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Hydrographic Office

Dr. Palmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what key targets have been set for the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office for the financial year 2002–03. [55842]

Dr. Moonie: The key targets set for the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office for the Financial Year 2002–03 are as follows:

10 May 2002 : Column 380W

Publish 100 per cent of priority safety information within the stated timescales from receipt of the original data.
Deliver Defence specific outputs as defined in the Tasking Authorisation Forms. All agreed outputs delivered to time and quality.
Improve completeness and delivery of orders. 90 per cent of orders shipped to schedule and 95 per cent line completeness at first despatch by year end.
Deliver immediate and medium term change projects to ensure the long-term viability of the Office.
Break even taking one year with another and return an average Return on Capital Employed over the Plan period of 7.5 per cent.
Achieve efficiency measure of 5 per cent growth in "Value Added" per member of staff (based on FY 2000–01) by FY 2005–06.

Offshore Wind Farms

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has made and to whom against proposals for offshore wind farms off (a) Cromer and (b) the coast of Lancashire; and if he will make a statement. [55578]

Dr. Moonie: The Ministry of Defence has made known its objections to these offshore windfarm proposals to both the Department of Trade and Industry and to the developers concerned. Discussions continue with the developers.

London Power's proposed site off Cromer is close to the Cromer Air Defence Radar and therefore the MOD has objected because the siting of wind turbines close to such installations can produce false returns on radar screens.

The proposed sites off Lancashire by Shell and Energie Kontor lie within 15 miles of the airfield at British Aerospace Systems Ltd Warton and give rise to similar issues of potential radar interference.

Basic Training Costs

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost is of basic training for one enlisted recruit in the British Army. [55169]

Dr. Moonie [holding answer 9 May 2002]: In the Financial Year to 31 March 2002, the estimated cost of basic training for one recruit to the British Army was £11,000.

Drug Tests

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) drug tests, (b) positive results of drug tests and (c) subsequent dismissals there have been in the British Army, broken down by (i) regiment and (ii) division in the last five years. [55167]

Dr. Moonie [holding answer 9 May 2002]: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Naval Vessel Sales

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many naval vessels have been sold in the last five years; and what records are retained. [55166]

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Dr. Moonie [holding answer 9 May 2002]: 103 surplus former Naval vessels have been sold in the last five years via the Ministry of Defence's Disposal Services Agency (DSA). This figure includes named capital ships, minor vessels and marine support vessels. Detailed records for the last five years of all surplus transactions are retained by the DSA. There was also one Upholder Submarine sold during this period. This was the responsibility of the MOD's Upholder Programme and records would be retained by that MOD branch.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum Seekers

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 19 October 2001, Official Report, column 1394W, on asylum seekers, when he will place the letters from Merseyside Police concerning asylum seekers in Everton, Liverpool in the Library. [43300]

Angela Eagle: Further to my Answer of 27 February 2002, Official Report, column 1397W. The letters were placed in the Library on 18 March 2002. I apologise to my hon Friend for the administrative delay that occurred.

Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what performance indicators and output targets are used by the National Asylum Support Service to measure the efficiency of its service to asylum seekers and other stakeholders; and how the NASS is performing against these performance indicators and output targets. [44752]

Angela Eagle: The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) measures its performance against challenging targets. Targets are set for individual areas of work. Details of targets for the main areas of work are as follows:

Area of work	Target	Current performance
Response to enquiries about vouchers	24 hours	Met in 100 per
cent of cases
Single additional payment and replacement of HC2 certificates	5 days in 90 per cent
of cases	Target met
Post allocation work (including requests for payment of maternity grant and inclusion of additional dependants)	10 days in 90 per cent
of cases	Target is met in 11 of 13
different work
areas.
Change of circumstances i.e. request to change from subsistence only to subsistence and accommodation	10 days in 90 per cent
of cases	Target met
Assessment of non complex applications for support	3 days in 90 per cent of cases	Target met
Turnaround time for subsistence only applications	5 days in 90 per cent of cases	Target met

"Supporting Families"

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Stafford (Mr. Kidney) of 4 December 2001, Official Report, column 231W, when the report on progress towards the recommendations in the Supporting Families document will be placed in the Library. [44202]

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Angela Eagle: A progress report on the issues raised in the Supporting Families document was placed in the Library today.

Animal Experiments

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to bring forward regulations on (a) mandatory investment by commercial companies into the development of non-animal alternatives to animal testing and (b) over-breeding of animals for experiments. [43970]

Angela Eagle: The Government does not believe that setting mandatory requirements for investment into research into alternatives to the use of animals in scientific procedures is either desirable or necessary.

Nonetheless, every year the Home Office makes available to the Animal Procedures Committee (APC) a budget for research aimed at developing or promoting the use of alternatives which replace animal use, reduce the number of animals used, or refine the procedures involved to minimise suffering (the three Rs). Details of completed research projects are published in the annual Report of the Animal Procedures Committee, which is available from The Stationery Office.

The amount made available to the Committee for 2001–02 for this specific purpose has increased to £280,000. However, this is not the only money spent by the Government on seeking to develop alternatives, as other Departments also fund such work. It is estimated that the total spent on this by the United Kingdom Government is in the region of £2 million each year. Industry also spends many millions of pounds each year on the search for and development of alternatives. To take this further on an international level, the United Kingdom Government will continue to support the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) through contributions to the European Union.

The Animal Procedures Committee looked at the issue of the over-breeding of animals for use in scientific procedures as part of its 10-year review of the 1986 Act. The Committee defined "overbreeding" as "the production in breeding programmes of animals intended for use in scientific procedures but which prove to be unsuitable for such use or surplus to requirements". With the exception of genetically modified animals, the production of which is a regulated procedure, these animals are not recorded in the annual statistics on animal use under the 1986 Act since they are not used in regulated procedures. Estimates vary significantly as to the number of animals that may be involved. The Animal Procedures Committee concluded that although some overbreeding was unavoidable, it can and should be minimised and it recommended principles of best practice to help to achieve this. The Committee also undertook to liaise with the Laboratory Animal Science Association, which has also been considering the issue of overbreeding and how it can be minimised, to refine these principles before finalising its advice. I expect to receive the Committee's report by the summer and will carefully consider the further advice it provides.

Non-police Personnel

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he will inform the public of the

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allocation of the power to detain and use force to non-police personnel; what the projected cost is of providing this information; and if he will make a statement. [44964]

Mr. Denham: Clause 35 (4) of the Police Reform Bill proposes that a police authority must include in their annual policing plan any proposals they have to employ, accredit or give powers to police support staff or members of Community Safety Accreditation Schemes. These plans are published.

Under the Police Act 1996, police authorities are already required to issue an annual policing plan each year and, so, any additional information can be included in the plan at minimal cost.

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