Written Answers of 9 September 2004

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

  Waste Management
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the latest figures are for the amount of compostable material disposed of each year in England; how much is reclaimed and recycled as compost; and what plans she has to increase this figure. [187547]

  Mr. Morley
  The Municipal Waste Management Survey of local authorities in England for 2002–03, shows that 14.28m tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste was disposed of to landfill, and 1.2m tonnes composted. In addition 1.1m tonnes of paper and card were recycled. As yet there is no method of measuring the amount recycled through home composting.

  From the Environment Agency's National Waste Production Survey of a sample of 40,000 businesses, conducted in 1998, it is estimated that 2.78m tonnes of biodegradable industrial and commercial waste was disposed of to landfill, 0.85m tonnes composted and a further 4.75m tonnes of paper and card recycled.

  The Government are taking a number of steps to increase the amount of biowaste composted. For example, we have established the Waste Implementation Programme (WIP), to support local authorities in achieving the UK's Landfill Directive targets to divert biodegradable municipal waste from landfill. The Government have also established the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to create stable and efficient markets for recyclates, including organic material. WRAP is also running a home composting programme and has already organised distribution of over 60,000 composting bins to households in England. In addition Defra, through the Environmental Action Fund (EAF), has provided the Composting Association with £282,000 over three years to raise awareness of composting.

  These and other measures have seen the proportion of municipal biowaste composted rise to 32 per cent. of all municipal waste recycling in England in 2002–03.

  Mr. Wiggin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps she has taken to improve the United Kingdom's recycling performance. [186939]

  Mr. Morley
  Waste is a devolved issue. The Government have taken numerous steps to increase recycling in England. For example, national household waste recycling targets have been set, supported by statutory recycling and composting targets with an increase in funding for local government waste activities for each local authority. Government have also 1332W
  established the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to create stable and efficient markets for recycled materials across the UK.

  This specific action on recycling is supported by steps to move municipal waste management up the waste hierarchy. For example, in England, a Landfill Allowances Trading Scheme for local authorities is being developed and the Waste Implementation Programme (WIP) has been established, to support authorities in achieving the UK's Landfill Directive targets to divert biodegradable municipal waste from landfill. In addition, the Government have committed to increasing the UK Landfill Tax rate to £35 per tonne of active waste in the medium term.

  As a result of these and other actions the proportion of municipal waste being recycled in England has increased to 15.6 per cent. in 2002–03 and we expect to meet our 2003–04 national household waste recycling target of 17 per cent.

  Steps taken to increase recycling of non-municipal waste include amending the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997: new UK targets were set last year to raise overall recovery by obligated companies from 59 per cent. in 2003 to 63 per cent. this year and 70 per cent. by 2008, with the percentage to be achieved through recycling rising to 95 per cent. in 2007–08. We will also be announcing shortly a package, funded by Landfill Tax escalator receipts from business more resource efficient, to help business in England become more resource efficient.

  Energy Efficiency Implementation Plan
  Mr. Rosindell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Energy Efficiency Implementation Plan. [185904]

  Mr. Morley
  "Energy Efficiency: The Government's Plan for Action" was published on 26 April 2004. The Government estimate that the measures in the Plan will save over 12 million tonnes of carbon by 2010, saving consumers over £3 billion annually. Key measures in the energy efficiency plan include:A new aim to save 4.2 million tonnes of carbon from households by 2010;
  Double the level of Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) activity from 2005 to 2011, subject to a review in 2007;
  New fiscal measures announced in Budget 2004, including a tax allowance to encourage domestic landlords to invest in their properties;
  New energy services pilots, through which energy suppliers can offer innovative energy efficiency packages to customers;
  Information, advice and support through the work of the Energy Saving and Carbon Trusts;
  Incentives to improve efficiency in industry including revised targets and extension of the scope of the Climate Change Agreements, together with the forthcoming EU emissions trading scheme;
  Committed leadership by Government including a new commitment by central government to use only the best energy performance buildings; More emphasis on communicating with people about climate change.

  Flooding (Insurance)
  Mr. Liddell-Grainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many(a) homes and (b) farm holdings have been unable to obtain insurance policies against flood damage in the last year for which statistics are available; and if she will make a statement. [186685]

  Mr. Morley
  Firm statistics will not be available from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) until later this year.

  Initial indications from the ABI are that insurers are maintaining cover for homeowners in high flood risk areas in all but a handful of cases.

  The ABI are not aware of any instances where renewal has been refused on farm holdings. Farm buildings in general do not tend to have flood insurance due to the nature of their construction and lack of foundations.

  GM Crops
  Joan Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what thresholds for GM contamination of non-GM seeds the Government intends to support within the EU. [187620]

  Mr. Morley
  We are awaiting revised proposals from the EU Commission on labelling thresholds for approved GM seeds in non GM seeds. The UK Government position on the proposals will be based on scientific advice, the practicability of the measures that would need to be applied to ensure that we could enforce the regulations, and recognition that any thresholds set for seeds must be achievable by seed producers.

  Flood Defences (Efficiency Savings)
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether changes to flood defence provision will be made to achieve efficiency savings as announced in the Spending Review, broken down by financial year. [185892]

  Mr. Morley
  The Environment Agency has agreed to deliver efficiencies in its flood defence activities of £15 million for each of the financial years covered by the 2004 Spending Review (2005–06 to 2007–08). These efficiencies will be achieved through better procurement practices, greater use of new technology and a reduction in the process costs of delivering the capital programme. These savings will offset the effects of inflation and increases in construction costs currently estimated at 4 per cent. per annum.

  Warm Front
  Ms. Drown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will change the Warm Front scheme by(a) not time-limiting a second application where it is for heating which had not previously been claimed for and (b) allowing old and inefficient boilers to be replaced before they break down. [186062]
  1334W
  Mr. Morley
  The Department is currently developing a Fuel Poverty Implementation Plan which will consider options for better targeting and will review the eligibility criteria and effectiveness of current measures offered under Warm Front.

  In response to the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee and the National Audit Office we have introduced a pilot to establish how best households with intermittently and ineffective working boilers can be assisted by the scheme. The results of this pilot will be assessed later in the year.

  Watervoice (Exeter Office)
  Ms Atherton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria were used in making the decision to close the Exeter office of Watervoice; and what process was followed. [185771]

  Mr. Morley
  The original decision to close the Exeter office was based on a recommendation made by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in its report on the organisation and regional structure of the Consumer Council for Water. PwC recommended that the offices in Exeter and Bristol currently serving the south west and Wessex regions should be merged into one office and located either in one of the existing offices or at a new site in Taunton.

  However, we have since given very careful consideration to a number of representations received and reviewed the decision to close or relocate regional offices. We concluded that against the background of the representations and the current periodic review of water prices, the benefits for water customers in maintaining the existing regional system of consumer representation outweighs the benefits of rationalisation at this time.

  We now intend to leave it to the new CCW to consider PwC's recommendations and to decide, in the light of future circumstances what changes, if any, it wishes to make to its regional structure.

TRANSPORT

  Mobile Telephones
  Mr. Oaten
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what discussions he has had with(a) mobile telephone manufacturers and (b) car manufacturers on the safety of mobile phones in cars; [186393]

  (2) what research his Department has carried out into technical solutions for blocking the use of hand-held mobile phones in cars. [186394]

  Mr. Jamieson
  Representatives of mobile phone and bar manufacturers have been involved in discussions with the Department for Transport on a new European Directive that will replace the current Directive 95/54/EC on electromagnetic compatibility. This requires cars to have a minimum level of immunity to interference such that electronic devices, including mobile phones, do not cause malfunctions of the vehicle's electronics.
  1335W
  The Department has not carried out any research into technical solutions for blocking the use of hand-held mobile phones in cars. A driver can use a hand-held phone when he is not driving and a passenger can use a mobile phone at any time and for emergencies.

  Aircraft (Medical Equipment)
  Mr. Ruffley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on measures to improve the provision of emergency medical equipment on all UK aircraft. [187177]

  Mr. McNulty
  UK Airlines carry first aid and emergency medical kits in accordance with common requirements established by the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA). The content of these kits is being reviewed following a proposal from the European Civil Aviation Conference for considering several improvements to the kits but granting some flexibility to meet an operator's route specifications. The UK supports these changes and will implement them once they have been adopted by the JAA following public consultation.

  Cross-Channel Rail Subsidies
  Mr. Yeo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what subsidies are paid to(a) Eurostar and (b) the Channel Tunnel Rail Link for the provision of their services; and where such subsidies are spent. [186765]

  Mr. Darling
  Information requested is as follows:

  No subsidies are paid to Eurostar.

  Government are providing grant support for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link project which is estimated to total £2.0 billion in present value terms (discounted at 6 per cent. real to January 1997) to support the costs of construction of the link and the provision of capacity for domestic services. This figure does not include possible amounts which may be provided by way of loan support or recovered in respect of land rentals and proceeds from property developments.

  Disabled Parking
  Mr. Colman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the Blue Badge parking scheme entitlement for those diagnosed with myasthenia gravis. [187754]

  Mr. McNulty
  The Blue Badge Scheme is designed primarily to assist people with severe difficulty in walking, whatever the cause of their disability. People who are registered blind also qualify under the Scheme. Drivers with a severe disability affecting both arms may also be eligible. Local authorities, which are responsible for administering the Scheme, will decide on an individual's eligibility on the basis of these criteria. People with myasthenia gravis will be eligible for a badge if they meet the criteria.

  Office Furniture
  Mr. Damian Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent in the last year for which figures are available on office furniture. [186404]
  1336W
  Mr. McNulty
  The Department spent £1,506,715 on furniture during 2003–04 financial year.

  This expenditure included:
  Fitting out the Department's new HQ building—Southside in Victoria Street London;
  and providing furniture for:
  the pilot introduction of Flexible Working;
  responses to requests under 'Children Under 6 and DDA legislation;
  replacing furniture in other offices which has exceeded it's design life (over 10 years old) and is causing H and S issues.

  Post Office
  Mr. Boris Johnson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the closure of sub post offices at Newtown and Northfield End on the(a) flow and (b) volume of traffic passing through Henley. [187504]

  Mr. McNulty
  None. The closure of sub post offices is in operational matter for Post Office Ltd. In terms of traffic flow and volume the local highway authority, in this case Oxfordshire County Council, will be required to take account of the impact on accessibility to public services, including post offices, during the preparation of their Local Transport Plan.

  Public Transport (Pensioner Access)
  Sandra Gidley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he has taken to improve access to public transport for pensioners. [186461]

  Mr. McNulty
  We have significantly improved the concessionary fares scheme for older and disabled people who are now entitled to at least half-fare travel on local buses. We have also introduced a half-fare for people aged 60 and over on many long-distance scheduled coach services.

  Given the close correlation between disability and age, the regulations we have introduced to require new trains, buses and coaches to provide a range of features to improve access are also benefiting many older people. During the last three years over 1,400 new fully accessible rail vehicles have entered service and there will be over 1,000 more within the next year. Around 29 per cent. of buses seating over 22 passengers are already accessible, and in major cities the proportion is much higher.

  Rail Services
  John Thurso
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetables are in place following publication of The Future of Transport for(a) the start of construction and (b) completion dates of (i) Thameslink 2000, (ii) East London Line Extension and (iii) Crossrail. [187539]

  Mr. McNulty
  The timing of Thameslink 2000 depends on whether and when the necessary Transport and Works Act and associated powers are secured. Network Rail submitted revised applications in June 2004 which are likely to be considered by a public inquiry next year.
  1337W
  Responsibility for the East London line extension project is transferring to Transport for London and its timing will be a matter for the Mayor.

  The Secretary of State announced to Parliament on 20 July 2004 that he intended that appropriate powers for the construction of Crossrail should be sought by means of a hybrid Bill to be introduced in Parliament at the earliest opportunity. Previous experience, with the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Bill, suggests that the Bill might take around two years to complete its passage. Construction could only start after this date.

  Transport Projects
  Mr. Wiggin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many transport-related projects on the(a) railways and (b) roads are running (i) on schedule and (ii) behind schedule. [186801]

  Mr. McNulty
  There are nine major programmes of enhancement work currently contracted on the railways, each comprising many individual projects. Of these, eight are on schedule in line with the agreed works programme, and one is behind schedule.

  There are 16 major new road schemes currently contracted on the Strategic Road Network. 13 are on schedule to complete in line with the programme planned at Works Commitment stage, three schemes are behind schedule, one by several months and two by no more than six weeks.

  There are 27 major road and road maintenance schemes which are currently fully accepted within the local transport programme. Of these, 13 are on schedule to complete in line with the timetable planned at full acceptance stage. 14 schemes are behind schedule, some only marginally.

  Transport Funding
  John Thurso
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how planned funding in the Government's transport strategy The Future of Transport will be allocated between transport modes. [187538]

  Mr. McNulty
  Because of the timing of the Olympic bid the Secretary of State announced a funding settlement for the GLA transport grant through to 2009–10 in his statement to the House of Commons on 20 July.

  Year

  £million

  2005–06

  2,161

  2006–07

  2,383

  2007–08

  2,544

  2008–09

  2,528

  2009–10

  2,651

  It is up to the Mayor to decide how to allocate the GLA Transport Grant between different modes. Other decisions relating to the 2004 Spending Review Settlement will be taken in due course.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

  Retirement Age
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what the(a) set retirement age applying to all or most personnel and (b) maximum age beyond which applications for employment will not be considered is for each department of the House. [186374]

  Sir Archy Kirkwood
  General conditions of service are House-wide rather than on a departmental basis. House of Commons staff normally work until the age of 65, which is currently the maximum retirement age. They may, however, retire at any time between 60 and 65 if they wish. Applications for most posts are accepted up to the age of 65 with the exception of casual appointments, where applicants may be appointed over the age of 65. House policy will be reviewed in the light of the age discrimination regulations, which we understand will come into effect in October 2006.

