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RAF Lyneham

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 17 September 2003, ref 130872, if he will place the study of the commercial potential of RAF Lyneham in the Library. [132932]

Mr. Ingram: I am withholding this information under Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Sri Lanka

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his Department's role in the Peace Building and Reconciliation Strategy in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement. [133711]

Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence works closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development on the Peacebuilding and Reconciliation Strategy for Sri Lanka. The Defence Adviser and his Assistant in Colombo represent MOD interests on the High Commission's Steering Committee on the Strategy and lead on Defence liaison in country.

Suez Medal

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether eligible former members of the military Services will need to apply to receive the Suez Emergency Medal. [133625]

Mr. Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made earlier today, which details the addresses of the appropriate medal offices and Command Paper 5999 for the eligibility criteria for the award of the Suez medal.

Tomahawk

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Tomahawk cruise missiles have been used in the last nine months; and at what cost their replacements are being supplied. [133394]

Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to answer I gave on 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 652W, to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Keetch).

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Unexploded Ordnance

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what programmes his Department has (a) planned, (b) discussed, (c) initiated and (d) concluded to (i) locate and (ii) collect depleted uranium (A) ammunitions and (B) ammunition fragments in Afghanistan; what other programmes are in place in Afghanistan for these purposes; and if he will make a statement. [133642]

Mr. Ingram: Depleted Uranium (DU) ammunition was not used by Allied Forces in Afghanistan.

The United Nations Environment Programme Post Conflict Assessment Unit (UNEP PCAU) published the findings of their post-conflict environmental assessment of Afghanistan earlier this year. The report does not cite uranium or depleted uranium as causes of concern.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Legislation

Mr. Shepherd: To ask the Leader of the House if he will list for each Bill introduced in (a) Session 2001–02 and (b) Session 2002–03 (i) the date on which the first programme motion relating to each Bill was agreed to by the House, (ii) the dates of further programme motions agreed to by the House relating to the Committee stage, (iii) the dates on which programme motions relating to (A) Standing Committee proceedings, (B) dates for conclusion of proceedings in Standing Committee and (C) proceedings in consideration on Report or on Third Reading were agreed to in Standing Committee, (iv) whether Sessional Order B relating to programming committees was disapplied, (v) the dates on which further programme motions relating to consideration on Report or to proceedings on Third Reading were agreed to by the House, indicating whether the motion was (X) pursuant to a resolution of the programming committee, (Y) pursuant to a resolution of the Standing Committee and (Z) not pursuant to either and (vi) the dates on which programme motions relating to proceedings on consideration of Lords amendments and Lords messages were agreed to by the House. [134055]

Mr. Hain: The information requested is a matter of public record. The Sessional Returns 2001–02 provide for each public Bill introduced in that Session the date of all programme motions agreed to by the House, and whether they were pursuant to a report. Information for the current session is available from the Votes and Proceedings, and will be collated in due course in the Sessional Return. Information on proceedings in Standing Committee is obtainable from the Standing Committee Hansard.

Mr. Shepherd: To ask the Leader of the House if he will list for each Bill introduced in (a) Session 2001–02 and (b) Session 2002–03 (i) the number of sittings in Committees, (ii) the number of knives (A) for which provision was made and (B) which took effect, (iii) the number of groups of amendments not reached because

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a knife took effect, (iv) the number of clauses on which the question that the clause stand part was not reached because a knife took effect, (v) for how many days each Bill was considered at Report stage, (vi) the number of knives (X) for which provision was made and (Y) which took effect at report stage, (vii) the number of groups of amendments not reached because a knife took effect and (viii) how long was spent in debate (1) at second Reading, (2) in Committee, (3) in consideration on Report and (4) on Third Reading. [134056]

Mr. Hain: The information requested is a matter of public record. As the hon. Member is aware, the Public Bill Office has provided detailed information on programming in the current Session to the Modernisation Committee.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Post Office Card Account

Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what guidance his Department has made available to sub-postmasters on promoting the Post Office card account to their customers. [133386]

Mr. Timms: None. The promotion of Post Office products and services is a matter for the company. Post Office Ltd. is providing information to customers and guidance to sub-postmasters on the range of banking options available at post offices, including the Post Office card account.

Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many Post Office card accounts she estimates will be opened. [133389]

Mr. Timms: I understand from the Department for Work and Pensions that as of 3 October 2003, 1.25 million customers had requested a Post Office card account and that the Government now expects the total number of card accounts to exceed the 3 million operating assumption.

The number of customers who will eventually choose to open a Post Office card account is difficult to predict: at this stage, as it will depend on a large number of future individual choices.

Arms Exports

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brent, North (Mr. Gardiner) of 6 October 2003, Official Report, column 1070W, on arms exports, if she will publish the statement to which reference is made. [133317]

Nigel Griffiths: The Government have taken note of the Fund for Peace's submission of 1 May 2003 concerning the US laws on arms brokering, and on this matter, I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 630W.

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Biomass Renewables

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representatations she has received from (a) organisations and (b) individuals on biomass renewable projects. [131358]

Mr. Timms [holding answer 14 October 2003]: Ministers and officials have received a number of representations from organisations and officials on biomass renewable projects covering a number of issues, in particular, the issues of fuel supplies, finance, planning and technology.

BSkyB

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on early day motion 1711, Monopoly of BSkyB. [133993]

Mr. Sutcliffe: This is a matter for the Office of Fair Trading to consider. It would not be appropriate for Government to intervene.

Building Control Work

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the proportion of building control work carried out by the private sector in (a) 1987, (b) 1992, (c) 1997 and (d) 2002; what assessment she has made of the effect of the trend upon standards; and if she will make a statement. [132894]

Keith Hill: I have been asked to reply.

Statistics on the market shares of the local authority and private sectors of building control are not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The terms of reference of the Building Control Performance Standards Advisory Group include the drawing up of recommendations on performance indicators for the effective delivery of building control, and on procedures for the monitoring of building control bodies. I look forward to seeing the recommendations of the Advisory Group in due course.

Corporation Tax

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research her Department has conducted on the likely impact of rates of corporation tax in countries set to join the EU upon levels of inward investment into the UK. [132862]

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.

Figures from the OECD show that the UK is a relatively lightly taxed economy. Since 1997, the Government have introduced a wide-ranging package of measures to make the UK an attractive place for business to locate and to help small businesses, including cuts in the corporation tax, an R&D tax credit for all companies, and an exemption for gains and losses on most substantial shareholdings. In August 2003, the Government published a consultation document

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("Corporation Tax Reform") on proposals for taking forward the Government's commitment to ensuring that the UK has a competitive and fair tax system.

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