Order Book Part 1

House of Commons

Session 2002 - 03
Publications on the internet
The Order Book

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Thursday 30 January 2003

Here you can browse the Written Questions for answer on Thursday 30 January 2003, of which previous notice has been given in the Notices of Questions paper. They are arranged in alphabetical order of answering Department.

Notes:
* Indicates a Question for Oral Answer.
+ Indicates a Question not included in the random selection process but accepted because the quota for that day had not been filled.
[N] Indicates a Question for Written Answer on a named day, i.e. the Member has indicated under S.O. No. 22(4) the day on which he wishes the Question to be answered.
[R] Indicates that a relevant interest has been declared.

THURSDAY 30th JANUARY

1
N   Mr A.J. Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will (a) list and (b) quantify those factors in the local government finance formula which determined the increase proposed for (i) Berwick-on-Tweed Borough and (ii) Teesdale District.

(93263)

2
N   Mr Clive Betts (Sheffield, Attercliffe): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he will publish the results of the 2001 English House Condition Survey.

(93830)

3
N   Mr Clive Betts (Sheffield, Attercliffe): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what plans he has to expand the use of Arms Length Management Organisations.

(93831)

4
N   Mr John Burnett (Torridge & West Devon): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the annual Government funding to the Housing Corporation was in each year since 1991-92; what the projected annual Government funding for the Housing Corporation is for (a) 2002-03, (b) 2003-04 and (c) 2004-05; and what has been and will be the allocation of these monies for these years for the South West Region.

(94416)

5
N   Mr John Burnett (Torridge & West Devon): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the aims are of the long-term housing allocation resource plans; what he estimates the effect will be on the division of resources for low-cost affordable housing within the South West Region; and if he will make a statement.

(94413)

6
N   Mr John Burnett (Torridge & West Devon): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the projected total sum is in the United Kingdom of the (a) approved development programme and (b) Challenge Fund for (i) 2002-03, (ii) 2003-04 and (iii) 2004-05.

(94414)

7
N   Mr John Burnett (Torridge & West Devon): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the proposed allocation within the regions of the UK is of the (a) Challenge Fund and (b) approved development programme for (i) 2002-03, (ii) 2003-04 and (iii) 2004-05.

(94415)

8
N   Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when the letters about reduction of right to buy discounts were despatched to (a) Christchurch Borough Council and (b) Twynham Housing Association.

(94442)

9
N   Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will extend beyond 5th February the deadline for responses from Christchurch Borough Council to his letter about right to buy discounts.

(94441)

10   Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he expects to publish his community plan; and what topics he expects it to cover.

(94779)

11   Mr Barry Gardiner (Brent North): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what estimate he has made of the differing regional take ups of working families tax credit before deciding that it would be appropriate for working families tax credit to be used in the education formulae of the local government grant.

(94636)

12   Mr Barry Gardiner (Brent North): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if his Department will revise the 6 per cent. reduction in the Government's social services formula for the London Borough of Brent.

(94633)

13   Matthew Green (Ludlow): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will list the (a) total budget and (b) departmental funding for (i) rent assessment panels, (ii) The Ordnance Survey, (iii) The Standards Board for England, (iv) The Housing Corporation, (v) Housing Action Trust, (vi) The Boundary Commission for England, (vii) The Boundary Commission for Wales, (viii) The Property Advisory Group, (ix) The Audit Commission, (x) English Partnerships, (xi) The Rent Service, (xii) the Advisory Panel on Standards for the Planning Inspectorate, (xiii) Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre and (xiv) The Fire Service College in (A) 2000-01, (B) 2001-02, (C) 2002-03, (D) 2004-5 and (E) 2005-06.

(94582)

14   Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what methodology is used to count the number of rough sleepers; when the last count took place; and how many rough sleepers there were in (a) Portsmouth, (b) Southampton and (c) Fareham at that date.

(94923)

15   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make resources available for local authorities to introduce free travel for pensioners on public transport.

(94870)

16   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on his plans for possible repeal of section 19 of the Fire Services Act 1947.

(94869)

17   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what measures he will take to lift the ceiling on local authority funding in order to allow more resources to be directed towards the police.

(94868)

18   Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he will publish the results of the consultation on selective licensing of private landlords.

(94723)

19
N   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will list by local authority the funding per head of population for social services departments under the terms of the provisional settlement for 2003-04.

(93975)

20   Ian Lucas (Wrexham): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will amend Schedule 2 to the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 to make the Electoral Quota a fixed number and not recalculated at each periodical review.

(94782)

21   Ian Lucas (Wrexham): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, which local authorities pay a clothing grant to low-income families to assist in the purchase of school uniform.

(94784)

22   Fiona Mactaggart (Slough): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what measurements were used to provide evidence that areas satisfy the criteria by which councils were selected for inclusion in proposed reductions in right to buy discounts in his statement of 22nd January; and if areas excluded from the statement can apply for inclusion before the Order is laid.

(94847)

23   Mr Peter Pike (Burnley): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he expects to announce funding allocations for the Housing Renewal Pathfinder Pilot Area; and if he will make a statement.

(94588)

24   Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many complaints have been made to the Standards Board about members of (a) parish, town and community councils and (b) other councils in each year since its inception; of those how many have (i) been upheld, (ii) been partially upheld, (iii) been rejected or withdrawn and (iv) remain undetermined; and if he will make a statement on the nature of the complaints upheld and the disciplinary measures imposed.

(94871)

25   Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many town, parish and community councillors have resigned or retired citing the effect of the new ethical framework; how many have refused to sign their code of conduct; and if he will make a statement.

(94872)

26   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the benefits to (a) local authorities and (b) businesses and organisations are of membership of the North West Tourist Board.

(94865)

27   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what help and support the North West Tourist Board provides to (a) tourist organisations in each district of Lancashire and (b) local authorities in Lancashire in helping to promote tourism.

(94864)

28   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the ECB since the announcement by England players that they do not want to play World Cup matches in Zimbabwe.

(94863)

29   Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 20th December from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr G. Davies.

(94698)

30   Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 18th December from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr Adrian Webb.

(94692)

31   Mr John Lyons (Strathkelvin & Bearsden): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many civil servants in her Department received bonuses having attained personal targets in the last financial year; and what the value was.

(94581)

32   Mr Peter Pike (Burnley): 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)

33   Mr Peter Pike (Burnley): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps are being taken to ensure those banned from football match attendance are not able to secure admission via the turnstiles.

(94594)

34   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what measures will be put in place to protect UK interests when the Goverment gives formal consent for the US Government to use RAF Fylingdales in the US Missile Defence System; and what memoranda of understanding and agreements are being drawn up for the formal use of RAF Fylingdales in the US MD system.

(94969)

35   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many flights by (a) his Department's ministers and (b) other ministers were made last year using aircraft belonging to his Department; and how many non-scheduled special flights carrying ministers were made in 2002.

(94987)

36   Tom Cox (Tooting): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in which countries British troops are stationed; and how many troops there are in each posting.

(94759)

37   Michael Fabricant (Lichfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) troops and (b) front line troops being sent to the Gulf are equipped with SA80 Mark 1 unmodified assault rifles.

(94617)

38   Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) rooms and (b) offices are in the main Ministry of Defence building.

(95016)

39
N   Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of military action against Iraq.

(94427)

40   Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the departmental minute placed in the Library on 17th December 2002, if he will estimate the maximum potential value of the retained liabilities to which the taxpayer will be exposed as a consequence of the sale of a 33.8 per cent. shareholding in QinetiQ to Carlyle Group.