  September Sittings
  Mr. Key
  To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate the Commission has made of the marginal cost of recalling the House this September, and if he will make a statement. [186359]

  Sir Archy Kirkwood
  The daily costs of sitting days in September are similar to those of sitting days at other times of year. Such costs include staff overtime, telecommunications and postal costs, together with infrastructure costs such as heating.

  As a result of having a shorter summer recess than in some previous years, some additional costs may arise from the need to interrupt some elements of the summer works programme. However, as the September sitting was taken into account when the programme was planned, the additional costs are relatively modest, estimated at around £88,000 against a total works programme spend of £19 million.

  Serjeant at Arms
  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will make a statement on the methodology involved in the appointment of a new Sergeant at Arms. [187403]

  Sir Archy Kirkwood
  The Serjeant at Arms is a Crown appointment, made on the recommendation of the Speaker. Following the announcement that the current Serjeant at Arms, Sir Michael Cummins, would shortly retire, the Speaker decided that the post should be advertised both internally and externally, in the national press. A recruitment board was set up under the chairmanship of the Clerk of the House. It included an external member, drawn from the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments' central list of independent assessors, and the hon. Member for North East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) as a representative of the Commission. The board agreed a long list of candidates for preliminary interviews by external recruitment consultants and, subsequently, a short list for final interviews, conducted by the board. As a result
  1339W
  of this process, the Speaker recommended the appointment of Major General Anthony Peter Grant Peterkin, CB, OBE. His appointment was announced to the House on 20 July and he will take over from Sir Michael on 1 January 2005.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Amyl Nitrate
  Mr. Edwards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures she proposes to take against shops illegally selling amyl nitrate in the form of poppers, with particular reference to the products(a) Pure Gold, (b) Liquid Gold and (c) TNT. [178805]

  Mr. Sutcliffe
  I have nothing further to add to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office on 22 July 2004,Official Report, column 573W.

  Credit Card Fraud
  Mr. Bellingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the current levels of consumer credit card fraud; and what steps her Department is taking to tackle it. [186354]

  Ms Blears
  I have been asked to reply

  The Government do not collect figures on the cost of credit card fraud but the Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS) estimates the cost of plastic card fraud on UK-issued cards in 2003 to have been £402.4 million, a decrease of five per cent. over the previous year.

  The Home Office provided £1.4 million over two years (towards a total cost of £5.6 million) to fund, jointly with the banking industry, a specialist police unit, the Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit (DCPCU). The pilot, which ran from April 2002 to April 2004, was successful in detecting or preventing significant fraud on the banks and card issuers. The Unit is continuing with full financial support from the industry. The Home Office continues to chair the Steering Group.

  We are also providing significant extra resources for fraud policing more generally. The Home Office and the Corporation of London have each agreed to contribute £1 million towards the cost of an expanded City of London Police fraud squad. The Home Office has also met capital start up costs of the new unit. This funding will enable the City of London Police to expand its fraud squad significantly and take a lead role in the investigation of fraud in London and the south east, including providing police resources for the majority of Serious Fraud Office cases.

  A great deal of fraud can be prevented if organisations have proper fraud prevention measures in place. Prevention initiatives therefore complement fraud investigation and prosecution.

  We have encouraged the financial and retail sectors to work towards early implementation of more secure systems to combat fraud, including the introduction of microchips into payment cards to help authentication, and the use of PIN codes in place of signatures.
  1340W
  The Home Office has launched a website to combat internet fraud. The "e-tailing mini site" (part of the Crime Reduction Website) provides information to help both businesses and consumers protect themselves when using the internet.

  We have also recently published, jointly with the Association of Payment Clearing Services (APACS), a leaflet for members of the public about safe credit card use. Supplies of the leaflet have been sent to all police forces and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships in England and Wales.

  Gay Discrimination
  Keith Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to end insurance discrimination for gay men based solely on sexual orientation. [187135]

  Ms Hewitt
  The Government are aware of concerns about current imbalances in legislative provision for the different groups protected by discrimination legislation, which include gay men, and one of the first tasks of the proposed Commission for Equality and Human Rights will be to review the legislative framework to ensure that it meets the needs of a modern Britain.

  The Government are committed to improving equality and human rights for all in our society. This underpins our vision of a modern, fairer and more prosperous Britain. The creation of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights will help create a more equal and cohesive society.

  Equality Bodies
  Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what views she has received from publicly funded equality bodies on(a) the Government's proposal for a single equality body and (b) the proposals in the document Fairness for All. [187154]

  Ms Hewitt
  The Government are currently assessing the response of the three public funded equality bodies and all the responses they have received in detail and will publicly respond in due course. Government will be assisted in this task by their independent advisory Task Force, which discussed the consultation responses on 7 September.

  The consultation following the release of Fairness for All officially closed on 6 August. Over 450 responses were received from a wide variety of stakeholders, interested groups and individuals, including those from the publicly funded equality bodies—the Commission for Racial Equality, the Disability Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission.

  Shares (Tax Rules)
  Mr. Bellingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her assessment of the effect of new tax rules on shares held by academics set out in the Finance Act 2003 on the number of university spin-off companies being set up. [186332]
  1341W
  Mr. George Osborne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of schedule 22 of the Finance Act 2003 on university spin-out companies. [186452]

  Ms Hewitt
  The Government recognise the contribution that research-based entrepreneurial activity makes to this country and are committed to creating a clear fiscal environment that enables universities, public sector bodies and their researchers to grow companies based on their research.

  Inland Revenue, DTI and Treasury officials have been engaged in constructive dialogue with university and public sector spin-out sector representatives to provide certainty around the tax treatment of university/public sector employees who acquire such shares. This dialogue between officials and sector representatives has led to a joint Memorandum of Understanding regarding the tax treatment of one type of spin-out company shareholding structure and some companies are understood to have taken advantage of this model. Officials will continue negotiations with interested parties to ensure that an appropriate solution to the sector's difficulties is identified and ensure that there is no long-term adverse impact on spin-out activity.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

  Community Forum
  Mr. Edward Davey
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the(a) total budget, (b) departmental funding and (c) total cost to his Department of the Community Forum (i) is for the financial year 2004–05 and (ii) is estimated for financial years 2005–06 to 2007–08. [187563]

  Phil Hope
  The total departmental budget for the Community Forum is £186,000.000 per year. This incorporates an annual budget of £150,000.00 and £36,000.00 for administrative support and management.

  This amount has been allocated for 2004–05 and will be made available for 2005–06 to 2007–08.

  Actual expenditure for financial year 2003–04 was £155,489.00. The estimated expenditure for 2004—05 will be £183,000.00.

  Fly-posting
  Harry Cohen
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what effect his Department's good practice guide to fly-posting has had on the residents of Leyton and Wanstead. [187744]

  Keith Hill
  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Good Practice Guide, "The Control of Fly-Posting", offers guidance to local planning authorities on how best to deal with the problem of fly-posting. No assessment has been made on the effect the guide has had on the residents of Leyton and Wanstead. This is a matter for Redbridge and Waltham Forest borough councils.

  Suffolk Fire Authority
  Mr. Ruffley
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much funding was made available for the Suffolk Fire Authority(a) in 2004–05 and (b) in each of the last nine years. [187204]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The Fire Service in Suffolk is the responsibility of Suffolk county council. Net current expenditure on the Fire Service, as reported by the authority, for the last 10 years is tabled as follows:

  Amount (£000)

  1995–96

  12,683

  1996–97

  13,667

  1997–98

  13,593

  1998–99

  14,634

  1999–2000

  15,022

  2000–01

  15,900

  2001–02

  16,533

  2002–03

  17,627

  2003–04

  17,829

  2004–05

  18,690

  The data are taken from the RS (outturn) forms for all years except 2004–05 when the data are taken from the RA (budget) form These forms are completed each year by individual local authorities.

TREASURY

  Correspondence
  Sir Gerald Kaufman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter to him dated 2 August from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. H. Broadley. [187981]

  John Healey
  I did so on 3 September.

  Green Landlord Scheme
  Sue Doughty
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made towards the introduction of a green landlords scheme as announced in the Budget. [187384]

  John Healey
  The Chancellor announced in his last Budget the possible introduction of a "green landlord scheme" which would aim to incentivise landlords to invest to improve energy efficiency. The Government are considering the options available.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Departmental Employees
  Miss Kirkbride
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many civil servants were employed by her Department and its related agencies in each year since 1997. [187276]

  Mr. Caborn
  The table shows the number of staff in post on 1 April of each year since 1997.
  1343W

  DCMS

  Royal Parks

  Historic Royal Palaces Agency1

  Total

  1997

  352

  246

  220

  818

  1998

  365

  231

  n/a

  596

  1999

  359

  233

  n/a

  592

  2000

  407

  220

  n/a

  627

  2001

  403

  230

  n/a

  633

  20022

  469

  230

  n/a

  699

  2003

  488

  230

  n/a

  718

  2004

  490

  231

  n/a

  721

  1 Historic Royal Palaces ceased to be a DCMS Agency when it became a Royal Charter Body on 1 April 1998.

  2 Staff in post rose significantly in between 1 April 2001 and 1 April 2002 reflecting machinery of government changes after the last election, which saw a transfer of staff from Cabinet Office and Home Office.

  Olympic Games
  Miss Kirkbride
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many Government officials will attend the Athens Olympic Games. [183552]

  Mr. Caborn
  [holding answer 12 July 2004]: The Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport and myself attended the Olympic Games and both our Private Secretaries accompanied us on our visit. One press officer from DCMS was also present in Athens during the Olympics.

  Miss Kirkbride
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many Members of the Government will attend the Athens Olympic Games. [183553]

  Mr. Caborn
  [holding answer 12 July 2004]: The Olympic Games in Athens was officially attended by four Members of Government—the Prime Minister, the First Minister for Scotland, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and myself.

  Miss Kirkbride
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what class of hotel Ministers and officials will stay in while attending the Athens Olympic Games. [183554]

  Mr. Caborn
  [holding answer 12 July 2004]: Ministers and officials stayed at the following accommodation in Athens:
  The British embassy;
  A four and three star hotel;
  The campus of the British School of Archaeology.

  All arrangements were made with the BOA, benefiting from their negotiated tariffs.

  Tote
  Mr. Amess
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Government are prepared to sell the Tote to a body other than the Racing Trust. [188287]

  Mr. Caborn
  It remains the Government's policy to sell the Tote to the Racing Trust. Only if it proves impossible to effect such a sale on fair terms will the Government pursue other options.

DEFENCE

  Detainees (Transfer to United States)
  Mr. Tyrie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the locations are of the detainees captured by British forces in(a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan and handed to the US. [183783]

  Mr. Ingram
  All persons apprehended by United Kingdom Forces in Iraq and transferred to United States forces, and who are still in custody, remain in Iraq.

  The UK has not handed over to the US any persons apprehended in Afghanistan.

  Human Rights Act
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what instructions he has issued to the Royal Military Police on the application to them of the Human Rights Act 1998(a) in the United Kingdom and (b) abroad. [176324]

  Mr. Ingram
  Training provided to the Royal Military Police on the Human Rights Act relates directly to the exercise of their powers of arrest, search and seizure etc., as members of the service police. These powers, applicable only in relation to persons who are subject to the Service Disciplinary Acts, are exercisable wherever the RMP serve, whether at home or abroad.

  During 2000, all RMP units received training on the implications of the Human Rights Act 1998, and changes in RMP arrest and custody procedures. Individuals joining the RMP since October 2000 have covered the same subject during their basic training, which includes relevant European Court of Justice (Strasbourg) Case Law.

  Typhoon/Eurofighter
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Typhoon/Eurofighter will enter into service at RAF Leeming. [186621]

  Mr. Ingram
  The first two Typhoon bases will be RAF Coningsby and RAF Leuchars, the stations from which the Quick Reaction Alert (Interceptor) aircraft currently operate. No decision has been taken on a third Typhoon base.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Antisocial Behaviour Orders
  Mr. Oaten
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department collects on the number of section 30 authorisations and dispersal orders made under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003. [187221]

  Ms Blears
  The powers became operational in January 2004. We are undertaking a data capture exercise on use of the powers under section 30 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003. The data will be available in the autumn.

  Autistic People (Arrests)
  Mr. Wiggin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has commissioned regarding numbers of(a) arrests, (b) charges and (c) convictions of persons who are autistic or suffer from Asperger's Syndrome; and what guidelines he has issued to police forces regarding the questioning of autistic suspects. [186816]

  Ms Blears
  No research of this kind has been commissioned by my Department and the data collected on arrests, prosecutions and convictions do not distinguish persons with particular disabilities.

  No specific guidance has been issued by the Home Office relating to persons with autism or Asperger's Syndrome. However, there are currently strands of work focused on improving police practice in relation to mentally ill individuals. These are outlined in the reply to the hon. Member's question on provisions in place to increase awareness in the Criminal Justice System of the behaviour patterns of people with communication related difficulties.

  Community Support Officers
  Mr. Rosindell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the community support officer scheme in Great Britain is expected to cost for the next five years; and what the expenditure was over the past five years. [186762]

  Ms Blears
  The new Neighbourhood Policing Fund has made £50 million available for recruitment of additional Community Support Officers (CSOs) in this financial year in England and Wales. This fund will allow forces to recruit an additional 20,000 CSOs by March 2008 and details of the funding which will be made available to achieve this will be published in time for the 2006–07 planning round. Government expenditure on CSOs since they were first introduced in September 2002 amounts to £49.5 million up to the end of July 2004.

