Order Book Part 1

House of Commons

Session 2002 - 03
Publications on the internet
The Order Book

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Monday 24 February 2003

Here you can browse the Written Questions for answer on Monday 24 February 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.

MONDAY 24th FEBRUARY

1   Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley): To ask the Advocate General, if he will meet the honourable Member for Cynon Valley and Claire Montgomery QC to discuss the prosecution of leading members of the Iraqi regime.

(98982)

2   Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his Answer of 10th February, Official Report, column 495W, what further steps have been taken by his Department since 11th September 2001 to ensure that local authorities in England and Wales work in conjunction with the (a) St John's Ambulance and (b) other voluntary organisations to update local civil defence plans and increase civil defence (i) planning and (ii) readiness in the event of an NBC terrorist attack in (A) London, (B) South East (C) England and (D) UK; and when the most recent guidance was given.

(98641)

3   Mr Gareth Thomas (Harrow West): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Senior Civil Servants have spent time working in (a) local government, (b) the health service, (c) the voluntary sector and (d) the private sector (i) before they joined the Senior Civil Service and (ii) through exchange programmes; and if he will make a statement.

(99098)

4   Mr Gareth Thomas (Harrow West): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of vacancies in the Senior Civil Service were filled through after completion; and if he will make a statement.

(99097)

5   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what change there has been in the unemployed totals in Nottingham North since June 1997.

(98320)

6   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) families and (b) individuals have gained from tax and benefit changes since 1997; and on average by how much.

(98256)

7   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many low earning income tax payers in Nottingham have benefited from the 10 per cent. starting rate of income tax.

(98253)

8   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what the tax burden is on a single earner family on average earnings with two children, claiming the working families tax credit.

(98254)

9   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) families and (b) individuals in Nottingham benefit from the working families tax credit.

(98255)

10   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Nottingham North are on the minimum wage.

(98322)

11   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many university students his Department and associated agencies have supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what his policy is on work placements; what plans he has to develop such schemes; and what his policy is on paying their university fees.

(98537)

12   John Barrett (Edinburgh West): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if it is his policy that increased multilateral debt relief for Zambia be dependent on the privatisation of (a) the Zambia National Bank, (b) the power utility Zesco and (c) the telephone company Zamtel.

(98586)

13   Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many current recipients of childcare tax credit he estimates will lose out from April on account of the rate that such credit will operate for a minimum period of four weeks.

(98673)

14   Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the additional cost to the Treasury in each of the five years from 2006 if all Universities in England and Wales implemented the proposed graduate contribution at the highest level of £3,000 per annum in respect of all eligible students assuming (a) that student numbers remain at the current level and (b) that the Government achieves its target of 50 per cent. participation in higher education.

(98631)

15   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many laptop computers were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 1995; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; what their cost was; and if he will make a statement.

(98705)

16
N   Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will use his power of direction under the Crown Estate Act 1961 to reduce the rents paid by aquaculture industries for use of the seabed in the event of negotiations with EU partners in Brussels on 20th February failing to secure a continued protection against salmon dumping.

(98507)

17   Mr David Chaytor (Bury North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce enhanced capital allowances to encourage the purchase of (a) the most efficient domestic central heating systems and (b) energy saving products by (i) registered social landlords and (ii) energy service companies.

(98667)

18   Mr David Chaytor (Bury North): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how the price in real terms paid by the domestic consumer has changed since 1997 for the purchase of (a) domestic electricity and gas, (b) insulation materials, (c) high efficiency boilers, (d) draught-proofing, (e) double glazing and (f) low energy light-bulbs.

(98666)

19   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to (a) improve, (b) extend and (c) update statistics for five year survival rates for common cancers; and what programme of development work in such health statistics is under way.

(99099)

20   Denzil Davies (Llanelli): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how much compensation has been paid to claimants by the Inland Revenue following the decision of the ECJ in the case of Metallgesellschaft (C-397/98); and what his estimate is of the total amount that will be paid.

(98548)

21   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the NHS projects that have received donations from not for profit providers of health cash plans in the latest year for which figures are available.

(98604)

22   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the impact on NHS projects that have previously received donations from not-for-profit providers of health cash plans of changes resulting from the proposed introduction of corporation tax on operating surpluses.

(98605)

23   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer whether representatives from the Treasury met representatives of the health cash plan industry to discuss the impact of proposed changes in health cash plans which will involve the introduction of corporation tax on their operating surpluses.

(98603)

24   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to promote Fair Trade Fortnight.

(98900)

25   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on why the Treasury launched a review of the tax treatment of health cash plans; and how he estimates this will impact on (a) policy holders and (b) recipients of charitable donations from those plans.

(98607)

26   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial aid is available for those petrol stations which wish to supply liquefied petroleum gas.

(98899)

27   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact on those individuals who are contributing towards health cash plans of the proposals of the Treasury to impose corporation tax on operating surpluses.

(98606)

28   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many investigations his Department is undertaking into the five tests for the euro.

(98898)

29   Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many mobile phones have been used and at what cost by (a) himself and Ministers in his Department, (b) Special Advisers in his Department and (c) his departmental officials in each year since 1997.

(98577)

30   Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings (a) he and his ministers, (b) Treasury special advisers and (c) Treasury officials have had with Capita employees and members of the Capita board since May 2001; what the purpose of each meeting was; and if he will make a statement.

(98570)

31   Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many mobile phones used by (a) himself, his Ministers of State, and Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State, (b) his Department's Special Advisers and (c) his department officials have been listed as lost or stolen on an annual basis since 1997.

(98579)

32   Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the (a) verification and (b) auditing arrangements for claims for tax relief on work done to remove asbestos.

(98657)

33   Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the compatibility of the arrangements for tax relief on work done to remove asbestos with the EU state aid rules.

(98658)

34   Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the annual cost (a) in each year since its introduction and (b) over the next five years of tax relief on work done to remove asbestos; and if he will make a statement.

(98656)

35   Norman Lamb (North Norfolk): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he has taken to prevent public assets being transferred to companies based in tax havens.

(99080)

36   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the total (a) market value and (b) same use value of land and buildings owned by the UK Government; and if he will make a statement.

(98378)

37   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will announce the results of the next Spending Review; which years that will cover; and if he will make a statement.

(98432)

38   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update Table 1.3, page 16, of the 2002 Spending Review (Cm 5570) to show changes to budgets and expenditure allocations made since the publication of this document; and if he will make a statement.

