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Concessionary Travel

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assistance he provides to local authorities in order that they can provide free rail passes to pensioners entitling them to concessionary rail travel; [106071]

(2) whether his Department instructs local authorities on the rate at which rail passes should be supplied to pensioners for concessionary rail travel; [106070]

(3) what discussions he has had with HM Treasury regarding the provision of free (a) passes for pensioners entitling them to concessionary rail travel and (b) off-peak travel on all public transport for all pensioners; [106072]

(4) what guidelines he issues to local authorities on the provision of rail passes for pensioners entitling them to concessionary travel. [106069]

Mr. Jamieson: Beyond the statutory minimum requirement for concessionary travel (half-fare on local buses for older and disabled people, with no charge for the pass) decisions about whether to offer a more generous scheme for bus and rail travel are for the relevant PTAs/local authorities.

Expenditure on concessionary travel schemes is covered by the contribution that the Government makes to local authorities through the annual grant settlement, including where a PTA/local authority offers consessionary travel on local railways.

Fylde Coast Light Rail Scheme

Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with other Government departments about the potential regeneration benefits of the proposed Fylde Coast Light Rail Scheme. [105798]

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Mr. Spellar: None yet, since Blackpool Council have not yet submitted formal proposals for this scheme. My Department is currently considering their proposals for refurbishment of the existing, historic tram system. I am well aware of the importance the Council attaches to these as part of their regeneration strategy for Blackpool.

Shipping (Iraq)

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with the shipping industry on the ownership and operation of the deep water container port at Umm Qasr, Iraq. [105875]

Mr. Jamieson: None.

Rail Safety

Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which of the contractors responsible for rail safety in the (a) Paddington and (b) Hatfield rail crashes operated quality management systems. [105605]

Mr. Jamieson: I understand that Network Rail's safety procedures require contractors to have suitable and sufficient Safety Quality and Environment Management systems in place in accordance with the company's railway standards. Both Amey and Balfour Beatty had such systems in place at the times of the Paddington and Hatfield rail crashes.

PRIME MINISTER

Iraq

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister whether he consulted previous prime ministers before committing British forces to battle in Iraq. [105436]

The Prime Minister: I have discussions with a wide range of individuals and organisations. As with previous Administrations it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions, under exemptions 2 and 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his recent meeting with the Secretary General of the United Nations in New York; and if he will place in the Library copies of briefing material used in respect of that meeting. [106418]

The Prime Minister: I met United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in New York on 27 March. We discussed a range of issues including the on-going consultations on the Oil for Food Programme and the UN's role in Iraq.

Since that meeting the Security Council has unanimously adopted UN Security Council Resolution 1472 (2003) providing for the continuation of the Oil for Food Programme.

Information relating to internal advice and consultation is not disclosed under Exemption 2, Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

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Palestine

Lynne Jones: To ask the Prime Minister when he informed Mr. Abu Mazen that the publication of the final draft of the roadmap had been postponed until after the approval by the Palestinian Legislative Council of the Palestinian Cabinet; and when and by whom this decision was taken. [106451]

The Prime Minister: Publication is the responsibility of the Roadmap's authors, the Quartet of the UN, EU, United States and Russia. As I told the House on 26 March 2003, Official Report, column 281, "when the Palestinian Prime Minister has his Cabinet in place, the roadmap will be given to both the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority". This decision was announced by President Bush on 14 March.

Pensions

Mr. Heald: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the (a) funded and (b) unfunded public sector pension schemes for which he is responsible; when the last actuarial valuation was of each scheme; what the value was of the assets at the last actuarial valuation of each scheme; what deficit is disclosed by the last actuarial valuation of each scheme; and if he will make a statement. [104929]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on Monday 31 March 2003, Official Report.

I am responsible for two pension schemes for the staff of the Security and Intelligence Agencies. Both are unfunded and operate by analogy with the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Work Placements

Mr. Allen: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy for his Department to support and sponsor work placements for degree students. [106059]

The Prime Minister: Many Government Departments already run work placement schemes.

TREASURY

Advertising Campaigns

Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's total spending was on advertising and promotional campaigns between April 2002 and March 2003; and what the cost of each campaign was, broken down by costs relating to (a) television, (b) radio and (c) print media. [106431]

Ruth Kelly: The total cost of advertising and promotional campaigns by HM Treasury for the year to March 2003 was nil.

Tax Relief (Amateur Sports Clubs)

Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what tax relief is available for amateur sports clubs; and what plans he has to change these arrangements. [105903]

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John Healey: The Finance Act 2002 introduced a range of tax reliefs for Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) on their income and on donations made to them, similar to those normally given to charities.

The measures provide CASCs with exemption from:

corporation tax on interest;


corporation tax on any trading income up to £15,000;


corporation tax on income from property up to £10,000; and


capital gains tax on disposals of assets.

Donors to CASCs will be able to give using the following reliefs:

Gift aid for individuals;


Inheritance tax;


Gifts of assets to a CASC on a no gain/no loss basis for capital gains purposes for both individuals and companies;


Gifts of trading stock and plant and machinery by businesses.

Clubs which meet the Charity Commission's criteria for charitable status can apply to the Charity Commission for registration. That gives them access to the more generous tax reliefs available to charities. The Chancellor keeps all elements of the tax system under review, in the context of his annual Budget Statement.

Annuities

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many letters he has received since February 2002 from residents in the Buckingham constituency regarding annuities. [106368]

Ruth Kelly: Three letters on this subject have been identified as coming from the Buckingham constituency.

Commercial Confidentiality

Rob Marris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance his Department issues to civil servants on how to deal with claims from organisations that the information they provide to the Department is commercially confidential. [105483]

Ruth Kelly: It is not standard practice to verify claims of commercial confidentiality on receiving information from organisations as this issue is normally only relevant if the question arises as to whether the information should be disclosed to another party. The Treasury has not issued guidance on this issue. In the event of a request for information claimed to be commercially confidential, officials would rely on the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information and central guidance on the operation of the Code to determine whether information should be withheld.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the expenditure of his Department on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in 2002. [106299]

Ruth Kelly: Expenditure on newspapers, magazines and periodicals is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

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