.1

  1,722

  0.1

  2,575

  0.2

  Dismissals after trial

  14,645

  1.2

  15,458

  1.2

  15,852

  1.3

  Total unsuccessful outcomes

  289,741

  23.5

  294,809

  23.4

  274,975

  21.7

  Guilty pleas

  786,380

  63.9

  803,859

  63.9

  799,354

  63.2

  Proofs in absence

  117,882

  9.6

  119,659

  9.5

  144,521

  11.4

  1196W
  deliver seamless integration of the Court Service and magistrates courts estates to improve and provide efficient services.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

  Crown Prosecution Service
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Solicitor-General if she will make a statement on the performance of the Crown Prosecution Service. [168311]

  The Solicitor-General
  I would refer the hon. Member to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Annual Report.

  The CPS is the principal public prosecuting authority for England and Wales, handling criminal cases investigated by the police.

  The following table provides some key figures on the volume of cases handled by the service in 2003 and in the two preceding years; and the outcome of those cases.

  While these figures support the view that the CPS makes a valuable contribution to the delivery of justice, the Service has set itself further challenging targets for 2004–05. In this year, it will seek to build on its success and reduce the proportion of unsuccessful outcomes by 11 per cent. as compared with the levels seen in 2001–02. This will contribute to the achievement of the wider criminal justice system target of bringing 1.2 million offences to justice in 2005–06. The CPS will also contribute to the reduction in the numbers of ineffective trials to 18.5 per cent. in the Crown court and 24.5 per cent. in the magistrates court.

  To achieve these targets, the main priority for the CPS in 2004–05 is to introduce the statutory charging scheme, where prosecutors will determine the charges to be preferred in the more serious cases. This follows the success of pilots in 2002–03 and of the shadow charging scheme in 2003–04. The CPS will also take a leading role in introducing the "no witness, no justice" arrangements to provide much better information and support to witnesses throughout their involvement in the criminal justice system.

  These activities are designed to move the CPS towards achieving its vision of being a world-class, independent prosecuting authority that delivers a valued public service.
  1197W

  Crown Prosecution Service case outcomes

  2001

  2002

  2003

  Number

  Percentage

  Number

  Percentage

  Number

  Percentage

  Convictions after trial

  37,167

  3.0

  39,516

  3.1

  46,933

  3.7

  Total convictions

  941,429

  76.5

  963,034

  76.6

  990,808

  78.3

  Committals to the Crown court

  89,603

  —

  92,114

  —

  96,382

  —

  Crown court

  Finalised

  112,438

  —

  123,754

  —

  126,949

  —

  Committals for sentence

  18,460

  —

  19,940

  —

  19,615

  —

  Appeals

  11,568

  —

  11,763

  —

  11,384

  —

  Case outcomes

  Judge ordered acquittals (including bind overs)

  12,744

  15.2

  14,340

  15.3

  14,751

  15.1

  Warrants etc.

  1,445

  1.7

  1,739

  1.9

  1,914

  2.0

  Judge directed acquittals

  1,495

  1.8

  1,442

  1.5

  1,565

  1.6

  Jury acquittals

  6,630

  7.9

  6,402

  6.8

  6,874

  7.0

  Total unsuccessful outcomes

  22,314

  26.7

  23,922

  25.6

  25,104

  25.6

  Guilty pleas

  50,597

  60.4

  57,024

  60.9

  59,701

  61.0

  Convictions after trial

  10,803

  12.9

  12,677

  13.5

  13,076

  13.4

  Total convictions

  61,400

  73.3

  69,701

  74.4

  72,777

  74.4

  Figures for 2003 are provisional, and may be subject to revision

  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Solicitor-General what steps she is taking to increase the number of lawyers in Merseyside Crown Prosecution Service. [170340]

  The Solicitor-General
  CPS Merseyside currently has the equivalent of 82.74 full-time lawyers. The figures for 2001 to 2003 are 71.3, 78.3 and 79.6 respectively.

  CPS Merseyside is actively recruiting prosecutors and, in addition to national advertising campaigns, advertisements have been placed in the regional and local press in the north west and in legal and minority ethnic publications. CPS Merseyside also uses continuous online recruitment via the internet. Candidates can apply at any time and, if they meet the minimum standards, can be called for interview very quickly.

  Through the CPS Law Scholarship Scheme, CPS Merseyside has three former caseworkers who are now legal trainees, two of whom will qualify as lawyers before the end of the year and will be eligible to apply for posts as crown prosecutors.

  Criminal Justice (Bexley)
  John Austin
  To ask the Solicitor-General (1) if she will list members of the Bexley Criminal Justice Board; if she will list the(a) dates and (b) attendees of meetings held in the past 12 months; and if she will make a statement; [179564]

  (2) what representations she has received for the transfer of responsibility for Bexley from the Croydon Prosecution Service Office to the City Office; and if she will make a statement; [179565]

  (3) what assessment she has made of the discharge committals, discontinuance and ineffective trial rates in (a) Bexley and (b) London; and if she will make a statement; [179566]

  (4) if she will visit Bexley magistrates court and Bexley division of the Metropolitan police to discuss the role and performance of the Crown Prosecution Service. [179567]
  1198W
  The Solicitor-General
  I understand that the hon. Member has now received my letter which answers these points. For the benefit of Members, I will place a copy of that letter in the Library.

  Departmental Annual Report
  Norman Lamb
  To ask the Solicitor-General how much the production of the Law Officers' Department's latest annual report cost; how many copies were printed; how many copies of it were sold at its cover price; to whom copies of the report have been provided free of charge; and how many copies were provided free of charge. [171148]

  The Solicitor-General
  The Law Officers' Departmental Report 2004 was presented to Parliament on 30 April 2004.

  The Stationery Office (TSO) provided the Law Officers' Departments with 240 copies of the Report, at a cost of £5,160. Other costs of printing further copies are met directly by TSO as the publisher, and do not fall to the Government.

  The Law Officers' Departments will send a small number of copies free of charge to other Government Departments and to members of the public on request.

  The Departmental Report is being made available on the Law Officers' Departmental websites and is on sale at TSO at a cover price of £12.25.

  There has been insufficient time since publication for TSO to provide any meaningful information on the number of reports sold at cover price.

  The Crown Prosecution Service also published an Annual Report from the Director of Public Prosecutions to the Attorney-General. The 2002–03 Annual Report from the Director of Public Prosecutions to the Attorney-General cost the Crown Prosecution Service £35740.80 to produce 4,000 copies. Copies of the Annual Report were distributed throughout the Crown Prosecution Service's 42 geographical Areas in England and Wales. In addition, copies of the Annual Report were sent by the Director, the Chief Executive and others at

  1199W
  CPS Headquarters, to other Government Departments and criminal justice system partners. Free copies of the Annual Report will also have been distributed to key members of the community in local Areas, visitors to Crown Prosecution Service offices and as part of publicity or careers campaigns in our Areas.

  The most recent report published by HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate covered the period 1 October 2001 to 30 September 2002. It was published on 5 February 2003. Publication of the report was handled by TSO who met the costs of printing and publication. Information about those costs is not available to HMCPSI. The company used its commercial judgment as to the total number of copies printed.

  TSO supplied 650 copies to HMCPSI at a cost of £11,580.40—a small number remain in stock. The rest were distributed free of charge. The majority were distributed within the Crown Prosecution Service, Government Departments, other organisations and individuals associated with the criminal justice system such as the judiciary and Chief Constables. Copies were also sent to national media organisations, several academic institutions and other individuals with an interest in the CPS. Additionally, the report is available for download free of charge from the HMCPSI website. HMCPSI does not record how many times or by whom the report has been downloaded.

  It is estimated that 260 copies were sold at cover price (£15.70) by TSO. None were sold by HMCPSI.

  The cost of producing the Serious Fraud Office Annual Report 2002–03 was £31,243: 2,200 copies were printed. Of these 350 were retained by The Stationery Office limited for sale mostly to a subscription list, at a cover price of £13.60: 186 were sold. The remaining 1,850 copies were used by the SFO throughout the year.

  Complementary copies were sent by the SFO on the publication date to police organisations and selected Government authorities and judicial bodies in the UK and overseas and to appropriate educational establishments and members of the press.

  Sufficient copies are held in stock for distribution throughout the year.

  Genocide
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Solicitor-General what definition the Government use of the crime of genocide. [179539]

  The Solicitor-General
  By virtue of section 51 of the International Criminal Court Act 2001 it is an offence under the law of England and Wales for a person to commit genocide. "Genocide" is defined in section 50(1) of the 2001 Act by reference to the definition of genocide in Article 6 of the Statute of the International Criminal Court, done at Rome on 17 July 1998. Article 6 of the ICC Statute, which is set out in Schedule 8 to the 2001 Act, states that "genocide" means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in 1200W
  part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
  (a) killing members of the group;
  (b) causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
  (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
  (d) imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
  (e) forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

  Equivalent provision is made in relation to Northern Ireland by section 58 of the 2001 Act and in relation to Scotland by section 1 of the International Criminal Court (Scotland) Act 2001.

TREASURY

  Rochdale Constituency
  Mrs. Fitzsimons
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the level of unemployment was in each year since 1997 in the parliamentary constituency of Rochdale, broken down by(a) age, (b) gender and (c) ethnicity; [178550]

  (2) if he will make a statement on the levels of long-term (a) adult and (b) youth employment in the parliamentary constituency of Rochdale over the last seven years; and what percentage of long-term (i) adult and (ii) youth employed are (A) women and (B) of Asian origin; [178540]

  (3) if he will make a statement on the levels of long-term (a) adult and (b) youth employment of people of ethnic minorities in the parliamentary constituency of Rochdale over the last seven years. [178541]

  Ruth Kelly
  The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, and I have asked him to reply.

  Letter from Len Cook to Ms Lorna Fitzsimons, dated 21 June 2004:

  As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about unemployment in the Parliamentary Constituency of Rochdale. (178550, 178540 and 178541).

  The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.

  Table 1 overleaf gives the available information for levels of unemployment by gender in the Rochdale Parliamentary Constituency covering the 12 months ending February of 1997 and of each year from 2000 to 2003.

  Estimates are taken from the Office for National Statistics' Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any statistical sample survey, estimates for the LFS are subject to sampling variability.

  ONS also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (ISA) for local areas including Parliamentary Constituencies. Table 2 overleaf gives the annual average number of ISA claimants, and the average number claiming for over 12 months by gender and age group in the Rochdale Constituency for each year since 1997 to 2003.
  1201W

  Table 1: Unemployment levels in the Rochdale parliamentary constituency, 12 months ending February of the years 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 (not seasonally adjusted)

  thousands

  Total

  Male

  Female

  1997

  1—

  1—

  1—

  2000

  1—

  1—

  1—

  2001

  3

  2

  1—

  2002

  3

  2

  1—

  2003

  4

  2

  1—

  1Estimates not shown owing to the small sample size.

  Source:

  ONS Labour Force Survey

  Table 2: Annual average number of JSA claimants, and those claiming for over 12 months, by gender and age group Rochdale parliamentary constituency, 1997–2003

  Male

  All ages

  18 to 24 years

  25 to 49 years

  50 plus years

  All claimants

  1997

  2,448

  678

  1,451

  294

  1998

  2,297

  651

  1,344

  281

  1999

  2,128

  560

  1,278

  268

  2000

  1,782

  491

  1,052

  217

  2001

  1,598

  445

  963

  177

  2002

  1,672

  451

  1,006

  198

  2003

  1,685

  483

  960

  215

  People claiming for over 12 months (computerised claims only)

  1997

  669

  107

  462

  100

  1998

  571

  82

  391

  99

  1999

  474

  23

  343

  108

  2000

  338

  7

  263

  69

  2001

  237

  1—

  185

  49

  2002

  218

  1—

  164

  51

  2003

  223

  1—

  156

  65

  Female

  All ages

  18 to 24 years

  25 to 49 years

  50 plus years

  All claimants

  1997

  597

  288

  216

  77

  1998

  583

  267

  225

  75

  1999

  536

  230

  221

  69

  2000

  464

  207

  191

  53

  2001

  409

  179

  165

  47

  2002

  442

  195

  183

  52

  2003

  470

  207

  186

  57

  People claiming for over 12 months (computerised claims only)

  1997

  103

  37

  42

  23

  1998

  90

  36

  38

  17

  1999

  67

  8

  41

  19

  2000

  51

  1—

  34

  15

  2001

  35

  1—

  24

  10

  2002

  25

  1—

  15

  8

  2003

  33

  1—

  21

  11

  All

  All ages

  18 to 24 years

  25 to 49 years

  50 plus years

  All claimants

  1997

  3,045

  966

  1,667

  371

  1998

  2,880

  918

  1,568

  355

  1999

  2,663

  789

  1,498

  337

  2000

  2,246

  697

  1,244

  270

  1202W

  All

  All ages

  18 to 24 years

  25 to 49 years

  50 plus years

  2001

  2,007

  625

  1,128

  224

  2002

  2,114

  646

  1,189

  250

  2003

  2,155

  690

  1,146

  272

  People claiming for over 12 months (computerised claims only)

  1997

  772

  145

  504

  123

  1998

  661

  117

  428

  115

  1999

  541

  30

  384

  127

  2000

  389

  9

  296

  84

  2001

  272

  5

  209

  58

  2002

  242

  1—

  179

  59

  2003

  256

  1—

  177

  75

  1These figures are not shown to protect the confidentiality of individuals.

  Source:

  Jobcentre Plus administrative system.

  Counterfeit Notes
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the number of counterfeit notes in circulation; and that steps he is taking to make counterfeiting more difficult. [179221]

  Ruth Kelly
  The Bank of England, which produces and issues most UK banknotes, records the number of counterfeit notes discovered in circulation. In recent
  years, this number has remained at a very small fraction of 1 per cent. of the total number of notes in circulation.

  The Bank ensures that its notes are designed to discourage counterfeiters. The current series of notes in circulation have certain security features, which not only make it difficult to counterfeit notes, but also make it easy to determine whether or not a note is genuine.

  To assist the public with identifying counterfeit notes, a leaflet entitled "Know your Banknotes" is available upon request or downloadable from the Bank's website. This describes the identity and security features of current notes, and provides advice on how to check for counterfeits.

  When notes are introduced or withdrawn from circulation, this is advertised prominently in the national and local press and via posters and leaflets. This also minimises the risk of counterfeits of old series notes being passed and accepted.

  Death Certificates
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether death certificates issued in other EU countries are admissible in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [179571]

  Ruth Kelly
  The information requested falls within the responsibility of the General Registrar for England and Wales, who has been asked to reply.

  Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Robertson dated 21 June 2004.

  As Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking whether death certificates issued in other EU countries are admissible in the UK. (179571)
  1203W
  Certificates issued by doctors certifying the cause of death in other EU countries can't be accepted by a registrar in England or Wales for the purposes of formally registering a death. Registrars may register only those deaths which have taken place in their district and which have been certified by a registered medical practitioner who looked after the deceased during their last illness, or by a coroner.

  Certificates of deaths registered in other EU countries may be admissible in the UK for more general purposes. It is for the organisation requesting the death certificate to be satisfied that it meets their requirements.

  Employment (North-west)
  Mr. Woodward
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many new jobs have been created in(a) St Helens South, (b) St Helens, (c) Merseyside and (d) the North West in each year since 2001. [178113]

  Total number of employees1, and annual change in number—Areas as shown, 2000, 2001 and 2002

  Number of employees

  Change

  Change

  Workplace location

  2000

  2001

  2002

  2000–012

  2001–022

  St Helen's South

  34,900

  42,000

  44,700

  7,100

  2,800

  St Helen's unitary authority

  56,100

  63,400

  67,200

  7,300

  3,800

  Merseyside

  503,100

  526,800

  550,300

  23,700

  23,500

  North West

  2,846,000

  2,894,700

  2,974,100

  48,700

  79,400

  1Employee jobs only, not self-employed jobs

  2 The change figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred separately from rounded levels for individual years

  Source:

  Annual Business Inquiry (ABI)

  Environmentally Sustainable Purchasing
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of progress by Government departments in implementing recommendations of the Office of Government Commerce paper Quick Wins in Greening Government Purchasing and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs/Office of Government Commerce Joint Note on Environmental issues in Purchasing; and if he will make a statement. [179706]

  Mr. Boateng
  Ministers in all departments have signed up to the approach outlined in the Office of Government Commerce paper Quick Wins in Greening Government Purchasing and the DEFRA/OGC Joint Note on Environmental issues in Purchasing. DEFRA will be collecting information on implementation from all departments for inclusion in the Sustainable Development in Government Report, which will be published in the autumn.

  Pensioner Concessions
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will fund(a) free old age pensioner travel and (b) free television licences for all old age pensioners at the next budget. [179525]

  Ruth Kelly
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer receives many proposals for measures to include in his Budget.

  The Government are committed to ensuring that older and disabled people have full opportunities to maintain their independence and utilise our public transport network while improving local transport for all.
  1204W
  Ruth Kelly
  The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

  Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Shaun Woodward dated 21 June 2004:

  As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about jobs created in the North West. (178113)

  While statistics of new jobs created are not available explicitly, statistics from surveys enable comparisons to be made of net changes in numbers of jobs from year to year.

  The attached table shows the information requested, relating to jobs in St Helen's South Parliamentary Constituency, St Helen's unitary authority, the Merseyside Government office region and the North West Government office region for 2000 to 2002.

  The majority of the increase in jobs in St Helen's South seen between 2000 and 2002 occurred in the real estate, renting and business activities sector. At least one major business site in this sector was opened in the area during the period.

  The Transport Act 2000 brought in the statutory minimum requirement for local authority concessionary fares to ensure that older and disabled people are entitled to half fares or better on their local bus services, with no additional charge being levied for the pass.

  Anything provided above the statutory minimum is a matter for local authorities.

  We believe that in England the current system offers the best combination of ensuring that pensioners receive a full opportunity to benefit from public transport, while also allowing decisions to be made that fully reflect local circumstances.

  The Chancellor announced the introduction of free TV licences for those aged over 75, in his pre-Budget report in November 2000. Over 3.5 million pensioner households benefit from access to free TV licences, at a cost of some £380 million a year.

  Road Fuel Duty
  Mr. Blizzard
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of defraying for a year a one pence per litre increase in duty on petrol and diesel. [179147]

  John Healey
  Estimates of the revenue yield from an increase in road fuel duty rates were published in table 6 of the "Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs" alongside the 2003 pre-Budget report, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
  1205W
  Mr. Blizzard
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much additional tax revenue accrues to the Treasury from each one pence rise in(a) the market price of crude oil and (b) the pump price of (i) petrol and (ii) diesel. [179148]

  John Healey
  The overall impact of higher oil and road fuel prices on tax revenues and the public finances is complex as they will increase some tax revenues and Government expenditures while decreasing others, depending on their wider impact on the economy in general. Reliable estimates of the impact of changes in prices are not available.

  Suicide
  Mr. Willis
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many suicides of(a) under 18s and (b) those aged 14 to 18 were recorded in the UK in each year since 1997. [178941]

  Ruth Kelly
  [holding answer 15 June 2004]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

  Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Phil Willis, dated 21 June 2004:

  As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many suicides of (a) under 18s and (b) those aged 14 to 18 were recorded in the UK in each year since 1997. (178941)

  The most recent available data are for the calendar year 2002. Figures for each year from 1997 to 2002 are given in the attached table.

  Number of deaths at ages under 18 from intentional self harm1 and injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted2, United Kingdom, 1997 to 20023

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  2001

  2002

  Intentional self harm at ages under 18

  (a) All

  48

  64

  55

  75

  50

  64

  (b) 14 and over

  47

  60

  52

  70

  47

  59

  Injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted4 at ages under 18

  (a) All

  68

  59

  56

  63

  46

  49

  (b) 14 and over

  47

  41

  40

  47

  35

  36

  1 The cause of death for intentional self harm was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, (ICD-9) codes E950–E959 and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60–X84. ICD-JO was introduced in Scotland in 2000 and in Northern Ireland, and England and Wales in 2001.

  2 The cause of death for injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E980–E989 for Scotland and Northern Ireland, and E980–E989 excluding E988.8 for England and Wales, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes Y10–Y34 for Scotland and Northern Ireland, and Y10–Y34 excluding Y33.9 where the Coroner's verdict was pending for England and Wales.

  3 Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year for Scotland and Northern Ireland and for deaths occurring in each calendar year for England and Wales.

  4 In routine statistics, ONS defines suicides as deaths from suicide and deaths from 'injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted'. Past research has shown that the majority of deaths in which the intent could not be determined (Coroner's open verdicts in England and Wales) in adults are cases where the harm is self-inflicted but there was insufficient evidence to prove
  1206W
  that the deceased deliberately intended to kill themselves. The proportion among children is unknown although it is unlikely that any very young children deliberately intended to kill themselves.

CABINET OFFICE

  Emergency Planning
  Mr. Flook
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the budget was in each of the last three years for each local authority in the South West responsible for emergency planning; and what the budget is in each case for 2004–05. [177193]

  Mr. Raynsford
  Budget estimates of expenditure on emergency planning as reported by each authority in the South West region are tabled as follows.