  Mr. Rosindell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the community support officer scheme in London is expected to cost the Government over the next five years; and what the expenditure was on the scheme in the last five years. [186764]

  Ms Blears
  The new Neighbourhood Policing Fund has made £50 million available for recruitment of additional Community Support Officers (CSOs) in this financial year and all chief officers in England and Wales have been invited to bid for a share of this. This fund will allow forces to recruit 20,000 more CSOs by March 2008 and details of the funding which will be made available to achieve this will be published in time for the 2006–07 planning round.

  Government funding for CSOs in the Metropolitan police district amounts to approximately £23.5 million since CSOs were first introduced in September 2002.

  Mr. Rosindell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much training is required for community support officers; and what the training involves. [186769]
  1346W
  Ms Blears
  The length and scope of training for Community Support Officers (CSOs) is decided by individual chief officers. In most forces training lasts from four to six weeks and may include the use of powers, diversity, information gathering, first aid and tackling antisocial behaviour.

  Mr. Rosindell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much it costs on average to train a new community support officer. [186906]

  Ms Blears
  There is no standard cost of training new Community Support Officers (CSOs) as this varies between forces. The £50 million made available this year to fund new CSOs under the Neighbourhood Policing Fund includes £2,500 per CSO as a contribution to set up costs including training.

  Mr. Rosindell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what remuneration is given to community support officers. [186908]

  Ms Blears
  Remuneration of community support officers (CSOs) is a matter for individual forces to decide. The average amount paid to CSOs in 2003–04, including basic salary and allowances, was £19,591.

  Databases
  Mr. Oaten
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 July 2004,Official Report, column 750W, on databases, if he will list the bulk information exchanges which have taken place in the last two years. [187337]

  Caroline Flint
  The Police Information Technology Information Organisation has not made any bulk exchanges with foreign Governments or agencies in the last two years. However, a list of lost/found vehicles from the Police National Computer is sent to Interpol in Lyon, France via the National Criminal Intelligence Service on a daily basis excluding weekends.

  Departmental Costs
  David Davis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what costs his Department has incurred on advertising and communication including contracts with public relations and advertising companies in each financial year since 1996–97. [180380]

  Fiona Mactaggart
  [holding answer 28 June 2004]: The amount spent by the Home Office on communications including contracts was:

  1996–97

  £5.23 million on advertising and £8.328 million on total communications. Communication spend represents 0.13 per cent. of total Home Office public expenditure of £6,416 million.

  Campaigns included car crime, recruitment of special constables, fire safety and electoral registration.

  1997–98

  £1.4 million on advertising and £3.372 million on total communications. Communication spend represents 0.05 per cent. of total Home Office public expenditure of £6,747 million.
  1347W
  Campaigns included recruitment of special constables, fire safety, absent voting and electoral registration.

  1998–99

  £1.8 million on advertising and £4.194 million on total communications. Communication spend represents 0.00005 per cent. of total Home Office public expenditure of £7,608,178 million.

  Campaigns included smoke alarm, recruitment of special constables, crime partnerships and electoral registration.

  1999–2000

  £5.65 million on advertising and £10.08 million on total communications. Communication spend represents 0.000012 per cent. of total Home Office public expenditure of £7,996,184 million.

  Campaigns included chip pan safety, fire safety, recruitment of special constables, European Parliament elections and electoral registration.

  2000–01

  £28.36 million on advertising and £35.637 million on total communications. Communication spend represents 0.00039 per cent. of total Home Office public expenditure of £9,068,695 million.

  Campaigns included fire safety, vehicle crime and recruitment of police officers.

  2001–02

  £14.4 million on advertising and £25.1 million on total communications. Communication spend represents 0.00023 per cent. of total Home office public expenditure of £10,820,813 million.

  Campaigns included fire safety (smoke alarms), vehicle crime, internet child protection, drugs, recruitment of police officers and special constables and postal voting.

  2002–03

  £9.9 million on advertising and £18.3 million on total communications. Communication spend represents 0.00013 per cent. of total Home Office public spending of £13,493,081 million.

  Campaigns included vehicle crimes, internet child protection, drugs, firearms amnesty and recruitment of police officers.

  2003–04

  £12.487 million on advertising and £22.083 million on total communications. Communication spend represents 0.00017 per cent. of total Home Office public spending of £12,605,526 million.

  Campaigns included vehicle crimes, internet child protection, drugs, recruitment of police officers and domestic violence.

  Note

  The total public expenditure figures for 1996–97 and 1997–98 were compiled under a different accounting system to later years—and are therefore not directly comparable.

  Departmental Vehicles
  Mr. Kidney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many road vehicles are operated by the Department and its agencies; how many personal injury accidents involving road vehicles operated by the Department have occurred within each of the last five years; and what the Department's policy is for managing work-related road safety. [185922]

  Paul Goggins
  There are currently 1,370 road vehicles operated by the Department and its agencies. The fleet listing by Department is as follows:

  Number

  Prison Service

  910

  Forensic Science

  84

  Police

  47

  Immigration

  287

  Main HO

  27

  NASS

  15

  Information on personal injury claims lodged by staff in the Home Office and its agencies is not collated centrally, but is held by individual Departments/ agencies. However, the number of third-party personal injury claims against the Department within each of the last five years is as follows:

  Number

  1999

  7

  2000

  6

  2001

  5

  2002

  7

  2003

  4

  To date in 2004 one third-party personal injury claim has been lodged against the Department.

  Following changes in legislation in December 2003, the Department issued policy guidance on the use of hand held and hands free mobile telephones. The Home Office is reviewing the instructions and advice held in the Transport Manual to cover all aspects of the management of work-related road safety.

  Until that work has been completed, general guidance derived from benchmark codes issued by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, the Highway Code and the fleet industry continues to be provided on request.

  Distraction Burglary
  Sandra Gidley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of distraction burglary against adults over the age of 60 were reported in each year since 1997. [186615]

  Ms Blears
  With effect from 1 April 2003, distraction burglary became a sub-category of "burglary dwelling" under the Home Office counting rules. Prior to that, data on the number of distraction burglaries recorded by the police were not routinely collected. However, data were collected from ad hoc surveys undertaken in 1998–99 and 2001 to 2003, which were reported in the
  1349W
  reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for the Vale of Clwyd (Chris Ruane) on 23 June 2004, Official Report, column 1415W.

  We plan to publish the figures for 2003–04 in October this year. Data broken down by the age of victim are not available.

  Drug-related Crime
  Mr. Liddell-Grainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the costs of drug-related crime in each year since 1997. [186555]

  Caroline Flint
  Estimates of the costs of drug-related crime are not available annually. However, a recent study published by the Home Office provides estimates of the total economic and social costs of Class A drug use and puts these in the range of £10.1 billion to £17.4 billion for the year 2000. These costs include the costs of drug-related crime, which are estimated to fall in the range £8.8 billion to £15.8 billion. The costs of drug-related crime include victim costs and those accruing to courts, prisons and other parts of the criminal justice system.

  Firearms
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the numbers of illegal(a) guns and (b) gun certificates that were used in legal ownership in each of the last 10 years. [185909]

  Caroline Flint
  [holding answer 22 July 2004]: Details of the legal status of firearms used in recorded crimes, and the illegal use of firearm certificates, are not available.

  Mr. Gummer
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many(a) rifles and (b) shotguns that have never been legally held have been used in recorded crimes since January 2000; [186123]

  (2) how many (a) rifles and (b) shotguns that were once legally held but which have been (i) stolen and (ii) mislaid have been used in recorded crime since January 2000; [186124]

  (3) how many legally held (a) rifles and (b) shotguns have been used in recorded crimes since January 2000. [186125]

  Caroline Flint
  Details of the legal status of firearms used in recorded crimes are not available.

  Football Banning Orders
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many banning orders were issued as a result of Euro 2004; [183785]

  (2) how many England supporters were (a) arrested, (b) arrested and charged and (c) arrested, charged and issued with banning orders with regard to Euro 2004; [183786]

  (3) what the total cost was of the UK police operations for Euro 2004; and what costs have been covered by the Portuguese authorities. [183787]
  1350W
  Caroline Flint
  As of 2 August 2004, the courts have imposed football banning orders on 38 individuals as a result of Euro 2004. Of these, 35 orders have been imposed as a result of individuals being intercepted by the police en-route to Portugal on the basis of evidence of previous involvement in violence or disorder, while three orders have been imposed on the basis of violence and disorder during the tournament. In addition, 48 individuals are currently subject to unresolved banning order proceedings as a result of being intercepted en-route to the tournament and eight individuals are subject to proceedings prompted by conviction of offences of violence and disorder in Portugal. The police may commence further proceedings in the light of evidence received from the Portuguese authorities. Updated information will be included in a detailed report on Euro 2004 to be submitted to Parliament in September.

  Race Hate Crime
  Mr. Woodward
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reported incidents of race hate crimes there have been against(a) people with learning difficulties, (b) people with disabilities, (c) gays, lesbians and bisexuals and (d) transsexuals there have been in (i) St. Helens and (ii) England and Wales, broken down by region, in each year since 1997; and what percentage (A) were brought to court and (B) resulted in a successful prosecution in each case. [186909]

  Ms Blears
  This information is not collected centrally.

  Police
  Mr. Oaten
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent by the Metropolitan police on rental vehicles in each month since September 2003. [187063]

  Ms Blears
  I understand from the Commissioner of the Metropolitan police that expenditure has been as follows:

  £000

  September 2003

  668

  October 2003

  965

  November 2003

  798

  December 2003

  603

  January 2004

  890

  February 2004

  998

  March 2004

  1,143

  April 2004

  877

  May 2004

  697

  June 2004

  1,026

  July 2004

  1,108

  The monthly figures include both local (for borough operational command units) and corporate hire (covering centrally hired vehicles for special events).

  Mr. Swire
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional funding he will make available to Devon and Cornwall police to(a) enforce the Government's Alcohol Strategy and (b) continue funding police community support officers. [183749]
  1351W
  Ms Blears
  On 7 July 2004 the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers (APC0) announced that police in England and Wales would be working with their partners in a fresh drive to tackle alcohol-related crime and disorder. The enforcement campaign takes forward one of the recommendations contained in the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England that was published on 15 March 2004. Plymouth and Cornwall and Isle of Scilly (Newquay) police Basic Command Units (BCUs) from the Devon and Cornwall police force are taking part in the campaign. BCUs can apply to the Police Standards Unit in the Home Office for funding to assist them in undertaking enforcement activity during the campaign. Provisionally £2,500 has been allocated to Devon and Cornwall police force to fund enforcement activity in Newquay.

  As part of the Spending Review 2004 the Government made a commitment to recruit 20,000 Community Support Officers (CSOs) by 2008 and forces will be eligible for funding to help them meet this target. As yet it is too early to say how the additional funding for CSOs will be allocated. However, a new Neighbourhood Policing Fund will be provided to develop local policing teams across England and Wales.

  Mr. Rosindell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was in 2003–04 of policing in(a) Havering and (b) London. [186910]

  Ms Blears
  The Metropolitan Police Service's (MRS) net budget requirement in 2003—04 was £2,207.8 million and the net budget for the City of London was £67.2 million. Distribution of resources within the MPS is a matter for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis and the Metropolitan Police Authority.

  Resources are allocated directly to borough operational command units using the Service's resource allocation formula. In addition, borough units are able to call upon all-London Units (such as dog sections, Territorial Support Group, Traffic and Air Support Units) when operational priorities dictate.

  The Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis informs me that the budget for the Havering Borough Operational Command Unit in 2003–04 was £17.3 million. This reflects direct operational costs. The cost of specialist units, non-operational support units and all-London units providing service to Havering was additional and could only be calculated at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Ruffley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were employed by Suffolk police in each year since 1 April 1997. [187189]

  Ms Blears
  On 31 May 2004 Suffolk constabulary had 1,293 police officers, 113 more than in March 1997. The table shows strength for each year since March 1997.

  Suffolk constabulary—strength: March 1997 to May 2004

  As at 31 March

  Police numbers1

  1997

  1,180

  1998

  1,186

  1999

  1,190

  2000

  1,145

  2001

  1,133

  2002

  1,203

  1352W

  2003

  1,253

  2004 (31 May)

  1,293

  1 Source for 1997 to March 2003 is the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS). May 2004 was collected separately outside of the normal data collection arrangements and has not been subject to the same validation as RDS data. Data collected by RDS for 31 March 2004 will be published shortly.

  Mr. Ruffley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what central Government funding was available for CCTV in each of the last seven years for the Suffolk Police constabulary area. [187193]

  Ms Blears
  Since 2000 the Home Office has provided £960,936 to Suffolk for Close Circuit Television (CCTV) schemes, through the Crime reduction Programme's CCTV initiative.

  This breaks down as:

  CCTV Round 1 (2000–01—2002–03): £395,024

  CCTV Round 2 (2001–02—2002–03): £605,912

  Security Industry Authority
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how his Department measures the performance of the Security Industry Authority; [187344]

  (2) what has been the budget of the Security Industry Authority in each year since 2001; [187345]

  (3) when the Security Industry Authority proposes to implement the regulation of wheel clampers. [187350]

  Ms Blears
  The Security Industry Authority (SIA) was established as a non-departmental public body on April 2003. Prior to this date the implementation unit formed part of the Home Office.