(94952)

41   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to commemorate 300 years of British sovereignty in Gibraltar.

(94867)

42   Mr Paul Keetch (Hereford): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the planned disposal of seven Sea King MK6 helicopters.

(94575)

43   Mr Paul Keetch (Hereford): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original cost and (b) annual operating cost is of HMS Sheffield.

(94573)

44   Mr Paul Keetch (Hereford): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what stocks his Department holds of JDAMS; and how many are available for use by forces in the Gulf.

(94576)

45   Mr Paul Keetch (Hereford): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in which countries the UK is recruiting personnel for service in the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

(94574)

46   Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the result was of statistical analysis of random drug tests at Deepcut and Catterick Barracks in each year since they were first introduced.

(94718)

47   Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the result was of his investigation into the circumstances of the death of Mr Nick Woodward of the Royal Military Police outside Aldershot Barracks in November 2002; and on how many occasions Mr Woodward was present at Deepcut Barracks.

(94716)

48   Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the employment agencies used to provide locum civilian practitioners at Deepcut Barracks; what payments were made to each agency; how many weeks each locum civilian practitioner remained at the Barracks; and how many locum civilian practitioners and agencies have made complaints against (a) officers and (b) others at the Barracks since March 2000.

(94715)

49   Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the result was of his investigation into the circumstances of the death of the Fijian national found dead at the Normandy Barracks in October 2002; what the cause was of his death; and what period the deceased had spent at Deepcut Barracks.

(94717)

50   Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the civilian medical practitioner at Deepcut Barracks was suspended in March 2000; at what salary the practitioner was retained; what payments have been made to the practitioner subsequently; and for what reason the officer responsible decided not to advertise for a full time replacement.

(94714)

51   Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 27th January, Official Report, column 551, if he will set out the links between the Iraqi regime and terrorist organisations.

(94997)

52
N   Mr Keith Bradley (Manchester, Withington): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many families with at least one child in higher education had an income of less than £10,000 in each of the last five years.

(94440)

53   Tom Cox (Tooting): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will estimate the average weekly earnings of a fully qualified teacher working in a (a) primary school and (b) secondary school in the Greater London area.

(94761)

54   Tom Cox (Tooting): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many vacancies for teachers there are in the London Borough of Wandsworth.

(94760)

55   Mr Barry Gardiner (Brent North): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when he will introduce a targeted local government grant for pupil mobility.

(94635)

56   Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the cost was of printing departmental (a) green and (b) white papers in each year since 1997; and how many of each of those papers were printed.

(94919)

57   Mr George Howarth (Knowsley North & Sefton East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the drop out rates were (a) in the first year, (b) in the second year and (c) in the third year for undergraduates in each university and higher education institution in each of the last five years.

(94702)

58   Mr George Howarth (Knowsley North & Sefton East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will list the universities and higher education institutions offering undergraduate courses in (a) aromatherapy, (b) counselling, (c) alternative therapies and (d) acupuncture; and in each case, how many graduates are produced on average each year.

(94704)

59   Mr George Howarth (Knowsley North & Sefton East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what his estimate is of the average cost to the public purse of (a) training a plumber, (b) training an electrician, (c) training a plasterer and (d) a degree course, broken down by further education colleges, universities and higher education institutions, for each parliamentary constituency and each local education authority area.

(94703)

60   Mr George Howarth (Knowsley North & Sefton East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what estimate he has made of the net financial (a) gain and (b) loss per student of his proposals, for students with family incomes of £10,000 pa, and for each additional £1,000 pa up to £80,000 pa, for each university and higher education institution.

(94700)

61   Mr George Howarth (Knowsley North & Sefton East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will list the average amount of Government support towards living costs per student for each university and higher education institution in each year since 1980.

(94708)

62   Mr George Howarth (Knowsley North & Sefton East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many students were in higher education in each year since 1980.

(94709)

63   Mr George Howarth (Knowsley North & Sefton East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what estimate he has made of the average gross earnings per year of students (a) immediately following graduation, (b) five years after graduation, (c) 10 years after graduation, (d) 20 years after graduation and (e) 25 years after graduation for each university and higher education institution.

(94701)

64   Mr George Howarth (Knowsley North & Sefton East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will list the average cost per student place in higher education for each university and higher education institution for (a) undergraduate students and (b) post-graduate students in each year since 1980.

(94707)

65   Mr George Howarth (Knowsley North & Sefton East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what research his Department has commissioned into the relationship between student costs and drop out rates for each university and higher education institution.

(94765)

66   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what measures he will take to ensure that headteachers of schools are (a) provided with details of how much they are set to receive, and when, following spending reviews and (b) better able to plan on a long-term basis and provided with details about future funding.

(94910)

67   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much is being spent per pupil in Chorley in (a) 2003 and (b) 1997.

(94908)

68   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what measures he is taking to reduce the administrative burden on headteachers and teachers.

(94911)

69   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much flexibility schools will have under his proposals for a vocational curriculum.

(94912)

70   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what support and assistance he is able to provide to schools looking to raise money to apply for specialist status; and what measures he will take to remove the barriers to schools looking to apply for specialist school status.

(94909)

71   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much investment has been made in schools in Chorley since 1997.

(94907)

72
N   Helen Jones (Warrington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what proportion of (a) full-time and (b) part-time lecturers in further education colleges had a recognised teaching qualification in each year since 1997.

(94373)

73
N   Helen Jones (Warrington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of people in the Warrington North constituency who are undertaking modern apprenticeship schemes.

(94372)

74   Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what percentage of students in full-time higher education are from families whose family income is (a) £10,000 or less, (b) £10,001 to £15,000, (c) £15,001 to £20,000 and (d) over £20,001 using the same definition of income as he proposes to use in assessing eligibility for a maintenance grant.

(94722)

75
N   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will list for each local education authority in England the amount of formula-funded allocations per pupil for (a) primary and (b) secondary education in the provisional settlement for 2003-04.

(93976)

76   Ian Lucas (Wrexham): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will set a limit on the duration of student loans beyond which all outstanding debt will be written off.

(94783)

77   Ian Lucas (Wrexham): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the relative distribution of the earnings of graduates is, broken down into multiples of £5,000.

(94785)

78   Mr Peter Pike (Burnley): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what evaluation has been made of social policy research commissioned by government agencies at (a) the University of York and (b) other universities; and if he will make a statement.

(94591)

79   Mr Peter Pike (Burnley): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what plans he has to expand social policy research on a regional basis, commissioned to educational institutions within that region; and if he will make a statement.

(94592)

80   Mr Peter Pike (Burnley): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what steps are being taken within the education and youth services to ensure community cohesion; and if he will make a statement.

(94589)

81   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will place the technical note underlying SureStart's Public Service Agreement in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

(94885)

82   Mr Dave Watts (St Helens North): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of providing all students with free tuition at university.

(94752)

83   Mr Dave Watts (St Helens North): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what impact his proposals will have on students studying in Scotland and Wales.

(94755)

84   Mr Dave Watts (St Helens North): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will estimate the cost of providing students with family incomes of (a) £15,000, (b) £20,000 and (c) £30,000 with student grants of (i) £1,000, (ii) £2,000 and (iii) £3,000.

(94754)

85   Mr Dave Watts (St Helens North): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what level of support students receive in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) other EU countries.

(94756)

86   Mr Dave Watts (St Helens North): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will estimate the costs of his plans to provide free tuition to students from low-income families.

(94753)

87
N   Mr Phil Willis (Harrogate & Knaresborough): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to his Answer of 4th November 2002, Official Report, column 24W, on examinations, whether the sums include the cost of (a) production, (b) printing, (c) marking and (d) moderation of progress tests taken by Year 7 pupils.