  Budget estimates of net current expenditure on emergency planning

  £000

  2001–02

  2002–03

  2003–04

  2004–05

  Bath and North East Somerset UA

  82

  123

  255

  251

  Bournemouth UA

  70

  70

  70

  79

  Bristol UA

  118

  120

  252

  197

  Caradon

  14

  15

  12

  5

  Carrick

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Cheltenham

  3

  0

  13

  19

  Christchurch

  22

  23

  18

  16

  Cornwall

  277

  276

  356

  369

  Cotswold

  13

  18

  13

  15

  Devon

  259

  268

  339

  460

  Dorset

  240

  285

  290

  290

  East Devon

  32

  54

  44

  50

  East Dorset

  8

  9

  8

  9

  Exeter

  23

  29

  28

  26

  Forest of Dean

  0

  15

  8

  16

  Gloucester

  15

  15

  11

  11

  Gloucestershire

  307

  341

  392

  236

  Isles of Scilly

  55

  59

  65

  56

  Kennet

  61

  58

  27

  70

  Kerrier

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Mendip

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Mid Devon

  25

  21

  27

  26

  North Cornwall

  0

  0

  0

  0

  North Devon

  22

  50

  38

  42

  North Dorset

  30

  11

  5

  7

  North Somerset UA

  53

  70

  122

  78

  North Wiltshire

  18

  21

  7

  22

  Penwith

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Plymouth UA

  157

  152

  156

  185

  Poole UA

  21

  22

  23

  92

  Purbeck

  17

  16

  15

  15

  Restormel

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Salisbury

  7

  7

  6

  6

  Sedgemoor

  13

  36

  36

  33

  Somerset

  180

  230

  229

  259

  South Gloucestershire UA

  89

  91

  100

  88

  South Hams

  37

  39

  42

  43

  South Somerset

  20

  17

  5

  3

  Stroud

  10

  12

  15

  23

  Swindon UA

  88

  92

  92

  4

  Taunton Deane

  2

  2

  2

  2

  Teignbridge

  1

  1

  1

  2

  Tewkesbury

  14

  25

  22

  12

  Torbay UA

  163

  129

  126

  147

  Torridge

  17

  10

  9

  14

  West Devon

  0

  0

  0

  8

  West Dorset

  33

  23

  23

  25

  West Somerset

  0

  0

  0

  0

  West Wiltshire

  2

  4

  7

  6

  Weymouth and Portland

  14

  13

  9

  16

  Wiltshire

  183

  224

  257

  252

  Note:

  The data are taken from the RA (budget) form; these forms are completed each year by individual local authorities.

  1207W

  Regulation
  Mr. Norman
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the current members of the Panel for Regulatory Accountability. [178834]

  Mr. Alexander
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Ms Munn) on 27 May 2004,Official Report, column 1731W.

  The full list of Cabinet Committees and their membership can also be found on the Cabinet Office website at http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/cabinet/index.asp

  Mr. Norman
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether tax matters considered by the Chancellor in the course of normal Budget processes may in any circumstances require clearance from the Panel for Regulatory Accountability. [178838]

  Mr. Alexander
  As announced in Budget 2004, the new requirements of the Panel for Regulatory Accountability will not change the long-standing arrangements through which tax matters are considered by the Chancellor in the course of normal Budget processes.

  Working Time Directive
  Mr. Tynan
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many employees in his Department have(a) signed a formal opt out from and (b) are exempt from the Working Time Directive; and how many employees in his Department have recorded hours, including any accruing on a flexitime basis, in excess of the maximum allowed under the Working Time Directive in the last month for which figures are available. [178362]

  Mr. Alexander
  338 staff, including 267 staff in the Cabinet Office's Executive Agencies, have signed a formal opt out form. No staff have been declared as exempt from the provisions of the Working Time Regulations. Local managers are responsible for monitoring and managing hours worked. However, this information is not collected centrally.

  The Department is committed to reducing the number of staff who are required to work in excess of 48 hours per week (by adjusting working hours or redesigning jobs) to an absolute minimum commensurate with meeting our operational needs.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

  Asthma
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action his Department is taking(a) to ensure awareness of asthma issues in educational establishments and (b) to encourage them to develop appropriate policies. [178049]

  Margaret Hodge
  The Department, with the Department of Health, has produced 'Supporting pupils with medical needs–a good practice guide' to help schools draw up policies to support pupils with their medical needs, including asthma. We have reminded schools of the importance of following the good practice 1208W
  guide. Charles Clarke has recently written an introductory letter to Asthma UK's 'School Pack', and we have informed schools where they can get hold of copies of this pack. The Department is in discussion with Asthma UK and other organisations on how we can work together to raise awareness in schools of common childhood conditions.

  Child Abuse
  Sandra Gidley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will update the guidance in DfES Circular 10/95, 'Protecting Children from Abuse'; and if he will make a statement. [178810]

  Margaret Hodge
  My Department consulted widely about new guidance to replace that contained in its Circular 10/95 earlier this year. The consultation attracted a large response and the draft guidance is being rewritten to reflect those comments. We will publish revised guidance as soon as possible.

  Child Care
  Ms Coffey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent progress has been made in establishing(a) children's trusts, (b) children's centres and (c) neighbourhood nurseries. [176523]

  Margaret Hodge
  35 Children's Trusts Pathfinders have been established to develop the best ways to join up children's services. Pathfinders have all created their governance arrangements and boards and have begun to integrate planning and commissioning of services in their local area. Several Pathfinders have also developed pooled budgets using Section 31 of the Health Act 1999. The Pathfinders are helping us to further the objectives set out in the Green Paper to develop services around the needs of children by integrating the planning and commissioning of services and delivering them through joint budgets.

  Other non-Pathfinder local authorities and their partners have also begun to develop Children's Trusts as part of their movement towards the Green Paper "Every Child Matters" agenda.

  67 children's centres have been designated so far. Further announcements will be made from early July onwards as we work towards our target of establishing 800 centres by 2006.

  We were committed to opening 900 neighbourhood nurseries by April 2004. In fact, 1,139 neighbourhood nurseries are now open offering 39,235 new day care places in disadvantaged areas for children under 4. By March 2005 we expect to have created around 48,000 places under this initiative—exceeding the original target of 45,000 places.

  By April 2004 we had created over 1 million new child care places providing child care for 1.8 million children as well as ensuring, six months ahead of schedule, that every 3 and 4-year-old can access a high quality part-time free nursery education place in the first term following their third birthday.
  1209W
  Mr. Love
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what role he plans for co-operatives in providing child care. [178907]

  Margaret Hodge
  Day care in England is provided by private, voluntary and public sector organisations. Some of these may be co-operatives. Both social and economic enterprise should be encouraged and I would encourage any group of people considering a co-operative approach to child care provision to seek early discussions with their local authority about how such child care might fit with the local strategic plan.

  Children's Green Paper
  Ms Coffey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what response he has made to the consultation on the Children's Green Paper, "Every Child Matters". [176525]

  Margaret Hodge
  I published "Every Child Matters: next steps" on 4 March 2004, alongside the publication of the Children Bill. This included the Government response to the Green Paper consultation.

  There were over 4,500 responses to "Every Child Matters", many from children and young people. The vast majority were strongly supportive of the Government's vision.

  We considered the responses carefully and set out the Government response in "Every Child Matters: Next Steps", published on 4 March alongside the Children Bill. The Children Bill creates the legislative spine for developing more effective and accessible services focussed around the needs of children, young people and families. Progress since March has included consultation on an integrated inspection framework for children's services and the announcement of the Children and Young People's Sector Skills Council.

  Children's Services
  Helen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the training requirements which will result from(a) local authorities bringing all their children's services under the direction of one accountable officer and (b) the setting up of Children's Trusts; and what provision he has made in his departmental budget to meet such costs. [179243]

  Margaret Hodge
  In 2004–05 the £20 million Change Fund, announced in the "Every Child Matters: Next Steps" document, will be used in part to develop cross-sector leadership programmes to support directors of children's services and their key local partners, and to support the next generation of directors. It will also be used to assist local authorities, primary care trusts and others in developing Children's Trusts, including through joint workforce training.

  We are also providing up to £100,000 per year until 2005–06 to the 35 Children's Trusts Pathfinders to support activities such as joint training.
  1210W
  Local authorities will continue to fund their own programmes of workforce development, but we would expect to see more programmes of joint training as the authorities and their partners move towards integrated working through Children's Trusts. We are also currently considering our plans for the next spending review period from 2005–08.

  Departmental Staff
  Charles Hendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many officials in his Department have received early release packages in each year since 1997; what the cost of each package was; and what the average amount received is. [179002]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 15 June 2004]: From the 1997–98 financial year to the end of the 2003–04 financial year, the total number of early releases, the total costs, and the average cost to my Department arising from the provisions of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, were as follows:

  £

  Financial year

  Number of releases

  Total cost of DfES (£ million)

  Average cost (£000)

  1997–98

  101

  5.145

  50.94

  1998–99

  51

  2.73

  53.53

  1999–2000

  50

  4.237

  84.74

  2000–01

  61

  4.06

  66.56

  2001–02

  84

  6.142

  73.12

  2002–03

  57

  5.57

  97.72

  2003–04

  28

  2.54

  90.71

  Total

  432

  30.424

  70.43

  Records are not held centrally about the amount each person received, which is not always the same as the costs to the Department, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Early Years Learning
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many(a) free nursery and (b) pre-school places were available for (i) three and (ii) four-year-olds in Stoke-on-Trent North in each of the last seven years. [177642]

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

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

  The latest figures on provision for three and four-year-olds in England were published in a Statistical Bulletin "Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2003" which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.

  From April 2004, six months ahead of our original target, all three-year-olds in England whose parents want one, are eligible for a free, part-time early education place.
  1211W

  Number of free nursery education places 1,2 taken up by three and four-year-old children in maintained nursery and primary schools and private, voluntary and independent providers, Stoke-on-Trent local education authority area, 1997 to 2003

  Position in January each year

  Three-year-olds

  Four-year-olds

  1997

  1,200

  3,100

  1998

  2,000

  3,000

  1999

  2,000

  2,900

  2000

  2,300

  2,800

  2001

  2,200

  2,800

  2002

  2,000

  2,900

  2003

  2,200

  2,700

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

  2 A free nursery education place comprises five two and a half hour sessions of early years education per week, for 33 weeks of the year, usually three terms of 11 weeks.

  Identity Card Scheme
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how he expects the introduction of an identity card scheme will help ensure that all children get into education. [177791]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  We see identity cards having a major contribution to the work of my Department and its agencies. We have identified four key areas: our proposals for a Children's Service Passport; the Connexions Card issued to 16 to 19-year-olds; access to post-16 education and training; and our proposed Unique Learner Number Infrastructure. However, all of our proposals for the use of identity cards relate to the post-16 provision of education and training. In respect of pre-16 education, we have a legal obligation to educate all children of the appropriate age within our education system.

  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what uses his Department has for an identity card scheme; and what information would be required through the national identity database to enable the scheme to be put to those uses. [177839]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The identity cards scheme has potential to realise administrative savings for training providers and funding bodies in post-16 education and skills training; reduce financial and identity fraud in gaining entry to and working in education and training; and by simplifying the application process for individuals accessing services.

  The information required of the card itself or of the National Identity Register would depend on the context.

  Pre-School Provision (Greater London)
  Tom Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding has been given by his Department during the last 12 months to pre-school provision within the Greater London area. [179049]

  Margaret Hodge
  The Department funds a range of provision in London, such as children's centres, Neighbourhood Nurseries and Sure Start Local Programmes, concentrated in the more disadvantaged areas. In all local authorities the Department meets the 1212W
  cost of part-time early education places and a Sure Start General Grant is paid, most of which supports preschool provision.

  From April 2003, funding to support the delivery of early years education was consolidated within the under fives sub-block of each local authority's Education Formula Spending Share (EFSS)—the main source of education funding. The under fives sub-block for Greater London total amount is £499.45 million for 2004–05.

  The amount of Sure Start General Grant paid to London authorities was £48.3 million in 2003–04.

  The main children's centre programme will begin this financial year. However, for the period 2003–04, £2.05 million was provided to London local authorities in advance of this to encourage early development of the programme. There are 96 Sure Start local programmes in London who received £61.98 million revenue and claimed £21.1 million in capital grants in 2003–04. Grants of £4.3 million were made to Early Excellence Centres in London 2003–04. There are 153 neighbourhood nurseries currently open in London delivering nearly 5,000 day care places. We are making available a total of £24 million in revenue funding to enable these nurseries to establish themselves. Funding is via the local authority and each individual nursery is eligible for grant for the first three years of operation.

  Special Educational Needs and Disability (Crosby)
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent in Crosby from measures within the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001. [178895]

  Margaret Hodge
  Information on total spending to support the duties introduced as a result of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 is not collected centrally. Funding to local authorities in England for education in the school sector has risen from £26.4 billion in 2001–02 to £28.3 billion in 2003–04. Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, including those in the Crosby area, have benefited from these significant additional resources, in the school sector alone local authorities planned to spend nearly £3.5 billion in 2003–04 on SEN, of which about £1.5 billion was spent on special education in special schools, £1.7 billion on provision in mainstream schools and about £2.4 million on local authority responsibilities including educational psychologists and carrying out statutory assessments.

  Some £220 million was made available between 2001–02 and 2003–04 specifically to support improvements in access to schools for disabled pupils and students, including those in the Crosby area. This is part of overall capital funds of £9 billion for education made available to local authorities during the same period.

  Standard and Effectiveness Unit
  Mr. Simmonds
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the closure of the Standards and Effectiveness Unit. [179419]
  1213W
  Mr. Stephen Twigg
  Schools Directorate is about to undergo a reorganisation which will see the advent of a new 'Primary, Secondary and Delivery Group' in place of the existing Standards and Effectiveness Unit, Secondary Group and Primary and E-Learning Group. It will be responsible for strategy, policy development and programme management for primary and secondary education and for a range of delivery programmes in support of the strategies for each phase.

  These changes flow from the Prime Minister's radical reform agenda for the delivery of better quality public services and will reinforce and increase our focus on standards. Raising school standards remains a key priority for the Government and this reorganisation will ensure that this continues.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

  Ballot Papers
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the powers political parties and individual candidates have to put slogans on the ballot paper; and whether each of these is agreed in advance by(a) the Electoral Commission and (b) the returning officer. [179304]

  Mr. Leslie
  A registered political party can describe itself on a ballot paper using up to six words. The description can be either the party name registered with the Electoral Commission or a variation of it, providing that this is properly authorised by the party's nominating officer and approved by the returning officer. The returning officer can refuse to allow a nomination using a variation of a party's registered name if in his or her view it would lead voters to associate the candidate with another registered party.

  Departmental Staff
  Mr. Goodman
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people have left employment in his Department because of(a) anxiety, (b) stress, (c) depression and (d) other mental health reasons in each year since 1997. [175675]

  Mr. Lammy
  My Department has no central record of the reasons for staff leaving the Department broken down by these categories. When staff leave on medical grounds, the reasons are recorded on their individual personal files. However, the Civil Service Pensions Division of the Cabinet Office has provided figures on the number of medical retirement certificates issued for reasons of mental health as follows:

  2000–01: 13

  2001–02: 13

  These may not all have resulted in retirements. Figures for 2002 onwards cannot be provided for reasons of confidentiality as there are fewer than five cases in each year. Figures for the years prior to 2000 are not available due to a change of medical advice contractor (this information was not a requirement of the contract before April 2000).
  1214W
  My Department is committed to ensuring the health, safety and welfare of its employees while at work. Initiatives include an in-house Welfare Service and a Stress Toolkit due to be launched in early July. In addition the Department won the Opportunity Now National Public Sector award last year for its work-life balance policies.

  Electoral Malpractice
  Mr. Robathan
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what mechanisms exist to identify in which elections an individual has participated when multiple elections are held. [179044]

  Mr. Leslie
  Under current electoral law, the electoral register is marked to indicate that a ballot paper has been issued to an elector. Where elections are combined, a different mark is made to indicate for which election a ballot paper has been issued. The marked copies of the register are available for public inspection after the election.

  Electoral Roll (Chorley)
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many electors were on the electoral roll in Chorley in each year since 1997. [179287]

  Mr. Leslie
  Based on figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in respect of the annual register of electors this information is as follows:

  Electors

  1997

  75,251

  1998

  76,047

  1999

  76,468

  2000

  77,204

  2001

  78,526

  2002

  78,510

  2003

  79,243

  High Sheriffs
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many high sheriffs in(a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Lancashire have been (i) Masons and (ii) members of political parties in the last 10 years. [179288]

  Mr. Leslie
  High sheriffs are not required to disclose this information. The shrievalty is, however, a non-political office, and any high sheriff who has been politically active is required to refrain from local or national political activity during his or her year as Sheriff.

  Magistrates
  Tom Cox
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many lay magistrates there are in the Greater London area; and how many vacancies for lay magistrates there are. [178685]
  1215W
  Mr. Leslie
  On 14 June 2004 there were 3,109 lay magistrates in the Greater London area. During the course of the year Advisory Committees determine the number of vacancies they are seeking to fill as part of their annual recruitment exercise. Figures are not yet available for 2004–05. However, in the 12 months leading up to April this year Committees reported that they were seeking to fill 194 vacancies in the Greater London area.

  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what information is requested from those appointed as magistrates concerning their(a) religion and (b) membership of organisations. [179348]

  Mr. Leslie
  The application form for potential recruits to the magistracy does not contain any question about the religion of candidates. Applicants are asked to specify what organisations and clubs they belong to and what time commitment each requires. They are also asked, for monitoring purposes, whether or not they are freemasons.

  Mental Incapacity Bill
  Dr. Iddon
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to his answer of 12 May 2004,Official Report, columns 382–83W, on the Mental Incapacity Bill, what legal protection there is for those aged 16 or under if they lack mental capacity and are not covered by the draft Mental Incapacity Bill. [174333]

  Margaret Hodge
  I have been asked to reply.

  The legal protection of children under 16 is primarily the responsibility of their parents. Section 3 of the Children Act 1989 gives the meaning of parental responsibility. Children under 16 are presumed to lack mental capacity, as defined legally in some respect, which is why parents can largely make decisions on behalf of their children. The threshold at which local authorities can apply to the courts for a care order which confers parental responsibility on the applicant authority is given in Section 31 of the Children Act 1989.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Actis/CDC
  Gregory Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps were taken by(a) his and (b) other departments to secure a fully independent valuation for Actis. [179186]

  Hilary Benn
  The directors of the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) Group plc had a duty to ensure that the company received full value for the transfer of assets and the sale of Actis LLP to management, staff and DFID. The Independent Committee of the CDC board (comprising the independent non-executive directors) instructed KPMG to carry out an independent valuation and to report to them.

  DFID and HM Treasury were consulted about this and concurred with the process used to arrive at the valuation. The Shareholder Executive has also endorsed it.
  1216W
  Gregory Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations his Department received from other companies regarding the formation of Actis as a limited liability partnership. [179187]

  Hilary Benn
  No representation have been received from other companies about the formation of Actis as a limited liability partnership.

  Gregory Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what advice he received from the National Audit Office about the separation of CDC into two corporate entities and a family of funds. [179184]

  Hilary Benn
  It is not the function of the National Audit Office (NAO) to provide advice to Ministers on policy matters. The role of the NAO is to audit the accounts of all government departments and agencies as well as a wide range of other public bodies, and report to Parliament on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which government bodies have used public money.

  DFID has kept the NAO informed about the proposals for the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) and will be passing a full set of documentation to them upon completion of the restructuring.

  Gregory Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he received from(a) current and (b) former CDC employees about alternative bids for Actis. [179185]

  Hilary Benn
  No alternative bids have been received from either former or current employees of CDC.

  Gregory Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which companies not related to the Government were involved in the reorganisation of CDC; and how they were involved. [179188]

  Hilary Benn
  A variety of companies assisted in the reorganisation in an advisory capacity as follows:Clifford Chance, Alien and Overy and Field Fisher Waterhouse (legal advisers)
  PricewaterhouseCoopers (tax adviser)
  KPMG (due diligence)
  Rothschilds (financial advisers)
  Credit Suisse First Boston and Campbell Lutyens (private equity advisers)
  Towers Perrin (remuneration adviser)
  Whitehead Mann (recruitment adviser)
  Acanchi (branding adviser)
  McKinseys (business strategy and incentive scheme adviser)
  Financial Dynamics, LLM Communications (communications advisers)
  Watson Wyatt (employment and pension advisers)

  Gregory Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 8 January 2004,Official Report, column 15WS, on reorganisation of CDC, what the responsible business principles are that Actis will be following. [179189]

  Hilary Benn
  The Responsible Business Principles that Actis will follow are set out in exact detail in Schedule 11 to the Member's Agreement, which I signed
  1217W
  on 2 April. A copy of the full document will be placed in the Library once the completion date for the reorganisation is reached.

  The Principles are unchanged from those that the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) has been applying since 1999. Briefly, they set standards for Actis in the areas of business integrity, social and human rights, environment and health and safety. They also prohibit investments in military equipment, illegal drugs, gambling, pornography or tobacco. It sets out the procedures to be followed to comply with these and requires Actis to obtain an undertaking to comply with similar principles from each potential investee company.

  Extractive Industries
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to implement the recommendations in the World Bank's Extractive Industries Review. [179578]

  Hilary Benn
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake) on 1 March 2004,Official Report, column 619W.

  Iraq
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the delivery of humanitarian aid in Iraq. [179178]

  Hilary Benn
  In spite of difficulties resulting from the security situation in Iraq, there is no humanitarian crisis in the country and significant progress has been made since April 2003 in restoring essential services, maintaining the Public Distribution System for food rations, reopening hospitals and schools, and beginning the process of longer term reconstruction. Where localised emergency humanitarian assistance has been required, for example to support people temporarily displaced by fighting in Fallujah in April this year, it has been provided by Iraqi Ministries, United Nations agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent, NGOs and Iraqi citizens. Preparations have also been made for the provision of humanitarian assistance, if required, in other parts of Iraq. An Emergency Coordination Group has been established to ensure the effective coordination of emergency assistance in Iraq. Its membership includes UN agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent, and NGOs.

  US$32 billion in grants and soft loans was pledged for the reconstruction of Iraq at the Madrid Donors' Conference in October, including over US$18 billion from the USA. DFID has committed £287 million towards humanitarian and reconstruction work in Iraq since the beginning of 2003.

  Sudan
  Mr. Simmonds
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to promote social and economic development in Sudan. [179429]
  1218W
  Hilary Benn
  The UK, through the joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office—Department for International Development Sudan Unit, is supporting the peace process between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement under the auspices of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development. This process provides the key to peace and poverty reduction in Sudan. A framework agreement was signed on 5 June and I encourage the parties to reach a comprehensive agreement in the coming months.

  In anticipation of this agreement, and an end to the crisis in Darfur, the Department for International Development is planning for a full development programme for Sudan. I have allocated £35 million this financial year for humanitarian, and eventually development, activities across Sudan. In addition I have set aside £25 million this year in humanitarian assistance for the region of Darfur, Western Sudan.