(98431)

39   Mr Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North & Leith): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial provision he has made for the costs of UK participation in military action against Iraq.

(98955)

40   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will impose a special tax on special purpose vehicles sold by tax advisers for tax avoidance purposes.

(98427)

41   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 29th January, Official Report, columns 300-1W, on Mapeley, if the Inland Revenue has access to Mapeley's accounts.

(99135)

42   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals have been made by the European Commission to harmonise the taxation of diesel fuel for transport by all modes; whether that includes marine use at sea, in estuaries, on rivers and canals, for both commercial and leisure use; what consultations have taken place with interested persons or bodies; what reports have been published by the Government; and whether a decision in the Council of Ministers is by two-thirds majority vote.

(98476)

43   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 10th February, Official Report, column 607W, what plans he has to make forecasts of total tax revenues associated with GDP growth rates which fall outside his Department's GDP growth forecasts made in the Pre-Budget Report.

(99126)

44   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 10th February, Official Report, column 607W, on gross domestic product, if he will publish the research used to make the assumption that trend output growth is � percentage point lower than the Government's neutral view.

(99125)

45   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 10th February, Official Report, columns 609-11W, on Lisbon and Stockholm Objectives, when he will publish a progress report on developments in European economic reform.

(99132)

46   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 6th February, Official Report, column 396W, on higher education, what research his Department commissioned to conclude that the proposals included in the White Paper would have a positive impact on the economy; and if he will publish the research.

(99127)

47   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what the take up rate was in the last five years of PEPs and TESSAs for individuals earning up to (a) £10,000, (b) £15,000, (c) £20,000, (d) £25,000, (e) £30,000 and (f) over £30,000.

(99031)

48   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what the take up rate was for the last five years of PEPs and TESSAs for individuals in each of the income tax bands that applied to earnings at this time.

(99030)

49   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list each Government consultation that has included information on the Child Trust Fund.

(99028)

50   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what the take up rate for ISAs has been for each year since introduction for individuals in each of the income tax bands that applied to earnings during this period.

(99029)

51   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made as to the effect tax changes on North Sea oil and gas companies announced in the Budget statement 2002 are having on the competitiveness of the industry.

(99025)

52   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the meetings he has had with the Prime Minister (a) in the last month and (b) regarding the UK's entry into the Euro currency zone in the last month.

(99024)

53   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what research he has commissioned into professional indemnity insurance requirements of independent financial advisers beyond 2003; and if he will make a statement.

(99027)

54   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals are loaned to HM Treasury from private accounting firms; how long the secondment is of each one; and what their responsibilities are.

(99026)

55   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the increase in national insurance in April on (a) disposable incomes, (b) consumer spending as a percentage of GDP, (c) personal borrowing levels and (d) the saving ratio.

(99023)

56   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 10th February, Official Report, columns 609-11W, on Lisbon and Stockholm Objectives, whether he will include in the next progress report on developments in European economic reform a section listing the progress made in meeting the Lisbon and Stockholm objectives.

(99131)

57   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 10th February, Official Report, column 602W, on independent financial advisers, if he will make a statement concerning the professional indemnity insurance requirements of independent financial advisers.
(99129)

58   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 10th February, Official Report, columns 611-3W, on Lisbon and Stockholm Objectives, whether officials in his Department expressed an opinion on proposals for reforms of listing rules in such discussions; and if he will make a statement.

(99130)

59   Mr Mark Prisk (Hertford & Stortford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures have been taken to assist sectors that are unable to comply with the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive, and are ineligible for a rebate on the climate change levy, with the cost of the climate change levy.

(98714)

60   Mr Mark Prisk (Hertford & Stortford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures his Department has taken to assist small businesses to meet the cost of the climate change levy.

(98713)

61   Mr Mark Prisk (Hertford & Stortford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates his Department has made of the annual cost to British industry of the climate change levy (a) overall and (b) per sector.

(98712)

62   John Robertson (Glasgow, Anniesland): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with developing countries on (a) the future of debt relief and (b) the proposed international finance facility.

(98259)

63
N   Andrew Rosindell (Romford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer whether minutes of meetings between his Department's officials and representatives from the Isle of Man are published.

(98219)

64
N   Andrew Rosindell (Romford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer whether meetings between officials for his Department and representatives of Jersey are held on Jersey.

(98217)

65
N   Andrew Rosindell (Romford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 30th January, Official Report, column 991W, on the euro, whether the issue of Single European Currency has been discussed during meetings between government officials and representatives of Gibraltar; which government officials are responsible for liaison with officials from Guernsey; what issues have been discussed by government officials with representatives of Jersey; and when the most recent discussion between government officials and representatives of the Isle Man was.

(98482)

66
N   Andrew Rosindell (Romford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how often Treasury officials meet representatives from Gibraltar; and whether meetings are held purely when deemed necessary.

(98215)

67
N   Andrew Rosindell (Romford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's policy is regarding consultation with representatives of Guernsey on economic decisions that could potentially affect Guernsey.

(98216)

68   Andrew Rosindell (Romford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer whether minutes of meetings between his Department's officials and representatives from Gibraltar are published.

(99109)

69   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list IT contracts in his Department above £50 million in each of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been.

(99005)

70   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer further to his Answer of 22nd January, Official Report, column 42W, on thermal insulation, what the implications are of the European Union Court Case 416/85, EC Commission v United Kingdom for the possibilities of VAT reduction on the sales and installation of energy saving materials; and if he will make a statement.

(98563)

71   Mr John Smith (Vale of Glamorgan): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received about the number of house buyers who have unnecessarily paid stamp duty because of inaccurate information provided by the Inland Revenue relating to post codes; how many people have been affected; and if he will make a statement.

(98547)

72   Ann Taylor (Dewsbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in the Dewsbury area (a) are eligible for the working family tax credit and (b) have benefited from the working family tax credit in the last year for which figures are available.

(98319)

73
N   Mr Paul Tyler (North Cornwall): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 11th February, Official Report, column 651W, whether discussions with the Law Society about the new money laundering regulation, and the EU Second Money Laundering Directive, have taken full account of the matters raised in the solicitors tribunal hearing in the matter of Sir Gerrard Anthony Neale on 8th October 2002.

(98410)

74   Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list each information technology project being undertaken by his Department and its agencies including (a) the start date, (b) the planned completion date, (c) the current expected completion date, (d) the planned cost and (e) the current estimated cost; and if he will make a statement.

