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4 Dec 2002 : Column 807W—continued

Learning, Leisure and Sport

25. Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the Welsh Assembly on improvements in learning, leisure and sporting opportunities. [83092]

Mr. Touhig: My right hon. Friend meets regularly with the First Minister and I hold regular meetings with the National Assembly Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning to discuss a range of areas, including the significant improvements which continue to be made in opportunities for education, training, leisure and sport in Wales.

Transport

27. Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly regarding co-ordination in transport in Wales. [83094]

Peter Hain: I meet with the First Minister of the Welsh Assembly Government regularly to discuss a range of issues, including the co-ordination of transport in Wales. Recently my hon. Friend the Under Secretary of State for Wales met with the Assembly's Minister for the Environment to discuss, among other things, integrated transport in Wales.

We are working closely with the Assembly Government to identify the best means of developing integrated transport networks.

Farming

28. Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales regarding the farming industry in Wales. [83095]

Peter Hain: I have regular meetings with the First Secretary at which a variety of issues are discussed, including the Welsh farming.

I look forward to meeting representatives of the farming industry and doing all I can on behalf of the industry in Wales.

Courts

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Lord Chancellor's Department about the closure of magistrates' courts, Crown courts and their administrative offices in Wales. [83096]

Mr. Touhig: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with colleagues about matters affecting Wales.

Decisions on the future of individual magistrates' courts are a matter for the Magistrates' Courts Committees (MCC). Each MCC is responsible for providing an efficient and effective service to court users

4 Dec 2002 : Column 808W

in its area, including the provision of adequate accommodation, in consultation with the local paying authority or authorities.

There are no plans to close any Crown Court Centres in Wales.

Heroin

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent estimate he has made of the scale of heroin misuse in coalfield areas in Wales. [83069]

Mr. Touhig: Due to the illegal nature of drug taking it is extremely difficult to estimate the number of users. We have to rely on the number of people in treatment and the number of people arrested testing positive in order to get an estimate of the scale of heroin misuse.

Official Travel

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the total expenditure of (a) his Department and (b) its agencies was on official travel in 2001–02. [84790]

Peter Hain [holding answer 3 December 2002]: Expenditure on travel by my Department in 2001–02 was some £260,000.

My Department has no agencies.

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the total budget of (a) his Department and (b) its agencies is for official travel in 2002–03. [84938]

Peter Hain [holding answer 3 December 2002]: Travel costs are met from within the general running costs budget. There is no discrete budget solely for travel.

My Department has no agencies.

Police Funding

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues and the First Secretary of the National Assembly about police funding in Wales. [83090]

Mr. Touhig: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues, and with Assembly Members about matters affecting Wales.

My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and Minister for Crime Reduction, Policing, Community Safety and Young People will tomorrow be announcing details of the provisional funding settlement for police authorities for 2003–04.

Public Appointments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on his ethnic minority strategy for public appointments. [83075]

Mr. Touhig: Although the Wales Office does not make public appointments, where recommendations are given, we seek to ensure that there is equality of opportunity for all people.

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DEFENCE

Army Exercises

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Army exercises have been cancelled since January 2001. [84535]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 2 December 2002]: For details on those exercises cancelled between January and November 2001, I refer the hon. Member to the

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answer given on 22 November 2001, Official Report, column 374W to the hon. Member for New Forest, West (Mr. Swayne) The following table covers those Army exercises which have been cancelled since November 2001. It includes details on the defence exercise programme, but not unit-organised exercises, details of which are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Exercise name	Dates	Country	Reason for cancellation
Flying Rhino 02	Not finalised	Germany	Operational commitments
Gobi Dust 02	Not finalised	USA	US could not provide troops
Winged Star 02	Not finalised	USA	Firefighters strike
Bass Rock 02	Not finalised	Canada	Canada could not provide troops
Readiness Challenge 02	1–27 April 2002	USA	US cancelled exercise
Artful Issue 02	October 2002	Germany	UK withdrawal from multi-national division centre
Snowshoe 1 and 2	January-March 2002	Canada	No longer required
Arrcade Globe 02	July 2002	Germany	Cancelled by HQ ARRC
Glacial Engima	January 2002	Norway	Operational commitments
Ardent Ground 02	May 2002	Germany	UK withdrawal from AMF(L)
PFP 1/02	Not finalised	Central Asia	Cancelled by CENTCOM
Ponte Vecchio	Not finalised	Italy	Cancelled by Jt. NBC Regt.
Iron Ram 02	1–30 November 2002	Italy	Firefighters strike
Gaulish 4/02	November 2002	France	Firefighters strike
Asterix 4/02	October 2002	France	Firefighters strike
Kelp Fire	January-March 2002	Falkland Islands	Operational commitments
Rock Work	Not finalised	Gibraltar	Unit cancellation
Britannia Way/Iberian Focus	September 2002	Spain	Firefighters strike
Lark Song/Foxtrot	Not finalised	Denmark	Cancelled by Denmark
Island Spell	June 2002	Falkland Islands	Cancelled by unit
Power Drive	November 2002	Gibraltar	Cancelled by host command
Courageous Bat	September 2002	Denmark	Cancelled by unit
Cygnet Goose	September 2002	Falkland Islands	Cancelled by unit
Grand Prix 3/02	25 October-6 December 2002	Kenya	Firefighters strike
Panther Cub 6/02	17 September-30 October 2002	Belize	Ex returned to UK 4 days after deployment due to firefighters strike
Panther Cub 7/02	30 October-12 December 2002	Belize	Firefighters strike
Iron Foray	5–11 November 2002	UK	Firefighters strike
UK Milan Concentration	10–21 November 2002	UK	Firefighters strike
Druids Dance	18 November-8 December 2002	UK	Firefighters strike
Reynard Chase	25 November-8 December 2002	UK	Resource constraints
Ulan Eagle	26 August-21 September 2002	UK	Downsized due to resource constraints

Audits

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) external and (b) internal bodies that audit the Ministry of Defence. [84542]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 2 December 2002]: The Comptroller and Auditor General is the external auditor of most of the Ministry of Defence's activity, covering the MOD's 11 top level budgets and six of the MOD's seven executive non-departmental public bodies. KPMG are currently the external auditor for the seventh, the Oil and Pipeline Agency.

The main source of internal audit is provided by the MOD's Defence Internal Audit Service, which covers the 11 top level budgets and two trading funds (ABRO and DARA). Of the remaining three trading funds, PKF are internal auditors for the Met Office, Deloitte and Touche are internal auditors to DSTL and Bentley Jennison for the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office. Of the non-departmental public bodies, Walton & Co are auditors to the Royal Marines Museum, the Royal Naval Museum and the Royal Navy Submarines Museum. KPMG are internal auditors to the Oil and Pipeline Agency. Baker Tilly are internal auditors to the Fleet Air Museum, while Daly, Hoggett & Co are internal auditors to the National Army Museum.

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