  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to encourage internally displaced people to return to their homes in Darfur; and what discussions he has had with the UN to this effect. [179702]

  Hilary Benn
  It is important that the internally displaced people in Darfur do return to their homes. However, our position is that this must only take place on a voluntary basis and once the security of those people can be guaranteed. The UN does not consider that there is sufficient security and protection for internally displaced people in Darfur to encourage return at the moment. DFID is working to improve the security situation in Darfur through the full deployment of the African Union Monitoring Team, and by calling on all parties to the conflict to observe the ceasefire.

  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will intervene to influence the Government of the Sudan to extend the issuing of visas within 48 hours for aid agencies attempting to gain access to the displaced people in the Shilluk Kingdom, Sudan. [179704]

  Hilary Benn
  DFID is in touch with the Government of Sudan on the issue of travel permits for humanitarian workers going to Shilluk Kingdom through our Embassy in Khartoum. Our latest information is that a list of staff for the planned inter-agency mission was submitted to the Humanitarian Affairs Commission on 7 June.

  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his latest assessment is of the numbers of people suffering serious food shortages in Darfur. [179705]

  Hilary Benn
  The World Food Programme estimates that some 1.2 million people are currently in need of food assistance in Darfur. However, it is probable that this number will increase as more areas are accessed and assessed by humanitarian agencies.

  Zambia
  Joan Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department is giving to the Eastern Province of Zambia; and what future funding plans are. [179696]
  1219W
  Hilary Benn
  The Province benefits from DFID's support to national Health and Education programmes. This assistance is substantial, including £20 million to the Education Ministry (2003–07) and £20 million to the Health Ministry (2001–05). DFID is ensuring access to quality services in every province through to the district and community levels.

  Targeted assistance to Eastern Province includes sexual and reproductive health programmes. For example, DFID is currently funding a £20,000 information campaign on reproductive health and HIV/AIDs mainly targeted at young people.

  In the coming year, the UK Small Grants Scheme will focus on Eastern Province. With a budget of £160,000, the Scheme will support proposals working with vulnerable groups including women, orphans and children. Priority will be given to activities that will promote HIV/AIDs prevention and coping activities.

  I recently approved a new Country Assistance Plan for Zambia giving more details of DFID's future funding priorities. This will be available shortly.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Asylum
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government have had with African countries to strengthen protection of individuals who seek asylum from key refugee-producing regions; and what the outcome of these discussions was. [178892]

  Mr. Rammell
  The UK Government have an obligation under the 1951 refugee convention to protect those with "a well founded fear of persecution". We continue to work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and in bilateral discussions with African countries to strengthen the protection of individuals who come from regions with particularly high refugee caseloads. Our objective is to draw on the full-range of protection tools where appropriate, including resettlement, assisting African countries with immigration service training, and effectively incorporating refugee aspects into development assistance programmes.

  British Indian Ocean Territories
  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the latest annual income is from fishing licences in the British Indian Ocean Territories. [179698]

  Mr. Rammell
  Income from fishing licences in the financial year 2003–04 was £564,431.

  Burma
  Vera Baird
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further steps the Government plan to take to reduce the incidence of British companies trading with Burma. [179161]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  The Government have a long standing policy to discourage trade with, or investment in, Burma. We offer no support to companies wishing to 1220W
  trade with Burma or for those who want to invest there. We welcomed the announcement by British American Tobacco, the largest remaining UK investor in Burma, that it is withdrawing its investment from that country in response to my request of 2 July 2003. British companies who enquire about trade with Burma are informed of the grave political situation, the regime's atrocious record on human rights and the country's dire economic prospects As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said in the House on 25 June 2003, Official Report, column 1042, "trade with Burma is not appropriate when the regime continues to suppress the basic human rights of its people".

  In practical terms, the regime's economic mismanagement and the attitude of the international community means there is virtually no new inward investment into Burma and established companies are pulling out.

  Vera Baird
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make further representations to Orient Express concerning its proposed new investment in Burma. [179218]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  The Government do not encourage tourism to, or investment in, Burma. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said in the House on 25 June 2003,Official Report, column 1042, "trade with Burma is not appropriate when the regime continues to suppress the basic human rights of its people." Orient Express is aware of our views.

  Colombia
  Angus Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the accessibility for humanitarian groups of the more remote areas of Colombia; what discussions he has had on this with his Colombian counterpart; what assurances(a) he has requested and (b) he has received with regard to the Colombian Government's efforts to facilitate access to all parts of Colombia; and if he will make a statement. [173435]

  Mr. Rammell
  There are currently no legal restrictions in place in Colombia preventing access to any part of their country for international organisations and their agencies or for Colombian or foreign NGOs working there. However, the continuing armed conflict and the country's geography mean that access to the remotest parts of the country can be difficult. In addition paramilitary or guerrilla groups do attempt to block access by outsiders to some parts of the country, particularly remote rural locations. International organisations and NGOs are also conscious of the potential risk to their staff of attempting to gain access to areas in which the armed conflict is ongoing. Through its democratic security policy the Government of Colombia is trying to bring security and accessibility to all regions in the country. We constantly urge the Colombian Government to ensure that the implementation of this policy is in accordance with international law. We also monitor developments closely to inform our own travel advice.
  1221W

  Darfur
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the timetable for the introduction of monitors for the purpose of peace-keeping in Darfur. [179701]

  Mr. Mullin
  We welcome the readiness with which the African Union (AU) volunteered to take on the leadership of the monitoring mission in Darfur. The AU have already begun deployment of the monitors and expect this to be completed by the end of next month. This compares favourably with the time taken to deploy previous monitoring missions in Sudan.

  Diego Garcia/Chagos Islands
  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been received from the US concerning the depopulation of the civilian population of Diego Garcia and the Chagos Islands that lie within the British Indian Ocean Territories. [179700]

  Mr. Rammell
  The US authorities have in the past made clear their concerns about the presence of a settled civilian population in the British Indian Ocean Territory. However, I have received no recent representations from them on the subject.

  Sir Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what facilities exist on Diego Garcia for holding human beings against their will; and if he will make a statement. [178580]

  Mr. Straw
  In exercise of powers conferred on him by the Prisons Ordinance 1981 of the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Commissioner for the Territory has declared certain specified premises in Diego Garcia to be a prison. This was done by orders made in February 1986 (which replaced an earlier order made in July 1982), July 1993 and December 2001. Under various provisions of the law of the Territory, persons may be arrested in execution of a warrant of arrest issued by a Court or a Magistrate, or in certain circumstances without such a warrant, and any person so arrested may then be detained in such a prison until he is brought before a Court or a Magistrate. Persons who are ordered by a Court or a Magistrate to be remanded in custody or committed to prison are detained in such a prison as also, of course, are persons who are sentenced by a Court to imprisonment following their conviction of a criminal offence.

  Sir Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many detainees, and how many shipments of detainees, have passed through Diego Garcia, or the territorial waters off it, while in transit between other destinations; whether any detainees have been disembarked at Diego Garcia, and for how long; and if he will make a statement. [178581]

  Mr. Straw
  The United States authorities have repeatedly assured us that no detainees have at any time passed in transit through Diego Garcia or its territorial waters or have disembarked there and that the allegations to that effect are totally without foundation. The Government are satisfied that their assurances are correct.
  1222W

  Iraq
  Mr. Tynan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to whom the Coalition Provisional Authority is accountable; and what responsibilities this places upon the United Kingdom. [178852]

  Mr. Rammell
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to him on 15 June 2004,Official Report, column 798W. The UK and the US set out their views of their responsibilities in their joint letter to the President of the Security Council of 8 May 2003, which the Security Council noted in resolution 1483(2003). I will place UNDoc. S/2003/538 in the Library of the House.

  Mr. Ancram
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 26 May,Official Report, column 1637W, on Iraq, to whose private offices the telegram concerned was distributed; and when the telegram was shown by officials in those private offices to Ministers. [179121]

  Mr. Straw
  [holding answer of 17 June 2004]: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 26 May Official Report, column 1637W.

  Sudan
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current security situation in the Shilluk Kingdom, Sudan. [179703]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  We are very concerned by reports that civilians have been targeted and that thousands of people have been displaced. We are following the situation closely and are in contact with all parties in the area, including the Verification and Monitoring Team (VMT) which is responsible for investigating and reporting on breaches of the cessation of hostilities. We raised the matter with the Sudanese Foreign Minister during his visit to London on 11 May and EU Heads of Mission, including our Ambassador in Khartoum, visited on 27 May. EU Heads of Mission intend to make representations to the Government of Sudan over the reports of attacks on civilians by Government of Sudan-allied forces.

  Ms Keeble
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ensure that African and international peacekeepers operating in the Western Darfur area of Sudan extend their activities to southern Sudan. [179164]

  Mr. Mullin
  The mission of the African Union-led Ceasefire Commission operating in Darfur is to monitor compliance with the 8 April humanitarian ceasefire agreement between the Government of Sudan, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and the Justice and Equality Movement. The Commission's mandate does not extend to southern Sudan. A separate Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on a cessation of hostilities was signed on 15 October 2002 between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army. An addendum to the MOU was signed on 4 February 2003. This cessation of hostilities is being monitored by the IGAD-led Verification and Monitoring Team.
  1223W
  Ms Keeble
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the international community will be committing troops to monitor the peace process in Sudan. [179165]

  Mr. Mullin
  We expect the Sudanese parties to conclude a peace agreement this year. The United Nations are planning to support the implementation of the eventual peace agreement and that the international community will contribute personnel to the mission.

  Ms Keeble
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the international community is taking to ensure the peace process in Sudan is monitored. [179166]

  Mr. Mullin
  The Sudan peace talks in Kenya are being held under the auspices of the regional organisation the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. In addition to the Sudanese parties and the countries of the region, these talks are attended by the United Kingdom, the United States, Norway, Italy, the United Nations and the African Union. We expect the eventual peace agreement to be monitored by a mission led by the United Nations.

  Turkey
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to Turkey over(a) the jailing of journalist Hakan Albayrak of Milli Gazete and (b) the fining of Vakit newspaper; and if he will make a statement. [170813]

  Mr. MacShane
  I am very concerned to learn about the jailing of journalist Hakan Albayrak of Milli Gazete and the fining of Vakit newspaper. But we should not let these decisions detract from the considerable progress Turkey has made on freedom of expression, including the release of Leyla Zana, the first broadcasting in minority languages in Turkey, and the passing of a new press law during this last week which contains further measures to increase freedom of the press. I am convinced that these significant developments and proposals for a new Turkish Penal Code will lead to further improvements in Turkey.

  I take every opportunity to urge the Turkish Government to make rapid and demonstrable progress in the practical implementation of the reforms they have passed to safeguard human rights and freedom of expression, and to remove remaining constraints on freedom of expression. We will raise the case of Hakan Albayrak and the fining of Vakit newspaper at the next round of the UK's bilateral dialogue with Turkey on human rights this July.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Business Fraud
  Brian Cotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints have been received by the Office of Fair Trading in relation to(a) business to business and (b) business to consumer scams in each of the last five years. [179261]
  1224W
  Mr. Sutcliffe
  The information requested is not readily available. I have asked the Chairman of the Office of Fair Trading to write to the hon. Member to give a fuller answer.

  Brian Cotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action her Department has taken against rogue businesses that are operating business to business frauds. [179262]

  Mr. Sutcliffe
  [holding answer 17 June 2004]: As a consumer protection enforcement body, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has investigated certain business to business scams operating in the UK and, with overseas counterparts in the International Consumer Protection Enforcement Network (ICPEN), scams targeting UK business from overseas. Examples include the Spanish European City Guide and bogus requests to register under the Data Protection Act. It is currently working with the Health and Safety Executive on bogus requests to register under the Health and Safety Act.

  Brian Cotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether Stop Now orders can be used against rogue companies that are operating frauds specifically aimed at other businesses. [179264]

  Mr. Sutcliffe
  [holding answer 17 June 2004]: An Enforcement Order under Part 8 of the Enterprise Act 2002 can only be sought against a business that harms the collective interest of consumers.

  An Order cannot be sought where there is detriment from business to another business.

  Electricity Generation/Supply
  Mr. Tynan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment she has made of the average cost, including commissioning and decommissioning costs, in pence per kilowatt hour, of electricity generated from(a) coal, (b) natural gas, (c) nuclear power, (a) on shore wind, (e) offshore wind, (f) photovoltaic and (g) biomass sources. [R][178315]

  Mr. Timms
  The Department published estimates of the cost of electricity generation from a variety of low carbon technologies, including commissioning and decommissioning, in a report by the Interdepartmental Analysts' Group (IAG) made in February 2002 available at: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/greenhousegas/index.shtml. The IAG's estimates for 2020 are shown in the following table.

  Technology

  p/k Wh

  Onshore wind

  2.0–2.5

  Offshore wind

  2.0–3.0

  Nuclear

  2.6–4.0

  Gas

  2.3–2.9

  The Performance and Innovation Unit at the Cabinet Office also published similar estimates in its 2001 Energy Review. These are available at: www.number10.gov.uk/su/energy/1.html. The following table shows the PIU estimates for new plant in 2020 for nuclear, onshore and offshore wind and gas-fired generation.
  1225W

  Technology

  p/k Wh

  Onshore wind

  1.5–2.5

  Offshore wind

  2.0–3.0

  Nuclear

  2.5–4.0

  Gas

  2.0–2.3

  For the energy White Paper the Department also commissioned additional external modelling work, which produced the following estimates, including estimated costs of both gas-and coal-fired generation (with and without carbon capture and storage).

  Technology

  p/k Wh

  Gas 20001

  2.2–2.4

  Gas 2020

  2.1–2.2

  Coal 2000

  3.6–3.9

  Gas (capture and storage) 2000

  3.5–3.7

  Gas (capture and storage) 2020

  3.0–3.2

  Coal (capture and storage) 2000

  5.7–6.1

  Coal (capture and storage) 2020

  4.5–4.9

  Nuclear 2010

  3.4–3.7

  Nuclear 2020

  2.7–3.0

  1In this table, "2000" means plants built in the decade 2000–10, and so on.

  Work undertaken for the Renewables Innovation Review covering wind generation costs is also available at: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/renewablcs/policy/oxeraresults.pdf. Their estimates for 2010 and 2020 are shown in the following table. This modelling work includes cost estimates for additional investment in the transmission system to handle an increased share of offshore wind generation as well as the cost of providing back-up capacity for intermittent sources of generation such as wind.

  2010

  2020

  Onshore wind

  2.7–3.6

  2.5–3.2

  Offshore wind

  4.4–5.5

  3.0–4.6

  The Renewables Innovation Review also includes a comparison of cost competitiveness of renewable versus conventional energy generation technologies in 2003, estimating current cost of solar photovoltaic electricity under UK conditions for integrated systems at around 37 p per kWh, and current costs of biomass generation in the 5–7 p per kWh range. Costs of individual projects will vary depending on specific circumstances.

  Flexible Working
  Helen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the effect on women's employment of(a) more flexible hours and (b) better child care; and if she will make a statement. [178117]

  Mr. Sutcliffe
  Female employment in the three months ending March 2004 was 13.043 million having risen by just over a 1 million since spring 1997 and by around 250,000 since spring 2002

  It is extremely difficult to evaluate the effect of more flexible hours and better child care on women's employment, as there are many factors that influence the decisions that women make. We would generally expect
  1226W
  that increased availability of flexible working and child care would increase women's participation in the labour market.

  Both the DTI and the Department for Work and Pensions are conducting ongoing work in this area. The DTI is running a series of roundtables across the country so it can hear directly from parents, carers and employers, about their experiences and needs. A Citizens' Jury is also running which will bring a new perspective to the programme of work.

  Fuel Poverty
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the proportion of fuel poor households in(a) the UK and (b) England that contain an older person. [179343]

  Mr. Timms
  It was estimated that, in 2002, there were two and a quarter million fuel poor households in the UK: of those it is estimated that one and three quarter million households were in the vulnerable category, defined as those households containing older people, children, or householders with a long term illness or disability.

  In England in 2002, estimates suggest that 1.4 million households were in fuel poverty, and that 1.2 million of those were in the vulnerable category. The number of households containing an older person specifically is not available for 2002.

  Estimates are available for 2001 for England, however, 52 per cent. of the 1.7 million households in fuel poverty in that year contained an older person. A detailed breakdown of information for England will be available for 2003, and will be published in spring 2005.

  Graduate Businesses
  Brian Cotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what specific financial assistance is available to help recent graduates to set up their own business. [179251]

  Nigel Griffiths
  The Business Link network in England, and the equivalent organisations operating in other parts of the UK, can provide advice and information on any specific financial assistance available to recent graduates wishing to start up their own businesses. The exact assistance available will depend on a number of factors. These include the individual circumstances of the graduate, the proposed location and type of business they want to start.

  Military Equipment (ECGD)
  Harry Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the outstanding amounts of Export Credits Guarantee Department guarantees in respect of military equipment were in financial years(a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04. [176443]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  The following table lists amounts at risk as at the end of each of the last three financial years in respect of ECGD guarantees for exports of defence related equipment. These figures are made up of future maturities (amounts that have not yet to fall due for payment) and claims outstanding for recovery
  1227W
  (claims paid that ECGD has yet to recover). Claims outstanding are in respect of business underwritten from 1991 onwards as ECGD does not hold claims information on cases supported before this date broken down by industry sector:

  £ million

  At 31 March

  Future maturities

  Claims outstanding

  Total

  2002

  3,166

  489

  3,655

  2003

  3,779

  556

  4,335

  2004

  3,496

  568

  4,064

  Moor Road Post Office
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will discuss with Royal Mail the closure of Moor Road Post Office, Chorley, and the extent to which(a) guidelines on closure were followed and(b) evidence against closure was considered. [179279]

  Mr. Timms
  We do not have a role in the process to determine the closure of individual offices. This is an operational matter for POL. The process is carried out in accordance with the Code of Practice agreed with Postwatch.

  New Businesses (Essex)
  Mr. Amess
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new business start-ups there were in 2003 in(a) Essex and (b) Southend. [179333]

  Nigel Griffiths
  Barclays Bank's latest survey of business creation includes non-VAT registered firms and shows that there were 115,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in the last quarter of 2003, including 500 business start-ups in Southend-on-Sea Unitary Authority and 3,000 within the County of Essex. The latest yearly figures show 465,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in 2003. This represents a 19 per cent. increase on the year before. Included in these figures are 2,000 business start-ups in Southend-on-Sea Unitary Authority and 12,300 in the County of Essex.

  Barclays data for counties and local authorities are not available before 2003.

  DTI figures based solely on VAT registrations for Southend-on-Sea Unitary Authority and the County of Essex are shown as follows for the period 2002. Data for 2003 will be available in autumn 2004.

  VAT registrations: 2002

  Number

  Southend-on-Sea UA

  525

  Essex

  4,375

  Source:

  Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994–2002, Small Business Service www.sbs.gov.uk/ analytical/statistics/vatstats php

  VAT registrations do not capture all start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register
  1228W
  will not necessarily have closed. Only 1.8 million out of 3.8 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2002.

  Oil and Gas
  Mr. David Stewart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to stimulate gas companies to create greater capacity to store gas within the UK. [179766]

  Mr. Timms
  The main stimulant for new gas storage projects will be the market opportunity, including the widening seasonal (summer-winter) spread of wholesale gas prices. The Department and Ofgem seek to provide an appropriate light -touch regulatory environment, and ensure that the market is aware of the opportunities through the regular reports of the DTI-Ofgem "Joint Energy Security of Supply Working Group". In addition my Department informs relevant local planning authorities, considering planning applications, of the energy policy background.

  Mr. David Stewart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to maximise the untapped oil and gas reserves in the UK continental shelf. [179765]

  Mr. Timms
  Government are committed to maximising economic recovery of UK oil and gas resources and there are substantial quantities of hydrocarbons yet to he produced. We are working on a number of initiatives aimed at maximising continued North Sea activity, investment and exploration. In particular we:have enhanced the licensing system to make available "promote" licences to encourage new companies to get involved in the North Sea, and new "frontier" licences to the West of Shetland to bring exploration to this area;
  continue to ensure current licensees release fallow acreage so that others can develop it;
  have introduced a new Exploration Expenditure Supplement to reduce barriers to entry for new companies that do not receive the full benefit of current 100 per cent. exploration and appraisal capital allowances; and
  with PILOT, the Government/industry forum, established "brownfield" workgroups which aim to ensure maximum recovery from existing fields, and have improved the access to offshore infrastructure.

  Mr. Stephen O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the possible implications of a rise in the price of world oil on the competitiveness of UK manufacturing firms. [178666]

  Jacqui Smith
  As oil is an internationally traded commodity, the price rise has affected all world manufacturers. Moreover, as the rise has been accompanied by a fall in the US dollar against sterling, the rise in the sterling price of oil has been less pronounced.

  The pick-up in business investment, allied with improving prospects for world trade, are in fact expected to underpin a strengthening of manufacturing output this year, building on recent signs of a turnaround in the sector.
  1229W

  Regulation
  Mr. Stephen O'Brien
  To ask the secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will place in the Library a copy of the list of priority areas for regulatory simplification submitted to the European Commission in March this year. [176350]

  Mr. Alexander
  I have been asked to reply.

  A letter was sent from John Grant, UK Permanent Representative to the EU, to David O'Sullivan, Secretary General, European Commission, on 17 March 2004, highlighting the areas of Community legislation that the UK Government consider to be particular priorities for simplification. I have placed copies of the letter in the Library.

  Renewable Energy
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much of the electricity used in Lancashire was provided by renewable energy in the latest month for which figures are available. [179280]

  Mr. Timms
  Information on renewable generation is available only for the North West region as a whole. In 2002, the latest year for which data are available, generation from renewables in the North West amounted to 662 GWh whereas the amount of electricity distributed to consumers in North West England in 2002 is estimated to have been 39,611 GWh. There is no guarantee that electricity generated in a region will all be consumed in that region

  Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council
  Mr. Connarty
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the outcome was of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council held on 10 June 2004; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement. [179038]

  Ms Hewitt
  The Deputy Permanent Representative, Anne Lambert, represented the UK at the Telecommunications and Energy Councils in Luxembourg on 10 June 2004.