(94147)

88   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government's policy is on the import of animal eggs, embryos or semen from cloned animals for breeding purposes.

(94979)

89   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations have been made to her Department by scientists involved in the cloning of animals; whether the representations have discussed products from cloned animals reaching the food chain; and what assessment the Government has made of the use of cloning technologies in the production of food.

(94980)

90   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to review the regulations regarding pet shops, with specific reference to (a) the age at which children can buy animals and (b) the conditions in which animals are kept.

(94967)

91   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that animal welfare is a prime consideration in discussing reform of the Common Agricultural Policy.

(94966)

92   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research has been conducted into the use of cloned animals for the production of food in the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement.

(94983)

93   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidelines are issued to pet shops regarding the housing and sale of animals.

(94968)

94   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the annual contribution to UNEP has been in each year since 1997; and what the anticipated contribution will be in the next financial year.

(94972)

95   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what she estimates the volume in cubic metres will be of (a) high level, (b) intermediate level and (c) low level stocks of radioactive waste in (i) 2010, (ii) 2020 and (iii) 2030, assuming projected closure of nuclear power stations occurs.

(94971)

96   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the use of cloning technology for the production of domestic farm animals.

(94978)

97   Mr David Cameron (Witney): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of the use of returnable bottles on reducing the amount of domestic and commercial waste in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

(94590)

98
N   Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research has been carried out on the replacement of diesel with fuels based on sunflower or rapeseed; and what plans the Government has to encourage the recycling of cooking oil as fuel for motor engines.

(93476)

99   Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the outcome was of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council held in Brussels on 27th to 28th January; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement.

(95003)

100   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assistance and support she is able to provide to dairy farmers in the North West; and what recent discussions she has had with (a) representatives from the dairy industry and (b) supermarkets regarding the price of milk.

(94918)

101   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial support and assistance she is able to provide to farmers in the North West; and what grants are available for farmers in the North West for diversification.

(94862)

102   Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy for it to be possible for correspondence between honourable Members and ministers to be carried out electronically.

(95021)

103
N   Diana Organ (Forest of Dean): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Water Framework Directive is implemented to meet its deadlines.

(94160)

104   Mr Gwyn Prosser (Dover): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many live sheep were exported from Dover to continental Europe on (a) 18th January and (b) 22nd January; when and where health certification was carried out in respect of the sheep; how many of the sheep were rejected as unfit for the intended journey (i) during inspection for health certification purposes and (ii) at Dover docks; where those sheep were taken; and what the address was of the final destination given on the route plan for each of the consignments.

(94608)

105   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department will publish efficiency targets for each year from 2003 for each business area in the Department, as specified in the technical note to the 2002 Spending Review Public Service Agreement; and if she will make a statement.

(94598)

106   Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on progress with the preparation of a catchment flood management plan for the Thames Valley.

(94572)

107   Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list those local authorities that have produced a policy statement under High Level Targets for flood and coastal defence; and when each statement was received by her Department.

(94571)

108   Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what action is being taken by HM Customs and Excise and other enforcement agencies to monitor and prevent the import, under preference, of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements but labelled as made in Israel.

(94767)

109   Mr David Cameron (Witney): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the case for a differential tax regime for returnable bottles in order to help reduce the amount of domestic and commercial waste in the UK.

(94587)

110
N   Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on paying duty on fuels made from cooking oil.

(93474)

111
N   Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what provision is available for poorer families to assist with expenses incurred in the arrival of a new baby, with particular reference to the purchase of new mattresses.

(93475)

112   Mr Mark Field (Cities of London & Westminster): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will exercise his power to ensure a local census is undertaken in the City of Westminster in order to provide a more accurate figure than the 2001 count.

(94835)

113   Mr Barry Gardiner (Brent North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures his Department has taken to ensure that consumers are given adequate warnings about the risks associated with income drawdown policies.

(94628)

114   Mr Barry Gardiner (Brent North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what response his Department will give to the call by the Financial Services Consumer Panel on 24th January for a review of the law on financial advertising.

(95010)

115   Mr Barry Gardiner (Brent North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what response he has made to observations from the Association of Friendly Societies on the effect on the savings of those on low incomes of the Government's proposed abolition of the Inland Revenue's qualifying regime.

(95015)

116   Mr Barry Gardiner (Brent North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what change the Financial Services Authority plan to make to the public complaints procedure for financial advertisements.

(94632)

117   Mr Barry Gardiner (Brent North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the effects of the Government's proposed abolition of the Inland Revenue's qualifying regime on the amount of money saved by those on low incomes.

(94629)

118   Mr Barry Gardiner (Brent North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the timetable for implementation of the recommendations laid out in the Higgs report on non-executive directors.

(94630)

119   Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of the Large Companies Office of the Inland Revenue in collecting tax over the period 1997 to 2002.

(94922)

120   Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates the annual cost to the Exchequer would be of raising the inheritance tax threshold to (a) £500,000 and (b) £1 million.

(95017)

121   Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the percentage of estates that are liable for inheritance tax in (a) the UK, (b) the South East of England region, (c) Hampshire and (d) the Aldershot constituency.

(95014)

122   Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates the percentage of estates liable to inheritance tax would be if the threshold were raised to (a) £500,000 and (b) £1 million.

(95013)

123   Ian Lucas (Wrexham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families were (a) in receipt of and (b) eligible for working families tax credit in each local authority in Wales in the most recent year for which figures are available.

(94788)

124
N   Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people paid the top rate of income tax in each year since 1994-95; and what revenue was gained from this tax bracket in each case.

(93477)

125
N   Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the revenue gain from an income tax rate of (a) 42 per cent., (b) 44 per cent., (c) 45 per cent., (d) 48 per cent., (e) 50 per cent., (f) 52 per cent., (g) 54 per cent. and (h) 55 per cent. on taxable incomes exceeding (i) £60,000 pa, (ii) £70,000 pa, (iii) £80,000 pa, (iv) £90,000 pa, (v) £100,000 pa, (vi) £120,000 pa, (vii) £140,000 pa, (viii) £150,000 pa, (ix) £175,000 pa, (x) £200,000 pa, (xi) £220,000 pa and (xii) £250,000 pa.

(93478)

126
N   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what research he has commissioned into the effect mortgage equity withdrawal has on the UK economy; and if he will make a statement.

(94410)

127   Mr Mark Prisk (Hertford & Stortford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on the UK economy of the current relative instability of major international currencies.

(94851)

128   Mr Mark Prisk (Hertford & Stortford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions officials from his Department have had with (a) representatives of the European Union, including the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee and (b) representatives of the British pensions industry concerning reform of the cross-border pensions directive.

(94848)

129   Mr Mark Prisk (Hertford & Stortford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of investment by small businesses with less than 50 employees was in each quarter of each year since 1997.

(94850)

130   Mr Mark Prisk (Hertford & Stortford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the effect job losses in the City of London have on the employment market in (a) Greater London, (b) the South East of England and (c) the UK; and if he will place the results of his research in the Library.

(94852)

131   Mr Mark Prisk (Hertford & Stortford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions officials from his Department have had with (a) the EU Competition Authority, (b) representatives of the Royal Mail and (c) representatives of Business Post, TPG and Hays DX concerning the Royal Mail's exemption from charging value added tax.

(94859)

132   Mr Mark Prisk (Hertford & Stortford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 22nd January, Official Report, column 409W, on the construction industry, what estimates he has made since May 1997 of the loss of tax revenue as a result of tax evasion in the construction industry.