(98223)

75
N   Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and by how much government departments have overspent on their IT contracts since 1997.

(98124)

76
N   Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it compulsory for departmental annual reports to include a full statement of accounts.

(98123)

77   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many university students her Department and associated agencies has supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what her policy is on work placements; what plans she has to develop such schemes; and what her policy is on paying their university fees.

(98541)

78   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, under what circumstances supermarkets selling alcohol may also sell motor transport fuel from the same business site.

(98490)

79
N   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what mechanisms she will use to ensure that the numbers attending the anti-Gulf War rally in Hyde Park on 15th February will be accurately counted.

(97957)

80   Mr Malcolm Moss (North East Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Arts Council about the future of English National Opera.

(98373)

81   Andrew Rosindell (Romford): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what events and programmes were arranged for previous anniversaries of the Coronation of Her Majesty the Queen in (a) 1978 and (b) other years.

(98832)

82   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will list IT contracts in her Department and its predecessors above £50 million in each of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been.

(98996)

83   Ann Taylor (Dewsbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many pensioners have claimed free television licences in Dewsbury in each year since 1997.

(98220)

84   Ann Taylor (Dewsbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what Lottery money has been allocated to projects in the Dewsbury area in each of the last five years.

(98362)

85   Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, under the terms of her proposed Licensing Bill, what licensing arrangements would apply to (a) a village green and (b) other public open space which was used for licensable activities on more than five occasions per year.

(98826)

86   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many university students his Department and associated agencies has supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what his policy is on work placements; what plans he has to develop such schemes; and what his policy is on paying their university fees.

(98542)

87   Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth & Camborne): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 10th February, Official Report, columns 513-4, on RAF Portreath, what studies excluding environmental surveys have been undertaken by (a) the Government or (b) agencies on behalf of the Government with respect to (i) past and (ii) current activities at Nancekuke in Cornwall in the last 30 years.

(98384)

88   Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what he calculates to be the taxpayer's liability under the contractual arrangements he is proposing between his Department, BAE Systems and Thales for the construction of the two new aircraft carriers.

(98580)

89   Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, purusant to the Answer of 23rd January to the honourable Member for Aldershot, Official Report, column 52W, what progress he has made with BAE Systems in resolving the outstanding financial issues arising from the Nimrod and Astute programmes.

(98581)

90
N   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) appropriateness of disabling nerve agents in conflict situations.

(98106)

91   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) remit, (b) time table, and (c) proposed expenditure for the Joint UAV Experimentation Project is.

(99072)

92   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what claims for payment against the Government of Iraq in respect of contracts with International Military Services are outstanding.

(99075)

93   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he proposes to announce the shortlist of selected bidders for the Watchkeeper Programme; what sums were given to the bidders; and whether he is considering splitting the bid.

(99073)

94   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether International Military Services have settled all contractual issues arising from the sale of tanks to the Shah of Iran; in what legal actions in the last five years IMS has been involved; under which jurisdictions; and when he expects to wind up the affairs of International Military Services.

(99074)

95   Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the cost of designing and building the two recently ordered aircraft carriers is to be paid to (a) BAE Systems and (b) Thales.

(98313)

96   Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the programme to design and build the two recently ordered aircraft carriers is to be shared between BAE Systems and Thales; and if he will make a statement.

(98312)

97   Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times in each of the last 10 years the Crichel Down rules were applied by the Ministry of Defence; when the last occasion was; and in how many cases in each of the last 10 years MoD land subject to the rules reverted to the original owners.

(98853)

98   Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he will decide on the application of Crichel Down rules with respect to land which previously formed part of Marlborough at Falmouth, Cornwall and is now known as Swanvale OPA, Navy No 2 site; and if he will make a statement.

(98854)

99   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Defence Procurement Agency expects to award a contract for the 5.56 mm light machine guns; how much these guns will weigh; how many units will be produced; when the guns will come into full service; what the length is of the contract; and if he will make a statement.

(98350)

100   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost is of the repairs being carried out on the HMS St Albans; when it will be ready for service; and if he will make a statement.

(98849)

101   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the (a) HMS Monmouth and (b) HMS Campbeltown refit will be complete; how much it will cost; whether it is on budget; what the target date is for completion; when the ship will be ready for service; and if he will make a statement.

(98341)

102   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects to award a contract for the Light Forces Anti-Tank Guided Weapon System; how many units will be produced; what part of the Army will use it; when it will come into service; what the length is of the contract; and if he will make a statement.

(98351)

103   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the HMS Glasgow refit will be complete; how much it will cost; whether it is on budget; what the target date is for completion; when the ship will be ready for service; and if he will make a statement.

(98848)

104   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the MoD expects to award the contract for the Future Infantry Soldier Technology Programme; what capabilities the new equipment will have; when the technology will come into full service; what the length of the contract is; and if he will make a statement.

(98349)

105   Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether armed forces personnel deployed to secure London Heathrow Airport have been deployed with suits and respirators in preparation for a possible chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attack.

(98652)

106   Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a transcript of the press briefings held by the Minister for Defence Procurement and the Chief of Defence Procurement following his statement on the Future Carriers.

(98815)

107   Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place a copy of agreements and declarations made with the French Government at the recent Le Touquet summit in the Library.

(98814)

108   Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library ministerial directions issued by his Department since 1997.

(98816)

109   Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on the use by HM Armed Forces of biological and chemical weapons in future conflicts.

(98837)

110   Mr Robert Key (Salisbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer to the honourable Member for Salisbury on 7th February, Official Report, column 466W, on water abstraction boreholes, what the daily abstraction rate is from (a) all 24 boreholes, (b) the emergency borehole when in use, (c) the largest volume borehole and (d) the smallest volume borehole.

(98649)

111   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the orders for the second batch of Astute class submarines will be placed; and for how many boats.

(98245)

112   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which (a) Type 42 destroyers and (b) Type 23 frigates are to be considered for removal from the fleet.

(98233)

113   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the schedule for ordering later batches of Astute class submarines has been affected by the delayed building of the first batch.

(98244)

114   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the suitability of trimaran hulls for future types of warship.

(98237)

115   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions since May 1997 the Royal Navy has not had at least one aircraft carrier immediately available for active service.

(98229)

116   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 3rd February, Official Report, column 68W, on the Type 23 frigate, if he will list the systems being considered to enable attacks by small enemy craft to be dealt with.