  The SIA budget for 2003–04 was £15.5 million. The expenditure incurred totalled £12.9 million.

  Full information is available in the SIA Annual Report and Accounts which is available in the House.

  The SIA expenditure budget for 2004–05 is £26 million.

  The Department has worked closely with the SIA throughout its development and a member of the sponsor department attends Board meetings. Annually the Minister agrees targets for the SIA, which are appropriate to the development stage reached. The targets for 2003–04 are included in their recently published Annual Report and Accounts together with a record of their significant achievements. The report and accounts are available from HMSO or can be viewed on the SIA website.

  The overall SIA Aims are set out in their agreed managerial and financial framework:
  Improving the performance, standards and opportunities of people working in the private security industry by introducing and achieving compliance within a licensing system.
  Encouraging business in the industry to improve their standards by creating a framework for developing, promoting and spreading best practice.

  1353W
  Creating a centre of knowledge and expertise, which enables and encourages effective industry development and investment.
  Strengthening the extended police family by encouraging and supporting further engagement of the private security industry.

  Witness Protection
  David Davis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the average number of police officers deployed on witness protection schemes was in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by police force; [184959]

  (2) what police resources have been allocated to witness protection schemes in each of the last five years, broken down by police force. [184960]

  Caroline Flint
  This information is not currently available. The Home Office, in conjunction with the Scottish Executive, the Northern Ireland Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers, has appointed an independent consultant to carry out an assessment of witness protection arrangements nationally. The assessment is covering all cases where witness protection is afforded by UK law enforcement agencies including the police. It will provide us with valuable information about the numbers and circumstances in which witness protection is provided and the amount of police time allocated to it.

  The assessment commenced on 2 January; it was announced in the White Paper "One Step Ahead—a 21st century strategy to defeat organised crime", which I published on 29 March. The assessment is due to be completed over the summer, and a final report will be available in the autumn.

  However, even after completion of this assessment, we are not intending to make available publicly any of this information below national level. Such information broken down by individual police forces is obviously operationally sensitive and could compromise the integrity of witness protection programmes and the officers who work on them.

PRIME MINISTER

  Designated Accommodation
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Prime Minister how many rooms are set aside for(a) the use of smokers, (b) worship, broken down by religion and (c) nursing mothers and pregnant women in each building and set of offices for which his office is responsible. [187321]

  The Prime Minister
  For these purposes, my office is part of the Cabinet Office. My office has one smoking room. Rooms for worship, nursing mothers and pregnant women are shared with the Cabinet Office.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

  Criminal Justice Board
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Solicitor-General what recent discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on the work of the Criminal Justice Board. [187722]
  1354W
  The Solicitor-General
  I have discussions with the Home Secretary on the work of the Criminal Justice Board at the Criminal Justice Board and also at the routine meetings of all criminal justice Ministers.

  Hate Crimes
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Solicitor-General what her policy is towards the prosecution of(a) anti-Semitic and (b) Islamophobic hate crimes. [187723]

  The Solicitor-General
  The policy of prosecution of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic crime is set out in the CPS' policy document of July 2003,

  In all cases there are two tests: whether there is sufficient evidence for the court to convict; and whether a prosecution is in the public interest. It will usually be in the public interest to prosecute cases of racist, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic crime.

  Animal Rights Extremism
  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Solicitor-General if she will make a statement on the role of the Crown Prosecution Service in tackling animal rights extremism. [187724]

  The Solicitor-General
  The Crown Prosecution Service takes very seriously the prosecution of animal rights extremists who commit criminal offences.

  There is now a co-ordinator for this work in each CPS area.

  The Attorney-General is a member of the inter-ministerial group tackling animal rights extremism and chairs the forum of the agencies who are engaged in dealing with this problem.

  Case Progress (Information)
  Julie Morgan
  To ask the Solicitor-General what steps she is taking to keep victims informed of the progress of their cases. [187725]

  The Solicitor-General
  The Government are working with the police, prosecutors and courts, as well as voluntary and community organisations to take steps to ensure that victims will be confident to report offences and give evidence in court where necessary. A central part of that effort is ensuring victims are kept informed at all stages of the case.

  Pre-charge Investigations
  Mr. Grieve
  To ask the Solicitor-General if she will make a statement on the progress of the pilot schemes to involve the Crown Prosecution Service in the pre-charge investigation process; and whether time savings have been identified from such pilot schemes. [175512]

  The Solicitor-General
  Following the charging pilots in 2002–3, and the legislative changes in the Criminal Justice Act 2003, the Crown Prosecution Service, in partnership with the police, arc implementing the charging arrangements.
  1355W
  Shadow Charging arrangements have been implemented in all police force areas in England and Wales, and crown prosecutors now provide charging advice at 248 of the 373 operational units during normal office hours.

  A Commencement Order (under the Criminal Justice Act 2003) was issued on the 29 January 2004, which allows the Director of Public Prosecutions to apply Statutory Charging arrangements. The statutory scheme was first applied at Longsight in Greater Manchester. The scheme has since been rolled out across West Yorkshire, Kent, South Yorkshire, Cleveland, Lancashire, Northumbria, Avon & Somerset, Nottinghamshire, Humberside and Greater Manchester.

  It is expected that the benefits will be a reduction in the rate of discontinuances to 69 per cent. guilty plea rate to increase by 30 per cent. and the conviction rate to increase by 15 per cent.

  Early consultation between police officers and crown prosecutors will assist in getting the charge right first time, and reducing remedial work often required to bring cases up to appropriate quality standards. Weeding out weak prosecutions at an early stage will save further effort for both the police and the Crown Prosecution Service. In addition, an increase in guilty pleas will result in fewer trials, with benefits for not only the police and the Crown Prosecution Service, but also the courts. These improvements will result in an estimated 3.2 per cent. efficiency gain on contested cases going through the criminal justice system.

HEALTH

  A and E (Chorley and South Ribble)
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hours a day of consultants' time on average was spent in the accident and emergency department at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital in the last year for which figures are available. [187506]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  This information is not collected centrally.

  As at 31 March 2004, there were seven accident and emergency consultants within Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust.
  Source:
  Department of Health medical and dental workforce census.

  Age-related Disease
  Sandra Gidley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what public funding has been made available over the last three years for research into age-related disease; and what funding plans he has for the future. [186830]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC funds basic and clinical studies on health ageing and on the causes, prevention and treatment of a wide 1356W
  range of conditions that affect the elderly in particular. Details of MRC expenditure in this area are shown in the table.

  Amount (£ million)

  2001–02

  18.7

  2002–03

  27.9

  2003–04

  Not yet available

  The Department funds research to support policy and to provide the evidence needed to underpin quality improvement and service development in the national sealth service. Spend by the Department's national research programmes on projects specifically related to the health of older people is shown in the table.

  Amount (£ million)

  2001–02

  1.7

  2002–03

  1.9

  2003–04

  1.9

  In addition, the NHS reported spending £36.7 million in 2001–02 and £34 million in 2002–03 on research relating to older people from research and development support funding allocations. Information for 2003–04 is not yet available.

  Each of these areas of research activity is ongoing.

  Alzheimer's
  Jane Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the expenditure was on drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease patients in Reading, East for the latest year for which figures are available; [187015]

  (2) how many patients are being treated for Alzheimer's disease in Reading, East; and how many of these are receiving drug treatment. [187016]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  Information on the number of patients treated for Alzheimer's disease by individual primary care trusts (PCTs) is not collected centrally. Data on the number of prescription items dispensed in the community, and the net ingredient cost is collected by the Prescription Pricing Authority. The total number of prescription items dispensed for dementia drugs, and the net ingredient cost of these drugs, in the area covered by Reading PCT in 2003–04 is shown in the table.

  Total number of prescription items and net ingredient cost for "Drugs for Dementia" (BNF 4.11, treatment of Alzheimer's Disease) dispensed in the community for Reading PCT in 2003–04

  Number of prescription items

  Net ingredient cost(£)

  Reading PCT

  96

  8,278

  England total

  392,652

  34,217,012

  Notes:

  1. Prescription cost analysis (PCA) data covers all prescriptions items that are dispensed in the community in England. PCA data does not include items dispensed in hospitals or private prescriptions.

  2. Drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease are classified in the British National Formulary section 4.11 (Drugs for Dementia) and include the drugs Donepezil, Rivastigmine, Galantamine and Memantine.

  1357W

  3. Information on the number of patients receiving prescriptions for these drugs is not available, but numbers of prescription items of all prescriptions dispensed in the community in Reading PCT (this is not necessarily the same as where the drugs were prescribed) and the net ingredient cost (NIC) is provided.

  4. Prescriptions are written on a prescription form. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item.

  5. The NIC is the basic cost of a drug. This cost does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charge income.

  Source:

  PCA data from the Prescription Pricing Authority.

  Dr. Stoate
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1)what the total expenditure on drugs available on the NHS for Alzheimer's disease was in Dartford in the latest year for which figures are available; [187025]

  (2) how many Alzheimer's disease patients are being treated by primary care trusts in Dartford; [187026]

  (3) how much was spent by the NHS on drug treatments for advanced Alzheimer's disease patients in Dartford in the latest year for which figures are available; [187027]

  what assessment his Department has made of the availability of drugs for patients with moderately severe to severe Alzheimer's disease in Dartford. [187030]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  Information on the number of Alzheimer's disease patients being treated by individual primary care trusts (PCTs) is not collected centrally. Data on the number of prescription items dispensed in the community and the net ingredient cost are collected by the Prescription Pricing Authority. The total number of prescription items dispensed for dementia drugs and the net ingredient costs of these drugs, in the area covered by Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley PCT in 2003–04 is shown in the table.

  Total number of prescription items and net ingredient cost for "Drugs for Dementia" (BNF 4.11, treatment of Alzheimer's disease dispensed in the community for Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley PCT in 2003–04

  Number of prescription items (Thousand)

  Net ingredient cost (£000)

  Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley PCT

  1.2

  105.5

  England total

  392.7

  34,217.0

  Notes:

  1. Prescription cost analysis (PCA) data covers all prescription items that are dispensed in the community in England. PCA data does not include items dispensed in hospitals or private prescriptions.

  2. Drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease are classified in the British National Formulary section 4.11 (Drugs for Dementia) and include the drugs Donepezil, Rivastigmine, Galantamine and Memantine.

  3. Information on the number of patients receiving prescriptions for these drugs is not available, but numbers of prescription items of all prescriptions dispensed in the community in Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley PCT (this is not necessarily the same as where the drugs were prescribed) and the net ingredient cost (NIC) is provided.

  4. Prescriptions are written on a prescription form. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item.

  5. The NIC is the basic cost of a drug. This cost does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charge
  income.

  Source:

  PCA data from the Prescription Pricing Authority.

  1358W
  It is not possible to provide a breakdown for expenditure on drug treatments for advanced Alzheimer's patients for Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley PCT.

  The Department has not made an assessment of the availability of drugs for patients with moderately severe to severe Alzheimer's disease in Dartford. It is for PCTs, in conjunction with strategic health authorities to ensure that services meet local needs.

  Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1)what access(a) primary care trusts and (b) NHS trusts who failed to secure local multi-disciplinary team status for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis services within their zone have to these services; and if he will make a statement; [186743]

  (2) what plans he has to extend specialist services and local multi-disciplinary teams for people with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis to other areas; and if he will make a statement. [186746]

  Dr. Ladyman
  A central budget of £8.5 million for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy (CFS/ME) service; runs from 2004 to 2006 and is intended to pump prime service development and start developing clinical services where none previously exist.

  In addition to providing this extra funding, we have also asked the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to develop guidelines for the diagnosis and management of CFS/ME.

  We have invested heavily in improving national health service services. Up to 2003–04, expenditure on the NHS has increased by an average of 6.2 per cent. in real terms each year since this Government came to power. NHS expenditure is set to further increase by an average of 7.2 per cent. in real terms over the five year period 2003–04 to 2007–08. Over three years, this will take the total spent on the NHS in England from £69 billion in 2004–05 to £92 billion in 2007–08.

  It is the responsibility of primary care trusts to decide how to use this extra funding to meet the needs of their populations, including those with CFS/ME.

  Mr. Rosindell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much money the Government has invested in the study of myalgic encephalomyelitis since 1997; [186833]

  (2) how much money the Government plan to invest in the study of myalgic encephalomyelitis over the next five years. [186835]

  Dr. Ladyman
  The information requested is shown in the table.

  Actual and forecast expenditure on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis since 1997

  £ million

  Completed research projects

  0.3

  Current research

  4.3

  £4.2 million of the current research total has been allocated to two five year Medical Research Council trials announced in 2003.
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  Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure on health research is devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual projects, including some concerned with myalgic encephalomyelitis, can be found on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research.

  Cotton Nappies
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to make a financial contribution towards the start-up costs of(a) the provision of free cotton nappies for in-house use and (b) an awareness campaign to promote use of cotton nappies in the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust; and if he will make a statement. [187480]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  It is for individual units and trusts to decide on the practicalities of promoting the use of cotton nappies in their own maternity units. In line with our policy to devolve decision making to those at the front line of national health service provision I do not see a role in these decisions for a central Government Department. I understand that Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust does not provide any nappies at present unless it is an emergency situation.

  Cystic Fibrosis
  Bob Russell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce testing of all newborn babies for cystic fibrosis. [186977]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  Ministers have agreed to the implementation of a new national programme for newborn cystic fibrosis screening. About a fifth of babies born in England are currently offered screening for cystic fibrosis. At the request of the United Kingdom national screening committee, an implementation plan to support the national health service is being developed by the UK newborn screening programme centre, a collaboration between Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, the Institute of Child Health and the Institute of Education.