(95007)

133   Mr Mark Prisk (Hertford & Stortford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions officials from his Department have had with representatives of the Cayman Islands regarding the EU Savings Tax Directive.

(94858)

134   Mr Mark Prisk (Hertford & Stortford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer when a decision will be taken on the future of the Construction Industry Scheme.

(94849)

135   Mr Mark Prisk (Hertford & Stortford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of levels of investment of businesses in (a) the services sector, (b) the financial sector and (c) the manufacturing sector; and if he will make a statement.

(94860)

136   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place the technical note underlying Customs & Excise's Public Service Agreement in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

(94884)

137   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the links between macroeconomic and housing market volatility; and if he will make a statement.

(94599)

138   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of uncollected national insurance was in the latest year for which data is available; and if he will make a statement.

(94874)

139   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many self-assessment tax returns were (a) issued, (b) received, (c) waiting to be processed and (d) processed in each month since 3rd February 2002; and if he will make a statement.

(95005)

140   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how much outstanding trader liabilities were written off by Customs & Excise for financial year 1997-98; and if he will make a statement.

(94875)

141   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer to the honourable Member for Yeovil of 22nd January, Official Report, column 411W, regarding the euro, whether he has commissioned additional studies since 6th September 2002; and if he will make a statement.

(95008)

142   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the research on tobacco consumption and smuggling undertaken by Customs & Excise outlined on page 19 of the NAO report, Measuring the performance of government departments; and if he will make a statement.

(94880)

143   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment the Inland Revenue has made of the trends in revenues from (a) the special investigation, (b) late filing, (c) company non compliance, (d) pre SA intelligence work, (e) company aspect enquiries, (f) non business SA enquiries and (g) section SA investigations, non compliance and full business reviews; and if he will make a statement.

(94879)

144   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place the technical note underlying the Inland Revenue's Public Service Agreement in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

(94877)

145   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what total additional liabilities accrued in 2001-02 as a result of the units that previously formed the Financial Intermediaries and Claims Office of the Inland Revenue; and if he will make a statement.

(94878)

146   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 20th January, Official Report, column 54W, on the euro, when the Treasury will next update its estimate; and if he will make a statement.

(94780)

147   Mr Dave Watts (St Helens North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Government has to review the Barnett Formula.

(94758)

148   Mr Dave Watts (St Helens North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for replacing the Barnett Formula as a method of distributing public expenditure.

(94757)

149   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what advice is given to Her Majesty's ambassadors about (a) inviting and (b) receiving persons who are convicted fugitives from the law in diplomatic properties.

(94964)

150   Mr Roger Berry (Kingswood): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what measures will be taken by Her Majesty's Government to ensure equipment exported under export licences for HMX pellets and synchros used as an inspection tool on Tay 650 engines to power Fokker 100 aircraft will not be diverted for military purposes for use by the Iranian military or security forces.

(94578)

151   Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the level of compliance by Israel with the human rights provisions of the EU-Israel Association agreement; and what action he is taking to ensure full compliance.

(94766)

152   Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to Israel to ensure that goods produced in Israeli settlements are not imported to the EU under the preference terms of the EU-Israel Association Agreement; what assessment he has made of the level of cooperation shown by Israel in responding to these representations; and what the results of these representations have been.

(94742)

153   Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what action is being taken by the Government to ensure that goods produced in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Gaza and Golan, are not imported to the EU under the preference terms of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

(94741)

154   Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether Israel has breached its obligations as an occupying power under the 4th Geneva Convention; and what actions the UK is taking, as a high contracting party to that Convention, to secure full compliance by Israel.

(94768)

155   Tom Cox (Tooting): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which Government officials have visited the Guantanamo base in Cuba; and if he will place copies of the reports of their visits in the Library.

(94762)

156   Tom Cox (Tooting): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which ministers from his Department have visited Sudan since 1997.

(94763)

157   Paul Flynn (Newport West): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether UNSCOM 243 entered Iraqi presidential palaces between March and April 1998.

(94724)

158   Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on plans to discuss sanctions against Zimbabwe at the EU education council meeting, scheduled for 6th February.

(94705)

159   Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Foreign Secretary was informed of the French Government's intentions to request a visa waiver for Mr Robert Mugabe to attend the Franco-African Summit in Paris in February.

(94727)

160   Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what powers the EU ambassadors meeting has to extend sanctions against Zimbabwe on behalf of the EU.

(94729)

161   Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress is being made with the compilation of the watch list of Zimbabwean nationals whose presence in the UK may not be conducive to the public good.

(94728)

162   Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions were held with his EU counterparts at the EU General Affairs Council meeting of 27th to 28th January concerning EU sanctions against Mr Robert Mugabe and his Government; and if he will make a statement.

(94721)

163   Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what UK sanctions are in place against Zimbabwe, independent of the EU sanctions.

(94731)

164   Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which EU Member states (a) objected and (b) agreed to the extension of sanctions against Zimbabwe at the EU General Affairs Council of 27th to 28th January; and if he will make a statement.

(94730)

165
N   Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what costs have been incurred by his Department's budget from the collapse of the Eurobank case; and if he will make a statement.

(94408)

166   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to commemorate 300 years of British sovereignty in Gibraltar.

(94866)

167   Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 17th December from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr Akhand.

(94690)

168
N   Mr Paul Keetch (Hereford): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the country of manufacture is of the gas canisters discovered by UN inspectors in Iraq on 16th January; and if he will make a statement.

(94148)

169   Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): 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 27th January.

(95022)

170   Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received about the cases of Rawan and Fadi Husam Rasmi Jibreen and Siham Quandah; what representations he has made to the authorities in Jordan; and if he will make a statement.

(95004)

171   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will place the technical note underlying his Public Service Agreement in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

(94887)

172   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what monitoring has taken place against the April 2002 milestone contained in Standard Five of the National Health Service Framework for Older People, for every general hospital treating stroke patients to have a plan to introduce a specialised stroke unit by April 2004; and what proportion of hospitals have met the milestone.

(94579)

173   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what mechanisms will be put in place to monitor the April 2003 milestone contained in Standard Five of the National Health Service Framework for Older People, for every hospital which cares for older people with strokes to have established clinical audit systems to ensure delivery of the Royal College of Physicians clinical guidelines for stroke care.

(94580)

174   Mr David Amess (Southend West): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what action is being taken to meet patient demand for general practitioners in Southend-on-Sea.

(94985)

175   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what powers the (a) Health Protection Agency and (b) Commission for Health Improvement have to combat infections in healthcare settings.

(94940)

176   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the budgets of the (a) Public Health Laboratory Service, (b) National Radiological Protection Board and (c) Microbiological Research Authority were for (i) 2002-03 and (ii) 2003-04; and what the budget will be of the Health Protection Agency for the first year it will be in operation, in current prices.

(94954)

177   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the risk of a loss of staff expertise during the formation of the Health Protection Agency; and what measures he has put in place to prevent this.

(94955)

178   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the establishment of the Health Protection Agency as a special health authority.

(94956)

179   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons he is (a) dismantling the network of Public Health Laboratory Service laboratories and (b) transferring microbiology services to the NHS.

(94939)

180   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what changes he expects in the levels of surveillance of healthcare associated infections as a consequence of the establishment of the Health Protection Agency and the transfer of microbiology services from the Public Health Laboratory Service to NHS laboratories.

(94957)

181   Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the use of mixed sex wards.

(94838)

182   Mr Barry Gardiner (Brent North): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to alter the children's formula used in the local government grant formula.