(98411)

117   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to postpone the proposed decommissioning dates for (a) HMS Splendid and (b) HMS Sovereign pending the completion of the first Astute class submarines.

(98249)

118   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the requirement for externally-mounted Brimstone and ASRAAM missiles for the future Joint Strike Fighter has been removed; and what missiles will be fitted to the future Joint Strike Fighter as alternatives to the requirement for externally-mounted Brimstone and ASRAAM.

(98235)

119   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Swiftsure class submarines are non-operational; and for what reasons.

(98248)

120   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the S and T class submarines which (a) have completed, (b) are undergoing and (c) will in future undergo major upgrades together with the (i) completion and (ii) due completion dates in each case.

(98241)

121   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Royal Navy aircraft carriers required for (a) UK and (b) NATO tasks when already deployed on EU tasks would be made available for UK and NATO duties.

(98231)

122   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the implications of the practice of incremental acquisition for (a) the cost of ownership of warships and other major vessels, with particular reference to the depreciation or write-off rate applied to equipment replaced by enhanced items, (b) adjustments to the base cost for the purpose of calculating annual carrying charges and (c) the calculation of depreciation bases generally.

(98240)

123   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportions of (a) Royal Navy and (b) Royal Marines (i) personnel and (ii) equipment are scheduled for (A) despatch to the Gulf, (B) other duties and (C) maintenance, repair and refit.

(98247)

124   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to change the rules of engagement as they apply to Royal Navy warships facing suicide attack by small craft.

(98234)

125   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to what extent Naval FA2 Sea Harriers are capable of operating in an air defence role in the climatic conditions normally found in the Gulf.

(98246)

126   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the ability of the Royal Navy to (a) monitor and (b) prevent the landing of (i) terrorists and (ii) illegal immigrants from small boats on UK beaches.

(98239)

127   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the proposed pooling of Royal Navy and French aircraft carriers for future European Union military operations will ensure that at least one will always be immediately available to the EU (a) in addition and (b) as an alternative to being available for UK and NATO tasks.

(98230)

128   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent measures the Royal Marines have adopted to avoid friendly fire incidents by (a) UK and (b) allied forces.

(98238)

129   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of (a) Royal Navy and (b) Royal Marines personnel scheduled for deployment to the Gulf (i) have been and (ii) will be issued with CBW protection suits.

(98412)

130   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the value of equipping future Type 45 destroyers with land-attack cruise missiles.

(98236)

131   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with (a) his Italian counterpart and (b) NATO officials about the security implications for British warships at La Spezia resulting from the presence of personnel attached to impounded Iraqi corvettes.

(98413)

132   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made in establishing estimated through-life costs of warships and other RN and RFA vessels; whether the estimates will be published in the Annual Major Projects Report; and when key stages on the route to publication will be reached.

(98242)

133   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there has been an acceleration since the completion of the Strategic Defence Review in the rate at which Type 42 destroyers are expected to be paid off.

(98243)

134   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Royal Navy warships (a) are and (b) are due to be placed in a state of extended readiness; and for what purpose in each case.

(98232)

135   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many transport aircraft, and of what type, are used by the armed forces.

(98294)

136   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many helicopters he plans to buy in the next three years, broken down by (a) type and (b) arm of the armed forces.

(98293)

137   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the procedure is for emergency procurement in a deployment of the armed forces.

(98296)

138   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his expenditure plans are for transport aircraft in the next five years.

(98295)

139   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much ordnance was disposed of in the UK in (a) 2000-01, (b) 2001-02 and (c) 2002-03.

(98298)

140   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what procedure is used by the MoD to dispose of old ordnance; and where it is disposed of.

(98297)

141   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many helicopters there are in the (a) Navy, (b) Army and (c) Air Force, broken down by type.

(98292)

142   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's policy is on recycling old military equipment.

(98299)

143   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, further to his Answer of 10th February, Official Report, column 506, on the Defence Fire Service, who made the decision locally not to respond to requests for assistance outside the perimeter; whether this decision was made (a) with the knowledge of and (b) on the instructions of a government minister; when the instruction was recognised as unnecessary; and whether the order was revoked (i) on the instructions of and (ii) with the knowledge of a government minister.

(98938)

144   Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the departmental filestores in each year since 1997; how many have been transferred to the private sector; and if he will make a statement.

(98857)

145   Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Imams are attached to the three services.

(98847)

146
N   Bob Russell (Colchester): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is towards allowing Ministry of Defence land to be used for hunting with dogs; and if he will make a statement.

(98400)

147
N   Bob Russell (Colchester): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the last time hunting with dogs was permitted on (a) Ministry of Defence land and (b) at the Colchester Garrison; and on how many occasions since May 1997 such activity has taken place.

(98401)

148
N   Bob Russell (Colchester): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what reports he has received of proposals for hunting with dogs on (a) Ministry of Defence land and (b) at the Colchester Garrison; and if he will take action to prevent such activity.

(98399)

149   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list IT contracts in his Department above £50 million in each of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been.

(98997)

150   Dr Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to review Section 5 of the Landmines Act 1998.

(98818)

151   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many United Kingdom military personnel, broken down by rank and service, are currently (a) seconded to, (b) attached to, (c) under the operational command of and (d) on personnel exchanges with units or ships of the United States armed forces that (i) are deployed in South West Asia, the Gulf region or the Middle East, (ii) are on route to that region and (iii) have been ordered or alerted to deploy to that region.

(98718)

152   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the hulls of Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels of the (a) Leaf, (b) Rover and (c) Wave classes are categorised as (i) single, (ii) single reinforced and (iii) double.

(98717)

153   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what arrangements are in place for United Kingdom military personnel who are (a) seconded to, (b) attached to, (c) under the operational command of and (d) on personnel exchanges to armed forces in countries which become party to an armed conflict that the United Kingdom is not a party to.

(98719)

154   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on the use of go pills and similar drugs by (a) Royal Air Force, (b) Fleet Air Arm and (c) Army Air Corps personnel (i) seconded to, (ii) attached to, (iii) under the operational command of and (iv) on personnel exchanges with the United States Armed Forces.

(98720)

155   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he last met Mr Donald Rumsfeld.

(98974)

156   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the amount of camouflaged clothing that has been issued to members of the Armed Forces that are on standby to go to the Gulf; and what the Government's policy is towards members of the armed forces purchasing driving licences prior to going out if they will be driving vehicles.