  Device Evaluation Service
  Mr. Oaten
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the long-term plans for the device evaluation service; and which agency will be responsible for its day to day management. [187119]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The device evaluation service is actively involved in both the Health Industries Task Force (HITF) and the review of the Department's arm's length bodies. A formal announcement about the service will be made together with HITF recommendations later this year.

  Diabetes
  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the proven side effects are of long-term consumption of analogue human insulin. [187054]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  Clinical trials submitted at the time of licensing have examined the safety and efficacy of the human insulin analogues (insulin glargine, insulin aspart and insulin lispro) in diabetic patients treated for up to 12 months. Generally, the side effects observed 1360W
  with the human insulin analogues were similar to those seen with existing human insulins, with the most commonly observed side effects being hypoglycaemia, visual disturbance and injection reactions.

  The longer term safety of the use of human insulin analogues in routine clinical practice is closely monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Any possible new safety issue to emerge is evaluated and, if necessary, product information for prescribers and patients is updated.

  Full guidance on prescribing and use of human insulin analogues, including possible side effects is provided in the summary of product characteristics (the product information for prescribers) and the patient information leaflet. Key prescribing information is also included in the British National Formulary, which is made available by the Department to doctors and pharmacists.

  Free Health Tests (Pensioners)
  Sandra Gidley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of providing pensioners with a free annual(a) eye test, (b) dental check and (c) hearing test. [186455]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  We restored entitlement to free sight tests for people aged 60 and over in 1999 and hearing tests have always been available free of charge for patients referred to a national health service audiology department. People on low incomes may be exempt from dental charges or may only have to pay a reduced charge. We estimate that patient income of some £23 million per year would be lost if dental examinations were made free to all people aged 60 and over.

  Free Prescription Scheme
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the percentage of people who will claim under the free prescription NHS low income scheme; and if he will make a statement. [187490]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  No such estimate has been made. In 2003–04, the Prescription Pricing Authority (PPA) received 731,000 claims for help from people in England, Scotland and Wales. Claims can cover more than one person and successful claims may confer entitlement for more than one year. Based on recent trends, the PPA expects the number of claims in the current financial year to be lower than last year.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are for arrangements to promote public awareness of the changes in free prescriptions from 6 April. [187542]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The leaflet, "Help with Health Costs HC11 Quick Guide", which has been placed in the Library, notes that the threshold for full help with health costs has been increased. In addition a poster, prepared in conjunction with Citizens Advice, is currently being printed and Department of Work and Pensions staff have been told of the change via a joint income support/jobseekers allowance bulletin.

  GP Surgeries
  Mr. Ruffley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for additional general practitioner surgeries in(a) the constituency of Bury St. Edmunds and (b) Suffolk. [187199]

  Dr. Ladyman
  We have no current plans for additional general practitioner surgeries in the constituency of Bury St. Edmunds or Suffolk and there are currently no applications in the fourth wave for national health service local investment finance trust schemes in either Bury St. Edmunds or Suffolk.

  It is now 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, based on the specialised knowledge they have of the local community.

  Hepatitis B
  Dr. Gibson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation sub-group on hepatitis B is next planning to meet; and when it plans to make a decision on hepatitis B immunisation policy; [187169]

  (2) when the Government plan to implement the World Health Organisation recommendation that all countries should adopt a hepatitis B universal mass vaccination programme. [187170]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  A working group of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is currently reviewing the United Kingdom's hepatitis B immunisation programme. The group is planning to meet later this year and will report to JCVI early next year.

  Home Births
  Mrs. Helen Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the effect on(a) numbers of beds available and (b) other resources of women having home births; [187556]

  (2) what assessment he has made of the relative costs of an uncomplicated natural delivery at home and an uncomplicated natural delivery in hospital; and what assessment has been made in respect of individual hospitals. [187557]

  Dr. Ladyman
  The proportion of deliveries that takes place at home has been around 2 per cent. since 1995, having risen from less than 1 per cent. in the late 1980s. This is so small that it will have little effect on the availability of hospital maternity beds. The resource implications of women having home births will vary and are a matter for local national health service bodies.

  We have not made any assessment of the costs of deliveries in respect of any individual hospital. The average overall cost of a hospital and home birth normal delivery without complications or co-morbidities is shown in the table.
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  Type of delivery

  Number1

  Average cost (£)

  Non-elective in-patient (hospital births)

  314,683

  817

  Day case (hospital birth)

  1,071

  386

  Community midwifery services (home births)

  6,855

  541

  1 Data source: reference costs 2003 data (relating to financial year 2002–03), as published in appendix SRC1 of the "Payment by Results Core Tools 2004" document (Department of Health).

  Hospital Infections
  Mr. Liddell-Grainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated cost of the cleanyourhands campaign is for 2004–05. [186511]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The estimated cost of producing and distributing the campaign materials is about £370,000. Alcohol hand gels will be an extra cost. An economic assessment of the campaign suggests that if the success of the campaign pilot is replicated, £140 million will be saved.

  Organ Removal
  Chris Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the new measures and procedures that have been introduced to stop the illegal removal of organs from deceased adults and children. [187082]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  We are taking the following measures to stop the illegal removal of organs from deceased adults and children.

  The Retained Organs Commission (ROC) was set up in April 2001 to oversee the return of organs and tissues to families, and where requested, to provide advocacy to families and to advise trusts. The ROC issued its final report in March 2004 and this can be found at http:// www.nhs. uk/retainedorgans.

  The Government's Human Tissue Bill, which had its second reading in the House of Lords in July 2004, provides the regulation of removal, storage and use of human organs and tissue. The Bill also makes provision for the creation of a new body, the Human Tissue Authority (HTA), which will prepare statutory guidance on all matters within its remit, as set out in the Bill.

  Pending completion of the Bill's passage through Parliament and the establishment of the HTA, the Department published two documents in April 2003: "The Use of human organs and Tissue, An Interim Statement" and "Families and post mortems, A Code of Practice". These provide guidance on the use of human organs and tissue and recommended practice for ensuring consent is obtained for hospital post-mortems and for the retention and use of organs following a hospital or coroner's post-mortem. These publications can be found on the Department's website.

  The Department has also provided Section 64 grant funding to the National Bereavement Partnership to set up a helpline to support families and the general public affected by issues around post mortems and the possible retention of organs or tissues. This helpline will be able to provide essential information and advise those affected how they might take an inquiry forward with their local national health service trust.
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  Chris Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from the parents of deceased children whose organs were retained without permission concerning the sensitivity of questions they have had to answer in pursuit of compensation. [187080]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The Department has not received representations from the parents of children whose organs were retained without permission concerning the sensitivity of questions they have had to answer in pursuit of compensation.

  Chris Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the length of time that it has taken to compensate the relatives of those whose organs were retained without permission. [187081]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  An offer of compensation was made in November 2002 to all relatives claiming in relation to organ retention. The offer was rejected and the case proceeded to court. Mr. Justice Gage decided on three test cases in a group litigation on 26 March 2004. A mediation date of 27 September has been set for further discussions with the NHS Litigation Authority and the claimants lawyers with a view to settling the claim.

  Intensive Care (Babies)
  Mrs. Helen Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health in how many National Health Service trusts there has been a reduction of intensive care Special Care Baby Unit beds over the two years to August. [187559]

  Dr. Ladyman
  Data on the number of intensive care special care baby unit beds are not available.

  Life Expectancy
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in reducing inequalities in life expectancy in each(a) local authority and (b) primary care trust area. [180276]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  We are committed to achieving our public service agreement target on health inequalities:"By 2010 reduce inequalities in health outcome by 10 per cent. as measured by infant mortality and life expectancy at birth".

  The life expectancy aspect of the target is underpinned by a more detailed target:
  "Starting with local authorities, by 2010 to reduce the gap in life expectancy by at least 10 per cent. between the fifth of areas with the worst health and deprivation indicators and the population as a whole".

  Information on the progress made in reducing inequalities in life expectancy within each local authority and primary care trust is therefore not collected centrally.

  We are also looking to reduce substantially the health inequalities gap from heart disease, stroke and related diseases and cancer by at least 40 per cent. and six per cent. respectively between the fifth of areas with the worst health and deprivation indicators and the population as a whole. As part of this effort, we have set a target for reducing smoking prevalence among routine manual groups to 26 per cent. or less by 2010.

  NHS Dentistry
  Mr. Liddell-Grainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists left the NHS in each year from 2000–01. [186477]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  Information on the total number of dentists leaving the general dental service (GDS) or personal dental service (PDS) is shown in the table. The main reasons for the dentists leaving were retirement and short-term career breaks.

  General dental service and personal dental service: number of leavers at 30 September each year, England and Wales

  Exits

  2000

  1,228

  2001

  1,257

  2002

  1,374

  2003

  1,256

  Source:

  Dental Practice Board.

  The numbers of GDS and PDS dentists have increased from 16,722 at December 1997 to 19,278 at December 2003; an increase of over 2,500.

  Keith Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the latest average waiting time to have an infected wisdom tooth removed on the NHS is; and what targets he has set to improve waiting times for the removal of wisdom teeth. [187136]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  In 2003, the mean waiting time was 91 days for extractions at national health service hospitals. In year 2000, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence advised that the surgical removal of impacted wisdom teeth should be limited to patients with evidence of pathology. Implementation of this advice and the expansion of the dental workforce announced by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, on 16 July should reduce the pressures on hospital dental departments.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on NHS dentistry in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [187293]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The general dental service (GDS) is currently managed on a national basis as a non-discretionary service. Expenditure is not predetermined by allocations but is driven largely by patient demand and the activity of dentists. At present, neither primary care trusts nor dentists are allocated any specific GDS budgets or quotas. Actual spend since 1997 to date has been:

  Expenditure (£ million)

  1997–98

  959

  1998–99

  1,022

  1999–2000

  1,058

  2000–01

  1,130

  2001–02

  1,202

  2002–03

  1,263

  Expenditure figures represent the Government's net spend on GDS after taking account of the contribution to costs from dental charges paid by patients. Figures from 1997–98 to 1999–2000 are cash based. Figures for

  1365W
  2001–02 onwards are resource based. Figures from 1998–99 include expenditure on new personal dental service pilot schemes.

  Expenditure figures for 2003—04 are not yet available.

  Tom Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals his Department has to ensure that when a person requires dental treatment they are clearly informed(a) whether a dental practice provides NHS treatment and (b) what the cost of non-NHS treatment they require will be; and if he will make a statement. [187606]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  Since publication of the Office of Fair Trading's report, "The private dentistry market in the UK" (March 2003), we have been working with the General Dental Council (GDC) to strengthen the regulation of private dentistry. The GDC has published "Standards of Dental Practice", which requires that dentists give full information on proposed treatment and costs to patients to enable them to make well-informed decisions on the type of treatment they are to receive. We will also be amending the Dentists Act 1984 to give the GDC new powers to ensure the fitness to practise of dentists and to establish a scheme to investigate and resolve complaints about private dental treatment. The amendments will come into effect early in 2005.

  Keith Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve orthodontic departments at NHS hospitals. [187137]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  We are undertaking the most fundamental reform of national health service dentistry since the inception of the NHS. The Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 provides the commissioning of general dental services is to be delegated to primary care trusts from October 2005. This will ensure that the developing dental specialities in primary care, including orthodontics, are given the right opportunities to contribute more to NHS patient care. Provision of more specialist dental care in a high street setting will mean that practitioners no longer need to refer patients who could be treated in a primary care setting to hospital. In this way, staff at hospital dental departments will be able to concentrate on more complex treatments.

  Out of Hours GP Cover
  Mr. Simon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the NHS Litigation Authority will be liable in cases of clinical negligence where the negligent treatment was provided by a private or foreign healthcare provider under contract for the NHS. [187382]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The NHS Litigation Authority administers the clinical negligence scheme for trusts (CNST) in England. The CNST provides indemnity against claims for clinical negligence for member organisations, which include national health service trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs).

  Indemnity for cases arising from clinical negligence is as follows:
  Before July 2004, indemnity for clinical negligence for independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs) was covered by commercial insurance arrangements. Subsequently, on a
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  progressive basis, indemnity is now provided through the CNST cover provided to PCTs. The arrangements between ISTCs and PCTs are covered in their contracts.
  For patients referred to foreign healthcare providers, indemnity for clinical negligence is usually covered by the CNST arrangements of the referring PCT or NHS Trust.
  For other private organisations the liability depends upon the terms and conditions of the contract between the PCT, NHS Trust and the private body concerned.

  Variant CJD
  Mr. Wiggin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research his Department has commissioned on the treatment of variant CJD. [186670]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The Department is currently funding a £3.5 million research programme designed to identify and evaluate potential treatment for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. Potential therapies arising from that research will be assessed using a clinical trial protocol the Medical Research Council has developed in conjunction with the Department.

  Waiting Lists
  Mr. Anthony D. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes there have been to NHS waiting list times for residents of Great Yarmouth in the last seven years. [186703]

  Dr. Ladyman
  The changes to national health service waiting times for the residents of Great Yarmouth over the past seven years, the latest data available, are shown in the following table.