(94634)

183   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) membership and (b) purpose of the UK Ethics Committees Authority are; and if he will make a statement.

(94747)

184   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many local research ethics committee administrators resigned between (a) 1st April 2001 and 31st March 2002, and (b) 1st April and 30th November 2002.

(94776)

185   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment was made of the need for regional offices for research ethics committees; what consultations were held; and what his estimate is of the annual costs of running these offices.

(94749)

186   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, to what extent the training strategy for research ethics committee members developed by COREC matches that recommended in the report on the training needs of research ethics committee members commissioned by his Department.

(94778)

187   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many letters were received from local research ethics committees by the Central Office for Research Ethics Committees from (a) 1st January to 31st December 2001, (b) 1st January to 30th September 2002 and (c) 1st October to 31st October; how many of those letters were acknowledged within one month; and how many of those letters have neither been acknowledged nor received a reply.

(94777)

188   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Central Office for Research Ethics Committees became responsible for research ethics committees in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) the United Kingdom.

(94748)

189   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been spent on entertainment by the Department of Health in 2002-03; and what is budgeted to be spent on entertainment in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05 and (c) 2005-06.

(94586)

190   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the ability of local research ethics committees to improve their performance as set out in the recommendations of the pharmaceutical industry competitiveness task force; and what funding they have received to deliver this.

(94750)

191   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many local research ethics committees received (a) all and (b) part of their funding from health authorities prior to 1st April 2002; how many local research ethics committees have received funding from strategic health authorities since 1st April 2002; how many local research ethics committees have received funding from the Central Office for Research Ethics Committees since 1st April 2002; and what the total value of funding was.

(94751)

192   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many of the annual reports of multi-centre research ethics committees have been (a) written, (b) circulated to local research ethics committees and (c) made available for public inspection.

(94745)

193   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the reasons are for the delay in issuing of a common application form for researchers to use when applying to a research ethics committee; and by how long it has been delayed.

(94772)

194   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been spent on external advisers or consultants by the Department of Health in 2002-03; and what is budgeted to be spent on external consultants and advisers in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05 and (c) 2005-06.

(94584)

195   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Central Office for Research Ethics Committees will make funds available to local research ethics committees for the training of their members.

(94743)

196   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether COREC followed the guidelines for making public appointments when appointing (a) an adviser on training research ethics committees and (b) an adviser on accreditation of research ethics committees; and what relevant skills and experience each appointed adviser to COREC has.

(94856)

197   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment COREC made of commercially available software options designed to provide administrative support to research ethics committees; and what the cost was in (a) time and (b) equipment of the software devised by his Department to provide administrative support to the research ethics committees.

(94773)

198   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how and where the posts of director of corporate affairs and director of operations of the Central Office for Research Ethics Committees were advertised; and how many applications were received for each post.

(94746)

199   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, who the members are of the independent group drawn from local research ethics committees, multi-centre research ethics committees, health authorities, research subjects, wider lay interests and the research community evaluating the MREC system; how often they have met; what the results were of their deliberations; and if he will make a statement.

(94744)

200   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his statements of 11th December 2002, Official Report, column 269, and of 8th January, Official Report, column 190, what percentage of the total Department of Health Budget, in cash terms, is represented by the resource and capital allocations to primary care trusts, NHS trusts and strategic health authorities.

(94775)

201   Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) other health professionals have (i) HIV and (ii) Hepatitis B, broken down by country of birth, at the most recent date for which information is available.

(94925)

202   Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the costs incurred by the NHS to meet the health needs of asylum seekers in the last 12 months.

(94914)

203   Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, why he has not replied to the letter to him dated 11th December from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr A. Wild.

(94693)

204   Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, why he has not replied to the letter to him dated 2nd December from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr Z. Daugavietis.

(94697)

205   Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, why he has not replied to the letter to him dated 25th November from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Anne France.

(94691)

206   Ms Debra Shipley (Stourbridge): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to open up the Department of Health's computerised database of deaths and serious injuries of children to members of the public.

(94622)

207   Ms Debra Shipley (Stourbridge): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which agencies and organisations have access to the Department of Health's computerised database of deaths and serious injuries of children.

(94621)

208   Ms Debra Shipley (Stourbridge): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Department of Health's computerised database of deaths and serious injuries of children is continuously updated.

(94624)

209   Ms Debra Shipley (Stourbridge): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many entries have been made on the Department of Health's computerised database of deaths and serious injuries of children since April 2002.

(94623)

210   Ms Debra Shipley (Stourbridge): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of entries on the Department of Health's computerised database of deaths and serious injuries of children are (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries.

(94626)

211   Ms Debra Shipley (Stourbridge): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether a report will be published after the first year of operation of the Department of Health's computerised database of deaths and serious injuries of children.

(94625)

212   Ms Debra Shipley (Stourbridge): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what use is made of the information on the Department of Health's computerised database of deaths and serious injuries of children.

(94627)

213   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what fees are expected from road traffic accident payments to NHS trusts in financial years (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05 and (c) 2005; and if he will make a statement.

(94996)

214   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the Regional Information Systems Plan at the Wessex Regional Health Authority with regard to current national NHS IT projects; and if he will make a statement.

(94601)

215   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what level of output in 2005-06 would qualify as a failure to meet his Department's value for money target as defined in the technical note to the 2002 Spending Review value for money target; and if he will make a statement.

(94597)

216   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library the full results of the Gateway Review process into (a) proposed upgrades of the NHSnet, (b) reprocurement of the NHSnet, (c) a national scheme for electronic bookings, (d) replacement of the Nation-wide Clearing Service (NWCS) and (e) a national scheme for electronic patient records; and if he will make a statement.

(94600)

217   Ann Winterton (Congleton): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the bed capacity is of the hospice network in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) the East Cheshire NHS Trust area.

(95006)

218
N   Mr Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list hotels and guesthouses in Horley, Surrey which are providing accommodation to asylum seekers; how many individuals are accommodated in each case; and what their country of origin is.

(94446)

219
N   Mr Keith Bradley (Manchester, Withington): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total budget for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board is for the financial year 2002-03; how much has been paid in compensation in each month of this financial year to date; and how much has been offered in compensation in each month but not yet paid out.

(94438)

220
N   Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the application by Mrs Gemmell of Christchurch to transfer her visa from an old passport to a new one will be dealt with; and for what reason the application is awaiting a decision.

(94445)

221
N   Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Algerian nationals have sought asylum in each of the last four years; and how many cases are awaiting determination from each year.

(94443)

222
N   Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the asylum application made by Mr Samir Ameur on 16th March 1999 will be determined.

(94444)

223
N   Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on (a) the police resources which have been made available and (b) the strategy being implemented for reducing the number of illegal street traders.

(94562)

224
N   Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the ethnic composition of the West Midlands Police Force was in each of the last five years.

(93472)

225
N   Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to encourage the recruitment of police officers from all sectors of society.

(93473)

226   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the importance of patrolling within the Kent Policing Model.

(95037)

227   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will define (a) Level 1, (b) Level 2 and (c) Level 3 crimes under the National Intelligence Model; and what purpose this framework serves.

(95036)

228   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme.

(95038)

229   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the principal objectives are of the National Intelligence Model; and if he will make a statement on progress on implementation of the model.

(95035)

230   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will estimate the cost, per offender per month, of the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme.

(95034)

231   Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what powers he has to ban (a) Mr Robert Mugabe and (b) other people on the EU travel ban list, from entering the UK between the dates of 19th to 24th February 2003 apart from under the EU sanctions regime.