  On telecommunications, there was political agreement on eContent plus, a four-year continuation of a programme to support the availability of public sector information, especially location-based information on the internet. All member states agreed to the Presidency compromise budget of 135 million Euros, a reduction in the Commission's original proposal of 163 million Euros, requested by the UK and other member states. There was agreement on the general approach of Safer Internet Plus, a four-year continuation of another existing programme, to improve the co-ordination of member states' and third countries' fight against on-line content harmful to minors. All member states accepted the Presidency compromise budget of 45 million Euros. Member states also endorsed the Council Conclusions on updating the eEurope 2005 Action Plan and on National Broadband Strategies, as a basis for contributing to the Lisbon Mid-Term Review at next Spring's Economic Summit. The eEurope 2005 Action
  1230W
  Plan was previously fine-tuned in the eEurope Mid-Term Review to strengthen implementation mechanisms and speed up progress in five key areas (broadband, on-line public services, e-business, e-inclusion and benchmarking). The Presidency tabled for information a paper on the forthcoming Tunis World Summit on Information Society, and the Commission drew attention to its forthcoming communication on mobile services which would cover R&D, interoperability, the legal environment (including intellectual property rights) and spectrum.

  On energy, political agreement was reached on a Directive establishing a framework for the setting of Eco-Design requirements for Energy-Using Products. This sets out the arrangements by which the Commission may set mandatory energy efficiency and other environmental product design requirements on manufacturers and incorporates existing legislation on boilers, household refrigeration and lighting ballasts. Political agreement was also reached on a Gas Regulation setting conditions for access to the gas transmission networks, on the basis of an implementation date of 1 July 2006. Though some member states (MS) wanted a longer implementation date, the UK argued that early implementation was essential to develop the single market in gas.

  A general approach was agreed on a Council Decision laying down guidelines for Trans-European Energy Networks. Facing MS unanimity, the Commission accepted deletion of Articles 8–10, covering projects of European interest and the appointment of a European co-ordinator, from its original proposal. There was a progress report on proposals for Directives on Energy Services and on Electricity Security of Supply.

  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport represented the UK at the Transport Council and will reply separately.

  VAT-registered Enterprises
  Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of VAT-registered enterprises registered in(a) 1987, (b) 1992, (c) 1997 and (d) 2001 were still trading after (i) 12 months, (ii) 24 months and (iii) 36 months, broken down by region. [177064]

  Nigel Griffiths
  VAT registrations do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that deregister will not necessary cease trading. Only 1.8 million out of 3.8 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2002.

  The percentages of UK VAT registered enterprises still registered after 12 months are not available for enterprises registered before 1993. The answers for 1997 and 2001 are as follows:

  12 months

  The percentages of UK enterprises registered for Value Added Tax (VAT) in 1997 and 2001 that were still registered for VAT after 12 months, in each country and Government Office Region (GOR), are as follows.
  1231W

  Percentage

  Country

  Enterprises registered in 1997 still registered after 12 months

  Enterprises registered in 2001 still registered after 12 months

  United Kingdom

  89

  92

  England

  90

  92

  Scotland

  88

  92

  Wales

  89

  92

  Northern Ireland

  91

  94

  Source:

  Small Business Service (SBS) Business Survival Rates, http:// www.sbs.gov.uk/analytical/statistics/statisticssurvivalrates.php

  Percentage of UK enterprises still registered after 12 months

  Government Office Region

  Enterprises registered in 1997 still registered after 12 months

  Enterprises registered in 2001 still registered after 12 months

  North East

  90

  91

  North West

  87

  91

  Yorkshire and the Humber

  89

  91

  East Midlands

  89

  92

  West Midlands

  88

  92

  East

  91

  92

  London

  89

  91

  South East

  91

  93

  South West

  91

  93

  24 months

  The percentages of UK VAT registered enterprises, in each Government Office Region, still registered after 24 months, are only available for enterprises registered in 1999 and 2000. They are as follows:

  Percentage

  Country

  Enterprises registered in 1999 still registered after 24 months

  Enterprises registered in 2000 still registered after 24 months

  United Kingdom

  77

  79

  England

  77

  79

  Scotland

  76

  79

  Wales

  77

  78

  Northern Ireland

  80

  83

  Percentage

  Government Office Region

  Enterprises registered in 1999 still registered after 24 months

  Enterprises registered in 2000 still registered after 24 months

  North East

  76

  77

  North West

  75

  78

  Yorkshire and the Humber

  77

  77

  East Midlands

  78

  79

  West Midlands

  77

  79

  East

  79

  79

  London

  75

  77

  South East

  80

  81

  South West

  78

  80

  36 months

  The percentages of UK VAT registered enterprises still registered after 36 months are only available for enterprise registered 1993 to 1999 inclusive. Data for enterprises registered in 2001 are expected in winter 2005–06
  1232W
  Data for 1997 and the latest year (1999) are as follows:

  Percentage

  Country

  Enterprises registered in 1997 still registered after 36 months

  Enterprises registered in 1999 still registered after 36 months

  United Kingdom

  67

  66

  England

  67

  66

  Scotland

  66

  65

  Wales

  68

  68

  Northern Ireland

  75

  72

  Percentage

  Government Office Region

  Enterprises registered in 1997 still registered after 36 months

  Enterprises registered in 1999 still registered after 36 months

  North East

  66

  66

  North West

  64

  65

  Yorkshire and the Humber

  67

  66

  East Midlands

  67

  68

  West Midlands

  66

  67

  East

  70

  68

  London

  64

  63

  South East

  71

  70

  South West

  70

  68

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

  Brownfield Sites
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what split he recommends for industry and housing on brownfield sites. [179511]

  Keith Hill
  The Government does not set the proportion of brownfield sites which should be developed for industry and housing, nor would it wish to. Local planning authorities, through the development plan process, should decide for themselves what sites to allocate for housing and industrial land.

  In preparing development plans, local authorities must have regard to national planning policies. Planning Policy Guidance note 3: Housing sets a national target for 60 per cent. of additional housing, including conversions, to be built on previously -developed land. The latest figure achieved is 66 per cent. in 2002, a figure which has increased every year since 1997. There is no target for industrial uses.

  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently producing good practice guidance for the review of local authority employment land allocations, which will be published later this year. The guidance will provide a methodology that can be applied to the circumstances of each local authority area, rather than recommending a proportional split between the development of housing and industrial uses at a national level.

  Greenbelt Land
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Department's guidelines for the use of green
  1233W
  belt land allows its use for low cost or rent housing in order for local people in villages to remain in the area under section 106 agreements. [179776]

  Keith Hill
  Current policy on providing for rural exception housing is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing, Annex B. The policy allows local planning authorities to consider including a 'rural exception policy' in their plans where there remains a lack of affordable housing to meet local needs. An exception policy enables a local planning authority to grant planning permission for small sites for affordable housing to meet local needs in perpetuity, within or adjoining existing villages, which may be subject to policies of restrains such as Green Belt.

  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's consultation document "Influencing the size, type and affordability of housing" proposes that the 'rural exception policy' is replaced by a 100 per cent. affordable housing allocation policy, which would deliver exactly the same objective except through the plan making process.

  Housing (Manchester)
  Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effects of the(a) Starter Home Initiative and (b) Market Renewal Pathfinders programme on the residents of Manchester Central. [179214]

  Keith Hill
  Between September 2001 and 31 March 2004, the Starter Home Initiative (SHI) helped key workers into home ownership in areas where the high cost of housing serves undermined recruitment and retention of skilled staff in key public services. The SHI was available in London and the South East region and in some housing hotspots in the East, South West and West Midlands regions. It was not available to key workers in Manchester.

  The Manchester Salford market renewal pathfinder programme is intended to benefit the residents of the whole of Manchester and Salford, including central Manchester, by creating sustainable communities through housing market renewal.

  Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of how the change in the level of council funding for housing has affected the residents of Manchester Central. [179215]

  Keith Hill
  Since 1997 allocations of capital funding to local authorities for housing purposes have risen consistently by about 15 per cent. per annum on average. This includes the Major Repairs Allowance we introduced in 200102 specifically for the improvement of local authority stock alongside the Decent Homes standard which sets out minimum standards to be met by 2010. Manchester's allocation for 2003–04 was £69.671 million and has been supplemented by the announcement of £125 million to be made available to the Manchester/Salford Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder between 2003–04 and 2005–06.
  1234W

  Industrial Land
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much land is designated for industry in the county plans. [179510]

  Keith Hill
  There are no statistics held centrally for how much land has been allocated for certain land uses, such as industry, in development plans, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently producing good practice guidance for the review of local authority employment land allocations, which will be published later this year. The guidance will provide a methodology through which local planning authorities will be able to review their allocations of employment land, retaining sites which are needed, viable and sustainable, and making others available for reallocation to other land uses. In the process, individual local authorities will have a much better data source on land allocated for industrial use.

  Lone Parents (Accommodation)
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new places in semi-independent housing have been provided for lone parents under the age of 18 years in each year since May 1997. [177543]

  Yvette Cooper
  Set out as follows is the number of Housing Corporation sponsored completions for supported housing for lone teenage parents in each year since 1997:

  Number

  1997–98

  113

  1998–99

  136

  1999–2000

  81

  2000–01

  53

  2001–02

  132

  2002–03

  321

  2003–04

  355

  A further 309 have already been approved under the Approved Development Programme.

  New Homes (London)
  Martin Linton
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new homes in London were(a) built by or for registered social landlords and (b) granted planning consent by London planning authorities between April 2000 and April 2004. [179201]

  Keith Hill
  The number of new homes built by or for registered social landlords in London between April 2000 and March 2004 is as follows:

  Number

  2000–01

  4,162

  2001–02

  3,512

  2002–03

  4,258

  2003–04

  4,100

  Source:

  Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. These are new build only.

  1235W
  Information on the number of new homes granted planning consent by London planning authorities between April 2000 and March 2004 is not readily available. The following information is available (calendar years):

  Number

  2000

  30,576

  2001

  24,908

  Source:

  Housing Provision Survey 2001, Greater London Authority. These are net approvals.

  Ordnance Survey
  Mr. Sayeed
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Pan Government Agreement for Central Government to use Ordnance Survey data was open to fair and transparent competition. [153758]

  Yvette Cooper
  The Pan Government Agreement (PGA) is a non-binding internal arrangement between two Crown bodies, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Ordnance Survey (OS). Accordingly, the PGA is not a contract necessitating competition through prior advertisement in accordance with the EC public procurement directives.

  The success of an initial one-year pilot of the PGA led the Transport, Local Government and the Regions Committee in their tenth report to state:
  "The Committee recommends that the Government provides funding for a long-term Pan Government Service Level Agreement to ensure widespread use of Ordnance Survey data across Government, so as to ensure the Government gets the best value for money. This should be done by the start of the 2003–04 financial year."

  In comparison to the cost of previous agreements and the much more limited use of geographic information they provided, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister believes that the PGA offers very good value for money for government.

  Scout Moor
  Janet Anderson
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received on the application by United Utilities and Peel Holdings to erect a windfarm on Scout Moor, between Edenfield and Rochdale, Lancashire; and when he expects to reach a decision on the application. [179528]

  Mr. Timms
  I have been asked to reply.

  No representations have been made. The current position is that the application has to go to a public inquiry and arrangements are currently being made and will be formally announced as soon as it is practicable to do so. It will be for the inspector to report his/her findings and it will be on that report which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will base her decision.

  Janet Anderson
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received on the application by Marshalls plc to extend the workings at Scout Moor Quarry, between Edenfield and Rochdale, Lancashire; and when he expects to reach a decision on the application. [179529]
  1236W
  Keith Hill
  The application to extend the workings at Scout Moor Quarry is now being dealt with by the First Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on appeal. This is one of five linked appeals. Two of the other four appeals relate to separate applications, made respectively by Marshalls plc and the other joint operator of the existing Scout Moor Quarry, for a review of the conditions applying to existing operations on that quarry. The remaining two appeals, also made separately by each of the joint operators, are against the terms of the Working Rights Notices issued by Lancashire County Council, declaring that restrictions imposed by the conditions determined would not prejudice adversely the working rights of the operators.

  My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has received 94 pre-inquiry and three post-inquiry representations on these applications from local residents. Since receipt of the Inspector's report to the public inquiry, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has also received a number of representations from Marshalls plc, the most recent being a letter dated 7 April 2004.

  As will be evident, this multiple application is a complex one and has raised a number of issues that have needed investigation. While no guarantee can be given, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister hopes that these can be resolved and that a decision can be issued within two months.

  Small Business Rates Relief Scheme
  Brian Cotter
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which hon. Members have made representations to his Department regarding the concerns of businesses in their constituencies about the low rateable value eligibility threshold of the proposed small business rates relief scheme. [179252]

  Phil Hope
  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received letters from nearly sixty hon. Members on the rate relief scheme since the enabling provisions were enacted in the Local Government Act 2003 last September. As stated during the passage of the Bill we will be reviewing the thresholds for the scheme in the light of any general increase of rateable values arising from the general revaluation which, like the rate relief scheme, will take effect from 1 April 2005.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Child Psychiatrists
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many consultant child psychiatrists are employed by each of the health boards in Northern Ireland; and how many vacancies there are in each case. [179045]

  Mr. Gardiner
  The information requested is as follows.
  1237W

  Table 1: Number of consultant child psychiatrists employed in each health board as at 31 March 2004 excluding vacancies

  Health board area

  Headcount

  Whole-time equivalent

  Eastern

  11

  7.65

  Western

  2

  2.00

  Northern

  2

  2.00

  Southern

  3

  3.00

  Total

  18

  14.65

  Table 2: Number of consultant child psychiatrist vacancies (including long-term vacancies) by health board as at 31 March 2004

  Health board area

  Headcount

  Whole-time equivalent

  Eastern

  7

  6.30

  Western

  0

  0.00

  Northern

  0

  0.00

  Southern

  0

  0.00

  Total

  7

  6.30

  Table 3: Number of long-term (vacant more than three months) consultant child psychiatrist vacancies by health board as at 31 March 2004

  Health board area

  Headcount

  Whole-time equivalent

  Eastern

  5

  5.00

  Western

  0

  0.00

  Northern

  0

  0.00

  Southern

  0

  0.00

  Total

  5

  5.00

  Family Planning Association
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funds have been provided by his Department to the Family Planning Association in each of the last five years. [179084]

  Mr. Gardiner
  The information requested is as follows:

  Amount (£)

  2003–04

  82,019

  2002–03

  78,895

  2001–02

  63,800

  2000–01

  52,606

  1999–2000

  51,323

  Foreign Nationals (Support)
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what support arrangements Government Departments provide for foreign nationals coming to Northern Ireland to work. [178764]

  Mr. Spellar
  Under current EU rules, EU nationals, who come to work in Northern Ireland, are covered for social security purposes, by EC Regulation 1408/71. The aim of the rules is to ensure that employed and self-employed people who exercise their right to free movement are not adversely affected by the application of different national legislation. In addition, there are a number of UK reciprocal bilateral agreements with 1238W
  countries outside the EU. These agreements protect the social security position of workers moving between the two countries during their working lives.

  The Allocation of Housing Regulations (NI) 2004 provide that a person who is not habitually resident in the Common Travel Area comprising the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the Republic of Ireland, or whose right to reside in that area derives solely from certain European directives, is not eligible to be allocated housing accommodation by the Housing Executive. However, an exception is made for certain classes of persons including "workers" for the purposes of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 1612/68 or (EEC) No. 1251/70 and persons from new EU accession states who are treated as workers for the purpose of the definition of "qualified person" in regulation 5(1) of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2000 pursuant to regulation 5 of the Accession (Immigration and Worker Registration) Regulations 2004. The Homelessness Regulations (NI) 2004 make similar provision in respect of access to housing assistance under the homelessness legislation.

  The Department for Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) is working to promote race equality for foreign nationals both as service users and as staff in the Health and Personal Social Services. East year DHSSPS published a Guide to Race Equality in Health and Social Services and also issued guidance on access to information, handling complaints, user involvement and promoting positive staff attitudes to diversity to all HSS boards, trusts and agencies.

  DHSSPS and the HSS trusts, boards and agencies are working together to ensure that people belonging to minority ethnic groups enjoy the access to services that they are entitled to have. This work includes the establishment of a Regional Interpreting Service for health and social services, which is due to come into operation at the end of this month, and initiatives by HPSS organisations including events, websites and information in translation, to improve access to services and to promote diversity.

  DHSSPS recently organised an anti-racism workshop involving trusts, staff side organisations, some overseas staff, and the NI Council for Ethnic Minorities, to help trusts to share good practice and it is currently drafting guidance for employers in the health sector on how best to support their minority ethnic staff including those from overseas.

  Health Services
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the(a) average and (b) current longest waiting times are for a (i) emergency, (ii) urgent and (iii) routine dermatology assessment in each health trust area. [179071]

  Mr. Gardiner
  The information on waiting lists and waiting times that is collected centrally is on the basis of time bands.
  1239W
  (a) It is not possible to derive an average from this information.
  (b) The longest wait occurs in the 24+ months time band,
  (i)—(iii) Information requested is not collected centrally.

  Table 1: Number of patients awaiting a first out-patient appointment in the dermatology specialty

  Time waiting (months)

  Provider Trust

  0–2

  3–11

  12–17

  18–23

  24+

  Total

  Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust

  974

  321

  10

  0

  1

  1,306

  Down and Lisburn HSS Trust

  258

  314

  124

  63

  15

  774

  Mater Infirmorum HSS Trust

  105

  142

  55

  66

  9

  377

  The Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust

  646

  614

  110

  31

  65

  1,466

  Ulster Community and Hospitals HSS Trust

  941

  1,449

  207

  245

  361

  3,203

  Causeway HSS Trust

  357

  579

  192

  74

  0

  1,202

  United Hospitals HSS Trust

  575

  395

  111

  75

  57

  1,213

  Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust

  123

  23

  0

  0

  0

  146

  Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust

  853

  283

  18

  8

  1

  1,163

  Newry and Mourne HSS Trust

  439

  22

  1

  0

  0

  462

  Altnagelvin Area Hospitals HSS Trust

  1,092

  530

  1

  0

  0

  1,623

  Northern Ireland

  6,363

  4,672

  829

  562

  509

  12,935

  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to ensure that all multiple sclerosis sufferers who would benefit from beta interferon or glatiramer are receiving that treatment. [179114]

  Mr. Gardiner
  An additional £3.1 million for the provision of specialist drugs, including £100,000 specifically to provide the infrastructure to treat more people who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis (MS), was allocated to Boards in 2002–03. This funding has been uplifted for inflation and is provided on a recurrent basis. As well as recruiting additional consultants, additional nursing and pharmacy staff have been appointed together with Specialist MS nurses to provide patient education and support.

  Currently 511 patients in Northern Ireland are receiving beta interferon treatment and there are around 70 on the waiting list.

  My Department will continue to seek additional resources for specialist medicines that offer the potential for significant improvement in patient care.

  Housing Benefit
  Mr. Gregory Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes he plans to the way in which the Northern Ireland Housing Executive pays housing benefit to tenants. [178614]

  Mr. Spellar
  There are no plans at present to change the way in which the Northern Ireland Housing Executive pays housing benefit to tenants.

  Ice Hockey
  Lady Hermon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent(a) meetings have been held and (b) representations have been made by the Sports Council to promote the development of amateur ice hockey in Northern Ireland. [178528]

  Angela Smith
  The Sports Council for Northern Ireland met with representatives with an interest in the sport of ice hockey as follows.
  1240W
  Information of patients awaiting a first out-patient appointment is collected at Trust and specialty level. The latest available waiting list statistics show the position at 31 March 2004.
  The NI Ice Hockey Federation in November 2003
  Castlereagh Borough Council in November 2003
  Belfast Community Ice Hockey Club in January 2004

  A further meeting has been planned for 16 June 2004 with representatives from the Belfast Community Ice Hockey Club.

  Lady Hermon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Sports Council recognises the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Association; and what individuals the Sports Council understands to constitute the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Association. [178529]

  Angela Smith
  The Sports Council for Northern Ireland does not recognise the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Association, as this body is no longer operational. The sports Council now officially recognises the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Federation, in place of the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Association, as the governing body in Northern Ireland. It is understood that there is one member club—the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Club—which is affiliated to the Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Federation.

  Juvenile Justice Centre
  Lady Hermon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what external investigations took place into the two escapes by young offenders from the Juvenile Justice Centre; how many managers were on duty within each unit from which an escape was made; and if he will make a statement on security at the centre. [179501]

  Mr. Spellar
  This is an operational responsibility of the Acting Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Agency of Northern Ireland (Artie O'Neill). He has advised me that no external investigations took place. However the Director of the Juvenile Justice Centre ordered two internal investigations and a number of recommendations for improving security were made. On each escape there were three managers on duty, one of whom was on-site. The Social Services Inspectorate subsequently reviewed the escape episodes and observed the additional security measures which had already been implemented.
  1241W
  Lady Hermon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what access tho Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) has had to the Juvenile Justice Centre since its opening; and if he will list(a) the representations received from the NIHRC and (b) the meetings the centre's director has had with commissioners. [179502]

  Mr. Spellar
  This is an operational responsibility of the Acting Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Agency of Northern Ireland (Artie O'Neill). He has advised me that the Director of Custody and other senior staff at the centre met with two investigators of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) on 13 January 2004. They were then given a tour of various parts of the centre. The NIHRC has written on a number of occasions requesting access to the Juvenile Justice Centre for the purpose of conducting a review. Appropriate access, taking account of the planned inspection of the centre by the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice, has been offered.

  Lady Hermon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who is responsible for the running of the Juvenile Justice Centre; what the gender mix of management is at(a) weekends and (b) public holidays; and what qualifications they have in (i) social work and (ii) management. [179503]

  Mr. Spellar
  This is an operational responsibility of the Acting Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Agency of Northern Ireland (Artie O'Neill). He has advised me that the gender balance of on-site and on call managers varies according to the rota each weekend and public holiday. The centre strives to achieve a balance where possible. The on call managers are qualified staff. While there is no requirement for the on-site managers to be qualified in either social work or management, it should be emphasised that they do possess the necessary competences and experience to carry out their roles effectively. The Director of Custody is responsible for the day-to-day operational management of the Juvenile Justice Centre.