  Count of elective in-year admissions (waiting list and booked cases) with mean and median time waited, 1996–97 to 2002–03 primary care trust (PCT) code (PCT of residence) = 5GT (Great Yarmouth)–NHS hospitals, England

  In-year admissions

  Days Mean time waited

  Median time waited

  1996–97

  10,171

  70

  28

  1997–98

  9,933

  78

  28

  1998–99

  10,280

  79

  33

  1999–2000

  9,792

  68

  31

  2000–01

  9,563

  71

  33

  2001–02

  7,501

  78

  33

  2002–03

  8,211

  93

  36

  Note:

  1. An in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the datayear. Periods of care ongoing at the end of the datayear (unfinished admission episodes) are included. 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. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).

  3. Time waited statistics from hospital episode statistics (HES) are not the same as the published waiting list statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients admitted to hospital within a given period whereas the published waiting list statistics count those waiting for treatment on a specific date and how long they have been on the waiting list. Also, HES calculates the time waited as the difference between the admission and decision to admit dates. Unlike published waiting list statistics, this is not adjusted for self-deferrals or periods of medical/social suspension.

  Source:

  HES, Department of Health.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

  Magistrates Court Cells (Aberystwyth)
  Mr. Simon Thomas
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the minimum health and safety requirements are for magistrates court cells. [187076]

  Mr. Leslie
  Health and safety requirements of cell areas are not measured in a way that an overall minimum standard could be determined.

  Each aspect of a cell area (e.g the custody suite, interview rooms and vehicle access) is individually assessed and rated. From this an over all risk assessment is compiled and the consequent recommendations are made.

  Mr. Simon Thomas
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the basis was for the decision to stop using Aberystwyth Magistrates Court cells for the holding of offenders; and if he will make a statement. [187077]

  Mr. Leslie
  Aberystwyth Magistrates Court is still used for custodial cases, but on a limited basis (for cases for trial or sentence only).

  Following the Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) audit on 2 June 2004, an agreement was reached to keep the cells open. This was on the basis that occupation of the custody accommodation can be controlled in respect of numbers and length of time held and that potential risk can be assessed in each individual case.

  Mr. Simon Thomas
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate has been made of the cost of bringing the cells in Aberystwyth Magistrates Court up to the health and safety standard required to allow them to be used to hold offenders. [187078]

  Mr. Leslie
  Aberystwyth Magistrates Court is still used for custodial cases, but on a limited basis (for cases for trial or sentence only).

  The local authority has responsibility for Aberystwyth Magistrates Court until is transferred to my Department on 1 April 2005. An assessment of the cell area has been made by the Magistrates Court Committee, which concluded that the cell area could not be adapted to the extent that it would meet all the standards. This is due to structural issues, which prevent the required level of work. Consequently, no estimate has been prepared.

  My Department is currently considering proposals to provide alternative facilities in the Aberystwyth area.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

  University Examinations
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the integrity of the results of university examinations. [187706]
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  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Department has made no such assessment. As autonomous, independent bodies, universities are responsible for ensuring the integrity of their assessment processes and outcomes. Institutions are assisted in this by guidance from the Quality Assurance Agency, and by independent external examiners who verify the standards of assessments and of the results achieved by students. The Quality Assurance Agency audits the management of quality in universities, and from this year onwards, the judgments of External Examiners will be published.

  School Security
  Mr. Wiggin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will make a statement on security in schools. [187707]

  Margaret Hodge
  Schools should be both secure and open for community use. Balancing these needs can be difficult, so we issued guidance with the Home Office to advise schools and local authorities on how to deal with intruders and prevent intrusion in the first place. The Government also provided funds—£10 million in 2002–03—and evaluation of that programme shows schools are improving their security and getting the balance right.

  Education Maintenance Allowances
  Mrs. Betty Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of the take-up of education maintenance allowances. [187708]

  Mr. Ivan Lewis
  At the start of September, around 150,000 young people in England had already applied for an EMA. This already represents around 50 per cent. of young people eligible for the scheme and we expect more applications over the coming weeks. The EMA scheme has proved its effectiveness in the pilots we have run, and it will allow young people from poorer households to succeed in a wide variety of vocational and academic courses.

  School Sport
  Mr. Love
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to increase participation in sport in schools. [187712]

  Mr. Stephen Twigg
  The Government are investing over £1 billion in England to transform school sport. This is delivering an ambitious Public Service Agreement target to increase the percentage of 5–16 year olds who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport to 75 per cent. by 2006 and to 85 per cent. by 2008.

  Children's Commissioner
  Julie Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what mechanisms will be put in place for the Children's Commissioner to liaise with the Children's Commissioners in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. [187713]

  Margaret Hodge
  I hope that the four United Kingdom Commissioners will draw up their own cooperation arrangements so as best to serve the children
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  for which they are responsible. We are currently examining across Government how the Children Bill could best enable or assist them to do this. To this end, I have arranged to meet colleagues from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales next week.

  Bullying
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to tackle bullying in schools. [187710]

  Mr. Ivan Lewis
  We take all bullying seriously and attach great importance to tackling it.

  In November 2003, I launched the "Make The Difference" campaign at the first of a programme of conferences for headteachers. The campaign includes a public information film, "Tell Someone", to encourage children who are being bullied to tell someone and the Anti-Bullying Charter for Schools. We have also funded the Anti-Bullying Alliance to maintain the momentum of the campaign.

  The Anti-Bullying Alliance will:
  work with teachers, schools and local education authorities to promote anti-bullying best practice across all schools, including the use of peer support schemes;
  develop innovative, practical approaches to tackling bullying, including the modern menace of bullying by text messaging, email and Internet chat;
  provide support for parents in severe cases of bullying, including referrals across the Alliance's regional and national network, where all other avenues to resolve the bullying have been exhausted;
  develop and oversee anti-bullying resources and information for schools and parents, including an anti-bullying website containing practical support and advice; and
  run an annual national anti-bullying week of events and activities to teach young people that all forms of bullying are wrong and promote active ways in which to show no tolerance to it.

  Capital Funding
  Mr. Hopkins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the Answer given on 14 June 2004,Official Report, column 771W, on Building Schools for the Future, what specific action his Department has taken to encourage local authorities and local learning and skills councils to consult each other in formulating their proposals and plans for priority capital funding. [187037]

  Mr. Miliband
  The Department encourages local authorities and local Learning and Skills Councils to consult each other in formulating their plans for capital investment. Specific action includes: guidance to local Learning and Skills Councils and further education providers requires them to discuss their plans with the relevant local authority; guidance to local authorities on asset management planning requires consultation with the relevant local Learning and Skills Council; guidance on the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme requires proposals for BSF projects to include the local Learning and Skills Councils, among others, as active partners; guidance for local Learning and Skills Councils on taking forward Strategic Area Reviews of post-16 provision requires that local authorities must be represented on their stakeholder 1370W
  groups and actively involved in carrying out the reviews. In addition, the Department and the Learning and Skills Council are looking at ways to forge closer links between the Council and the new Partnerships for Schools (PfS) body, set up to assist the delivery of the new Building Schools for the Future programme.

  Mr. Hopkins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the Answer given on 14 June 2004,Official Report, column 771W, on Building Schools for the Future, what specific action his Department has taken in conjunction with the Learning and Skills Council to join up capital investment for schools, sixth-form colleges and further education. [187038]

  Mr. Miliband
  Where proposals brought forward under the Building Schools for the Future programme include a local vision for the delivery of 14–19 education in association with a further education institution requiring capital investment, the Learning and Skills Council will take this factor into account in determining its priorities for capital support. This is subject to overall pressures and funding constraints. In addition, the Department and the Learning and Skills Council are in discussion concerning a proposed new joint 16–19 capital budget for schools and further education establishments.

  Departmental Expenditure
  Mr. Hoban
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much his Department spent in the last year for which figures are available on(a) refurbishment and (b) office furniture. [186684]

  Mr. Stephen Twigg
  During 2003–04 my Department has spent £2,106,720 on refurbishment and £2,122,428 on office furniture.

  Mr. Hoban
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost of satellite and cable subscriptions in his Department's buildings was in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will list the premium channels that his Department subscribes to. [186677]

  Mr. Stephen Twigg
  During 2003–04 the cost to my Department for satellite subscriptions was approximately £5,700. Apart from receiving the Parliamentary Broadcast Package via the House of Commons, which is for use by Ministers and their Private Offices, my Department does not subscribe to any premium channels.

  Further Education Colleges
  Mr. Hopkins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of provision in further education colleges, measured by(a) hours taught and (b) funding allocated, was graded 4 or 5 in Ofsted inspections during (i) 2003 and (ii) 2004 to date. [187074]

  Mr. Ivan Lewis
  These matters are for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, David Bell, will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of his letter in the Library.

  School Meals
  Helen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance he has issued on the role of school governors in ensuring the provision of healthy school meals. [187709]

  Mr. Stephen Twigg
  On 6 September the Secretary of State launched the Healthy Liking Blueprint for schools. The blueprint, and supporting website (www.teachernet.gov.uk/healthyliving), bring together all the elements that contribute to a whole school approach to food and nutrition: the curriculum; food/meals available; pupil views; partnership working; the role of heads, governors and other staff. In addition to the blueprint the Food Standards Agency is working closely with the National Governors' Council to encourage school governors to promote a high quality approach to food and nutrition in their schools.

  School Sixth Forms
  Mr. Hopkins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding was provided by each local Learning and Skills Council to school sixth forms in(a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04; and how many students each of these school sixth forms has on its roll. [187073]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Department allocates funds for the provision of education in school sixth forms to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Information about these allocations at local level is not collected by the Department. This is an operational matter and the responsibility of the LSC. Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive, will write to my hon. Friend with this information, including the pupil number data and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

  Specialist School Status
  Andrew Selous
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the eligibility criteria for specialist school status. [187703]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  All maintained secondary schools in England are eligible to apply for specialist schools status. We lifted the funding cap in 2002 and expect all secondary schools to become specialist as and when they are ready. Specialist schools now account for 62 per cent. of maintained secondary schools. The eligibility criteria for specialist schools has been placed in the library.

  Vocational Education
  Ann Winterton
  What recent meetings he has had with employers to discuss vocational education. [187711]

  Mr. Ivan Lewis
  I hold regular meetings with the CBI, the TUC and educationists about skills and vocational education. We have established a new Skills Alliance which Charles Clarke chairs jointly with Patricia Hewitt. This Skills Alliance brings Ministers from four Departments of State, the CBI, the TUC and Small Business Council together on a twice yearly basis. I also meet regularly with representatives of the 19 employer led Sector Skills Councils. I visit individual employers to discuss their workforce development plans and needs.

WORK AND PENSIONS

  Employment Zones
  Mr. George Osborne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to extend the number of Employment Zones. [186424]

  Jane Kennedy
  There are no current plans to extend the number of Employment Zones.

  Housing and Council Tax Benefit
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households containing a person aged 60 years or over were in receipt of council tax benefit in each of the last 12 months. [187164]

  Mr. Pond
  The information is not available in the format requested. At May 2002 the number of council tax benefit recipients aged 60 years or over in Great Britain was 2,363,000.Notes:

  1. The figure is based on a 1 per cent. sample and therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.

  2. The figure is rounded to the nearest thousand.

  3. Council tax benefit totals exclude any Second Adult Rebate cases.

  4. The figure refers to cases where the claimant and/or partner is aged 60 or over.

  5. The figure refers to benefit units, which might be a single person, couple or family.

  Source:
  Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 2002.

  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of local authorities have produced a written take-up strategy of a sufficient standard to satisfy his Department's performance standard on take-up of housing and council tax benefits; and which local authorities have failed to meet this standard. [187163]

  Mr. Pond
  The Performance Standards for housing benefit and council tax benefit set out the standards of performance the Department expects local authorities to achieve over a period of time. Self-assessment is voluntary so local authorities are not required to report performance against them to the Department, although we encourage them to do so. Of the 64 local authorities who have so far supplied information about their performance, 49 (77 per cent.) have a written take-up strategy which meets the standard. Insufficient data are available to provide a comprehensive list of all the local authorities who do not meet this standard.

  Long-term Unemployed (Over-50s)
  Mr. Woodward
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate the Government have made of the cost to the Exchequer of men and women over the age of 50 who are long-term unemployed in each year since 1997. [186937]

  Jane Kennedy
  Figures on the direct benefit costs for long term unemployed people aged over 50 are in the following table. Official estimates are not available for wider aspects of cost such as tax payments forgone.
  1373W

  Benefit expenditure on men and women over the age of 50 who are long term unemployed1

  £ million

  1997–98

  405

  1998–99

  378

  1999–00

  333

  2000–01

  316

  2001–02

  239

  2002–03

  235

  2003–042

  232

  Notes:

  1Figures include expenditure on Jobseeker's Allowance (Income Based), and on Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit paid with JSA(IB). Figures are expressed in nominal terms and are rounded to the nearest million.

  2 Estimated outturn.

  Source:

  Figures are based on four quarterly averages from DWP IAD Information Centre. "Long term unemployed" has been taken to mean greater than or equal to 52 weeks.

  Pensioners
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in receipt of pension credit also receive(a) housing benefit, (b) council tax benefit and (c) other means-tested benefits. [186780]

  Mr. Pond
  The most recent housing benefit/council tax benefit data analysed by age and reference to other benefits is at May 2002, which predates the introduction of pension credit.

  With the introduction of pension credit, around 2 million pensioner households will now qualify for more help, or qualify for help for the first time, with their council tax and/or rent.

  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the rate is at which a pensioner with average housing costs and council tax costs would have(a) housing benefit and (b) council tax benefit withdrawn if they were in receipt of pension credit and had a total gross weekly income of (i)£80, (ii)£100, (iii)£120, (iv)£140, (v)£160, (vi)£180, (vii)£200 and (viii)other incomes as are available. [187343]

  Mr. Pond
  The answer is in the table.