(94726)

232
N   Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what costs have been incurred by the (a) Home Office budget and (b) security services budget arising from the collapse of the Eurobank case; and if he will make a statement.

(94409)

233   Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what obligations those who provide accommodation to asylum seekers have to the Home Office when an asylum seeker leaves that accommodation.

(94920)

234   Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many crimes were committed by asylum seekers, broken down by type of offence, in the most recent year for which information is available.

(94924)

235   Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what checks the Department carries out on (a) accommodation provided to asylum seekers and (b) those who own such accommodation.

(94938)

236   Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what checks are made on the accuracy of addresses provided by asylum seekers as their place of residence in the UK (a) at the time when they make new application for asylum and (b) at subsequent stages of their application.

(94921)

237   Kate Hoey (Vauxhall): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his officials at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will answer the letters from the honourable Member for Vauxhall of 18th October 2002 and 13th December 2002, about a constituent, A466054.

(94711)

238   Mr Douglas Hogg (Sleaford & North Hykeham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will meet the Right honourable Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham in the next three days in order to discuss Home Office plans to use Caythorpe Court as an emergency centre for asylum seekers.

(94639)

239   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will include tougher sentences for illegal trade in wildlife in the Criminal Justice Bill.

(94143)

240   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on increasing prison sentences for illegal trade in wildlife.

(94942)

241   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the use of custodial sentences for (a) non-payment of council tax and (b) pensioners who have failed to meet council tax payments.

(94941)

242   Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, why he has not replied to the letter to him dated 26th November from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Yimika Walker.

(94694)

243   Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, why he has not replied to the letter to him dated 28th November from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr S. Singh.

(94695)

244   Martin Linton (Battersea): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the heads under which Wandsworth Borough has received money to help tackle crime; and how much was received in each year between 1997 and 2003.

(94712)

245   Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the result was of the police investigation into the circumstances of the death of Mr Nick Woodward of the Royal Military Police outside Aldershot Barracks in November 2002; how many military personnel have given statements; how many persons were travelling in the car alleged to have been involved in the fatal accident; what criminal charges have been brought; and on how many occasions investigators have travelled to Deepcut Barracks.

(94720)

246   Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many officers are assigned to the investigation of the killing of Mr Mario O'Brien Clarke in Hackney on 26th December 2002; how many interviews have been conducted in connection with this investigation; how many statements have been taken; how many persons interviewed have previous convictions for drug-related offences; and how many serving soldiers have been interviewed.

(94719)

247   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will place the technical note underlying his Public Service Agreement in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

(94886)

248   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assumptions underlay his estimate of fees from the Criminal Records Bureau for financial year 2004-05 as stated in his Answer of 21st March 2002, Official Report, columns 472-4W; and if he will make a statement.

(94998)

249   Mr Hilton Dawson (Lancaster & Wyre): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking, in conjunction with other Inter-Governmental Association for Development observer nations, to investigate reports of breaches of the cessation of hostilities near Llev in Western Upper Nile, Sudan.

(94616)

250
N   Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make a statement on the abolition of the Europe Development Council.

(94563)

251   Mr Paul Keetch (Hereford): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what plans there are for asylum and immigration appeals to be heard at Hereford Crown Court; what representations he has received; and if he will make a statement.

(94710)

252   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, if she will place the technical note underlying the Lord Chancellor's Department's Public Service Agreement in the Library; and if she will make a statement.

(94883)

253   David Burnside (South Antrim): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what he estimates the change in costs to Northern Ireland electricity customers would be if renewable generation were used.

(95000)

254   David Burnside (South Antrim): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what efforts are being made to deal with the volume of train breakdowns on the Belfast-Dublin railway line.

(94951)

255   David Burnside (South Antrim): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on the level of (a) reliability and (b) punctuality of enterprise services on the Belfast-Dublin railway line.

(94950)

256   David Burnside (South Antrim): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much money will be paid to Crown Estate and other beneficiaries by developers of the proposed Tunes Plateau wind farm development; how that revenue is expected to be spent; and if he will reinvest that money into other renewable energy projects.

(94999)

257   David Burnside (South Antrim): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on the main uses of the sums recently announced for (a) railways and (b) buses.

(94948)

258   David Burnside (South Antrim): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what his plans are for the future of the railway lines north of Ballymena.

(94949)

259
N   Andrew George (St Ives): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many working days have been lost in his Department owing to (a) illness and (b) industrial action in each year since 1997-98.

(94283)

260   Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many places there are at specialist residential units for individuals with personality disorders in (a) Great Britain and (b) Northern Ireland.

(94959)

261   Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many (a) prison officers, and (b) other individuals have been advised about their security as the result of police raids at Stormont and other areas of Belfast on 4th October 2002.

(94962)

262   Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many individuals in Northern Ireland (a) suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and (b) are receiving Beta Interferon to treat this condition.

(94960)

263   Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many patients in Northern Ireland are being treated for rheumatoid arthritis with (a) Enbrel and (b) Remicade.

(94961)

264   Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people have suffered attacks by paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland since April 1998; and if he will estimate the expenditure on treatment for these victims.

(94958)

265   Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many government grants have been received by European Components in Dundonald in the last 15 years; and how much has been allocated to the company through these grants.

(94963)

266   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the President of the Council, what representations he has received about bringing forward proposals for making the rise of the House the time for the shuffle for oral questions; and if he will make a statement.

(94583)

267   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Prime Minister, whether Lord Birt has completed his work as unpaid strategy adviser.

(94965)

268   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Prime Minister, if he will set out the responsibilities of the Minister without Portfolio in respect of (a) freedom of information and (b) the European Convention on Human Rights.

(94769)

269   Mr Roger Berry (Kingswood): To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions he had with the Israeli Labour leader regarding the liberalisation of defence exports to Israel.

(94577)

270   Paul Flynn (Newport West): To ask the Prime Minister, what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the Human Rights Act 1998; and if he will make a statement.

(94706)

271   Ian Lucas (Wrexham): To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his Answer to the Right honourable Member for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, of 22nd January, Official Report, column 292, if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which the veto of a Security Council Resolution would be unreasonable.

(95009)

272   Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Prime Minister, if he will invite heads of governments of the appropriate Commonwealth countries to Westminster to review the Statute of Westminster 1931, in relation to the law relating to the Monarchy succession.

(94699)

273   Mr Mark Prisk (Hertford & Stortford): To ask the Prime Minister, whether it will be within the scope of the new Race Equality and Diversity taskforce to recommend (a) legislation and (b) financial incentives, to encourage positive discrimination.

(94853)

274   Mr Mark Prisk (Hertford & Stortford): To ask the Prime Minister, what the remit will be of the Race Equality and Diversity Taskforce.

(94688)

275   Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his Answer of 22nd January, Official Report, column 318W, on weapons of mass destruction, when such assistance has been made available; and if he will describe the type of information provided in each case.

(95002)

276
N   Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight): To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his Answer of 22nd January, to the honourable Member for Chingford and Woodford Green, Official Report, column 295, what the evidential basis is for his statement that the Government has put juxtaposed controls across all ports; and what kind of controls are in place for ports on the Isle of Wight.

(94507)

277
N   Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight): To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his Answer of 22nd January to the honourable Member for Fareham, Official Report, column 299, if he will make a statement on the reasons for the increase in gun crime since 1997; and in which areas there is a culture of gun crime.

(94510)

278
N   Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight): To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his Answer of 22nd January to the honourable Member for Chingford and Woodford Green, Official Report, column 294, what the correct consultation procedures are for the establishment of an asylum induction centre; and where they are published.