(98973)

157   Mr Peter Viggers (Gosport): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consultations there were between the MoD and the Home Office prior to the announcement by the latter of its interest in developing asylum facilities at Daedalus.

(98626)

158   Mr Peter Viggers (Gosport): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans the MoD has to develop the use of HMS Sultan.

(98625)

159   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many university students his Department and associated agencies has supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what his policy is on work placements; what plans he has to develop such schemes; and what his policy is on paying their university fees.

(98540)

160   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when the Social Exclusion Unit will publish its report into looked after children.

(98595)

161   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many laptop computers were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 1995; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; what their cost was; and if he will make a statement.

(98702)

162   Jon Cruddas (Dagenham): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will define the area East London as referred to in his plan for a new style urban development corporation in the Sustainable Communities Plan; and what discussions he has had in relation to the best approach for a new style urban development corporation in East London.

(98617)

163   Jon Cruddas (Dagenham): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whom he has consulted in determining the best approach for the development of the Thames Gateway London area and for setting up as an East London urban development corporation.

(98618)

164   Jon Cruddas (Dagenham): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, on what basis the £446 million announced in the Sustainable Communities Plan will be allocated to the Thames Gateway area; and how local authorities and other organisations operating in the Thames Gateway will access the funding.

(98614)

165   Jon Cruddas (Dagenham): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many new homes need to be built in the Thames Gateway London area to meet his targets as set out in his Sustainable Communities Plan.

(98615)

166   Jon Cruddas (Dagenham): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he will announce further details regarding the setting up of a new style urban development corporation for East London.

(98616)

167   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what calculation he has made of the likely impact on land prices in England and Wales of land ownership reform in Scotland.

(98610)

168   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive on the subject of land ownership reform.

(98611)

169   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what plans he has for land ownership reform in England and Wales; and what discussions he has had with local government and its representative organisations on the subject of land reform.

(98602)

170   Andrew George (St Ives): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many days on average people were on the waiting list for social housing in (a) England and (b) each local authority defined as rural by region, who were (i) defined as in priority need and (ii) others, in each year since 1978.

(98494)

171   Matthew Green (Ludlow): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what Government funding each regional chamber has been granted in each financial year since 2000-01.

(98483)

172   Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many mobile phones have been used and at what cost by (a) himself and Ministers in his Department, (b) Special Advisers in his Department and (c) his departmental officials in each year since 1997.

(98575)

173   Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many meetings (a) he and Ministers in his Department, (b) Special Advisers in his Department and (c) officials have had with Capita employees and members of the Capita board since May 2001; what the purpose was of each meeting; and if he will make a statement.

(98578)

174   Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will define the term key worker as used in Sustainable Communities: building for the future.

(98576)

175   Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many mobile phones used by (a) himself, his Ministers of State, and Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State, (b) his Department's Special Advisers and (c) his department officials have been listed as lost or stolen in each year since 1997.

(98574)

176
N   Helen Jones (Warrington North): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what estimate he has made of the change in revenue to Warrington Borough Council as a result of the proposed changes to the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme.

(98527)

177   Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what account he took of the High Court decisions in the cases of R v Islington LBC ex parte Reilly and Maunix (1998) and R v Westminster CC ex parte Al-Khorshan (1999) in drawing up his code of guidance on allocation of accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the balance between his encouragement of choice-based lettings and the legal requirement to give preference to those identified as having urgent housing needs.

(98382)

178   Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether the funding for Housing—London, East and South East and Housing—other regions in 2003-04 identified in the table on page 66 of Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future, includes (a) local authority social housing grant, (b) the housing investment programme and (c) the major repairs allowance.

(98514)

179   Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many new affordable homes for (a) key workers and (b) other groups in housing need he expects the funding announced in Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future, to deliver in each Government Office region in 2003-04.

(98515)

180   Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the other housing programmes identified in the table on page 7 of Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future are; and how much will be spent on each of these in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05 and (c) 2005-06.

(98516)

181   Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will place in the Library a summary of the responses to the consultation on the removal of the requirement for local authorities to obtain consent to run a cash incentive scheme.

(98530)

182   Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether the other relevant organisations identified in paragraph 6.9 of Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future, that may be invited to be involved in the proposed regional housing boards, include representatives of (a) tenants and residents associations and (b) voluntary sector organisations working with those who are homeless or in housing need.

(98529)

183   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what level of support the Regional Assembly will be given in relation to the planning of the SWAMMS report.

(98304)

184   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many PSA targets there are for Sedgmoor District Council.

(98308)

185   John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether prior to the publication of the Bain report, drafts of the report were shown to (a) the Government, (b) the Fire Services National Employers and (c) other organisations.

(99083)

186   John Mann (Bassetlaw): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, which Supporting People housing projects have included drugs treatment.

(98528)

187   Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many local branches of (a) Children's Fund, (b) Coalfields Programme, (c) Crime and Disorder, (d) Early Years Development and Childcare, (e) education action zones, (f) employment zones, (g) Excellence in Cities, (h) health act partnerships, (i) health action zones, (j) healthy living cities, (k) Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, (j) New Deal for Communities, (m) Social Inclusion, (n) sports action zones, (o) Sure Start, (p) Single Regeneration Budget and (q) local strategic partnerships schemes have been in existence in each year since their creation; and what the total level of funding allocated to each was, in each year since their creation.

(98404)

188   Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what assessment he has made of the costs to local government of administration of the Best Value system.

(98405)

189   Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many different plans concerning local authority functions each tier of local government has been required to submit to central government in each year since 1997.

(98407)

190   Mr Francis Maude (Horsham): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what estimate he has made of the costs of (a) audit and (b) inspection of local government in each year since 1997.

(98406)

191   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, on what statistical basis councils were chosen as Market Renewal Pathfinders, as described in the White Paper Sustainable Communities; who chose them; and what changes have been made since the Pathfinder status was announced last year.

(99057)

192   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what steps he is taking to (a) provide funding and (b) allow councils to tackle repair and improvement backlogs, if tenants vote to stay with the council.

(99056)

193   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what contribution the £800 million set aside for 2003-04 to finance stock transfer by writing of overhanging debt makes to the most deprived local authority areas.

(99060)

194   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what proportion of and how many council stock properties are classifed as non decent in (a) Hull, (b) the East Riding and (c) North East Lincolnshire.

