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Western Sahara

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with Ministers in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office regarding food security in Western Sahara. [92639]

Clare Short : I have not had any specific discussions with Ministers in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on food security in Western Sahara.

DFID continues to provide support to the Saharawi refugees through its contributions to the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) and the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Western Sahel

Mr. Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much emergency aid her Department is giving to the World Food Programme's Emergency Operation Appeal for the Western Sahel; and if she will make a statement. [92802]

Clare Short: We have agreed to provide £1,000,000 for the World Food Programme's Emergency Operation Appeal for the Western Sahel.

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LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Civil Servants

Mr. Laws: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, how many civil servants have been employed by (a) her Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental bodies in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and if she will make a statement. [92367]

Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, (Mr. Alexander) on 22 January 2003, Official Report, column 333W.

PRIVY COUNCIL

Annual Report

Norman Lamb: To ask the President of the Council how much producing the Privy Council Department's latest Annual Report cost; how many copies were printed; how many copies of it were sold at its cover price; to whom copies of the report have been provided free of charge; and how many copies were provided free of charge. [90888]

Mr. Robin Cook: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on Wednesday 22 January, Official Report, column 333W.

As in previous years, my Department's latest Annual Report is published in the same document as the Cabinet Office's.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Congestion Charge

Sir Brian Mawhinney: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will arrange for a payment point to be set up in the precinct of the House to enable hon. Members and others to pay the Congestion Charge. [93401]

Sir Archy Kirkwood: Over recent months House officials have sought to make arrangements with Transport for London for a Congestion Charge payment point to be installed at a convenient location in the Palace of Westminster, and they will continue to press TFL for early action.

Meanwhile, hon. Members may wish to know that there is a payment machine at the entrance to the Abingdon Green car park, and that other methods of payment include:

Online at www.cclondon.com;


By telephone on 0845 900 1234;


By mobile phone text message, having registered online or by telephone;


At a range of petrol stations and retail outlets;

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E-mail

Mr. Tyler: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the estimated cost is of the system introduced to block the delivery of e-mails to members containing profanities or other language considered objectionable; what criteria are being used for this editorial system and by whom; how many e-mails have been blocked; and if he will make a statement. [93384]

Sir Archy Kirkwood: PCD is using existing software to block inappropriate e-mails and therefore the new system has minimal cost. In the first week the system blocked 908 inappropriate e-mails sent to parliamentary e-mail addresses. The system filters incoming e-mails from non-parliamentary addresses and will not affect internal communications, outgoing e-mails or e-mails received from remote workers attached to the parliamentary data and video network (PDVN) via Citrix. The sender of any e-mail that is blocked will be notified and invited to contact the intended recipient to arrange for the blocked e-mail to be unblocked. This will prevent any genuine e-mail from being lost.

PCD recognises that on occasions, constituents might use strong language: for example, if they are writing about a constituency issue on which they have firm views, or of which they have had a bad direct experience. Incoming e-mails that contain only a few mild expletives will be unaffected. Only those e-mails which contain a high proportion of the most offensive obscenities are blocked automatically.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Further Education

Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the review of Further Education in Northern Ireland will be published; and what plans he has to change the number of Further Education (a) colleges and (b) campuses in Northern Ireland. [93277]

Jane Kennedy : A consultation paper oh the role of the statutory FE sector, was published on 5 November 2002. The consultation period closed on 10 January 2003 and responses are being considered. Concurrently, evidence is being gathered on the range of issues covered by the review. The publication date for any conclusions or proposals is not yet known. It is too early, therefore, to comment on any particular matter.

Hub Arts Centre

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much Laganside Corporation proposes to offer as its contribution to the overall cost of the Hub Arts Centre. [92930]

Mr. Browne: Plans are not sufficiently developed at this stage to give a precise answer to this question. An economic appraisal is currently being carried out by the Arts Council for Northern Ireland to determine the scale and usage of the proposed building subject to its board approval. Laganside Corporation plans to

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contribute land upon which to site the Arts Centre and the value of this land will be determined further into the project.

Wind Farms

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans there are to consult (a) the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and (b) the RSPB on future wind farm applications in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [92274]

Angela Smith: All applications for wind farm developments are considered against prevailing planning policies, taking account of representations received following normal advertising and consultation procedures.

The main policy guidance in this area is contained in "A Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland". This states that all proposals for wind farms will be assessed in respect of their implications for the visual, ecological and historic landscapes; the implications for agriculture; and the safety and amenity of local residents. It also makes it clear that permission will not be granted for wind turbine development in any location where it would have a seriously detrimental impact on the amenity of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or on any area designated for its conservation, scientific, archaeological or historic interest.

Consultation on wind farm proposals will normally include the Environmental Health Department of the relevant local Council, the Department of the Environment's Environment and Heritage Service, the Department for Regional Development's Roads and Water Services, the Ministry of Defence, and the Civil Aviation Authority.

In addition, under the Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999, the Department may require an Environmental Statement where a proposal is located in a 'sensitive area' and/or involves the installation of more than two turbines, or the hub height of any turbine or height of any other structure exceeds 15 metres. This Statement will provide the Department with detailed information about the impact that a proposal may have on the environment.

It is not normal procedure to consult the Northern Ireland Tourist Board on planning applications that, although in scenic areas, do not have a direct impact on tourism, and thus do not fall within the statutory remit of the Board. It is not, therefore, the practice of the Planning Service to consult the NITB automatically in relation to planning applications for wind farms and there are no plans to introduce such a practice.

The English Planning Policy Guidance Note (PPG 22) 'Renewable Energy' states that, apart from the movement of the blades, the development of a wind farm warrants no different approach in terms of ecological considerations from any other development, and evidence suggests that the risk of collision between moving turbine blades and birds is minimal both for migrating birds and for local habitats.

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Applications for wind farms will sometimes be made in, or close to, areas designated as of ecological importance, and such applications will be rigorously examined under the policies and guidance contained in Planning Policy Statement 2, 'Planning and Nature Conservation'. However, in terms of any potential direct impact of a wind farm proposal on the integrity of sites designated as of wildlife importance, including those designated for the conservation of birds, the Planning Service's main source of advice and guidance will remain the Department's Environment and Heritage Service and there are no plans to introduce a practice of consulting the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on wind farm applications.

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