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Private Finance Initiative

Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will make a statement on the provision of information on Special Purpose Vehicles; and what guidelines he has issued on how and when companies should disclose profits from work conducted under the Private Finance Initiative; [95097]

(2) what discussions officials from (a) his Department and (b) the Accounting Standards Board have had with (i) Amey, (ii) Amec, (iii) Balfour Beatty, (iv) Jarvis and (v) Laing concerning how and when companies should disclose profits from work conducted under the Private Finance Initiative; [95102]

(3) what discussions officials from his Department have had with representatives of the Accounting Standards Board regarding (a) the provision of information on Special Purpose Vehicles and (b) guidelines on how and when companies should disclose profits from work conducted under the Private Finance Initiative. [95103]

Mr. Boateng: The provision of accounting information by all companies is a matter for the independent Accounting Standards Board, not for Government. Special Purpose Vehicles are required to abide by the ASB's rules, just as all other limited companies are.

The Accounting Standards Board is an independent body and the Government do not have details of the meetings that the Board and its officials hold with third parties. HM Treasury has observer status on the Accounting Standards Board and has regular contacts with the Board on a range of issues.

Treasury officials frequently meet with PFI stakeholders, including PFI contractors and investors, to discuss a variety of subjects.

Public Service Agreement

Mr. Prisk : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 20 January 2003, Official Report, column 50W, on the Public Service Agreement,

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whether the annual planning round of his Department uses Public Service Agreements as a direct measure of the staffing levels required to run his Department; and if he will publish the guidelines used by the Treasury Management Board. [94376]

Mr. Boateng: Our Public Service Agreement Targets are central to how the Department allocates its resources during the annual business planning round. The business planning guidelines used by the Treasury Management Board are being placed in the Library of the House.

Tony Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the guidance provided to Departments on how they should report progress and achievement against their Public Service Agreement targets. [95109]

Mr. Boateng: A copy of the guidance issued for the spring 2003 departmental reports has been placed in the Library. The reports will include reporting against Public Service Agreement targets.

Tony Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what definition he uses of 'partially met' in relation to Departments' reporting of achievement against their public service agreement targets. [95108]

Mr. Boateng: 'Partially met' means that at least one part, but not all parts, of a target has been met.

Tax Offices

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax offices there are in the UK. [95432]

John Healey: The Inland Revenue has over 600 offices throughout the UK, ranging widely in size and function.

Tax Returns

Mr. Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of tax returns for the year to 5 April 2002 were sent on behalf of taxpayers to the Inland Revenue by (a) chartered accountants, (b) certified accountants, (c) other agents using the term accountant in their designations and (d) solicitors. [96146]

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available.

Tobacco

Matthew Taylor : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 27 January 2003, Official Report, column 605W, concerning tobacco, what proportion of travellers previously purchasing at the indicative levels for tobacco were assumed to have an intent to resell illegally in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [95224]

John Healey: Of those travellers purchasing at the previous indicative levels for tobacco, it was assumed that around 7 per cent. were doing so with the intent to resell illegally in the UK.

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CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Licensing (Churches)

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received regarding the implications of the new licensing legislation for churches; and if she will make a statement. [94593]

Dr. Howells: We have received many representations from members of the public and religious organisations about the proposal in the Licensing Bill to extend the entertainment licensing requirement for churches beyond Greater London, where it currently applies.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made a statement to the House on 3 February 2003, Official Report, columns 7–8WS, setting out the conclusions of our consideration of the provision of entertainment and entertainment facilities in places of public religious worship and village halls, church halls and other community buildings under the Licensing Bill. The Government have tabled an amendment to the Bill that would exempt secular entertainment provided in places of public religious worship and the provision of entertainment facilities in such places from the need to obtain a licence under the Bill when it is enacted. Music for the purposes of or incidental to a religious service or meeting will remain exempt.

Tourism Industry

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the per capita spend on the tourist industry in England was in 2001–02. [95398]

Dr. Howells: Direct financial support for the tourism industry in 2001–02 totalled £66.5 million, equating to £1.35 per capita in England, although £49.7 million of this was for the British Tourist Authority to promote Britain as a whole. Additionally, much other Government funding, including funding from my Department on, for example, museums and galleries, also benefits tourism.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Iraq (Administration Costs)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the locations in Iraq where the UNMOVIC and IAEA inspectors have found the materials and equipment for weapons of mass destruction set out in the Government's Iraq dossier of 24 September 2002. [95023]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Given the advance publicity about the sites in the dossier the Government did not expect Iraq to leave things to be found. Of the materials and equipment mentioned in the dossier, UNMOVIC and the IAEA have reported uncovering a number of unfilled chemical munitions at a military equipment storage site and a large quantity of nuclear-related documents concealed at the home of an Iraqi scientist. Although not listed in the dossier, the inspectors have

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also discovered a very large number of rocket motors at a missile production facility. None of these discoveries were made at sites identified in the dossier.

As was made clear in the dossier and in numerous public statements, Iraq has become very adept at concealing its weapons. The inspection teams are continuing their searches at large numbers of locations throughout Iraq.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the interim findings of the UNMOVIC and IAEA Iraq inspection teams as presented in their respective reports to the United Nations Security Council on 27 January. [95022]

Mr. Mike O'Brien : I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made on 3 February 2003, Official Report, columns 21–38, by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister regarding the Iraq situation.

Afghanistan Government

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been received by his Department concerning the stability of the coalition Government in Afghanistan. [95314]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We have not received any representations about the current stability of the Transitional Authority.

Balkans

Mr. Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice his Department is giving to travellers wishing to visit (a) Kosovo and (b) Bosnia-Herzegovina. [93593]

Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 27 January 2003]: We are not currently advising against all travel to Bosnia-Herzegovina. We are advising against non-essential travel to Kosovo.

FCO travel advice is available on the FCO's website www.fco.gov.uk and by telephone on 020 7008 0232/0233, by fax on 020 7008 0155/0164 or on written request from the Travel Advice Unit.

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