(99059)

195   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will reduce the ODPM target of achieving 200,000 council housing stock transfers a year; and what numbers have been achieved in each of the last five years.

(99058)

196   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what queries he has raised with the National Audit Office about its report into council housing stock transfers; and whether those changes resulted in the delay in publication.

(99063)

197   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether the status of market renewal pathfinders was conferred by application; what consultations were held in advance with the local authorities; how many applied; and why (a) nine and (b) seven were accepted.

(99062)

198   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what help will be given to councils whose council housing stock is in negative equity to pursue large scale voluntary transfers.

(99064)

199   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what changes he requested to the National Audit Office report on council housing stock transfers.

(99061)

200   Mr Eric Pickles (Brentwood & Ongar): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will list those local authority delegations which met him or his Department's Ministers between May 2002 and January 2003; which honourable Member accompanied each such delegation; and what subjects were discussed.

(98863)

201   Mr Eric Pickles (Brentwood & Ongar): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the link between housing land shortages and the house price increase of the late 1990s; and if he will make a statement.

(98864)

202   Mr Eric Pickles (Brentwood & Ongar): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many households there are where (a) gas, (b) electricity and (c) water utilities are disconnected.

(98971)

203   Mr Eric Pickles (Brentwood & Ongar): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what guidelines his Department gives in respect of the construction standards for sheltered housing; what funding his Department provides for the refurbishment of sheltered housing; and if he will make a statement.

(98867)

204   Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what criteria will be used to allocate the £500m earmarked for the nine housing market renewal pathfinder areas in England.

(98844)

205   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will list IT contracts in his Department and its predecessors above £50 million in each of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been.

(99009)

206   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will place in the Library a map showing the area covered by the proposed building of new homes in the Milton Keynes area.

(98356)

207   Ann Taylor (Dewsbury): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what capital resources for housing investment have been allocated at 2002-03 prices to Kirklees Council in each year since 1990-91.

(98221)

208   Angela Watkinson (Upminster): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what arrangements have been made to coordinate the activities of the emergency services in responding to a major incident.

(98984)

209   Angela Watkinson (Upminster): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what discussions he has had with the London Fire Brigade and the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority in forming contingency plans for a major emergency in the capital.

(98983)

210   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what proportion of new homes to be built in the UK will be transferred to the private renting sector; and what proportion will be built on brown field sites.

(98462)

211   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many new homes have been built since 1997; where they are located; and what proportion (a) are council houses and (b) have been transferred to housing associations.

(98461)

212   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many council houses have been sold since 1997; and how many council houses there are in the UK.

(98465)

213   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what improvements have been made to council houses since 1997; and how much has been invested in council housing in each year since 1997.

(98464)

214   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what proposals he has to increase the standard of living conditions in areas of council housing.

(98463)

215   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many university students his Department and associated agencies has supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what his policy is on work placements; what plans he has to develop such schemes; and what his policy is on paying their university fees.

(98543)

216   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) three and (b) four year old children in Nottingham North attended nursery (i) in 1997 and (ii) in the most recent period for which figures are available.

(98328)

217   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the spending per head on pupils in Nottingham North was in 1997; and what the spending per head was in the latest period for which figures are available

(98326)

218   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) five, (b) six and (c) seven year old children in Nottingham North were taught in class sizes of 30 or more (i) in 1997 and (ii) in the latest period for which figures are available.

(98327)

219   Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the annual cost will be of the forthcoming uplift of National Insurance Contributions for (a) higher and (b) further education institutions.

(98672)

220   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what representations he has received from Brunel University about the impact of top-up fees on the socio-economic background of applicants; and if he will make a statement.

(98979)

221   Mr David Chaytor (Bury North): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the average A level points score was for (a) school sixth forms, (b) sixth form colleges and (c) general further education colleges in each of the last three years.

(98860)

222
N   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what percentage of the working age population had (a) no qualification and (b) no qualification above NVQ Level 2 in each region and nation of the UK in (i) 1992, (ii) 1997 and (iii) 2002.

(98451)

223
N   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the 18-24 age cohort participation in higher education rate was in each region and nation of the UK in (a) 1992, (b) 1997 and (c) 2002.

(98450)

224
N   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the post-16 staying on rate was in each region and nation of the UK in (a) 1992, (b) 1997 and (c) 2002.

(98449)

225   Mr Huw Edwards (Monmouth): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, at what level maintenance grants will be introduced for university students from households where the income is between £10,000 and £20,000; and what criteria will be used to assess eligibility.

(98447)

226   Mr Huw Edwards (Monmouth): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what estimate he has made of the proportion of full-time students who (a) are exempt from paying the full tuition fee of £1,100, (b) pay a proportion of the tuition fee and (c) pay the full tuition fee.

(98448)

227   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what proportion of the planned increase in higher education funding is (a) tied to particular schemes and (b) for specified purposes.

(98505)

228   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether his proposals for federations of schools involve a combined admissions system; and if he will make a statement.

(98904)

229   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will estimate the required shortfall in higher education shortfall funding; and if he will assess the impact of expanding the provision of higher education on the funding for higher education.

(98630)

230   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many students have enrolled on foundation degree courses in (a) 2001 and (b) 2002; and if he will make a statement.

(98502)

231   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to his Answer of 11th February, Official Report, column 697W, on specialist state schools, what percentage of schools participating in the specialist schools programme are languages colleges.

(98905)

232   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many universities and colleges in the English and Welsh higher education sector have operating deficits; and if he will make a statement.

(98504)

233   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of the relationship between the specialist schools programme and the aim of diversity of provision; and if he will make a statement.

(98906)

234   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of (a) generic skills and (b) specialist learning in 14 to 19 secondary education.

(98909)

235   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to his Answer of 11th February, Official Report, column 693W, on modern apprenticeship programmes, if he will make a statement on the achievement rates of full national vocational qualification (a) level 2 for Foundation Modern Apprenticeships and (b) level 3 for Advanced Modern Apprenticeships from 1994 to 2001.

(98908)

236
N   Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to his Answer of 11th February, Official Report, columns 694-5W, whether it is in accordance with his Department's guidelines for a probation service centre to be opened adjacent to Ivy Lane School in Chippenham, Wiltshire.

(98523)

237   Mr Damian Green (Ashford): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what provisions he has made in his departmental budget for the spending entailed in the Sustainable Communities plan on schools in Ashford; and if he will make a statement.