  Medical Notes
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the rights of families to seek access to the medical notes of relatives who die in hospital. [179088]

  Mr. Gardiner
  Where a patient has died, the patient's personal representative and any person who may have a claim arising out of the patient's death, may make an application to the holder of the health record, for access to the health record or to any part of the health record.

  However, where such an application is made, access shall not be given if the record includes a note, made at the patient's request, that he or she did not wish access to be given on such an application.

  In addition, access shall not be given to any part of a health record which, in the opinion of the holder of the record, would disclose:
  (i) information likely to cause serious harm to the physical or mental health of any individual, or,
  (ii) information relating to, or provided by an individual other than the patient, who could be identified from that information.
  1242W

  Multiple Limb Disability
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals in the Province have congenital multiple limb disability. [179072]

  Mr. Pearson
  Information on the number of individuals with congenital multiple limb disability is not collected centrally. However, the following table shows the total number of children born in each year from 1997 to 2003 inclusive who were recorded as having any type of congenital malformation of their limbs.

  Number of children

  1997

  428

  1998

  393

  1999

  447

  2000

  349

  2001

  550

  2002

  510

  2003

  553

  Note:

  As a child may be recorded in more than one category of malformation, there may be an element of double counting in the figures.

  Source:

  Child Health System.

  Omagh Bombing
  Lembit Öpik
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made during the past 12 months in the police investigation into the bombing of Omagh on 15 August 1998; and if he will make a statement. [178924]

  Mr. Pearson
  Within the past 12 months one person has been charged with serious terrorist related offences, including one connected to the Omagh Bomb. There have been other significant developments that it would not be appropriate to disclose at this stage of the investigation.

  Lembit Öpik
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers are working on the investigation into the bombing of Omagh on 15 August 1998; and if he will make a statement. [178925]

  Mr. Pearson
  The Omagh investigation, by its nature, requires substantial resourcing. It is currently one of the largest and most protracted investigations ever to have been conducted within the United Kingdom. The actual number of officers deployed at any given time varies according to the most efficient use of resources within the Crime Operations Department.

  Lembit Öpik
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the investigation of the police into the bombing of Omagh on 15 August 1998 has ascertained what happened to the threat book from Omagh police station for the period covering the weeks immediately prior to 15 August 1998; and if he will make a statement. [178926]

  Mr. Pearson
  The Senior Investigating Officer has carried out detailed investigations into intelligence relating to threats in the period immediately prior to the
  1243W
  Omagh Bomb. The threat book referred to was a document that recorded those threats and would not in itself add to the investigation.

  Public Angling Estate
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken to ensure adequate disability access to the Public Angling Estate. [178380]

  Angela Smith
  A number of the waters within the Public Angling Estate are accessible to anglers with disabilities, with special facilities, including car parks, paths, fishing stands, and a hoist to facilitate angling from boats, provided at some. Representatives of persons with disabilities have undertaken access studies at a number of waters and have provided appropriate advice to the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.

  The Department is committed to continuing to upgrade and enhance the facilities at its waters for anglers with disabilities and will continue to consult with those groups representing the disabled.

  Recruitment Practices
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his policy is towards the recruitment practice of collective shortlisting without individual notes of assessments being taken and only a score or pass mark being recorded. [178103]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  Recruitment to the Northern Ireland Civil Service and to the Home Civil Service in Northern Ireland Office is carried out in accordance with Northern Ireland and Great Britain Commissioners' Recruitment Codes respectively. Collective shortlisting is not practised.

  The Commissioners' codes state that those making appointments to the Civil Service must adhere to the following requirements:
  applicants are considered equally on merit at each stage of the selection process;
  selection is based on relevant criteria applied consistently to all candidates;
  selection criteria are objective, reliable and guard against bias;
  applicants are aware which criteria will be used at eligibility sift stage;
  if it is considered that shortlisting may be necessary to reduce numbers to manageable proportions, applicants are aware which job criteria will be used and in what way.

  In order to adhere to the requirements it is the practice of the Civil Service that each application is examined and a determination made if the candidate satisfies each of the eligibility and if appropriate shortlisting criteria. Candidates who fail to satisfy one or more of the required criteria are offered feedback explaining the decisions reached.

  Sports Facilities
  Lady Hermon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in relation to the establishment of a new sports ground development programme; and if he will make a statement. [178524]
  1244W
  Angela Smith
  The establishment of the new Sports Grounds Development Programme is a matter for the Sports Council for Northern Ireland which is responsible for the development of sport including the distribution of funding. I can confirm that the Sports Council recently completed risk assessment exercises in relation to the new programme and is now implementing the recommendations of these. It has also recently concluded discussions on proposals for taking forward the programme with the governing bodies of those sports identified as of the highest priority from its risk assessments. The Sports Council is considering the outcome of these discussions and the new programme is expected to be launched in the near future.

  Sports Governing Bodies
  Lady Hermon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are applied by the Sports Council when deciding to recognise a governing body for any sport. [178538]

  Angela Smith
  I refer the hon. Lady to the reply I gave on 12 May 2004,Official Report, column 395W.

TRANSPORT

  Clapham Junction
  Martin Linton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects Clapham Junction railway station(a) to have lift access to platforms and (b) to have resolved the problem of gaps between platforms and passenger trains. [179202]

  Mr. McNulty
  The SRA is beginning development work on solutions to improve the accessibility of stations to ensure both stations and train services meet the accessibility requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. This will apply to train operating companies that lease stations, including Clapham Junction.

  Network Rail also has a programme to evaluate the risk from platform stepping distances and to identify where it is reasonably practicable to make improvements. The programme is ongoing and risk based and will be subject to acceptance by Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate (HMRI).

  The delivery and timing of any works arising from these programmes will be subject to prioritisation and the availability of funding following the outcome of the Spending Review.

  Congestion Charging Schemes
  Mr. Stringer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers the proposed elected regional assemblies will have(a) to (i) modify and (ii) block congestion charging schemes agreed by a local authority and (b) to introduce congestion charging schemes. [179574]

  Mr. McNulty
  There are no plans to give such powers to elected regional assemblies.
  1245W

  Departmental Secondments
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff in his Department and its agencies were seconded from the(a) private and (b) academic sector in each of the last three years. [174823]

  Mr. McNulty
  The Department for Transport was formed on 29 May 2002. All information dates from 29 May 2002.

  Department/Agency

  (a) Private sector

  (b) Academic sector

  Department for Transport (Centre)

  1 ended in 2003–04, 3 active

  1

  Vehicle Certification Agency

  0

  0

  Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

  0

  0

  Maritime and Coastguard Agency

  0

  0

  Driving Standards Agency

  0

  0

  Vehicle and Operator Services Agency

  0

  0

  Highways Agency

  2 ended in 2003–04, none active

  0

  Falmouth Harbour Revision Order
  Ms Atherton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the Falmouth Harbour Revision Order 2004. [179579]

  Mr. Jamieson
  I have received representations from some harbour users opposing the making of this Order, primarily on the grounds that the proposed arrangements do not provide for an adequate degree of accountability of the Harbour Commissioners.

  Ms Atherton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to amend the Falmouth Harbour Revision Order 2004. [179580]

  Mr. Jamieson
  We are now in the process of considering the representations we have received and will make an announcement when this has been completed.

  Intelligent Speed Adaption Systems
  Mr. Damian Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what grants the Department has given to the research and development of Intelligent Speed Adaption Systems; and if he will make a statement. [177992]

  Mr. Jamieson
  [pursuant to the reply, 16 June 2004, Official Report, c. 933 W]: This research builds on an earlier project that was carried out between 1997 and 2000 at a cost of £557,997.

  Mental Health
  Mr. Goodman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have left employment in his Department because of(a) anxiety, (b) stress, (c) depression and (d) other mental health reasons in each year since 1997. [175681]

  Mr. McNulty
  The Department for Transport was established following machinery of Government changes in May 2002.
  1246W
  The Department does not have details of the number of staff who may have left the Department because of anxiety, stress, depression or other mental health reasons.

  The Department has a Stress at Work Policy in place and recognises the legal obligation to provide a safe working environment for employees.

  PFI/PPP Schemes
  Alan Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the(a) book value of the stakeholding, (b) onward sale price and (c) arrangements for sharing any windfall gain from subsequent refinancing arrangements are for each of the private finance initiative and public private partnership schemes his Department has entered into where there has been an onward sale of the private sector stakeholding into secondary market. [179065]

  Mr. McNulty
  The Department for Transport does not hold data on(a) book value of stakeholding or (b) onward sale price on PFI/PPP projects it sponsors. With respect to item (c), the Department is not aware of any circumstances in which the onward sale of an ownership stake would alter the sharing arrangements of refinancing gains. Such provisions have never been included in central guidance on the Standardisation of PFI Contracts (SoPC), or in the provisions of departmental PPP contracts.

  Rail Services
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to provide fast train services from Pendle to Manchester. [179438]

  Mr. McNulty
  There are no plans to introduce fast train services from Pendle to Manchester. A new Northern franchise has been competitively tendered. This will include local and regional services to Manchester.

  Strategic Rail Authority
  Mr. Damian Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many(a) consultants and (b) contractors have been employed by the Strategic Rail Authority or employed on matters in each year since its creation expressed in full-time equivalent posts. [178867]

  Mr. McNulty
  Consultants are employed on defined, temporary tasks—typically studies into particular propositions—and their employment cannot be equated to SRA staff posts. Contractors, by contrast, may at times fill staff posts in lieu of permanently employed SRA staff.

  Data was not held in the form requested for the full period since the SRA was set up in February 2001. The available figures are as follows:

  February 2001

  August 2002

  March 2003

  March 2004

  Contractors on projects

  —

  —

  69

  135

  Contractors covering vacancies

  —

  —

  64

  37

  Other temporary staff

  —

  —

  22

  9

  Total

  66

  90

  155

  181

  1247W

  Transport Council
  Mr. Connarty
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the outcome was of the Transport Council held on 10–11 June; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement. [179173]

  Mr. Darling
  The transport session of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council met in Luxembourg on 11 June. I represented the UK.

  The Council reached a General Approach on a Directive on enhancing port security. The agreement was based on a Presidency compromise text, which the UK was able to accept. The Directive will, complement Regulation 725/2004 on enhancing ship and port facility security adopted in March 2004.

  The Council reached Political Agreement on a Directive on ship-source pollution and the introduction of sanctions, including criminal sanctions, for pollution offences. The agreement was on the basis of a revised text, which met many of the concerns of the UK relating to equity, consistency with international law and the apportionment of responsibilities between the First and Third Pillars of the European Union. The agreed text does differ from MARPOL; however, the UK and likeminded Member States did not command sufficient votes to prevent political agreement from being reached on this basis.

  Reports to the Council on maritime issues under AOB dealt with: ratification of maritime conventions, identification documents for seafarers, and the recent maritime safety forum organised by the Presidency.

  The Council reached agreement on a number of aspects of the Galileo satellite navigation project. Council conclusions were adopted calling for continuing progress in work leading to implementation of the project. Political Agreement was reached on a Council Regulation on the establishment of management structures. The Council adopted two Decisions on Galileo external relations, the first a cooperation agreement with Israel and the second an agreement with the USA on the operation of Galileo and the GPS. All of the agreed texts were acceptable to the UK.

  The Council did not reach Political Agreement on the proposal to amend Directive 1999/62/EC on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructure (the 'Eurovignette' Directive). The key stumbling block to agreement at the March Council had been the hypothecation of revenues to the transport sector. At this Council, I re-stated that the UK cannot accept mandatory hypothecation and that decisions on how to spend revenue raised from road charging should be left to the discretion of member states. Further examination of this and other aspects of the text will now be carried out, so that the proposal can be put to a future Council.

  The Council reached Political Agreement on a Regulation amending current legislation on drivers hours' legislation that applies to certain drivers' of large commercial vehicles, and on a Directive on enforcement of those hours. Both of the agreed texts were acceptable to the United Kingdom.
  1248W
  The Council considered a proposal for harmonising weekend driving bans for heavy goods vehicles involved in international transport. A number of member states (including the UK) indicated that they were not in a position to support this. The proposal could be brought to a future Council.

  The Council did not reach Political Agreement on those proposals relating to cabin crew training and flight time limitations contained within the draft Regulation amending Regulation 3922/91 on harmonised operational safety standards and administrative procedures in civil aviation (EU-OPS).

  There was an exchange of views on EU-US air transport, based on a report from the Commission on its negotiations with the US. I was joined by other Ministers in stating that an agreement on the lines proposed would be unbalanced, and should not be accepted. It was agreed by the Council that urgent efforts should be made by the Commission in further negotiations with the US, with the overall aim of improving the balance.

  There were two aviation items taken under AOB. The Commission reported on progress on passenger name records and on the proposal for mandates for negotiation on air transport with certain neighbouring countries.

  Also under AOB, the Presidency gave a progress report on the third package of rail transport measures.

  Working Time Directive
  Mr. Tynan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many employees in his Department have(a) signed a formal opt out from and (b) are exempt from the Working Time Directive; and how many employees in his Department have recorded hours, including any accruing on a flexitime basis, in excess of the maximum allowed under the Working Time Directive in the last month for which figures are available. [178371]

  Mr. McNulty
  The Department for Transport has(a) 37 staff who have signed a waiver allowing them to work more than the maximum hours allowed under the Working Time Directive; (b) no staff who are exempt from the Working Time Directive. There are 26 staff who have recorded hours in excess of the maximum allowed under the Working Time Directive in the 17 week period up to the week commencing 31 May 2004. These figures cover the central Department only.

  The Department for Transport is committed to reducing the number of staff who are required to work in excess of 48 hours a week to an absolute minimum commensurate with meeting operational needs.

WORK AND PENSIONS

  New Deal
  Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on the New Deal(a) by region and (b) by London borough in each year since 1997. [177050]
  1249W
  Jane Kennedy
  The available information is in the table.

  New Deal spend by region/country1

  Rounded to nearest £ million

  Region/country

  1997–982

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  2001–02

  2002–03

  2003–04

  East Midlands and Eastern3

  0

  9

  23

  32

  27

  n/a

  n/a

  East Midlands3

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  18

  18

  East of England3

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  10

  12

  Northern3

  0

  12

  25

  28

  29

  n/a

  n/a

  North East3

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  26

  27

  North West

  0

  14

  37

  40

  38

  37

  42

  London and South East3

  30

  21

  53

  49

  36

  n/a

  n/a

  London3

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  38

  54

  South East3

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  11

  13

  South West

  0

  9

  17

  19

  16

  16

  15

  West Midlands

  0

  8

  20

  22

  26

  26

  27

  Yorkshire and Humber

  0

  18

  37

  39

  31

  32

  30

  Scotland

  0

  10

  34

  40

  35

  38

  39

  Wales

  0

  7

  20

  23

  19

  21

  20

  1 Figures are for regional programme spend and exclude head office and other departmental costs.

  2 Regional programme spend was less than £1 million per region in 1997–98.

  3 From April 2002 the nine Employment Service regions/countries were reorganised into 11 Jobcentre Plus regions/countries: East Midlands and Eastern region was split in to two regions (East Midlands region and East of England region). London and South East region was split in to two regions (London region and South East region). Northern region was also renamed as North East region at that time.

  Note:

  Information is not available broken down by local authority.

  Source:

  Employment Service regional records 1997–98 to 2001–02 and Jobcentre Plus regional records from 2002–03 onwards.

  Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were working in permanent New Deal placements(a) by region and (b) by London borough in each year since 1997. [177051]

  Jane Kennedy
  The information is only available for New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus.

  The available information has been placed in the Library.

  Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people registered with the New Deal failed to be placed in permanent employment after(a) six months and (b) 12 months in each year since 1997, broken down by (i) region and (ii) London borough. [177052]

  Jane Kennedy
  The available information has been placed in the Library.

  Benefit Payments
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the(a) volume and (b) value of underpayments of benefits to pensioners in each year since 1997. [177908]

  Malcolm Wicks
  Some information is available for the Minimum Income Guarantee, Retirement Pension and Housing Benefit, but is not available in the format requested. Underpayments of Council Tax Benefit, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Carer's Allowance and Pension Credit are not included as there are no figures available currently.

  Underpayments of benefits to pensioners in receipt of Minimum Income Guarantee which result from claimant and official error are estimated and reported in regular National Statistics publications.
  1250W
  The latest figures available are:
  2001–02: Approx £65 million (equivalent to 1.4 per cent. of total MIG expenditure)
  2002–03: Approx £68 million (equivalent to 1.5 per cent. of total MIG expenditure)
  The estimates are based on samples of cases and are therefore subject to sampling error.

  Underpayments of State Pension resulting from claimant and official error are estimated each year. These estimates are based on very small samples and have large margins of error therefore there is a high variance in the amounts quoted.

  The latest figures available are:
  1999–2000: Approx £66 million
  2000–01: Approx £118 million
  2001–02: Approx £88 million
  2002–03: Approx £84 million

  These figures are equivalent to between 0.2 per cent. and 0.3 per cent. of expenditure.

  For 2002–03 around 8.1 per cent. of all Housing Benefit cases (not pensioner specific) had underpayments associated with them, resulting in underpayments worth around 10 per cent. (approximately £100 million) of total HB expenditure. Many of the underpayments were of small value, hence the difference between the 8.1 per cent. and the 1.0 per cent.

  The next Housing Benefit Review report, reporting the level of fraud and error in Housing Benefit (HB) up to September 2003, will be published on 12 August as National Statistics, and will contain a breakdown of HB underpayments for pensioners.
  1251W
  Brian Cotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much(a) disability benefit and (b) other support has been distributed to eating disorder sufferers in each of the last five years. [179241]

  Mr. Pond
  The information requested is not available.

  Number of jobseekers allowance sanctions imposed

  Year to March

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  2001

  2002

  2003

  2004

  Discharge from HM forces

  4

  12

  5

  8

  5

  6

  6

  3

  Leaving employment voluntarily

  36,573 (JSA)

  109,994

  103,206

  86,226

  85,965

  73,186

  77,277

  69,381

  64,461 (UB)

  Losing employment through misconduct

  7,155 (JSA)

  22,357

  22,682

  18,888

  16,430

  15,939

  16,497

  13,760

  15,599 (UB)

  Not taken advantage of an opportunity of employment

  86 (JSA)

  244

  146

  85

  57

  52

  38

  28

  446 (UB)

  Refusal of employment

  4,098 (JSA)

  21,906

  11,118

  19,169

  26,370

  38,216

  43,398

  29,679

  1,140 (UB)

  Giving up place on training scheme/employment programme

  121

  882

  3,888

  6,146

  4,236

  2,859

  3,232

  2,690

  Losing place on training scheme/employment programme—misc

  183

  1,049

  2,222

  5,671

  6,465

  6,178

  6,954

  6,727

  Refusal of place on training scheme/employment programme

  130

  205

  380

  1,335

  838

  308

  281

  347

  Not taken advantage of place on a training scheme/employment programme

  19

  45

  527

  1,089

  956

  144

  97

  97

  Failed to attend place on training scheme/employment programme1

  310

  3,897

  7,028

  12,637

  17,652

  19,493

  20,383

  19,793

  Refusal/failure to carry out a JS direction

  215

  1,027

  2,218

  7,277

  5,542

  3,819

  3,676

  3,755

  Total

  130,540

  161,618

  153,420

  158,531

  164,516

  160,200

  171,839

  146,260

  1Including New Deal for Young People

  Note:

  JSA was introduced on 7 October 1996 and replaced Unemployment Benefit (UB).

  Figures are given for both benefits.

  Source:

  Labour Market Statistics—Analysis of Sector Decision Making.

  Carers
  Mr. Tynan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost would be of not offsetting carers' allowance against(a) the basic state pension and (b) other benefits. [178598]

  Mr. Pond
  The gross cost of exempting all pensioners in receipt of Carer's Allowance from the overlapping benefits rule would be around £221 million. After adjusting for offsets in income-related benefits the cost would be around £145 million. The gross cost for non-pensioners would be around £109 million or around £50 million after adjustments for offsets.Notes:
  1. Estimates use benefit rates for 2003–04 and are based on a 100 per cent. extract of Carer's Allowance claims on the Carer's Allowance computer system for May 2003, a 5 per cent. extract from the claims on the Income Support computer systems in 2003 and a 1 per cent. extract of the Housing Benefit/Council Tax benefit claims of May 2002.
  2. These costs do not take account of the introduction of Pension Credit where Carer's Allowance is taken fully into account but an additional amount, the carer's premium (currently £25.55 per week), may be awarded in respect of the caring.
  3. The figures take no account of the behavioural effect of carers who have not claimed a Carer's Allowance but who would be induced to do so if the overlapping benefits rule was abolished.

  Departmental Secondments
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff in his Department and its agencies were seconded from the(a) private and (b) academic sector in each of the last three years. [175365]
  1252W

  Benefit Penalties
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many unemployed people suffered benefit penalties in each year since 1997, broken down by reason for the penalty. [177902]

  Jane Kennedy
  The information requested is in the table.

  Mr. Pond
  The information is in the table.

  Numbers of staff recorded as having been seconded in to the Department and its predecessor organisations (Department of Social Security and Employment Service) from the private sector and academic sector.

  Secondments from the private sector

  Secondments from the academic sector

  2001–02

  8

  0

  2002–03

  27

  4

  2003–04

  19

  3

  Note:

  2003–04 figures are provisional.

  Disabled Workers
  Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the measures introduced to improve the working conditions of disabled workers in Manchester Central over the last seven years. [177741]

  Maria Eagle
  We have a number of measures in place nationally to help improve conditions for disabled people at work, as well as measures to improve their access to services generally. None of these are specific to Manchester Central, but all are available to disabled people who live and work there.

  From 1996, the employment provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act required most employers of 20 or more staff not to discriminate against, and

  1253W
  to make reasonable adjustments for, disabled job applicants or employees; in December 1998, we reduced this threshold to 15 employees. From October this year, the small employer exemption will be removed and most currently excluded occupations, such as police officers, fire-fighters, and partners in business partnerships will be brought within the scope of the Disability Discrimination Act employment provisions.