(94508)

279
N   Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight): To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his Answer of 22nd January to the honourable Member for Chingford and Woodford Green, Official Report, column 294, what the evidential basis is for his statement that members of the official opposition had said that the measures to detain without trial people suspected of terrorism were illegal and contrary to civil liberties.

(94511)

280   Patsy Calton (Cheadle): To ask the Solicitor General, what processes will be used to achieve clarification of policy, and to produce guidelines, with respect to section 2(4) of the Suicide Act 1961.

(94596)

281
N   Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath): To ask the Solicitor General, what costs have been incurred by her Department during and arising from the collapse of the Eurobank case; and if she will make a statement.

(94407)

282   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what controls she intends to put in place to prevent BNFL from using funds available to it for investments tangential to its primary function.

(94975)

283   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the value of BNFL will be after the establishment of the Liabilities Management Authority .

(94974)

284   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what sum has been identified to cover possible contingent liabilities consequent on the provision of insurance services to Huntingdon Life Sciences.

(94977)

285   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list assets and liabilites of BNFL which will be (a) transferred to the Liabilities Management Authority, (b) retained by BNFL and (c) shared between each.

(94973)

286   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what her policy is on the retail sale of products derived from cloned animals.

(94986)

287   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make it her policy to end reprocessing at Sellafield.

(94976)

288   Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the charging policies are of each sub-regional Business Links organisation in the West Midlands in respect of processing applications from SMEs under the Accelerated Programme; and what guidance is given by her Department to sub-regional Business Links organisations with respect to charges to SMEs wishing to use the Small Business Service.

(94770)

289
N   Mr John Burnett (Torridge & West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when the Energy White Paper will be deposited in the Library of both Houses.

(94412)

290
N   Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what estimate she has made of the number of street traders who are operating illegally; and if she will make a statement.

(94561)

291
N   Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many pedlar's licences were issued in each month since 2000; and if she will make a statement.

(94560)

292   Mr Barry Gardiner (Brent North): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans she has to make it a statutory obligation for non-executive directors to hold directors' and officers' insurance.

(94631)

293   Matthew Green (Ludlow): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many homes in mainland Britain cannot have access to the national mains gas network; and what percentage of the population this represents.

(94947)

294   Matthew Green (Ludlow): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what arrangements are in place to prevent price-fixing between suppliers of liquid petroleum gas.

(94944)

295   Matthew Green (Ludlow): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps she has taken to investigate the cost of changing suppliers of liquid petroleum gas.

(94945)

296   Matthew Green (Ludlow): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans she has to extend the national mains gas network.

(94946)

297   Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many post office closures have been announced under the Urban Reinvention Programme since 1st January; and how many of those decisions have been reversed following representations by local people.

(94913)

298   Mr Robert Key (Salisbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when she will lay before Parliament the final draft Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations; and if she will make a statement.

(94713)

299   Sir Robert Smith (West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list the government agencies, offices, departments, task forces and units involved in the promotion and extension of broadband throughout the United Kingdom; what their responsibilities and funding are; and what their current programmes, projects and targets are.

(94953)

300   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will place the technical note underlying British Trade International's Public Service Agreement in the Library; and if she will make a statement.

(94881)

301
N   Mr Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, from which organisations and corporate entities he has received representations on the South East and East of England Regional Air Services study and future airport policy in the South East, since 30th November 2002.

(94447)

302   Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what progress is being made to create effective park and ride facilities at Longbridge Station in Birmingham.

(94739)

303   Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what representations he has received in respect of possible extensions to the Birmingham cross-city railway line to serve Frankley; and if he will make a statement.

(94740)

304   Patsy Calton (Cheadle): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what recent changes have taken place or are planned to funding arrangements for freight on the railways; and if he will make a statement on his Department's strategy for increasing rail freight on Britain's rail network.

(94595)

305   Mr Michael Clapham (Barnsley West & Penistone): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what statutory body has power, and under what statute, to ensure effective co-operation and liaison between the planned operating companies of the London Underground; what personnel have been appointed to such a body; and to whom they will be accountable for their statutory duties and powers.

(95020)

306   Mr Michael Clapham (Barnsley West & Penistone): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, if he will list the public and private network of corporate bodies who form the functional, operational and financial units which from specified dates have been responsible for (a) day to day inspection of rolling stock, (b) routine maintenance, (c) periodic overhaul, (d) upkeep of depots, (e) employment of train crews, (f) track maintenance and (g) signalling and communications on each underground line within the ambit of London Underground Limited.

(95018)

307   Mr Michael Clapham (Barnsley West & Penistone): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what plans have been authorised under statute for bodies to be responsible for staffing, maintenance and safety for multi-line London Underground stations served by two or more future distinct operating companies; and which all-line common services and operational activity will remain with a named central body, not being the planned operating companies.

(95019)

308
N   Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, when the major A14 improvements included in the Preferred Plan of the Cambridge to Huntingdon Multi-Modal Study will be entered into the trunk road targeted programme of improvements.

(94565)

309
N   Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, whether the funding required for the major A14 improvements included in the Preferred Plan of the Cambridge to Huntingdon Multi-Modal Study has been reserved within the 10-year plan.

(94564)

310
N   Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what stage the preparatory work on the major A14 improvements included in the Preferred Plan of the Cambridge to Huntingdon Multi-Modal Study has reached; and when the preparatory work is expected to be completed.

(94567)

311
N   Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, for what reasons a timetable to carry out the major A14 improvements was not included in the Department for Transport, Delivering Better Transport: Progress Report of December 2002.

(94566)

312   Mr Don Foster (Bath): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, if the Strategic Rail Authority is bound by the commitment in the Rural White Paper 2000, to rural proof its policies and strategies.

(94854)

313   Mr Don Foster (Bath): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what rules govern the conduct of the (a) chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority, (b) Head of Planning of the Strategic Rail Authority and (c) Rail Regulator in regard to their dealings with their former employers.

(94846)

314   Mr Don Foster (Bath): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what guidance he has issued to the Strategic Rail Authority on rural proofing its policies and strategies.

(94855)

315   Mr Don Foster (Bath): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what measures the Department is taking to ensure that (a) commercial in car route management systems and (b) the Highways Agency's variable message signs do not divert motorists onto unsuitable local roads.

(94837)

316   Mr Don Foster (Bath): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what the role is of the SRA Director of Media Relations in regard to the Rail Passengers Council.

(94842)

317   Mr Don Foster (Bath): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, whether the Strategic Rail Authority evaluated the costs and benefits of operating franchises in-house before increasing subsidies to existing passenger franchise holders.

(94857)

318   Mr Don Foster (Bath): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, on how many occasions the Government has taken a decision not to proceed with a road scheme which has entered the Targeted Programme of Improvements.

(94836)

319   Mr Don Foster (Bath): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, when decisions were made to approve each of the road schemes listed in the Targeted Programme of Improvements.

(94845)

320   Mr Don Foster (Bath): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, if he will place in the Library copies of the correspondence between the Strategic Rail Authority and the Rail Passengers Council and the regional Rail Passenger Committees about the potential for reductions in subsidy for rail franchises.

(94843)

321   Mr Don Foster (Bath): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, how much the Strategic Rail Authority awarded in additional franchise payments above and beyond the franchise payments which were part of the original franchise contracts in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01 and (c) 2001-02; and what the forecast additional franchise payments are for (i) 2002-03, (b) 2003-04 and (iii) 2004-05.

(94841)

322   Mr Don Foster (Bath): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, how much subsidy (a) the Strategic Rail Authority and (b) the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising have awarded to Virgin Trains since franchising began; and what proportion of that is additional subsidy payments not included in the original franchise agreements.