(98636)

238   Paul Holmes (Chesterfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what steps he is taking to increase the flexibility of Section 96 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 to take account of the needs of further education colleges who are working in partnership with local schools to provide alternatives to the National Curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

(98980)

239   Paul Holmes (Chesterfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what progress has been made on developing a suite of qualifications which provide a progression route from entry level through to level three and which accredit vocationally related skills; and if he will make a statement.

(98981)

240   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many schoolchildren were excluded from schools for drug misuse in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley in the last year for which figures are available.

(98225)

241   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what support is given to (a) schools and (b) pupils to tackle drug use.

(98226)

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

(98316)

243   Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, which universities in (a) 2001 and (b) 2002 took (i) more than 90 per cent. of their students from state schools and (ii) more than 20 per cent. of students from low participation backgrounds; and if he will make a statement.

(98469)

244   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what his latest estimate is of the repair and maintenance backlog cost for schools in (a) England and (b) each local education authority; and if he will make a statement.

(98375)

245   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what guidelines the Government has issued on classroom replacement in Somerset.

(98283)

246   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many condemned temporary classrooms there are in Somerset; and how many temporary classrooms were replaced in Somerset in (a) 2000-01 and (b) 2001-02.

(98277)

247   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assistance is available in the county settlement for 2003 for classroom replacement.

(98284)

248   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many temporary class rooms there are in England.

(98285)

249   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assistance he plans to make available to Somerset County Council to help with replacement of classrooms in 2003.

(98282)

250   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much financial support he is giving in 2002-03 for training and skills in (a) rural and (b) urban areas.

(98305)

251   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much funding was available for capital programmes in (a) rural and (b) urban areas in (i) 2001-02 and (ii) 2002-03.

(98300)

252   Mr Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) secondary school teachers, (b) primary school teachers and (c) classroom assistants are employed in Derbyshire; and how many teacher vacancies there were in each year since 1997.

(98884)

253   Mr Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will list the class sizes of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Derbyshire in each of the last five years.

(98887)

254   Mr Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many teachers (a) left and (b) joined the teaching profession in (i) Derbyshire and (ii) England and Wales in each year since 1997.

(98886)

255   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the Answer by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to the honourable Member for Eddisbury, of 6th February, Official Report column 396W, on higher education, what research the Department for Education and Skills commissioned to conclude that the proposals included in the White Paper would have a positive impact on the economy; and if he will publish the research.

(99128)

256
N   Diana Organ (Forest of Dean): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many teachers in Gloucestershire went through Round 1 on the Teachers Performance Pay Scheme; and what percentage this is of teachers in Gloucestershire.

(98118)

257
N   Diana Organ (Forest of Dean): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many schools made errors on form TPP-S concerning the number of teachers who had gone through Round 1 on Teachers Performance Pay; and how many errors related to teachers in Gloucestershire.

(98117)

258   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will list IT contracts in his Department and its predecessors above £50 million in each of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been.

(98995)

259   Ms Dari Taylor (Stockton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether the formula used to calculate shares of the Science Research Investment Fund 2004-06 takes account of universities engaged in applied scientific research.

(98810)

260   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many university students her Department and associated agencies has supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what her policy is on work placements; what plans she has to develop such schemes; and what her policy is on paying their university fees.

(98544)

261   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list for the latest year that figures are available, how many grants for farmers and landowners have been given, broken down by
(a) greater than £1 million, (b) £800,000-£999,999, (c) £500,000-£799,999,
(d) £300,000-£499,999, (e) £200,000-£299,000, (f) £100,000-£199,999,
(g) £50,000-£99,999, (h) £25,000-£49,999, (i) £12,500-£24,999, (j) £5,000-£12,499,
(k) £2,500-£4,999 and (l) less than £2,500.

(98608)

262
N   Andrew George (St Ives): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 16th January, Official Report, column 728W, on agricultural exports, how many companies used services provided by her Department's (a) agricultural exports promotion service and (b) Food from Britain in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (i) size by annual turnover and (ii) whether they were charged for those services in each of the last 10 years.

(98012)

263
N   Andrew George (St Ives): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16th January, Official Report, column 728W, on agricultural exports, how much (a) revenue and (b) profit was raised through companies supported by Food from Britain in each of the last 10 years.

(98013)

264
N   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to reduce the administrative burden on farmers.

(98227)

265
N   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will visit Chorley to meet local farmers and the local NFU.

(98228)

266
N   Helen Jones (Warrington North): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what priority will be given to the funding of waste minimisation and recycling schemes in local authorities with a significant number of landfill sites in their area when changes to the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme are introduced; and if she will make a statement.

(98525)

267
N   Helen Jones (Warrington North): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria will be adopted for the funding of waste minimisation and recycling schemes when changes to the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme are introduced.

(98526)

268   Mr Edward Leigh (Gainsborough): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures the Government is taking to ensure that it meets its pledge to reduce national carbon dioxide emissions to 20 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010.

(98825)

269   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial assistance is available to councils in which areas are flooded in 2003.

(98286)

270   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the powers of drainage boards.

(98288)

271   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial assistance is being given to the Environment Agency to help with flood prevention and relief in the Government's spending assessement for 2003.

(98309)

272   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the powers of flood defence committees.

(98290)

273   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the constraints are on the fund-raising powers of drainage boards.

(98289)

274   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the level of recycling was in Somerset County Council in 2002.

(98310)

275   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding is being made available under the Government's financial statement 2003 for (a) West Somerset District Council and (b) Sedgemoor District Council for coastal erosion.

(98281)

276   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what work has been done by the Environment Agency in Somerset on coastal erosion.

(98280)

277   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what EU funding is available for flood defences outside structural fund areas.

(98291)

278
N   Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 11th February, Official Report, column 647W, if she will list the main items of property that the Rural Payments Agency lost through theft in 2001-02, together with the value of those items.

(98129)

279   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6th February, Official Report, column 380W, what additional resources the Government is making available at ports to prevent the importation of substandard meat and bushmeat into the UK.

(98372)

280   Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people were employed in the departmental filestores in each year since 1997; how many have been transferred to the private sector; and if she will make a statement.

(98858)

281   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 1st February 2003; 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, (a) during inspection for health certification purposes and (b) at Dover docks, and to where those sheep were taken, and what the address was of the final destination given on the route plan for each of the consignments.

(98520)

282
N   Mr Andrew Robathan (Blaby): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many game licences were issued for the 2002-03 season; how much it cost to administer the game licence regime in 2002-03; and what revenue was received.