  Jobcentre Plus runs a number of specialist programmes providing help for disabled people, including New Deal for Disabled People, Workstep, Access to Work, the Job Introduction Scheme, and Work Preparation. All these programmes provide practical advice and support to disabled people and their employers to help overcome work related obstacles resulting from disability. Since 1997–98 there have been year on year increases in both numbers helped and programme spend.

  To help people access appropriate help, Jobcentre Plus has established a network of Disability Service Teams. The teams are made up of Disability Employment Advisors, Access to Work Advisers and Occupational Psychologists; their services are accessed through local Jobcentres.

  Since April 2003, disabled people in work have been receiving financial support through the Working Tax Credit. This is available if a person is working an average of at least 16 hours per week (self-employed or for an employer); and have a disability which puts them at a disadvantage in getting a job. 70,000 families (including over 32,000 adults without children) are benefiting from the disability element within the Working Tax Credit, compared to 38,000 who benefited from the old Disabled Person's Tax Credit.

  Gender Pay Gap
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the pay gap between men and women employed by his Department and its agencies in(a) Southampton, (b) Eastleigh, (c) Winchester and (d) Romsey. [171636]

  Mr. Pond
  There is no official assessment made of pay differentials between men and women employed by the Department and its agencies in the specific geographical areas referred to. The following table and associated notes show an analysis of mean salaries of staff working in DWP offices in the Southampton area by gender. This analysis shows that the mean salary of a man is 98.7 per cent. of the mean salary of a women.

  Male

  Female

  Difference (percentage)

  Total staff in post

  164.7

  406.2

  —

  Total basic salary (£)

  2,746,425

  6,856,672

  —

  Mean salary (£)

  16,663

  16,882

  1.31

  Notes:

  1. The Southampton Area table shows salaries for staff in workplaces with an "SO" post code prefix. This includes Southampton, Eastleigh, Hythe, Romsey, Totton, Woolston, and Winchester.

  2. Salaries have been calculated on the basis of "Whole Time Equivalents", meaning full time staff count as one and part time staff count as a proportion of one depending on their work
  1254W
  pattern. Salaries are accordingly pro-rated on the basis of the work pattern. The salaries used are basic rates excluding allowances, overtime and any employer's contributions for NI or occupational pensions.

  3. The percentage difference has been calculated by dividing the value of the difference into the lower mean salary. This calculation shows that the mean salary of women is 1.31 per cent. higher than the mean salary of men.

  The gender differential in DWP overall is that men earn on average 4.8 per cent. more than women. This figure is calculated using the salaries of all staff within DWP excluding the Senior Civil Service. The differences between male and female mean salaries change by grade. In the administrative grades that predominate in DWP offices, such as those in the Southampton area, female mean salaries are higher. In the executive grades, male mean salaries are higher. In the Southampton area, 93 per cent. of staff are in Bands A/AA, B/AO and C/EO. Looking at the comparable selection for DWP overall the gender differential is 1.39 per cent. with women earning more than men.

  The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) suggests that, as a general guide, any gender differences of 5 per cent. or more, or patterns of differences of 3 per cent. or more will require exploration and explanation. The Department for Work and Pensions are committed to reviewing their pay policies to ensure that they are compliant with the current equal pay legislation and do not either directly or indirectly discriminate against any group of employees. An Equal Pay Audit is currently being undertaken to review existing policies and to inform the development of the departmental reward strategy.

  All jobs that relate to the grades mentioned above are gender-neutral, that is, there is no reason why they should not be performed by men or women. There is therefore no likelihood of any gender-based variances being due to the requirement for work to be performed by staff of a particular gender.

  Source:

  DWP "Dataview" for December 2003 extracted from FAMIS and Rebus payroll systems.

  Mr. Graham Cotton
  Mr. John Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to resolve the case of Mr. Graham Cotton of Olton in Solihull, a Qa pensioner who has not received his compensation. [176232]

  Malcolm Wicks
  We cannot comment on individual cases but have much sympathy with those who have lost out through the closure of occupational pension schemes.

  That is why we have introduced the Pension Protection Fund. The Pension Protection Fund forms part of a substantial and balanced package of measures. It will significantly improve both protection for pension scheme members and confidence in pensions in general.

  On the question of financial assistance for those who will not be covered by the Pension Protection Fund, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 June 2004, Official Report, column 82W.

  New Deal
  Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by his Department on the New Deal for young people in Greater London in(a) 2002 and (b) 2003. [177059]

  Jane Kennedy
  The available information is in the table.
  1255W

  Spend on New Deal for young people in Greater London

  £ million

  2001–02

  25.007

  2002–03

  32.959

  2003–04

  150.563

  1Forecast outturn.

  Notes:

  1. Information is for financial rather than calendar years.

  Quarter

  Number leaving New Deal for Young People

  of which to a known destination

  Number entering sustained employment

  Percentage leaving to sustained employment

  Percentage (with a known destination) leaving to sustained employment

  January to March 1998

  2,040

  1,630

  1,040

  51.05

  64.03

  April to June 1998

  13,640

  10,600

  7,440

  54.57

  70.21

  July to September 1998

  29,440

  22,520

  14,080

  47.82

  62.53

  October to December 1998

  33,000

  23,840

  14,160

  42.91

  59.40

  January to March 1999

  39,920

  28,060

  15,970

  40.01

  56.92

  April to June 1999

  46,280

  32,940

  19,580

  42.30

  59.44

  July to September 1999

  56,390

  41,390

  22,800

  40.44

  55.09

  October to December 1999

  53,390

  39,190

  20,640

  38.66

  52.66

  January to March 2000

  51,550

  37,930

  19,780

  38.37

  52.14

  April to June 2000

  50,110

  36,190

  20,810

  41.53

  57.50

  July to September 2000

  53,980

  39,330

  21,900

  40.57

  55.69

  October to December 2000

  42,990

  31,100

  16,610

  38.62

  53.39

  January to March 2001

  47,100

  34,020

  18,150

  38.53

  53.34

  April to June 2001

  45,220

  32,100

  18,220

  40.29

  56.76

  July to September 2001

  46,080

  32,450

  17,790

  38.61

  54.81

  October to December 2001

  36,900

  25,640

  13,280

  35.98

  51.78

  January to March 2002

  38,920

  26,560

  13,500

  34.69

  50.83

  April to June 2002

  42,300

  28,770

  15,830

  37.41

  55.01

  July to September 2002

  45,890

  31,460

  16,680

  36.34

  53.00

  October to December 2002

  38,520

  25,720

  13,290

  34.50

  51.68

  January to March 2003

  41,190

  26,930

  13,110

  31.83

  48.69

  April to June 2003

  43,670

  28,870

  15,710

  35.98

  54.43

  July to September 2003

  48,100

  32,230

  17,000

  35.35

  52.76

  October to December 2003

  48,670

  31,890

  17,620

  36.21

  55.26

  Note:

  Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

  Source:

  New Deal Evaluation Database, DWP Information and Analysis Directorate.

  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many starts there have been on each of the four New Deal options since the introduction of the New Deal for Young People; how many have moved into sustained unsubsidised employment; and what proportion this is of starts on each programme. [177911]

  Jane Kennedy
  The information is in the table.

  New Deal for Young People—job starts from New Deal options1

  New Deal for Young People option

  Total starts

  Total sustained unsubsidised jobs

  Proportion of jobs from starts (percentage)

  Employment option

  79,510

  33,270

  42

  Education and training option

  173,860

  46,800

  27

  Voluntary sector option

  103,380

  28,990

  28

  Environmental task force option

  103,310

  27,680

  27

  1Data to the end of December 2003.

  Source:

  New Deal Evaluation Database, DWP Information and Analysis Directorate
  1256W
  2. Figures are only available for the jobcentre Plus London region, rather than the Greater London local authority area.

  Source:

  Jobcentre Plus Finance Division.

  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of participants left the New Deal for Young People for sustained jobs in each quarter since the start of the programme. [177906]

  Jane Kennedy
  The information is in the tables.

  New Deal
  Mr. Willetts:
  To ask the Secretary of State of Work and Pensions how many people have taken up the New Deal 50 plus employment credit in each (a) month, (b) quarter and (c) other period for which figures are collected, since the scheme was introduced. [177968]

  Jane Kennedy:
  The information is in the tables.

  New Deal 50 plus employment credit starts each month.

  month

  Number of employment credit starts

  April 2000

  1,730

  May 2000

  2,430

  June 2000

  3,000

  July 2000

  2,560

  August 2000

  2,490

  September 2000

  3,270

  October 2000

  3,290

  November 2000

  3,400

  December 2000

  2,660

  January 2001

  2,190

  February 2001

  2,720

  March 2001

  3,280

  1257W

  New Deal 50 plus employment credit starts each month.

  month

  Number of employment credit starts

  April 2001

  2,610

  May 2001

  3,290

  June 2001

  3,200

  July 2001

  2,920

  August 2001

  3,160

  September 2001

  3,010

  October 2001

  3,300

  November 2001

  3,670

  December 2001

  1,730

  January 2002

  1,800

  February 2002

  2,340

  March 2002

  2,920

  April 2002

  2,460

  May 2002

  3,330

  June 2002

  2,540

  July 2002

  2,620

  August 2002

  3,060

  September 2002

  2,480

  October 2002

  2,860

  November 2002

  3,490

  December 2002

  1,940

  January 2003

  2,010

  February 2003

  2,000

  March 2003

  2,290

  Total

  98,040

  New Deal 50 plus employment credit starts each quarter

  Quarter

  Number of employment credit starts

  April to June 2000

  7,170

  July to September 2000

  8,310

  October to December 2000

  9,350

  January to March 2001

  8,190

  April to June 2001

  9,100

  July to September 2001

  9,100

  October to December 2001

  8,700

  January to March 2002

  7,060

  April to June 2002

  8,340

  July to September 2002

  8,150

  October to December 2002

  8,280

  January to March 2003

  6,300

  Total

  98,040

  Notes:

  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Figures for each quarter may not sum to the total for individual months due to rounding.

  2. From April 2003, the employment credit was replaced by the 50 plus return to work element of working tax credit.

  Source:

  New Deal Evaluation Database

  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many partners have been invited to attend an interview under the New Deal for Partners scheme; how many attended an interview; how many of those ended up participating in the programme; and how many attained sustained jobs as a result. [178875]

  Jane Kennedy
  The effective date for the phased introduction of work focused interviews for partners (WFIP) in Jobcentre Plus areas was 12 April 2004. WFIP processes started as planned on this date and the interviews are now taking place. Information on how many partners have been invited to and attended a work 1258W
  focused interview for partners, and how many have gone on to join the New Deal for Partners and found work, is currently not available. Information is expected to be available in the autumn.

  Non-resident UK Pensioners
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many UK pensioners live in each of the other member states of the European Union; and how much in total is spent on benefit payments to pensioners in each of these countries. [177905]

  Malcolm Wicks
  The table shows the number of people receiving the UK State Pension as at September 2003 and the estimated benefit expenditure for 2003–04 in each of the EU countries:

  £

  Country

  Number of people receiving UK State Pension

  Estimated expenditure

  Austria

  4,600

  5,500,000

  Belgium

  4,400

  7,360,000

  Cyprus

  7,800

  24,540,000

  Czech Republic

  100

  320,000

  Denmark

  1,200

  2,460,000

  Estonia

  Nil or negligible

  Finland

  500

  1,210,000

  France

  24,600

  75,010,000

  Germany

  29,400

  38,100,000

  Greece

  2,200

  7,070,000

  Hungary

  400

  1,040,000

  Ireland

  93,800

  203,350,000

  Italy

  29,500

  52,740,000

  Latvia

  100

  320,000

  Lithuania

  100

  210,000

  Luxembourg

  200

  630,000

  Malta

  3,000

  8,630,000

  Netherlands

  6,600

  9,760,000

  Poland

  1,600

  3,250,000

  Portugal

  5,000

  16,140,000

  Slovak Republic

  Nil or negligible

  Slovenia

  100

  200,000

  Spain

  57,700

  185,990,000

  Sweden

  1,600

  3,060,000

  Notes:

  1Caseloads are rounded to the nearest hundred.

  2 Caseloads less than 500 are subject to a high degree of sampling variation and should be treated with caution. The associated expenditure figures are also subject to a high degree of sampling variation and should be treated likewise.

  3 Expenditure figures have been rounded to the nearest £10,000.

  4 Ten countries joined the EU on 1 May 2004. People receiving the UK State Pension in Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the Slovak Republic did not receive annual uprating before this date. In addition, certain benefits would not have been paid in these countries before 1 May 2004. On enlargement the bilateral Social Security agreements that apply to Cyprus, Malta and Slovenia have been largely superseded by EU legislation. The figures for Cyprus cover all UK State Pension recipients on the island of Cyprus.

  Source:

  IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent., sample based on September 2003 DWP administrative data.

  Official Vehicles
  John Barrett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of official vehicles used
  1259W
  by his Department are run on (a) petrol, (b) diesel, (c) liquid petroleum gas and (d) compressed natural gas. [172771]

  Mr. Pond
  The Department's ministerial vehicles are provided by the Government Car Service. In relation to these vehicles, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on 25 May 2004,Official Report, columns 1538W.

  A breakdown of the Department's vehicle fleet at 1 April 2004 by fuel type is in the table. The Department has no vehicles which are run on compressed natural gas.

  Numbers

  Percentage

  Petrol

  320

  12

  Diesel

  1,587

  61

  European IV compliant diesels

  78

  3

  Hybrid electric

  19

  1

  Dual fuel

  593

  23

  Total

  2,597

  100

  Note:

  The Department's dual fuel vehicles are capable of running on both petrol and liquid petroleum gas.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 25 May 2004,Official Report, column 1513W, on pensions, what the net present value is of the expenditure projections shown in the table. [178871]

  Malcolm Wicks
  The information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 25 May 2004,Official Report, column 1513W, on pensions, what the assumptions are for the uprating of each of the benefits covered in the table. [178872]

  Malcolm Wicks
  [pursuant to the reply, 25 May 2004, Official Report, c. 1513 W]: The current policy on the uprating of the various elements of the expenditures table found at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/ad/asd4/Table3_Long_Term_Projections.xls is given in Table 1.

  These policies are applied when estimating the expenditure on these benefits for future years, using the latest HM Treasury medium term assumptions for the annual movements up to 2006–07. For long-term projections beyond 2006–07, assumptions as found in Table 2 are used.

  Table 1: Assumptions for the uprating of various pensioner benefits

  Benefit

  Uprating assumption

  Basic State Pension State Earnings-Related Pension/State Second Pension Pension Credit

  RPI with 2.5 per cent. underpin RPI /Earnings/Constant(depending on element)Guarantee Credit: Earnings Savings Credit: RPI with 2.5 per cent. underpin Additional Amounts: Rossi

  Winter Fuel Payments Over 75s TV licences Christmas Bonus Housing-related Benefits Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance

  Constant RPI + 1.5 per cent.Constant n/aRPI

  1260W

  Table 2: Long-term assumptions for various indices, as used in for long-term expenditure projections

  Index

  Long-term assumption (percentage)

  RPI

  2.58

  RPI with 2.5 per cent. underpin

  2.83

  Rossi

  2.33

  Earnings

  4.58

  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 4 March 2004,Official Report, column 1040W, on benefit payments (pensioners), whether the percentage figures include both pensioners in a couple in receipt of their benefits. [178874]

  Malcolm Wicks
  The percentage figures are based on the number of individuals aged 60 or over in a benefit unit, which includes both the benefit claimants and their partners.

  Pensions
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received on the future of pension centres; and if he will make a statement. [178433]

  Malcolm Wicks
  We have received a number of representations on the future of pension centres.

  As we said at the time of the budget, we will come forward with more developed departmental plans following discussions with our unions and when the spending review process has been completed.

  Richard Burden
  ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of whether members of the Cheney, Warwick Group and Debenholt and Kalamazoo pension schemes will be considered for assistance under the provisions of the Pensions Bill in respect of employees who have lost pension benefits following the wind-up of occupational pension schemes. [179444]

  Malcolm Wicks
  I refer my hon. Friend to my previous reply on 7 June 2004 Official Report, column 82W.

  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many(a) pension units, (b) pensioner couples and (c) single pensioners had incomes below the median pensioner income in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion this is of total pensioners in each case. [177907]

  Malcolm Wicks
  Median net income before housing costs for pensioner units (pensioner couples and single pensioners) is £189 a week. The following tables show the number of and proportion of pensioner couples and single pensioners with cash income above and below this amount. Because of the different needs of single and pensioner couples these results should not be taken to reflect their relative living standards.
  1261W
  Tables 1a and 1b show the number of single pensioners and pensioner couple with weekly net income above and below this level on a Before Housing Costs (BHC) and After Housing Costs (AHC) basis. Tables 2a and 2b show the proportion of each type of Pensioner Unit with income below the median level on a BHC and AHC basis.

  Table 1a: Numbers below median net income (BHC)

  Pensioner couples

  Single pensioners

  All pensioner unit

  Below median

  550,000

  2,850,000

  3,450,000

  Above median

  2,200,000

  1,250,000

  3,450,000

  Total

  2,750,000

  4,100,000

  6,850,000

  Table 1b: Numbers below median net income (AHC)

  Pensioner couples

  Single pensioners

  All pensioner unit

  Below median

  550,000

  2,850,000

  3,450,000

  Above median

  2,150,000

  1,250,000

  3,450,000

  Total

  2,750,000

  4,100,000

  6,850,000

  Table 2a: Proportions under median income (BHC)

  Proportion of each group with income below pensioners unit median (BHC) (Percentage)

  Pensioner couples

  20

  Single pensioner

  70

  All pensioner units

  50

  Table 2b: Proportions under median income (AHC)

  Proportion of each group with income below pensioners unit median (BHC) (Percentage)

  Pensioner couples

  21

  Single pensioner

  70

  All pensioner units

  50

  Notes:

  1. Statistics based on Family Resources Survey data 2002/3 for Great Britain.

  2. Results in tables 1a and 1b are rounded to the nearest 50,000—due to rounding rows and columns may not sum to totals. Results in tables 2a and 2b rounded to the nearest 1 per cent.

  3. The median net income of £189 for all pensioner units is based on unequivalised cash income.

  4. The results are based on the incomes of the pensioner units themselves, it excludes any income from any other members of the households they are living in.

  5. Single pensioners are defined as people above the State Pension Age, Pensioner Couples are defined as couples where the man is above State Pension Age. This is consistent with definitions used in the Pensioners' Incomes series.

  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimates he has made of the proportions of pension income coming from(a) state benefits and (b) funded pensions and other private services in each year since 1996–97 [177560]

  Malcolm Wicks
  The following table shows the proportion of pension income coming from state and private sources in each year from 1996–97 to 2002–03.
  1262W

  Proportion of state benefit and private pension and other private asset income

  Percentage

  State benefit

  Private pension and investment income

  1996–97

  58

  42

  1997–98

  57

  43

  1998–99

  56

  44

  1999–2000

  57

  43

  2000–01

  55

  45

  2001–02

  57

  43

  2002–03

  57

  43

  Notes:

  1. State benefit income corresponds to benefit income as defined in the Pensioners' Income Series. The three main sources of benefit income are state retirement pension, disability benefit and income related benefits.

  2. Private pension and other asset income corresponds to the sum of occupational pension income, personal pension income and investment income.

  3. Estimates are subject to sampling error therefore definitive conclusions can not be drawn from small year-on-year changes in proportions.

  Source:

  Family Resources Survey 1996–97 to 2002–03.

  Sure Start Maternity Grant
  Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many mothers in Manchester Central have taken up the Sure Start maternity grant. [177743]

  Mr. Pond
  I refer the hon. member to the answer that I gave him on 27 May 2004,Official Report, column 1811W.

  Winter Fuel Allowance
  Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many senior citizens in Manchester Central have benefited from the winter fuel allowance since 1997. [177739]

  Malcolm Wicks
  The number of senior citizens in Manchester Central who received a Winter Fuel Payment in each year since 1999–2000 (including provisional figures for 2003–04) is in the table. Information relating to the 1997–98 and 1998–99 winters is not available.

  Year

  Payments

  1999–2000

  11,810

  2000–01

  12,560

  2001–02

  12,370

  2002–03

  12,295

  2003–04

  12,120

  Notes:

  1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5.

  2. Please note that the figures for 2003–2004 refer only to the main payment run i.e. they do not include the late payment run figures. We estimate that there are approximately 100,000 people in Great Britain paid via late payment runs (0.8 per cent. of all payments). However, since late payment runs are mainly in respect of non-system cases whose claim had not been received by Qualifying Week, they are heavily skewed towards men aged 60.

  Source:

  IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. samples.

  1263W

  Work Incentives (Homeless Households)
  Ms Oona King
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures he plans to introduce to increase work incentives for statutorily homeless households placed in temporary accommodation. [178738]

  Mr. Pond
  Homeless people who are at a distinct disadvantage in the labour market, and who are claiming benefits, are entitled to early access to the range of help available from Jobcentre Plus, such as the New Deal. This includes those statutorily homeless households placed in temporary accommodation. In addition, Jobcentre Plus is also piloting specialised support for clients who have additional barriers to work including homelessness. These pilots are aimed at helping homeless people, alcohol misusers and offenders move into work. There are progress2work-Linkllp pilots based in 22 Jobcentre Plus Districts.

  Working Time Directive
  Mr. Tynan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employees in his Department have(a) signed a formal opt out from and (b) are exempt from the Working Time Directive; and how many employees in his Department have recorded hours, including any accruing on a flexitime basis, in excess of the maximum allowed under the Working Time Directive in the last month for which figures are available. [178368]

  Jane Kennedy
  The Department for Work and Pensions discourages staff from working excess hours as a matter of principle, as it runs contrary to the values which the Department holds on respecting people, and reflects its concerns as a reasonable employer for employees' work/life balance. All timesheets are locally checked on a monthly basis with responsibility devolved to individual line managers to monitor the situation.