(94840)

323   Mr Don Foster (Bath): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what the annual salary is of the Strategic Rail Authority's Director of Media Relations.

(94839)

324   Mr Don Foster (Bath): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, whether it is Government policy to build the road schemes included in the Targeted Programme of Improvements.

(94844)

325   Mr Don Foster (Bath): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, whether the Rail Passengers Council is independent of the Strategic Rail Authority.

(94861)

326   Mr Brian Jenkins (Tamworth): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what percentage of, and how many, reminders sent by the DVLA for drivers to renew their road fund licence, were returned to DVLA as (a) 'addressee moved' and (b) 'addressee not known at this address' since 2000.

(94774)

327   Andy King (Rugby & Kenilworth): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, when he expects to release the supplementary paper to the National Consultation on the Future of Air Transport in the UK: South East regarding Gatwick; and when he expects the consultation period to close.

(94929)

328   Andy King (Rugby & Kenilworth): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, how many letters he has received (a) supporting and (b) opposing the Midlands New Site Option contained within the National Consultation on the Future of Air Transport in the UK: Midlands.

(94928)

329   Andy King (Rugby & Kenilworth): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, how many copies of the National Consultation on the Future of Air Transport in the UK have been issued (a) by hard copy and (b) by website download, broken down by region.

(94926)

330   Andy King (Rugby & Kenilworth): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, how many completed questionnaires and other responses to the National Consultation on the Future of Air Transport in the UK he has received, broken down by region.

(94927)

331   Ian Lucas (Wrexham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, how many (a) passenger flights and (b) passengers used Hawarden airport in each year since 1995.

(94786)

332   Ian Lucas (Wrexham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, if he will list the railway stations in Wales that have opened or reopened since 1st May 1997.

(94787)

333   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what representations he has received regarding the (a) availability and (b) quality of toilet provision at transport interchanges; and if he will make a statement on the standard of such facilities.

(94771)

334   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, when he will reply to the question (ref 92574) from the honourable Member for Vale of York on rail freight and targets.

(94789)

335   Bob Spink (Castle Point): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what the cost was of the largest UK infrastructure project funded without Government support since 1973.

(94725)

336   Bob Spink (Castle Point): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his Answer of 27th January, Official Report, column 525W, what estimate was made of total costs of the former Marinair scheme, during the 'Preliminary Site Search of Options for New Airport Capacity to serve the South East and East of England'.

(94781)

337
N   Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many working days have been lost in his Department owing to (a) industrial action and (b) illness in each year since 1997-98.

(94282)

338   Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mothers with care have exercised their right not to give the name of the father of a child for which they are applying to receive or receiving maintenance since the CSA became operational; and if he will disaggregate this by the reason given by the mother for not giving the father's name.

(95012)

339   Mr Barry Gardiner (Brent North): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Health and Safety Executive's review of Transco's data handling will be completed; and whether the findings will be published.

(94638)

340   Mr Barry Gardiner (Brent North): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer of 7th January, Official Report, column 10W, on workplace health and safety, on what basis the Department for Work and Pensions was able to set public service agreement targets on health and safety.

(95011)

341   Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer of 27th January, Ref 93561, what plans he has to conduct a further assessment of the level of fraud in relation to disability living allowance; and if he will make a statement on the reasons why no such assessment has been conducted since February 1997.

(95040)

342   Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 11th December from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr A. Ali.

(94696)

343   Joyce Quin (Gateshead East & Washington West): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has for additional ways of publicising the pensions credit.

(94873)

344   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he will publish the annual targets for each major business on accuracy, unit costs and customer service underlying his Department's technical note on its public service agreement; and if he will make a statement.

(94876)

345   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Cabinet Office, how many chauffeurs are employed by the Government Car Service; and what the ratio is of chauffeurs to cars held in the car pool.

(94990)

346   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Cabinet Office, how many ministerial flights were made by air in 2002; and of those, how many were (a) first class, (b) business class and (c) economy.

(94989)

347   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Cabinet Office, how many ministerial journeys were made by train in 2002; and of those, how many were (a) first class and (b) standard class.

(94988)

348   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Cabinet Office, what the total mileage as contained in log sheets supplied by Government Car Service drivers is for the most recent month for which figures are available, broken down by department.

(94995)

349   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Cabinet Office, how many Ministers are entitled because of security reasons to use ministerial cars for all purposes including party purposes.

(94994)

350   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Cabinet Office, how much has been spent in each year since 1997 towards the running of a car for Lord Sainsbury.

(94993)

351   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Cabinet Office, whether a minister's spouse or partner may use a Government car for official engagements when not accompanied by the Minister.

(94992)

352   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Cabinet Office, how many cars there have been in the Government Car Service pool in each year since 1997; who has access to them; and what the average engine size of the cars was in each year since 1997.

(94991)

353
N   Mr Ben Chapman (Wirral South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects conclusions to be reached following the consultation on the control of odour nuisance from sewage treatment works.

[Question Unstarred] (94161)

354
N   Mr David Rendel (Newbury): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Department for Transport with regard to environmental impacts from transport.

[Question Unstarred] (94180)

355
N   Mr Keith Bradley (Manchester, Withington): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families had an income below £10,000 a year in each of the last five years.

[Transferred] (94439)

356
N   Helen Jones (Warrington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of families in Warrington North whose family income is (a) less than £10,000, (b) between £10,000 and £20,000 and (c) between £20,000 and £30,000 per annum.

[Transferred] (94374)

357
N   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what research she has commissioned into the effectiveness of the Consumer Credit Act 1974; what plans she has to amend this Act; and if she will make a statement.

[Transferred] (94411)

358   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much has been spent on providing security for shipments of radioactive material by BNFL in the last year for which figures are available.

[Transferred] (94970)

359   Mr Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North & Leith): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK is implementing its responsibilities under the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention.

[Transferred] (94585)

360   Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): 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 24th September 2002.

[Transferred] (95023)

361   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many animals have been cloned in the United Kingdom for each year since 1996, broken down by species.

[Transferred] (94981)

362   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cloned animals are living in the United Kingdom, broken down by species.

[Transferred] (94984)

363   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cause of death was for animals that have been cloned and then died in the United Kingdom since 1996.

[Transferred] (94982)

364   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many solar PV roofs had been delivered by the end of December 2002 by the United Kingdom solar programme; and if she will make a statement.

[Transferred] (95039)

365   Mr Barry Gardiner (Brent North): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will set a universal indicator of child poverty to be used by the Government.

[Transferred] (94637)

366   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of light dues on (a) the UK economy, (b) the UK maritime industry and (c) UK ports.

[Transferred] (94619)

367   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, what recent representations he has received concerning light dues; and if he will make a statement.

[Transferred] (94618)

368   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, if he will make a statement on the assessment he has made of the alternatives to light dues used in other EU member states; and what impact that has had on (a) their individual economies, (b) their maritime industries and (c) their ports.

[Transferred] (94620)

369   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Solicitor General, if she will place the technical note underlying the Crown Prosecution Service Public Service Agreement in the Library; and if she will make a statement.

[Transferred] (94882)

370   David Burnside (South Antrim): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much money the National Lottery has given to renewable energy projects in Northern Ireland in each of the last four years.

[Transferred] (95001)

371   Mr Mark Hendrick (Preston): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the Assets Recovery Agency.

[Transferred] (94764)

372   Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the President of the Council, if he will make it Government policy that Ministers give holding replies to non-named day questions if a substantive reply is not possible within 10 days of tabling.

[Transferred] (94689)