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Royal Navy

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what Royal Navy helicopter presence will remain in the Gulf after the return of HMS Ocean and HMS Ark Royal. [112262]

Mr. Ingram: Royal Navy helicopters will be assigned to those surface ships that are allocated to operations in the Gulf. Additionally, five RN Sea King MM aircraft will be remaining in Iraq for the next phase of Operation Telic.

Dr. Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what unmanned aerial vehicles he intends to acquire for Royal Navy use. [112266]

Mr. Ingram: We have no current plans to acquire unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for Royal Navy use. However we are planning a Joint UAV Experimentation Programme to examine the potential role of UAVs including, potentially, Royal Navy use.

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress there has been on repairs to HMS Nottingham. [112273]

Mr. Ingram: Work on HMS Nottingham began in December 2002. Repairs to the structure of the hull are expected to be completed by the end of May and work to strip out and replace damaged equipment, electrical rewiring and painting is progressing well. HMS Nottingham is expected to return to operational service, as planned, in November 2004.

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Sierra Leone

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role the Royal Navy is undertaking in respect of Sierra Leone. [112255]

Mr. Ingram: The United Kingdom has maintained a twin track strategy in Sierra Leone, supporting the UN mission and providing training, advice and assistance to the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) and the democratically elected Government of Sierra Leone. A UK-led International Military Advisory and Training Team (IMATT) continues to help build the RSLAF into an effective, professional and democratically accountable force. A number of Royal Navy personnel currently serve in the IMATT.

To show continued UK commitment to Sierra Leone, Royal Navy vessels are deployed to Sierra Leone waters. In February HMS Iron Duke and RFA Black Rover deployed to Sierra Leone. The next scheduled visit, by RFA Gold Rover, is due later this month.

Smart Munitions

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the smart munitions in the UK inventory, including in each case the (a) unit cost and (b) total number of each unit expected to be procured; and what the total budget is for such weapons in each financial year until 2006. [111838]

Mr. Ingram: For the purposes of this question a 'smart munition' has been defined as one with an autonomous ability to engage a designated target with a high degree of precision.

Using this definition, the following smart munitions are held in the United Kingdom inventory; Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, Paveway II, Enhanced Paveway II, Paveway III, Enhanced Paveway III, Sidewinder, Alarm, Sky Flash, AMRAAM (AIM-120B), Maverick and Sea Skua.

I am withholding details of unit cost, numbers and total budget in accordance with Exemptions 1 and 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Stevens Inquiry

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the findings of the Stevens Inquiry relating to the use of informants, with particular reference to Agent Stakeknife. [112548]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 13 May 2003]: Sir John Stevens' overview and recommendations published on 17 April 2003 made clear that his inquiries and specific criminal investigations are continuing and that his recommendations cover the operations of all security forces in Northern Ireland. It would therefore be inappropriate for the Ministry of Defence to comment.

Strategic Trends Paper

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place a copy of the Joint Doctrine and Concepts Centre paper on Strategic Trends in the Library. [113061]

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Mr. Ingram: I have placed a copy in the Library today. An electronic version is also available at www.jdcc.mod.uk/trends.htm.

Submarines

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when (a) HMS Astute, (b) HMS Artful and (c) HMS Ambush will be operational. [112015]

Mr. Ingram: In accordance with announcements made on 19 February this year, an agreement was reached between the Government and BAE Systems on both the Astute and Nimrod programmes. The exact details of the agreement required to establish formally the new financial structure and the revised in-service dates are being agreed.

The Government will report further when this has been achieved.

Type 45 Destroyer

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether all Type-45 destroyers will be equipped with Merlin helicopters. [111321]

Mr. Ingram: All Type-45 destroyers will be capable of carrying Merlin Mk1 helicopters. However, at any particular time, they will carry the type of helicopter most appropriate to their tasking.

CABINET OFFICE

Departmental Report

Dr. Palmer: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he will publish the Cabinet Office Departmental Report 2003. [114686]

Mr. Alexander: The Cabinet Office Departmental Report 2003 has today been laid before Parliament by my right hon. and noble Friend Lord Macdonald of Tradeston. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

African Trade

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made by the Whitehall Africa Trade Group in drawing up terms of reference for a G8 study of how to improve preferential access schemes in G8 countries. [113648]

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.

This study comparing the G8 preferential market access schemes for African and least developed countries is now underway and preliminary findings are expected in June. The study will aim to produce a basis for practical proposals on improving G8 market access for African goods by identifying which aspects of these schemes have the greatest impact on African exports and identify possible areas of trade related technical assistance that can help countries increase their utilisation of the schemes. The Institute of Development

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Studies at the University of Sussex is undertaking the research drawing on work by the World bank and UNCTAD on impacts of preferential market access schemes. The importance of the work was noted by G8 trade and development experts, meeting in Brussels in January, to discuss the G8 Africa Action Plan trade commitments.

British Business Assistance

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list her Department's schemes and services which have been initiated to assist British businesses; when they were opened; what expenditure has been committed; how many companies have received assistance from each scheme; and how much has been expended by way of assistance to business by each scheme to date. [113217]

Ms Hewitt: The information necessary to answer this question is not held centrally on a database and retrieving it would incur disproportionate cost.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much her Department has expended on advertising and promoting each scheme and service for assisting British business since 1997. [113219]

Ms Hewitt: The information necessary to answer this question is not held centrally on a database and retrieving it would incur disproportionate cost.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what procedures are in place for measuring the effectiveness of her Department's schemes and services which have been initiated to assist British business. [113222]

Ms Hewitt: The DTI routinely commissions a programme of independent evaluations of the impact of its business support programmes, the results of which are normally published in full. Individual evaluations are subject to peer review through a specialised expert committee to ensure that the methodology used is rigorous and appropriate, and that conclusions are soundly based. Following the DTI's recent review of business support, new and improved monitoring arrangements are also being put in place, using a balanced scorecard approach, to provide ongoing information about the extent to which new business support products are achieving their objectives and offering value for money.

Further information about the Department's evaluation procedures is available on its web site at http://www.dti.gov.uk/about/evaluation, together with the results of past evaluations.

Broadband

Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the availability of broadband technologies that do not use wire or cable to achieve connections; and if she will make a statement. [112657]

Ms Hewitt: Broadband fixed wireless access offers broadband to around 12 per cent. of the UK and broadband via satellite is available across the UK.

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Mr. Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with British Telecom about its technological capacity (a) to guarantee that where the broadband service is offered it can be properly and successfully provided and (b) to introduce broadband connectivity throughout the UK. [112995]

Ms Hewitt: My Department maintains regular contacts with BT across a wide range of technological issues as we do with other broadband providers. The Broadband Stakeholder Group, consisting of key players throughout the broadband value chain from public and private sectors, exists to ensure the fastest possible roll out of broadband across the country while remaining technology neutral.

Around 70 per cent. of the UK already has access to broadband.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she has taken to ensure that broadband provision becomes part of the universal service obligation in the EU review due by 2005. [113072]

Mr. Timms: Directive 2002/22/EC ("Universal Service Directive") concerns universal service and users' rights relating to electronic communications networks and services.

Article 36(3) requires the European Commission to review the functioning of the Directive for the first time in 2005 and to report to the European Parliament and to the Council. The member states and National Regulatory Authorities must supply the necessary information to the Commission for this purpose.

When the review is announced the UK will provide information on all aspects of the functioning of the Directive requested by the Commission. It is too early to say at this stage whether it would be appropriate to consider broadband provision within the scope of the universal services to be mandated at Community level.

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