  Where employees in the Department for Work and Pensions wish to opt out of the Working Time Directive, managers are instructed to explore all available alternatives such as redesigning jobs and allocating extra resources to avoid excess hours being worked. At the end of that process, employees in the Department who still wish to opt out are required to sign an opt out agreement. A register of such staff is maintained centrally.

  In 2003 there were 13 staff in the Department in pay bands up to Unified Grade 6 who had recorded such an opt out and eight in senior civil service pay bands.

  Statistics for the year ending May 2004 are in the process of being collated and figures should be available by the end of June.

  No employees are covered by sector specific provisions.

  Information is not held centrally on the numbers of staff who have recorded hours in excess of the maximum allowed under the Working Time Directive, including any accruing on a flexitime basis. Such information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
  1264W

HEALTH

  Aldehydes
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the carcinogenic effects of aldehydes on humans. [177482]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The Department has not commissioned research in this area.

  The committee on carcinogenicity of chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment provided advice in 1995 on the carcinogenicity of acetaldehyde in the context of their review of the carcinogenicity of alcoholic beverages. The committee noted that acetaldehyde has been shown to induce malignant nasal tumours in rats and laryngeal carcinomas in hamsters following inhalation exposure to high concentrations. They concluded that the observation of these tumours in animals was not relevant to human consumption of alcoholic drinks.

  The committee on the medical effects of air pollutants considered the can carcinogenicity of formaldehyde when drawing up a statement on the effects on health of aldehydes in ambient air in 2000. They concluded that although formaldehyde is a carcinogen in rats, the risks to humans associated with exposure to ambient concentrations, if any, is extremely small.

  Allergies
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients by region were referred for allergies treatment in the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by region. [179001]

  Dr. Ladyman
  That information is not collected centrally. However, the table shows the count of finished admission episodes by strategic health authority in England with allergy as the primary cause for 2002–03.

  Primary diagnosis or external cause of admission related to an allergy condition1; count of finished admission episodes by strategic health authority (SHA) of treatment; national health service hospitals, England 2002–03

  SHA of residence

  Total episodes

  Q01

  Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire HA

  3,052

  Q02

  Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire HA

  1,400

  Q03

  Essex HA

  1,265

  Q04

  North West London HA

  992

  Q05

  North Central London HA

  953

  Q06

  North East London HA

  1,104

  Q07

  South East London HA

  910

  Q08

  South West London HA

  827

  Q09

  Northumberland, Tyne and Wear HA

  1,720

  Q10

  County Durham and Tees Valley HA

  1,692

  Q11

  North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire HA

  1,504

  Q12

  West Yorkshire HA

  1,722

  Q13

  Cumbria and Lancashire HA

  2,432

  Q14

  Greater Manchester HA

  3,295

  Q15

  Cheshire and Merseyside ha

  3,209

  Q16

  Thames Valley HA

  1,627

  Q17

  Hampshire and Isle of Wight HA

  2,052

  Q18

  Kent and Medway HA

  1,384

  Q19

  Surrey and Sussex HA

  2,830

  Q20

  Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire HA

  2,877

  Q21

  South West Peninsula HA

  2,836

  Q22

  Dorset and Somerset HA

  2,214

  Q23

  South Yorkshire HA

  1,531

  1265W

  Primary diagnosis or external cause of admission related to an allergy condition1; count of finished admission episodes by strategic health authority (SHA) of treatment; national health service hospitals, England 2002–03

  SHA of residence

  Total episodes

  Q24

  Trent HA

  4,017

  Q25

  Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland HA

  1,431

  Q26

  Shropshire and Staffordshire HA

  1,021

  Q27

  Birmingham and the Black Country HA

  2,390

  Q28

  Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire HA

  1,085

  U

  England—not otherwise specified

  24

  W

  Wales

  162

  S

  Scotland

  56

  X

  Foreign (including Isle of Man and Channel Islands)

  100

  Z

  Northern Ireland

  10

  Y

  Unknown

  280

  England

  NHS hospitals

  54,004

  1Primary (ICD-10) Diagnosis Codes

  T78.0 Anaphylactic shock due to adverse food reaction

  T78. 1 Other adverse food reactions, nec

  T78.2 Anaphylactic shock, unspecified

  T78.4 Allergy, unspecified

  T80.5 Anaphylactic shock due to serum

  T80.6 Other serum reactions

  T88.6 Anaphylactic shock due to adverse effect of correct drug or medicament properly administered

  T88.7 Unspecified adverse effect of drug and medicament

  J30.1 Allergic rhinitis due to pollen (hayfever)

  J30.2 Other seasonal allergic rhinitis

  J30.3 Other allergic rhinitis

  J30.4 Allergic rhinitis unspecified

  J45.0 Predominantly allergic asthma

  K52.2 Allergic dietetic gastroenteritis and colitis

  L23.Allergic contact dermatitis

  External cause (Secondary ICD-10) codes

  Y40–Y59 Drugs, medicaments and biological substances causing adverse effects in therapeutic use

  Notes:

  1. A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.

  2. The cause code is a supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects.

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

  4. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).

  Source:

  Hospital episode statistics Department of Health.

  Anti-depressants
  Paul Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will encourage manufacturers of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related drugs now under review to introduce dosage forms of tablets no stronger than one-quarter of the present recommended dose. [178294]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  A number of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are available in liquid formulations to enable flexible titration of the dose. Any advice to manufacturers about the need for new dosage strengths or forms for the SSRIs will be decided on the outcome of the review of the Committee on Safety of Medicines' expert working group.
  1266W
  Paul Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether the current review of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related anti-depressants will examine the risks of drug-induced suicidal behaviour for elderly users; [178296]

  (2) what conclusion the current review of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related antidepressants has reached on whether, irrespective of presumed benefits, the risks of drug-induced suicidal behaviour are different for young adults than for children; [178297]

  (3) whether the current review of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related anti-depressants will examine the risks of drug-induced suicidal behaviour in all representative age groups; [178298]

  (4) what assessment he has made of whether the risk of suicidal behaviour induced by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related drugs is an age-related adverse effect. [178299]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The Committee on Safety of Medicines' (CSM) expert working group on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) advised in December 2003 that paroxetine, venlafaxine, sertraline, citalopram and escitalopram should not be used in children and young people under 18 years because of a lack of benefit in this patient population and an increased risk of adverse events including suicidal behaviour.

  The recently completed Europe-wide review of the safety of paroxetine, led by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, has delivered advice on the need for careful monitoring during paroxetine treatment of patients at risk of suicidal behaviour, including those with a history of suicidal behaviour and young adults.

  The expert working group has yet to complete its review of all the evidence relating to a possible increased risk of suicidal behaviour associated with SSRIs. It includes among its membership clinical expertise in the treatment of depression in all age groups including the elderly.

  Paul Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will investigate the relationship between obesity and anti-depressant drug consumption. [178302]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  As with all medicines, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) continually monitor the safety of antidepressants. Both weight loss and weight gain have been reported in association with most selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and this is reflected in the product information for prescribers and patients. The MHRA and CSM are not aware of evidence linking SSRIs or other antidepressants specifically with obesity.

  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether the review of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and related anti-depressants will examine the risks of drug-induced suicidal behaviour(a) for elderly users and (b) in all age groups; and what assessment it has made of the level of risk of drug-induced suicidal behaviour for young adults; [178333]
  1267W
  (2) what research he has conducted on whether the risk of suicidal behaviour induced by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and related drugs is an age-related adverse effect. [178334]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The Committee on Safety of Medicines' (CSM) expert working group on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) advised in December 2003 that paroxetine, venlafaxine, sertraline, citalopram and escitalopram should not be used in children and young people under 18 years because of a lack of benefit in this patient population and an increased risk of adverse events including suicidal behaviour.

  The recently completed Europe-wide review of the safety of paroxetine, led by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, has delivered advice on the need for careful monitoring during paroxetine treatment of patients at risk of suicidal behaviour, including those with a history of suicidal behaviour and young adults.

  The expert working group has yet to complete its review of all the evidence relating to a possible increased risk of suicidal behaviour associated with SSRIs. It includes among its membership clinical expertise in the treatment of depression in all age groups including the elderly.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess possible links between anti-depressant drug consumption and obesity. [178440]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Newport West (Mr Paul Flynn), above.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to encourage manufacturers of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related drugs now under review to introduce dosage forms of tablets no stronger than one-quarter of the present recommended dose. [178521]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn), above.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether research indicates that the risk of suicidal behaviour induced by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related drugs is an age-related adverse effect; [178564]

  (2) whether the current review of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related anti-depressants will examine the risks of drug-induced suicidal behaviour for elderly users; [178569]

  (3) what conclusion the current review of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related antidepressants has reached on whether, irrespective of presumed benefits, the risks of drug-induced suicidal behaviour are different for young adults than for children; [178570]

  (4) whether the current review of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related anti-depressants will examine the risks of drug-induced suicidal behaviour in all representative age groups. [178571]
  1268W
  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The Committee on Safety of Medicines' (CSM) expert working group on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) advised in December 2003 that paroxetine, venlafaxine, sertraline, citalopram and escitalopram should not be used in children and young people under 18 years because of a lack of benefit in this patient population and an increased risk of adverse events including suicidal behaviour.

  The recently completed Europe-wide review of the safety of paroxetine, led by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, has delivered advice on the need for careful monitoring during paroxetine treatment of patients at risk of suicidal behaviour, including those with a history of suicidal behaviour and young adults.

  The expert working group has yet to complete its review of all the evidence relating to a possible increased risk of suicidal behaviour associated with SSRIs. It includes among its membership clinical expertise in the treatment of depression in all age groups including the elderly.

  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will encourage manufacturers of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and related drugs now under review to introduce dosage forms of tablets no stronger than one-quarter of the present recommended dose. [178341]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn), above.

  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will investigate a possible relationship between obesity and anti-depressant drug consumption. [178342]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn), above.

  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the manufacturers of Seroxat were permitted to market that product in a 30mg tablet size. [178343]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  Paroxetine is licensed in the dose range 10–60 milligrams (mg.), depending on the indication. The recommended starting dose for all indications is 20 mg. and this was the subject of a reminder to prescribers in March 2004. Clinical experience is that some patients not responding to the recommended dose may benefit from having their dose increased. Changes in dosage should be made progressively according to individual response both at the beginning of treatment and at the end of treatment. The 30mg. tablet allows for flexibility in titration within the licensed dose range.

  Blackwater Valley and Hart PCT
  Mr. Gerald Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the future of the Blackwater Valley and Hart Primary Care Trust. [177259]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority (SHA) has responsibility for strategic planning of local health
  1269W
  services. The SHA is working in partnership with local NHS organisations to consider how best the local NHS can focus the effort and increase the effectiveness of its leaders. As part of this work, it has been proposed at a local level that single integrated senior management teams will be established across clusters or pairs of primary care trusts (PCTs), allied to the on-going development of lead commissioning arrangements. I understand that this work will not affect the statutory duties of Blackwater Valley and Hart PCT and that the PCT will retain its focus on improving the health and well being of people within the local area.

  Care Homes
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) nursing homes and (b) residential homes were found to be (i) in full compliance, (ii) in part compliance and (iii) not in compliance with the infection control standards set out in the national minimum standards for (A) older peoples' homes, (B) adult homes and (C) children's homes in the last year for which figures are available. [172736]

  Dr. Ladyman
  The National Minimum Standards do not have a standard exclusively for infection control. For older people and adults 18 to 65 the standards cover infection and hygiene control. For children's homes, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) considers infection and hygiene control under standard 26 which covers health, safety and security.

  The CSCI uses a four point marking system for assessing compliance with National Minimum Standards:

  1= standard not met

  2= standard almost met

  3= standard met

  4= standard exceeded

  I understand from the Chair of the CSCI that the figures for 2003–04 were as shown in the table.

  Year 2 (2003–04)

  Score

  Establishment category

  1

  2

  3

  4

  Total

  Older people's homes—Standard 26: Hygiene and infection control

  Nursing

  Count

  132

  736

  1,570

  75

  2,513

  Percentage

  5.3

  29.3

  62.5

  3.0

  100.0

  Others

  Count

  256

  1,625

  3,504

  161

  5,546

  Percentage

  4.6

  29.3

  63.2

  2.9

  100.0

  Total

  388

  2,361

  5,074

  236

  8,059

  Percentage

  4.8

  29.3

  63.0

  2.9

  100.0

  Younger adult's—standard 30: Hygiene

  Nursing

  Count

  11

  82

  204

  7

  304

  Percentage

  3.6

  27.0

  67.1

  2.3

  100.0

  Others

  Count

  145

  1,138

  3,457

  86

  4,826

  Percentage

  3.0

  23.6

  71.6

  1.8

  100.0

  Total

  156

  1,220

  3,661

  93

  5,130

  Percentage

  3.0

  23.8

  71.4

  1.8

  100.0

  Children's homes—Standard 26: Health/safety and security

  Count

  143

  520

  555

  17

  1,235

  Percentage

  11.6

  42.1

  44.9

  1.4

  100.0

  1270W
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of cancer research is targeted at the possible carcinogenic effects of chemicals in the environment; and how much funding has been spent on such research in each of the last five years. [177481]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The information requested is not available. However, the strategic analysis the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) published in October 2002 provides an overview of the £257 million a year of cancer research in the United Kingdom that is directly funded by the NCRI's 15 partner organisations. The analysis shows that investment in research into the causes of cancer attracted 16 per cent., of the total.

  The international cancer research portfolio database at www.cancerportfolio.org contains details of projects supported by cancer research funding organisations in the UK and the United States. Data submitted by the NCRI includes the research portfolios of its 15 partners, the largest Government and charitable funders of cancer research in the UK. The database can be searched by type of cancer, area of research, and funding organisation.

  Crime Reduction Partnerships
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on when primary care trusts in England will have a statutory obligation, under the Police Reform Act 2002, to become responsible authorities with regard to crime reduction partnerships. [177614]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  Primary care trusts in England became statutory partners under the Police Reform Act 2002 as responsible authorities with regard to crime reduction partnerships from 30 April 2004.

  Dentistry
  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting time is for dental treatment in each of the prisons in Sussex. [178489]

  Dr. Ladyman
  The most recent returns made to the Department by the two prisons in Sussex indicate that a prisoner at Her Majesty's Prison (HMP) Ford who asked on 31 March 2004 to see a dentist would have had to wait one day for an urgent appointment and 30 days for a routine appointment. The corresponding figures for HMP Lewes were six and 30 days respectively.

  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have(a) started and (b) ceased to take NHS work for adults in the Adur, Arun and Worthing Primary Care Trust area in each of the last seven years. [178306]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The information requested is shown in the table. Dentists are counted in this reply as doing adult national health service dental work in a financial year if they receive some payment for work on adults in that year.
  1271W

  General dental practitioners starting or ceasing NHS adult work in Adur Arun and Worthing Primary Care Trust area

  Starting

  Ceasing1

  1996–97

  —

  17

  1997–98

  8

  6

  1998–99

  13

  11

  1999–2000

  15

  13

  2000–01

  23

  8

  2001–02

  20

  18

  2002–03

  13

  19

  2003–04

  26

  —

  1Numbers ceasing in 2003–04 cannot be counted until payment for 2004–05 is available.

  Notes:

  1. A dentist is counted as starting in a financial year if payment is received in that year and if no payment is received in the previous year.

  2. Dentists are counted as ceasing work, if they receive no payment in a financial year but receive payment in the previous financial year. Dentists ceasing are counted in the last year of payment.

  3. The figures cover dentists working in the general dental service or personal dental service.

  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children are not registered with a NHS dentist in Shrewsbury and Atcham. [177682]

  Dr. Ladyman
  The information is not available in the form requested.

  39,000 children aged under 18 were registered with a general dental service practice in the Shropshire County Primary Care Trust (PCT) area on 31 March 2004.

  Some of the children registered will be resident outside the PCT area. Similarly, some children from the area will be registered with dentists who practice outside the area.

  The population estimate for Shropshire County PCT is 61,000 children under the age of 18. The difference between the population estimate and registration number is 22,000. However, it should be noted that registrations lapse if patients do not return to their dentist within 15 months. Registrations will exclude patients who have not been to their general dental service (CDS) dentist within the past 15 months and patients who receive dental treatment from other national health service dental services. It should also be noted that the figures do not include patients attending the dental access centres which opened during the period and whose patients are not registered.

  NHS dental services are also provided by the community dental service, personal dental service, salaried service of the CDS and the hospital dental service. These services do not require the patient to be registered with a dentist before treatment.

  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population he estimates have mercury-based amalgam fillings; and what quantity of mercury this represents. [179455]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  [holding answer 18 June 2004]: The adult dental health survey, which covered those aged 16 years and over in the United Kingdom in 1988, reported that 88 per cent. of dentate adults had at least one amalgam filled surface. This represents about 77 per
  1272W
  cent. of all adults (dentate and edentate) aged 16 and over. It is estimated that an amalgam filling comprises between 40 per cent. and 50 per cent. mercury.

  Dr. Murrison
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions(a) he and (b) senior civil servants at the Department have had with (i) the Treasury and (ii) the Department for Education and Skills regarding the NHS dental workforce review. [178260]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  Discussions have taken place in the last month between officials at the Department for Education and Skills, the Department of Health and Her Majesty's Treasury about increasing dental workforce capacity.

  Departmental Annual Report
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the numbers of elective admissions from 1998–99 to 2001–02 inclusive given in Figure 7.1 of the Departmental Annual Report 2004 differ from those reported in the 2003 annual report. [171545]

  Mr. Hutton
  [holding answer 10 June 2004]: The reports reflect how activity is changing as the national health service modernises. Figures for elective admissions are re-based to account for the latest definitions and improvements in hospital recording practices. This re-basing enables like with like comparisons to be made across the years.

  In figure 7.1 of the 2004 departmental annual report, elective admissions figures for earlier years have been re-based to be directly comparable with the 2002–03 activity figures. Similarly, in the 2003 report, figures for earlier years were directly comparable to the 2001–02 activity figures.

  Departmental Staff
  Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total amount paid by his Department to employment agencies for the supply of temporary staff was in financial year 2003–04. [178919]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The total amount paid by the Department for contract staff and employment agencies in the financial year 2003–04 was £15,184,000. The amount paid to employment agencies for the supply of temporary staff is not kept separately.

  Diabetes
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to introduce screening for type two diabetes; and if he will make a statement. [179158]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The United Kingdom National Screening Committee has been asked to advise on the most effective policy for screening for Type 2 diabetes. It will report to the Department in 2005.

  Drug Rehabilitation
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on drug rehabilitation in Gloucestershire in each of the last three years; and how much was allocated to local drug action teams. [178465]
  1273W
  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The pooled drug treatment budget allocation for Gloucestershire this year is £2,070,000.

  Information is not collected centrally on total expenditure on drug rehabilitation.

  Expenditure on drug action teams by primary care trust (PCT) is collected and is shown in the table.

  2002–03

  PCT

  £000

  South Gloucestershire

  512

  Cheltenham and Tewkesbury

  82

  West Gloucestershire

  0

  Cotswold and Vale

  0

  Total

  594

  Sources:

  Audited summarisation schedules of the Above PCTs 2002–03.

  Emergency Readmissions
  Mr. Baron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has routinely to publish rates of emergency readmissions to hospital within 28 days of discharge for patients aged 75 years or over. [179591]

  Dr. Ladyman
  We have no plans to routinely publish this information.

  Endometriosis
  Mr. Salter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures have been put in place to raise awareness of endometriosis amongst health professionals. [177655]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  We are determined to improve the awareness of endometriosis and are providing funding to the National Endometriosis Society (NES) and the Endometriosis SHE (Simply Holistic Endometriosis) Trust through the Section 64 general grants scheme to help achieve this. We have provided £39,000 to NES to produce two information leaflets. One leaflet for women to encourage those with symptoms to discuss with their general practitioner (GP) and another for GPs to highlight the symptoms and refer women for investigation and treatment.

  Fluoridation
  Mr. Crausby
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what factors underlay the decision to indemnify water companies from liabilities arising from water fluoridation; [178615]

  (2) to what extent indemnity applies to the NHS authorities that may require private water companies to fluoridate their water supply. [178678]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  Fluoridation is a public health intervention which water companies implement on behalf of strategic health authorities. The Water Fluoridation Act (1985) first made provision for the Secretary of State for Health to indemnify water undertakers because of the importance attached to the benefits fluoridation brings to dental health. Although there is no evidence of risks to health from fluoridation, it has been the policy of successive governments that the 1274W
  burden of any liabilities should be borne by the Crown, rather than by health authorities or the suppliers of the fluoridated water.

  Food Supplements Directive
  Chris Grayling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide support to the legal challenge mounted by the Health Food Manufacturers Association and the National Association of Health Stores to the food supplements directive. [176953]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Sir Nicholas Winterton) on 3 March 2004,Official Report, columns 1023–24W.

  Foundation Trust Status
  Mr. Baron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts are developing, but have not yet submitted, preliminary applications for the establishment of NHS foundation trusts. [179593]

  Mr. Hutton
  The Department has not yet invited preliminary applications for the next wave of national health service foundation trusts (NHSFTs). An independent review of NHSFTs is to be undertaken by the Healthcare Commission. We expect to make an announcement about the timing of the review and its terms of reference shortly, together with an announcement about the timing of the next cohort of NHSFT applications as part of wave two.

  Mr. Baron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of preliminary applications for NHS foundation trust status have been successful in passing through to the preparatory phase. [179594]

  Mr. Hutton
  Of the 51 eligible national health service acute and specialist trusts, 32 submitted preliminary applications for NHS foundation trust status in February 2003 as part of wave one. Of these, three trusts later chose to defer from wave one. In May 2003, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, invited 29 trusts to begin their preparatory application for his approval later that year.

  Of the 38 eligible NHS trusts, 32 submitted preliminary applications in September 2003 as part of wave 1A. In November 2003, all 32 trusts were invited to begin their preparatory application. The Department has not yet invited preliminary applications for wave two.

