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Golf Courses

Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the locations of possible golf

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courses which have been provisionally selected to be sited on military land; which sites will be (a) leased and (b) sold to private operators; how many other sites (i) within the Colchester Garrison estate and (ii) elsewhere were investigated but will not be proceeded with; and if all revenue obtained from leasing or selling land for such golf courses will be retained by his Department. [131074]

Dr. Moonie: The information requested is not held centrally. I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Flight Data Recorders

Mr. Martin Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress is being made in fitting flight data recorders to Lynx, Puma and Sea King helicopters. [130472]

Dr. Moonie: Both the Royal Navy and Army Lynx aircraft are to undergo major upgrades: for the Royal Navy aircraft this will be through the Mark 8 Enhancement package, and for the Army aircraft through the Future Lynx programme. In both of these programmes, the aircraft will be fitted with a Health and Usage Monitoring System which includes Cockpit Voice and Flight Data Recorders (CVFDR). Work has been taking place to assess how to fit the equipment to the aircraft, and we aim to place a contract in the spring of 2001.

A proposal to fit CVFDRs to our Sea King and Puma fleets is under consideration.

TREASURY

Computer Disasters

Mr. Fabricant: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with financial institutions regarding disaster contingency measures. [131069]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Treasury Ministers frequently discuss a wide range of issues with representatives of financial institutions. The Financial Services Authority, as financial regulator, works closely with the institutions it supervises to ensure that their risk management processes follow good practice.

Fuel Duty

Mr. Russell Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will investigate the feasibility of introducing different fuel duties in rural and urban areas. [130407]

Mr. Timms [holding answer 13 July 2000]: The Government have no plans to do so.

Differential fuel duties would be difficult and expensive to administer. No new arrangements for differential rates of road fuel duty have been sanctioned by the European Commission since the completion of the single market.

Endowment Mortgages

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many, and what percentage of, 25 year endowment contracts (a) with profits and (b) unit linked

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purchased (i) one year ago, (ii) five years ago, (iii) 10 years ago, (iv) 15 years ago and (v) 20 years ago are still in force today; [129952]

(2) what research has been conducted in the last 10 years by (a) the Treasury and (b) the Financial Services Authority and its antecedent bodies, into long-term persistency rates on endowments, particularly linked to mortgages; and if he will publish figures for overall persistency for that period. [129953]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Personal Investment Authority collects and publishes information on the persistency of endowment contracts, but only for terms of up to four years after the contract is effected. The latest figures were published in October 1999 in the Personal Investment Authority's "Fifth Survey Of The Persistency of Life And Pensions Policies", a copy of which has been placed in the House of Commons Library. Persistency data are collected on endowments generically without distinguishing endowments used to repay mortgages from endowments used for savings purposes and without distinguishing with-profits endowments from unit linked endowments. There has been no specific research commissioned into the persistency of mortgage endowments.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Sierra Leone

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on (a) the Indian peacekeepers detained by the RUF in Sierra Leone and (b) the UN personnel surrounded by the RUF in the south east of Sierra Leone; and what the conditions for their release are. [127657]

Mr. Hain: The 21 Indian peacekeepers detained by RUF at Pendembu in Sierra Leone were released unconditionally during the last week in June. We are pleased that the 233 UN personnel surrounded by RUF in the south east of Sierra Leone at Kailahun are now safe following the successful action by UNAMSIL forces on 14-15 July.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the nature of the support offered by British officials observing the Lome peace negotiations. [130788]

Mr. Hain: British officials were present in Lome in order to observe the peace negotiations. They were in close touch throughout with the negotiators and other observers helping to facilitate the negotiations.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the application of Article XVIII of the Lome Peace Agreement to the Government of Sierra Leone's helicopter support. [130831]

Mr. Hain: The application of Article XVIII of the Lome Peace Agreement to the Government of Sierra Leone's helicopter support is a matter for the Government of Sierra Leone.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 23 June 2000, Official Report, column 318W, if the

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Commonwealth Secretariat was used as a medium to transmit the views of Her Majesty's Government on the best method to reach a settlement in the Lome Peace Accord; and if he will make a statement. [130853]

Mr. Hain: We remained in close touch with the Commonwealth Secretariat throughout the Lome peace negotiations, as well as with other observers and the negotiators themselves. The decision on reaching a settlement rested with the Government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 26 June 2000, Official Report, column 400W, on Sierra Leone, if he will identify the (a) Cabinet positions and (b) Deputy ministerial positions occupied by RUF members; and what their present positions are. [130839]

Mr. Hain: The Cabinet positions occupied by members of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) were the Ministry of Trade and Industry; the Ministry of Energy and Power; and the Ministry of Lands, Housing, Country Planning and the Environment. The Deputy ministerial positions occupied by members of the RUF were in the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government; the Ministry of Transport and Communications; and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Marine Resources.

None of these positions is now occupied by members of the RUF. We have made clear our view that, after the attacks by the RUF on United Nations peacekeepers and the RUF's clear violation of the Lome Peace Agreement, there can be no role for members of the RUF in the present Government of Sierra Leone.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 26 June 2000, Official Report, column 400W, on Sierra Leone, if the Government persuaded negotiators in the Lome Accords to modify their negotiating position to (a) take account of the Government's position, and (b) to facilitate the reaching of a peace agreement. [130837]

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Mr. Hain: The Lome Peace Agreement was negotiated and entered into by the Government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front. Negotiating positions were a matter for the parties concerned.

Observers in Lome, including Britain, remained in close touch with the negotiators throughout, and were able to offer advice in order to help facilitate the negotiations where requested.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 26 June 2000, Official Report, column 401W, on Sierra Leone, for what reason the Commission for the Management for Strategic Resources, National Reconstruction and Development was not fully established by the end of April; and if all the Commission's funds are accounted for. [130838]

Mr. Hain: A number of factors hampered the establishment of the commission for the Management of Strategic Resources, National Reconstruction and Development. The United Nations Secretary-General's report dated 19 May states that the Commission, chaired by Foday Sankoh, had not produced a plan of action, and that there appeared to be a lack of political consensus on the role of the Commission vis-a-vis existing Government Ministries.

As far as we are aware, the Commission had received no direct funding, although at least one donor had indicated a willingness to provide funds to help it to become established.

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