  Rates of withdrawal of housing and council tax benefits for pension credit recipients with varying incomes

  percentage

  Gross weekly income

  Net weekly income

  Housing benefit withdrawal rate

  Council tax benefit withdrawal rate

  £80.00

  £80.00

  0

  0

  £100.00

  £98.14

  0

  0

  £120.00

  £113.94

  39

  12

  £140.00

  £128.55

  39

  12

  £160.00

  £141.95

  39

  12

  £180.00

  £155.35

  65

  20

  £200.00

  £168.75

  65

  20

  £220.00

  £182.15

  65

  n/a

  £240.00

  £195.55

  n/a

  n/a

  Notes:

  1. An "average pensioner" has been interpreted as being single, aged 65 or over with no dependents, no severe disabilities and no additional income or costs (such as annuities, trust fund payments, mortgage interest payments, etc.).

  1374W

  2. In order to make the above calculation, it has been assumed that rent and council tax levels for the average pensioner are £44 and £12 respectively. These are the average amounts used in the DWP Tax Benefit Model Tables.

  3. Withdrawal rates do not include the impact of tax i.e. tax withdrawal is not included in total withdrawal rate figures.

  4. N/a indicates there is no title to this benefit at, or above, this level of income.

  Departmental Staff
  David Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance is available for assisting employees suffering from(a) stress and (b) depression from the human resources department of his Department. [187165]

  Maria Eagle
  Comprehensive advice surrounding managing attendance in the DWP is contained in the Department and You—the Corporate HR guidance. This is accessible via the Department's intranet and contains practical guidance for the Departments human resources (HR) practitioners and line managers to follow.

  In cases of stress or depression affecting employees, HR is able to offer a range of guidance to help individuals. This includes referral to our occupational health service and/or to our employee assistance service. Both providers offer a professional service and would discuss, separately with individuals affected by stress or depression ways in which both conditions might be addressed and overcome. The Department has recently launched a Well-being at work policy to offer assistance to people affected by stress.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  British Culture
  Mr. Rosindell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to promote British culture. [186952]

  Mr. Mullin
  The British Council is our principal agent for promoting British culture overseas. It aims to promote the UK's creative ideas and achievements through a range of programmes in the fields of arts, science and education.

  The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also funds the BBC World Service and the Chevening Scholarship Programme, both of which play a part in promoting British cultures and values.

  Burma
  Dr. Pugh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether(a) the British ambassador to Burma and (b) other British embassy staff in Burma have attended events in Burma hosted by Orient Express or its regional representatives. [187229]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  We have no record of the British ambassador to Burma, nor other British embassy staff in Burma, attending any events hosted by Orient Express or its regional representatives in 2003 or 2004.

  Consular Services (Employment)
  Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what key jobs in consular services(a) are vacant and (b) have been unfilled for more than three months in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for difficulties in filling key jobs. [187397]

  Mr. Mullin
  There are no key consular jobs unfilled in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Consular Directorate at the present time. To provide information on possible vacant consular jobs overseas could be provided only at disproportionate costs. However, the FCO's Human Resources Directorate endeavours to ensure that UK-based consular officer replacements arrive to coincide with UK-based departures from posts overseas. When this is not possible it is Consular and Human Resources Directorates' policy to ensure that temporary cover is provided during the interim period. We also endeavour to provide temporary cover for key locally engaged consular slots.

  During a consular emergency overseas Rapid Deployment Teams are sent out to assist the post(s) concerned. The most recent deployment was to Salzburg following a serious coach crash in August.

  Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty
  Harry Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest position in respect of the adapted Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty; which countries have signed and ratified it; when he expects it to come into force; and if he will make a statement. [187131]

  Mr. MacShane
  The Adapted Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE) was signed 1)} the following 30 States Party at the OSCE Summit in Istanbul on 19 November 1999; Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus. Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovak Republic. Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the United States. Of those States Party only Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine have ratified the Adapted CFE Treaty. The Russian Duma voted to ratify the Adapted CFE Treaty on 25 June 2004, but to date documents of ratification have not been submitted by the Russian Federation to the Treaty Depository (the Netherlands).

  The Adapted CFE Treaty cannot come into force until all 30 signatories have ratified it. We, along with NATO allies, are fully committed to the entry into force of the Adapted CFE Treaty. But we will not ratify until the Russian Federation has met the commitments it made, when the Treaty was signed, concerning Russian armed forces in Georgia and Moldova. Once those commitments have been met we would hope for a speedy ratification and subsequent entry into force of the Adapted CFE Treaty.

  Cuba
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations 1376W
  he has made to the Cuban authorities concerning their treatment of (a) Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet and (b) Jorge Luis Garcia Pérez (Antúnez). [185768]

  Mr. Rammell
  We regularly raise human rights cases—including these two—with the Cuban authorities in London and in Havana. We have been monitoring their situation and health, and embassy staff maintain close contacts with local human rights groups involved in their cases and with friends and family of the individuals. Dr. Biscet visited the British embassy in November 2002 shortly before his arrest, and our embassy staff last met his wife, Elsa Morejon, on 14 July. We are aware of considerable public interest in the fate of both prisoners.

  UK policy on Cuba is governed by the EU Common Position, which has human rights enshrined as its key principle and which was reaffirmed on 14 June. The EU regularly issues statements condemning the imprisonment of human rights activists and other political prisoners. Mostly recently, on 15 July 2004, we again called on the Cuban Government to release all political prisoners.

  British Indian Ocean Territory
  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the government of the British Indian Ocean territory is funded; and if he will make a statement. [187614]

  Mr. Rammell
  The government of the British Indian Ocean territory is funded mainly by the sale of fishing licences, although there is also a small amount of revenue from the sale of stamps, fines and related charges, and administrative fees.

  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what(a) monetary payments and (b) monetary discounts were received by the UK Government from the US Administration or affiliated bodies in return for the agreement governing the joint use of Diego Garcia by the two countries in (i) 1966 and (ii)1976; and if he will make a statement. [187611]

  Mr. Rammell
  The United States Government agreed in 1966 to contribute half of the total cost, up to a limit of £5 million, of setting up the British Indian Ocean Territory by waiving to that extent research and development surcharges for the United Kingdom purchase of the Polaris missile system. No payments or discounts were made in respect of the establishment of the United States Defence Facility in Diego Garcia in 1976.

  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place a copy of the US Administration's Natural Resources Management Plan for Diego Garcia in the Library. [187612]

  Mr. Rammell
  The US Natural Resources Management Plan for Diego Garcia, currently under revision by the US authorities, is not a public document.

  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans have been made to allow tourists travelling with the Wexas travel company to visit the waters of the Chagos Archipelago; and if he will make a statement. [187609]
  1377W
  Mr. Rammell
  A visit to some of the outer islands of the British Indian Ocean Territory has been arranged under the auspices of Wexas International primarily in order to monitor the natural environment of the islands.

  Drug-related Arrests (Overseas)
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens have been detained overseas for drug-related offences in each of the last five years. [187592]

  Mr. Mullin
  According to consular records the number of British citizens detained overseas for drug-related offences in the following years was:

  British citizens detained

  1999–2000

  1,156

  2000–01

  1,054

  2001–02

  1,268

  We then ceased to collect this information in this way, and now collect data each year on the total number of those in prison for drugs offences. The totals are:

  On 31 March

  Total number imprisoned

  2003

  1,290

  2004

  1,312

  These figures therefore do not refer only to new detentions.

  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens were detained overseas for drug related offences in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by country. [187593]

  Mr. Mullin
  As at 31 March 2004, there were 1,312 British Nationals detained overseas for drug related offences, who had requested consular assistance. The following table breaks down this figure by country in alphabetical order:

  Country

  Drugs

  Antigua and Barbuda

  10

  Argentina

  4

  Australia

  60

  Austria

  4

  Bahamas

  2

  Barbados

  21

  Belgium

  16

  Brazil

  31

  Canada

  3

  Chile

  1

  China

  8

  Colombia

  7

  Costa Rica

  4

  Cyprus

  3

  Denmark

  5

  Dominican Republic

  3

  Ecuador

  8

  Egypt

  3

  Finland

  1

  France

  122

  Gambia

  2

  Germany

  29

  1378W

  Ghana

  4

  Greece

  4

  Grenada

  9

  Guyana

  9

  India

  24

  Indonesia

  6

  Ireland

  8

  Israel

  1

  Italy

  16

  Jamaica

  138

  Japan

  40

  Kuwait

  2

  Madagascar

  1

  Malaysia

  2

  Malta

  4

  Mauritius

  2

  Mexico

  5

  Morocco

  3

  Nepal

  1

  Netherlands

  35

  New Zealand

  8

  Nicaragua

  1

  Norway

  20

  Oman

  1

  Pakistan

  6

  Panama

  7

  Peru

  23

  Philippines

  14

  Portugal

  8

  St. Lucia

  7

  St. Vincent

  2

  Saudi Arabia

  1

  Singapore

  1

  South Africa

  9

  Spain

  138

  Surinam

  3

  Swaziland

  1

  Sweden

  13

  Switzerland

  3

  Taiwan

  25

  Thailand

  27

  Trinidad and Tobago

  32

  Turkey

  4

  United Arab Emirates

  18

  USA

  255

  Venezuela

  24

  Grand Total

  1,312

  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the(a) age group and (b) sex was of each British person detained overseas for drug-related offences in the last year for which figures are available. [187594]

  Mr. Mullin
  The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not currently keep figures according to the age and sex of British Nationals detained for drug-related offences overseas. But the total number of British Nationals detained overseas for drug related offences, who have requested consular assistance was, as at 31 March 2004, 1312.

  Equatorial Guinea
  Angus Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has(a) received and (b) made concerning the (i) economic and (ii) political situation in Equatorial Guinea since 2002; and if he will make a statement. [187275]
  1379W
  Mr. Mullin
  We receive occasional requests for information on the political and economic climate in Equatorial Guinea from UK companies interested in investing there and from members of the public. We have a regular dialogue with the Government of Equatorial Guinea on economic, governance and human rights issues. We also discuss the situation there with our EU partners and the US.

  Iraq
  Joan Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what voting system will be used for the parliamentary elections in Iraq. [187617]

  Mr. Rammell
  The upcoming election for an Iraqi Transitional National Assembly will be based on a Single Constituency Proportional Representation Closed List system. The whole of Iraq will be a constituency and voters will not necessarily need to register in their home town or area. The choice of system for subsequent elections will be for the Iraqis to decide.

  Israel
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government concerning the deaths of children at the entrance to the Balata refugee camp in July. [187463]

  Mr. Rammell
  Israeli Defence Force action which results in the death or injury of children is deeply disturbing. We have frequently called on the Israeli Government to stop such action, and continue to raise our concerns at the highest level. We have not made specific representations concerning the deaths at Balata refugee camp in July.

  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he proposes to take in response to the ruling of the International Court of Justice on the separation barrier erected by Israel. [187498]

  Mr. Rammell
  On 20 July the UK, along with our EU partners, voted in favour of UN General Assembly resolution ES-10/15, acknowledging the ICJ Opinion and calling on Israel to re-route the barrier away from occupied land.

  While we recognise Israel's legitimate security concerns, it must act in accordance with international law. We continue to press the Israeli Government to reroute the barrier away from occupied land, in line with international law.

  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government concerning the attack on a UN convoy delivering aid to Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip on 15 July. [187515]

  Mr. Rammell
  As I said in my reply to the hon. Member on 22 July 2004,Official Report, column 551W, although we have not made specific representations regarding the 15 July incident, we have urged the Government of Israel to ensure aid agencies are able to provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population.
  1380W
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government concerning killings of and injuries to Palestinians in the Gaza town of Beit Hanoun. [187516]

  Mr. Rammell
  We are extremely concerned at the casualties and at the humanitarian impact of the Israeli Defence Force actions in Beit Hanoun.

  Officials in Tel Aviv have visited the areas affected and raised with the IDF both the action taken in July and the continuing closure of Beit Hanoun.

  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government regarding the treatment of Palestinian prisoners by the Israeli authorities. [187562]

  Mr. Rammell
  On 1 September officials in Tel Aviv raised with the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) a number of our concerns about the demands that inspired the Palestinian prisoners' hunger strike. These included: that Israel should meet its obligations towards prisoners; that prisoners, including during the hunger strike, should be treated with dignity; and a failure to separate juvenile and adult prisoners, as provided for in The Convention on The Rights of The Child.

  On 2 September the IPS informed our Tel Aviv Embassy that the hunger strike had ended.

  Richard Burden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he made to the Government of the USA in July and August about the USA's interpretation of the Road Map in respect of the expansion of settlements in the west bank announced by Israel; and if he will make a statement. [187576]

  Mr. Rammell
  My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed a number of the middle east peace process issues with Condoleeza Rice, the US National Security Adviser, on 16 August, including Israel's announcements of expansion of settlements. Officials have also discussed the issue in Washington.

  Our view remains that Israel should freeze all settlement activity, including the natural growth of existing settlements, and dismantle all outposts built since 2001, in accordance with phase one of the roadmap.

  Richard Burden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he made to the Government of Israel during July and August in respect of Israel's announcement that it is to proceed with the further expansion of settlements in the West Bank. [187577]

  Mr. Rammell
  On 2 August my noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean issued a strong statement of concern following reports that Israel had approved further construction in the Ma'ale Adumim settlement calling on Israel to freeze all settlement activity, including natural growth, and to dismantle all outposts built since 2001, in line with its Roadmap commitments. A copy of the statement is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office wet site: www.fco.gov.uk/policy/news/press-releases.
  1381W
  On 18 August our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised the issue with the Acting Israeli Minister for Construction. Tzipi Livni.