  Free Eye Tests (Manchester, Central)
  Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many residents in Manchester Central aged over 60 years have benefited from the abolition of charges for eye tests; [179216]

  (2) how many senior citizens in Manchester Central have access to free eye tests. [179217]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  Data for the number of sight tests by constituency or by the number of senior citizens is not collected centrally.
  1275W
  The total number of national health service sight tests paid for by the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority in 2002–03 for patients in the aged 60 and over category was 189,900. The total number eligible for a free sight test for those aged 60 and over was 493,100. Sight tests cannot be equated to the numbers of patients.

  Health Services (Rochdale)
  Mrs. Fitzsimons
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the numbers of NHS(a) doctors and (b) nurses in Rochdale parliamentary constituency in each of the last seven years. [178512]

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

  Imaging Tests
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many imaging and radiodiagnostics examinations and tests were carried out in the NHS(a) without intervention and (b) with intervention (i) in total, (ii) in imaging departments and (iii) in other departments in each year since 1997, broken down by (A) CT, (B) MRI, (C) obstetric ultrasound, (D) non-obstetric ultrasound, (E) radioisotopes, (F) radiographs with no fluoroscopy and (G) fluoroscopy. [176654]

  Mr. Hutton
  The information requested has been placed in the Library.

  Mental Health
  Sandra Gidley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Government's targets are on the provision of single sex accommodation for mental health inpatients; and how many mental health trusts meet those targets. [178747]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The Department has set three objectives to support the delivery of single-sex accommodation, designed to deliver single-sex sleeping accommodation, segregated bathroom and washing facilities and safe facilities for the mentally ill. The objectives apply to all national health service organisations providing inpatient accommodation.

  The Department set a target for the achievement of each of these objectives in 95 per cent. of NHS trusts by December 2002. I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 14 January 2003, Official Report, column 24WS.

  Compliance with the objectives is measured at a national level rather than by trust type, as mental health services are not provided exclusively by mental health trusts. Levels of compliance have continued to rise. By December 2003:
  99 per cent. of all NHS trusts provided single-sex sleeping accommodation for planned admissions and have robust operational policies in place to protect patients' privacy and dignity;
  99 per cent. of all NHS trusts met the additional criteria set to ensure the safety of patients who are mentally ill; and
  97 per cent. of all NHS trusts provided properly segregated bathroom and toilet facilities for men and women.
  1276W
  The small number of NHS trusts which have yet to achieve the objectives have hospital development works under way, whose completion will bring them to the required standard.

  Sandra Gidley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the safe facilities for patients in hospitals who are mentally ill which are intended to safeguard patients' privacy and dignity as set out in Safety, Policy and Dignity in mental health units (DoH 2000). [178748]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  In 1997, the Department set three objectives to support the delivery of single-sex accommodation, designed to deliver single-sex sleeping accommodation, segregated bathroom and washing facilities and safe facilities for the mentally ill. The objectives apply to all national health service organisations providing inpatient accommodation.

  "Safety, privacy and dignity in mental health units" was published in 2000 to reinforce earlier guidance on the delivery of the Department's objectives. It should be read in conjunction with "Modernising Mental Health Services" and the national service framework for mental health. It is for NHS trusts to determine how best to ensure the safety, privacy and dignity of patients, in view of differing local circumstances.

  By December 2003, 99 per cent. of all NHS trusts had met the objective to provide safe facilities for patients in hospitals who are mentally ill. Compliance with the standard is measured at a national level rather than by trust type, as mental health services are not provided exclusively by mental health trusts.

  The small number of NHS trusts who have yet to achieve the objective have hospital development works under way, whose completion will bring them to the required standard.

  Sandra Gidley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how mental health patients' experience of being treated in hospital is used to inform(a) local and (b) national policies on the provision of facilities which ensure good standards of privacy and dignity. [178751]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The Department considers the issue of patients' privacy and dignity to be of paramount importance.

  Every national health service hospital is routinely inspected by patient environment action teams, which were first established in 2000 to help drive up standards of cleanliness and tidiness across the NHS. As part of their visit, these teams also review patient privacy and dignity to ensure that appropriate standards are maintained. The Healthcare Commission also assess this aspect of patient care during the completion of their clinical governance reviews.

  It is for NHS trusts to determine what use is made at a local level of the feedback from these inspection processes. At a national level, feedback from patients and carers is used in the review and revision of guidance on the achievement of single-sex accommodation to ensure that hospitals are providing an environment which meets patients' needs and expectations.
  1277W
  Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of funding for mental health services is for the current financial year; and how much it was in 1997–98. [177742]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  It is not possible to estimate the level of funding for mental health services in 1997–98.

  The NHS Plan announced an extra annual investment of over £300 million by 2003–04 to fast-forward the national service framework for mental health.

  For the latest round of allocations for 2003–04 to 2005–06, none of the growth money has been identified for specific purposes.

  It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.

  Methylsulfonylmethane
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the benefits of methylsulfonylmethane for arthritis symptoms. [179113]

  Dr. Ladyman
  The Food Standards Agency has not made any assessment of the benefits of methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) for arthritis symptoms.

  In the United Kingdom, MSM is sold in dietary supplements marketed under food law. Food supplements, like other foods, are not required to demonstrate their efficacy before marketing, nor are they subject to prior approval unless they are genetically modified or novel as defined in Regulation (EC) 258/97 on novel foods and novel food ingredients.

  Food supplements are, however, subject to the general provisions of the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Food Labelling Regulations 1996. The Food Safety Act makes it an offence to sell food that is falsely or misleadingly described or labelled. The Food Labelling Regulations prohibit any food, including a food supplement. from making a claim that it has the property of preventing, treating or curing a human disease or any reference, on the label, to such a property.

  MRSA
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the breakdown of expenditure on MRSA research proposed by the Department. [177990]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The Department last year commissioned a £2.5 million strategic programme of research aimed at improving scientific understanding of antimicrobial resistance. £590,000 of that total sum will be spent on projects that will provide useful information relating to best practice in preventing methicillinresistant Straphylococcus aureus.

  Myeloma
  Dr. Gibson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the treatment and management of myeloma after diagnosis is effective; [178824]
  1278W
  (2) what steps are being taken to ensure equity of access to treatment and care for myeloma throughout the UK, with particular reference to new drugs and techniques that are not National Institute for Clinical Excellence approved. [178826]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  Where a drug or technology has not been appraised or is awaiting appraisal by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), it will be for the clinicians and the funding authorities concerned to decide, in consultation with patients, whether that treatment is appropriate for an individual patient.

  In 2003, NICE published "Improving Outcomes in Haematological Cancers". The guidance makes recommendations to the national health service on the organisation of cancer services for people with haematological cancer, including myeloma, in England and Wales. The recommendations set out in the guidance will be translated into a series of measures against which cancer networks will be peer reviewed. This will provide a mechanism to ensure the guidance is being implemented.

  The Department has also issued general practitioner cancer referral guidelines to assist GPs in determining those patients who need to be referred urgently to see a specialist within two weeks. The guidance addresses myeloma. The referral guidelines are currently being reviewed by NICE and the updated guidelines are due to be published in March 2005.

  In addition, myeloma patients will also benefit from the measures set out in the NHS cancer plan to improve services across the board for cancer patients.

  Dr. Gibson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of whether delays are occurring in the diagnosis of myeloma; [178825]

  (2) what assessment he has made of the effect of the two-week wait rule on the management of suspected myeloma. [178830]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  A two-week outpatient waiting time standard was introduced for urgently referred cases of suspected haematological cancers from December 2000. In the last quarter, January to March 2004, 99 per cent. of urgently referred patients with suspected haematological cancer were seen within two weeks of urgent referral. We have issued general practitioner cancer referral guidelines to assist GPs in determining those patients who need to be referred urgently to see a specialist within two weeks, those patients that can be referred for a routine appointment and those who can be safely watched at a primary care level. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is currently reviewing the referral guidelines.

  The referral guidelines should be used to agree local referral criteria and referral pathways. All trusts have been encouraged to undertake local audit to assess the impact of the two-week wait on local services and to enable the appropriateness of urgent and routine referrals against the guidelines to be fed back to referring GPs.
  1279W
  Data is not collected centrally on the time taken to reach a diagnosis of myeloma. No assessment has been made nationally on whether there are delays in diagnosis.

  Nappies
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Department has received a written request from the Nappy Alliance seeking a meeting to discuss policy and practice in the use of nappies within NHS facilities. [178246]

  Dr. Ladyman
  No written request has been received from the Nappy Alliance seeking a meeting to discuss policy and practice in the use of nappies within National Health Service facilities.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the availability of information concerning reusable nappies in maternity units. [178258]

  Dr. Ladyman
  No assessment has been made centrally of the availability of information concerning reusable nappies in maternity units. We ensure that women are given information on both disposable and reusable nappies in the Pregnancy Book and Birth to Five so that they can make an informed choice.

  New National Network
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the New National Network will be extended to(a) all sites offering services to NHS patients, including independent health providers and (b) community pharmacies. [173846]

  Mr. Hutton
  It is planned that over time, all organisations delivering national health service services to patients will have access to NHS care record services and the NHS national network, including independent health providers and community pharmacies.

  The initial implementation of the national network in 2004–05 will be to NHS trusts and general practitioner practices, all of which have existing NHSnet connections. The provision of services under the new national network to independent health providers and community pharmacies will take place in the later phases. This will be subject to an assessment of the requirements for connectivity and ensuring compliance with appropriate standards to protect the confidentiality, security and consistency of patient data.

  NHS Patients (Privacy and Dignity)
  Sandra Gidley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the standard for segregated washing and toilet facilities in the NHS was when the Patients' Charter was first published; what the standard is now; and how many mental health trusts have met this standard. [178749]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The Patient's Charter, published in 1995, states that:"In all cases, you can expect single sex washing and toilet facilities".
  1280W
  In 1997, the Department set three objectives to support the delivery of single-sex accommodation, designed to deliver single-sex sleeping accommodation, segregated bathroom and washing facilities and safe facilities for the mentally ill. The objectives apply to all National Health Service organisations providing inpatient accommodation.

  The objective in relation to bathroom and washing facilities requires trusts to:
  "achieve fully the Patient's Charter standard for segregated washing and toilet facilities across the NHS".

  By December 2003, 97 per cent. of all NHS trusts had met this standard. Compliance with the standard is measured at a national level rather than by trust type as mental health services are not provided exclusively by mental health trusts.

  The small number of NHS trusts who have yet to achieve the objective have hospital development works underway, whose completion will bring them to the required standard.

  Sandra Gidley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the organisational arrangements which(a) NHS trusts and (b) mental health trusts are expected to have in place to ensure good standards of privacy and dignity for patients; and how many mental health trusts have these arrangements in place. [178750]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  In 1997, the Department set three objectives to support the delivery of single-sex accommodation, designed to deliver single-sex sleeping accommodation, segregated bathroom and washing facilities and safe facilities for the mentally ill. The objectives apply to all national health service organisations providing in-patient accommodation.

  The organisational arrangements which NHS trusts are expected to have in place were published in August 1998 in the form of an audit checklist. The audit checklist provides a framework which can be adapted to suit the needs of each individual trust according to their particular circumstances. The audit checklist is contained in "Enhancing privacy and dignity: achieving single sex accommodation", a copy of which is available in the Library.

  By December 2003, 99 per cent., of all NHS trusts had met the objective to ensure that appropriate organisational arrangements are in place to ensure good standards of privacy and dignity for hospital patients. Compliance with the standard is measured at a national level rather than by trust type as mental health services are not provided exclusively by mental health trusts.

  The small number of NHS trusts who have yet to achieve the objective have hospital development works under way, whose completion will bring them to the required standard.

  NHS Treatment Statistics
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes in NHS hospitals in England there were for each year from 1991 to 2003. [178887]
  1281W
  Mr. Hutton
  [holding answer 14 June 2004]: The table shows finished consultant episodes (FCEs) from national health service hospitals in England. Data are from 1990–91 to 2002–03.

  £ millions

  Financial Year

  FCEs

  1990–91

  8.81

  1991–92

  9.38

  1992–93

  9.68

  1993–94

  10.14

  1994–95

  10.55

  1995–96

  11.07

  1996–97

  11.14

  1997–98

  11.54

  1998–99

  12.11

  1999–2000

  12.30

  2000–01

  12.47

  2001–02

  12.35

  2002–03

  12.76

  Notes:

  1. Figures are grossed for coverage, except for 2001–02 and 2002–03, which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.

  2. A FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.

  3. The above figures include inpatient data for both ordinary admissions and day cases.

  Obesity-related Sleep Apnoea
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes to treat obesity-related sleep apnoea there were in each year since 1996; and if he will make a statement. [178878]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The table as follows gives information on the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for sleep related apnoea from the financial year 1996–97 onwards.

  Obesity related sleep apnoea
  ICD 10 primary diagnosis G47.3 (sleep apnoea) with secondary mention E66 (obesity)
  FCEs National Health Service hospitals in England. 1996–97 to 2002–03

  Number

  1996–97

  507

  1997–98

  577

  1998–99

  594

  1999–2000

  529

  2000–2001

  703

  2001–2002

  707

  2002–2003

  1,102

  Notes:

  Diagnosis primary diagnosis)

  The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (7 prior to 2002–03) diagnosis field in the hospital episode statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.

  FCE

  A FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.

  Grossing

  Figures are grossed for coverage, except for 2001–02 and 2002–03 which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.

  Source:

  Hospital episode statistics (HES) Department of Health
  1282W
  Primary care trusts (PCTs) and other local stakeholders are responsible for assessing the health needs of their populations, including those with sleep disorders, and commissioning services to meet those needs. Sleep services therefore, should be provided as part of the overall service package that PCTs and other local stakeholders develop for their local populations.

  Orlistat
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions of orlistat were dispensed in(a) England and (b) each strategic health authority in each year since 1996. [177966]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The available information is shown in the tables.

  Number of prescription items of Orlistat that have been prescribed in GP practices in England and dispensed in the community.

  Year

  (thousands)

  1999

  127.2

  2000

  155.7

  2001

  414.9

  2002

  540.2

  2003

  484.2

  Strategic health authority (SHA)

  SHA in which Orlistat prescribed

  2002

  2003

  Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire

  17.7

  17.0

  Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire

  15.4

  13.2

  Birmingham and The Black Country

  24.1

  23.1

  Cheshire and Merseyside

  31.1

  28.0

  County Durham and Tees Valley

  16.2

  15.3

  Cumbria and Lancashire

  24.3

  21.1

  Essex

  13.6

  10.8

  Greater Manchester

  37.3

  36.7

  Hampshire and Isle Of Wight

  17.1

  16.1

  Kent and Medway

  20.0

  17.6

  Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland

  15.8

  13.9

  North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire

  20.1

  17.2

  Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire

  19.6

  18.6

  North Central London

  10.4

  10.1

  North East London

  13.9

  11.9

  North West London

  14.9

  12.8

  Northumberland Tyne and Wear

  20.2

  18.9

  Shropshire and Staffordshire

  19.4

  15.5

  Somerset and Dorset

  7.2

  5.9

  South East London

  16.1

  14.3

  South West London

  10.6

  9.8

  South West Peninsula

  15.4

  11.8

  South Yorkshire

  18.6

  18.3

  Surrey and Sussex

  25.1

  21.1

  Thames Valley

  16.3

  14.8

  Trent

  33.9

  29.1

  West Midlands South

  18.0

  15.8

  West Yorkshire

  27.9

  25.6

  England Total

  540.2

  484.2

  Notes:

  1. This information was obtained from the prescribing analysis and cost (PACT) system. which covers prescriptions prescribed by GP practices in England and dispensed in the community. Prescriptions written in England but dispensed outside England are included. Prescriptions written within a GP practice but dispensed outside the SHA will be included in the SHA in which the GP practice is based. Prescriptions written in hospitals/clinics that are dispensed in the community, prescriptions dispensed in hospitals and private prescriptions are not included in PACT data.
  1283W
  2. Prescriptions are written on a prescription form. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item.

  3. Orlistat is defined in the British National Formulary (BNF) section 4.5 "Drugs used in the treatment of obesity".

  4. Data in the table are presented in thousands.

  5. The sum of all SHAs does noi: equal the total England figure, because the total England figure includes unidentified doctors (those it is not possible for the Prescription Pricing Authority to allocate to a primary care trust).

  Prescriptions
  Mr. Norman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to prevent contra-indication prescription errors when electronic prescriptions are introduced. [176747]

  Mr. Hutton
  There is growing United Kingdom and international evidence that appropriate use of information technology can help significantly reduce human error in the use of paper records. Securing this important benefit is one of the key objectives of the national health service national programme for IT (NPfIT).

  Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS): medical staff within the clinical radiology specialty by grade—England at 30 September

  numbers (headcount)

  All staff

  Consultant

  Non-consultant career grade

  Doctors in training

  Hospital practitioner/Clinical assistant

  Other community health service staff

  1997

  2,014

  1,442

  12

  521

  39

  —

  1998

  2,075

  1,481

  15

  541

  38

  —

  1999

  2,164

  1,507

  21

  605

  31

  —

  2000

  2,303

  1,585

  28

  655

  35

  —

  2001

  2,454

  1,645

  33

  743

  32

  1

  2002

  2,538

  1,702

  29

  774

  32

  1

  2003

  2,693

  1,810

  38

  818

  27

  —

  Whole-time equivalents

  All staff

  Consultant

  Non-consultant career grade

  Doctors in training

  Hospital practitioner/Clinical assistant

  Other community health service staff

  1997

  1,895

  1,364

  8

  507

  16

  —

  1998

  1,935

  1,387

  11

  524

  13

  —

  1999

  2,028

  1,414

  16

  587

  10

  —

  2000

  2,134

  1,460

  21

  639

  13

  —

  2001

  2,256

  1,492

  22

  729

  11

  1

  2002

  2,371

  1,582

  22

  754

  11

  1

  2003

  2,505

  1,669

  28

  799

  9

  —

  Source:

  Department of Health medical and dental workforce census

  The number of headcount and whole-time equivalent staff in clinical radiology has increased by 34 per cent. and 32 per cent. respectively since September 1997.

  Retinal Screening
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of diabetes sufferers received annual retinal screening in the latest year for which figures are available. [179111]
  1284W
  Electronic prescribing will be a service provided as part of the NHS care records service (CRS) that is being implemented through the NPflT. Decision support systems that include functionality to warn clinicians of possible contra-indications when prescribing are already in use in many parts of the NHS, but will be provided to all prescribing clinicians through the NHS CRS.

  NHS pharmacists also use their professional expertise to warn patients and their fellow clinicians of possible contraindications when dispensing drugs and medicines. The introduction of electronic prescribing within the NPflT will not change this important role.

  Radiographers
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) headcount and (b) whole-time equivalent medical staff were employed by the NHS in clinical radiology (i) in total and (ii) broken down by (A) consultant, (B) non-consultant grade, (C) doctors in training and (D) hospital practitioner/clinical assistant in each year since 1997. [176752]

  Mr. Hutton
  The information requested is shown in the tables.

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The latest figures show that, in 2003–04, 53 per cent. of those people identified with diabetes in England received screening for the early detection, and treatment where necessary, of diabetic retinopathy.

  Working Time Directive
  Mr. Tynan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees in his Department have(a) signed a formal opt out from and (b) are exempt from the Working Time Directive; and how many employees in

  1285W
  his Department have recorded hours, including any accruing on a flexitime basis, in excess of the maximum allowed under the Working Time Directive in the last month for which figures are available. [178378]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  Thirty employees in the Department have signed an "opt-out" agreement under the working time regulations. None of the Department's1286W
  employees are exempt from the working time regulations. The Department is aware of the particular business areas where staff regularly work close to or surpass the forty-eight hours per week limit and keeps this under review.

  The Department is committed to reducing the number of employees who are required to work in excess of forty-eight hours per week to the absolute minimum.

  Rwanda Survivors Fund
  Rwanda Survivors Fund
  Cyprus: Sovereign Bases
  Cyprus: Sovereign Bases
  Cyprus: European Parliament Representation
  Cyprus: European Parliament Representation
  Cyprus: EU Office in North
  Cyprus: EU Office in North
  Cyprus: UK Relations with North
  Cyprus: UK Relations with North
  Cyprus: EU Funding for North
  Cyprus: EU Funding for North
  Cyprus: Ercan Airport
  Cyprus: Ercan Airport
  Vietnam: Human Rights
  Vietnam: Human Rights
  United States: Detainees
  United States: Detainees
  China: Human Rights
  China: Human Rights
  Cuba: Human Rights
  Cuba: Human Rights
  Bosnia and Herzegovina: Partnership for Peace
  Bosnia and Herzegovina: Partnership for Peace
  Immigration and Nationality Directorate: Research Paper Recommendations
  Immigration and Nationality Directorate: Research Paper Recommendations
  Immigration: Hunger Strikes
  Immigration: Hunger Strikes
  Immigration: Sector-based Scheme
  Immigration: Sector-based Scheme
  Immigration and Nationality Directorate: Staff
  Immigration and Nationality Directorate: Staff
  Criminal Records Bureau: Capita Contract
  Criminal Records Bureau: Capita Contract
  Asylum Applicants: Withdrawal of Support
  Asylum Applicants: Withdrawal of Support
  Sport: Financial Assistance by Local Authorities
  Sport: Financial Assistance by Local Authorities
  Department of Health: Compliance with Code of Practice on Access to Government Information
  Department of Health: Compliance with Code of Practice on Access to Government Information
  Misleading Food Labelling
  Misleading Food Labelling
  NHS Professionals Special Health Authority
  NHS Professionals Special Health Authority
  Severe Personality Disorder
  Severe Personality Disorder
  Sports Nutrition
  Sports Nutrition
  Skin Cancer
  Skin Cancer
  Children in Care
  Children in Care
  Physical Education in Primary Schools
  Physical Education in Primary Schools
  BBC: European Union Support
  BBC: European Union Support
  Draft European Constitutional Treaty
  Draft European Constitutional Treaty
  Sport: Governance in the UK
  Sport: Governance in the UK
  Winter Olympic Sport Group
  Winter Olympic Sport Group
  Sport Sponsorship
  Sport Sponsorship
  Sports Clubs
  Sports Clubs
  Code of Practice on Access to Government Information
  Code of Practice on Access to Government Information
  Olympic Games 2012: London Bid
  Olympic Games 2012: London Bid