  We continue to press the Israeli Government to reconsider their decision to issue tenders for new homes in a number of West Bank settlements, including Ma'ale Adumim.

  Richard Burden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with each of the Quartet partners during July and August about Israel's announcement that it intends to expand settlements in the west bank; and if he will make a statement on the options for action by the Quartet in response. [187575]

  Mr. Rammell
  My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has discussed Israel's recent announcements on settlement expansion with both the US and EU partners.

  The Quartet (UN, US, EU, Russia) continues to play a vital role in leading the international community's involvement in the Middle East peace process. Through the EU, the UK will seek to ensure the Quartet's next meeting, scheduled to take place in New York on 23 September, continues to provide leadership in the effort to stimulate positive steps from both sides.

  Moldova
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent efforts he has made to assist Russia to withdraw its troops and ammunition from the Republic of Moldova. [187739]

  Mr. MacShane
  We continue to encourage the Russian Federation to withdraw forces and ammunition from Moldova in line with the commitments Russia made at the OSCE Summit in Istanbul in November 1999. We, along with NATO allies, will not ratify the Adapted Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty until the Russian Federation has met their commitments concerning Moldova, and other commitments concerning Georgia made at the same OSCE Summit.

  UK military personnel are on a standby roster as part of the OSCE Monitoring Mission, to verify the removal of Russian ammunition from Moldova. But only one trainload of ammunition has been removed in 2004 and an estimated 35–40 trainloads of Russian ammunition remains in Moldova. We hope that Russia will accelerate the withdrawal process and will continue to offer our support to verify the removal of ammunition from Moldova.

  Pakistan
  Mr. Bill Wiggin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on(a) the UK's diplomatic relations with Pakistan and (b) the state of democracy in Pakistan. [186749]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  The UK enjoys a close and warm relationship with Pakistan which is strengthened by our historical links, and by our having more than 800,000 British Citizens of Pakistani origin. Pakistan is a key ally 1382W
  in the global war against terrorism and the UK continues to work closely with the Government of Pakistan to counter this threat.

  We engage with Pakistan at all levels on a wide variety of subjects including defence, drugs, judicial cooperation, migration, and economic and development issues. The UK and Pakistan have formalised some of these engagements through the Joint Judicial Cooperation Working Group and the Defence Cooperation Forum. During the current three year period (2003/04—2005/06) we expect to give over £200 million in aid to Pakistan. There have been several high level visits to and from the UK.

  We warmly welcome the ongoing progress in Pakistan's transition to democracy. The decision by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group in May this year to readmit Pakistan to the Councils of the Commonwealth was taken in recognition of the progress made in restoring democratic principles. The recent election of Shaukat Aziz to the National Assembly and his subsequent confirmation as Prime Minister is a further positive development. We look forward to working closely with the new Prime Minister of Pakistan and his government.

  Qualified Majority Voting
  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether provisions concerning structured co-operation within the Common Foreign and Security Policy are to be decided by qualified majority voting under the European constitution. [187035]

  Mr. MacShane
  The voting procedures for Structured Cooperation are laid out in article III-213 of the constitutional treaty. Qualified Majority Voting in Structured Cooperation is only for procedural issues—how member states join and leave the group. The text makes clear that unanimity of participating states will be required for all other decisions.

  Mr. Heathcoal-Amory
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether intellectual property or foreign direct investment moves from unanimity under article 133 TEC to qualified majority voting under article III-217(1) and III-217(2) of the European Constitution. [187036]

  Mr. MacShane
  Article 133 TEC established the Common Commercial Policy (CCP), allowing the Community to make trade agreements on behalf of the member states, covering trade in goods, services, and the commercial aspects of intellectual policy. Apart from a limited range of exceptions, decisions under it are taken by QMV.

  Its successor in the European constitution, III-217, allows the EU also to make agreements covering foreign direct investment, and narrows slightly the scope of the exceptions from QMV covering intellectual property and trade in services.

  The Government are content with this. They made clear in the White Paper published in September 2003 (Cm 5934) that they favoured moves to reduce barriers in international trade, provided that this did not lead to an increase in the internal powers of the Union, and

  1383W
  that, as now, voting arrangements for such agreements mirrored those required for the adoption of equivalent rules internally. Both principles are set out in the treaty. The latter principle is set out at III-217(4). III-217(6) makes clear that the CCP does not affect the division of competences between the Union and the member states, and cannot in itself lead to legislative or regulatory harmonisation among the member states.

  Sudan
  Angus Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what assessment his Department has made of Amnesty International's report of 19 July entitled "Darfur: Rape as a Weapon of War: sexual violence and its consequences"; and if he will make a statement; [187270]

  (2) what assessment his Department has made of the charge of culpability levelled against the Government of Sudan by Amnesty International's report of 19 July entitled, "Darfur: Rape as a Weapon of War: sexual violence and its consequences"; and if he will make a statement. [187271]

  Mr. Mullin
  We read with grave concern reports by Amnesty International of rape being used as an apparently deliberate tactic in the Darfur region. Medecins Sans Frontieres, the UN High Commission for Refugees and the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs have also reported cases of rape. These reports underline the urgent need to improve the security situation in the region, in order to prevent these abuses from continuing.

  We have also made clear that those responsible for such atrocities must be brought to justice. UN human rights monitors, whose deployment we helped finance, are now in Darfur investigating allegations of human rights abuses, including rape. We have made clear to the Government of Sudan that they must do all they can to facilitate the work of these monitors. The Government of Sudan have established three committees on rape allegations. We will follow their investigations closely During his recent visit, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary also secured the agreement of the Sudanese Government to grant Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch visas to visit Darfur.

  Angus Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received regarding the Sudanese Air Force's activities in Darfur; and if he will make a statement. [187272]

  Mr. Mullin
  My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised this issue with the Government of Sudan during his visit to Khartoum in August. He also raised it with African Union monitors in Darfur who said that they had no evidence of air strikes by the Government of Sudan air force since June. We will continue to monitor the situation and to press all sides to respect the ceasefire.

  Taiwan
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to 1384W
  support Taiwan as (a) a member and (b) an observer of the (i) World Health Organisation and (c) World Health Assembly; and if he will make a statement. [187600]

  Mr. Rammell
  There are difficulties over Taiwanese involvement in a UN forum where statehood is a prerequisite for full membership. We would consider with our EU partners any proposals for Taiwanese involvement in the World Health Organisation which took account of these difficulties.

  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to promote within the EU Taiwan's case for deeper involvement in the(a) World Health Organisation and (b) World Health Assembly. [187601]

  Mr. Rammell
  Ireland, speaking on behalf of all EU Member States at this year's World Health Association, expressed the EU's hope that the WHO Secretariat, and others organising technical meetings and working groups under WHO auspices, would show flexibility in finding mechanisms to allow Taiwanese medical and public health officials to participate in these activities. The Government fully endorse this view and will continue to look at ideas for finding that flexibility.

  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the efforts of Taiwan to play a constructive and appropriate role in(a) international health affairs and (b) international humanitarian issues; and if he will make a statement. [187602]

  Mr. Rammell
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him today (UIN 187601).

  The Government welcomes Taiwanese assistance in international humanitarian issues through appropriate channels and in keeping with Taiwan's status.

  Teodoro Obiang Nguema
  Angus Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts in(a) Spain, (b) the United States of America and (c) Equatorial Guinea, concerning allegations of corruption and money laundering levelled against Teodoro Obiang Nguema and his family; and if he will make a statement. [187274]

  Mr. Mullin
  We are aware of the allegations against President Obiang and his family. We take all such allegations seriously and have raised our concerns on governance with the Equatorial Guinean authorities. We discuss developments in Equatorial Guinea with a range of international partners.

  Transnistria
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his recent efforts to find a peaceful solution to the problem of the region of Transnistria with reference to his actions within(a) the EU, (b) NATO and (c) the OSCE. [187740]

  Mr. MacShane
  We remain concerned about the situation in Transnistria, and together with EU partners continue to call on the two parties in particular the Transnistrians, to negotiate constructively and in good
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  faith. After Transnistrian moves to force the closure of Latin script schools in the region, which has raised tensions significantly, the EU imposed a travel ban on 26 August against ten individuals within the Transnistrian administration responsible for the measures. Along with our EU partners, we are supporting Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe mediation in the settlement talks, and continue to look for ways to bolster this support. We also regularly raise Transnistria with the other mediators, Russia and Ukraine, both bilaterally and through the EU. I raised our concerns with the Ukraine Defence Minister on 6 September.

  We want Russia to fulfil commitments made when signing the Adapted Conventional Forces in Europe (ACFE) Treaty at the OSCE Summit in Istanbul in 1999, including full withdrawal of arms and ammunition from Transnistria. or their destruction in situ, and the withdrawal of Russian forces. Together with NATO allies we have stated that we will not ratify the ACFE Treaty until the Russian Federation has met their commitments concerning Moldova and Georgia.

  Vietnam
  Angus Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what assessment his Department has made of the treatment of the Montagnards in Vietnam; and if he will make a statement; [187260]

  (2) what representations he has made to the Government of Vietnam concerning the treatment of the Montagnards in Vietnam; and if he will make a statement. [187261]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  We remain concerned about the situation of the Montagnards in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam.

  We raise human rights concerns regularly with the Vietnamese Government, both bilaterally and with our EU partners. These include the problems faced by the Montagnards in the Central Highlands, particularly with regard to land and religious freedom. I raised these issues during my visit to Vietnam in March and with the President of Vietnam during his official visit to the UK in May. On the same day, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised our concerns about human rights in Vietnam with the Vietnamese Foreign Minister.

  With our other EU partners, we participate in a regular human rights dialogue with Vietnam. The most recent meeting, attended by our ambassador in Hanoi, took place on 22 June. We raised the situation of the Montagnards at this meeting and expressed our deep concern at unrest in the Central Highlands over Easter 2004.

  We will continue to raise our concerns and press the Vietnamese Government to adhere to their obligations at every suitable opportunity.

  West Papua
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to urge the United Nations to instigate a1386W
  review of the UN's conduct in relation to the Act of Free Choice in West Papua in 1968–1969; and if he will make a statement. [186379]

  Mr. Rammell
  The Report of the Special Representative who oversaw the implementation of the UN backed 1969 Act of Free Choice resulting in West Papua becoming a province of Indonesia was accepted by a majority vote of the UN in November 1969.

  The British Government, together with other members of the international community, have continued to stress to the Indonesian Government at the highest level the need to implement fully the 2001 Special Autonomy law for Papua. This law allows for the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Committee to look at the incorporation of Papua into Indonesia in the 1960s.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Afghanistan
  Mr. Liddell-Grainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) if he will make a statement on the progress of reconstruction in Afghanistan. [186441]

  (2) what recent representations he has received regarding the progress of reconstruction in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [186442]

  Mr. Gareth Thomas
  The Secretary of State and I continue to regularly receive representations on Afghanistan, from members of Parliament, the public and non-governmental organisations. They have reflected the priorities that people attach to the reconstruction process.

  Considerable progress has been made since the fall of the Taliban in November 2001. Over 3 million refugees have been helped to return to Afghanistan. 4.5 million children are in school this year and over 30 per cent. are girls. A vaccination campaign has led to the near eradication of polio and the immunisation of 9 million children against measles saving over 35,000 lives. Progress has also been made in economic recovery with the International Monetary Fund estimating economy growing by 30 per cent. last year.

  At the international conference in Berlin, donors pledged $8.2 billion over three years to help rebuild Afghanistan. Finance Minister Ghani said donors met Afghanistan's target for this year, pledging $4.5 billion, and covered more than two thirds of its expectations over the next three years. On October 9, the first-ever direct presidential elections in the post-Taliban country will be held. Voter registration has now closed with over 10.5 million Afghans registered (42 per cent. are women). This is hugely encouraging result, which we hope will lead to the successful conclusion of the Bonn Process.

  Water and Sanitation
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the aid budget will be spent on water and sanitation in 2004–05; and if he will make a statement. [187528]
  1387W
  Mr. Gareth Thomas
  The Department for International Development's (DFID) support for water and sanitation is predominantly channelled through our country programmes and support to multi-lateral institutions. Expenditure allocations reflect developing country governments' own priorities, and our assistance is co-ordinated with that of other donors. DFID works to assist countries to use their budgets for greatest impact on reducing poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). For these reasons, DFID has not made a forward commitment specifically for the water sector.

  However, DFID significantly supports the water sector providing the UK's bilateral expenditure of approximately £90 million (the last period for which
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  precise data are available is 2001–02 when bilateral water expenditure was £87 million), which represents approximately 6 per cent. of the bilateral aid budget. This includes programmes in which water and sanitation and hygiene promotion are the main aims, and those where water and sanitation are components associated with wider objectives such as better health or education or improved urban management. DFID's contribution to multilateral expenditure on water and sanitation is estimated to be in excess of £40 million per year. As a result, the UK was the fourth largest contributor of financial aid to the water sector in 2000 and 2001, and fifth in 2002. DFID is in the process of updating projections of bilateral and multilateral water-related expenditure through to 2007–08, taking into account the autumn 2004 resource a location round.

  Questions for Written Answer
  Questions for Written Answer
  HIV/AIDS
  HIV/AIDS
  Army: Structure Changes
  Army: Structure Changes
  Government Departments: Official Entertainment
  Government Departments: Official Entertainment
  English Ports: Ocean-going Liners
  English Ports: Ocean-going Liners