(98551)

283
N   Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much (a) processed food and (b) soya milk, containing genetically modified soya grown in the USA, was consumed in the UK in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

(98359)

284   Andrew Rosindell (Romford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on European Union funding for the advertising of tangerines.

(98419)

285   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list IT contracts in her Department and its predecessors above £50 million in each of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been.

(99008)

286
N   Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of the requirement to remove vertebral column from Over Thirty Month cattle upon farmers rearing cattle in the West Country under the Beef Assurance Scheme; and if she will make a statement.

(98357)

287   Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Rural Payments Agency will complete its review of the case referred by Mr and Mrs McCoy of Dartmouth regarding their 2001 Bovine Subsidy Scheme claim.

(99069)

288
N   Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the viability of rearing an organic grass-fed herd of South Devon cattle under the Beef Assurance Scheme in the West Country; and if she will make a statement.

(98358)

289   Ann Winterton (Congleton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 6th February, Official Report, column 377W, on fishermen, what proportion of the aid that will be available for measures to support (a) the training of fishermen and (b) the diversification of their activities outside marine fisheries must contribute to a reduction of the fishing effort developed by the beneficiaries if they continue fishing on a part-time basis.

(98597)

290   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many university students his Department and associated agencies has supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what his policy is on work placements; what plans he has to develop such schemes; and what his policy is on paying their university fees.

(98545)

291   Mr Harold Best (Leeds North West): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote a settlement in Cyprus.

(98417)

292   Mr Harold Best (Leeds North West): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the Government's activities in seeking a Middle East peace settlement.

(98414)

293   Mr Harold Best (Leeds North West): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions are taking place with the United States Government about problems of the Palestinian people.

(98415)

294
N   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to pursue the claims of UK shareholders in respect of the 1974 nationalisation of the Iraqi oil industry.

(98105)

295   Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made recent representations to the Indonesian Government about the need to cooperate fully with UN officials in connection with the investigation into the deaths of the two British newsmen.

(98872)

296   Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when recently released representations were first made by Her Majesty's Government to the Indonesian authorities about the deaths of Brian Peters and Malcolm Rennie; and whether he will list those representations made before June 1996.

(98870)

297   Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when his Department was first informed of the circumstances in which the two British newsmen died in Indonesia.

(98871)

298   Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the vetos in the Security Council used on (a) 17th May 1995, (b) 30th June 2002, (c) 14th December 2001, (d) 27th March 2001, (e) 21st March 1997, (f) 7th March 1997, (g) 10th January 1997, (h) 11th May 1993 and (i) 2nd December 1994.

(98330)

299   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what changes he has made to guidance on export licensing, with particular reference to sales of defence equipment and technology to India, following the India-Iran defence cooperation agreement signed on 19th January.

(99076)

300   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made on behalf of the Christian community in North Korea.

(98829)

301   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the South Korean Government on the heightened security situation facing the Korean Peninsula.

(98830)

302   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the weapons of mass destruction which North Korea has admitted possessing.

(98831)

303   Jane Griffiths (Reading East): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Burundi since the killing of British aid worker Charlotte Wilson in December 2000.

(98985)

304   Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings (a) he and his Ministers of State, and Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State, (b) Foreign and Commonwealth Special Advisers and (c) Foreign and Commonwealth officials have had with Capita employees and members of the Capita board since May 2001; what the purpose was of each meeting; and if he will make a statement.

(98573)

305   Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many mobile phones have been used and at what cost by (a) himself and Ministers in his Department, (b) Special Advisers in his Department and (c) his departmental officials in each year since 1997.

(98572)

306   Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many mobile phones used by (a) himself, his Ministers of State and Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State, (b) his Department's Special Advisers and (c) his department officials have been listed as lost or stolen in each year since 1997.

(98571)

307
N   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on his assessment of relations with the Government of Spain; what representations he has received from the Government of Spain since 7th November 2002; and when he plans to discuss with the Government of Spain the issue of (a) border queues, (b) access to air travel and (c) improved communications in Gibraltar.

(98422)

308
N   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the responsibilities of Gibraltar Community Care Limited in offering charitable assistance to elderly people resident in Gibraltar.

(98421)

309
N   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to up-rate the value of pensions payable to Spanish pensioners who worked in Gibraltar prior to 1969.

(98420)

310   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on his Department's policy toward awarding scholarships to overseas students.

(98438)

311   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on the real level of UK visa fees; and if he will make a statement.

(98430)

312   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his estimate is of the number of full-time staff employed by the (a) FCO and (b) British Council, in each year from 1995-96 to 2005-06 (planned); and if he will make a statement.

(98433)

313   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his latest estimate is of the (a) market value and (b) same use value of FCO-owned land and buildings; and if he will make a statement.

(98377)

314   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to sell FCO properties in (a) Hong Kong, (b) Singapore and (c) France; and if he will make a statement.

(98439)

315   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much money was collected in visa fees for the latest year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

(98473)

316   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what criteria are used to decide whether to possess an embassy or consular building in a particular (a) city and (b) country; and if he will make a statement.

(98376)

317   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which FCO properties his Department is (a) contracted to sell and (b) trying to sell; what sales proceeds are expected in each year to 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.

(98441)

318   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his latest estimate is of the proceeds to his Department from the asset re-cycling programme agreed with HM Treasury for the period 1999-2000 to 2001-02; and if he will make a statement.

(98440)

319   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his Answer of 31st January, Official Report, column 1089W, if he will list the publicity campaigns which account for his Department's publicity expenditure in (a) 2001-02 and (b) 2002-03; and if he will make a statement.

(98500)

320   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his latest estimate is of the (a) market value and (b) same use cost of FCO buildings in (i) Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, (ii) Singapore, (iii) Bratislava, Slovakia, (iv) Ankara, Turkey, (v) Atlanta, USA, (vi) Boston, USA, (vii) Houston, USA, (viii) Seattle, USA, (ix) Los Angeles, USA and (x) Bangkok, Thailand; and if he will make a statement.

(98379)

321   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his estimate is of the change in staff numbers within the FCO between 1999-2000 and 2003-04 (planned); where additional staff will be deployed; and if he will make a statement.

(98435)

322   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his latest estimate is of the (a) same use value and (b) market value of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office properties at (i) Whitehall/King Charles Street, London, (ii) Hanslope Park, Milton Keynes, (iii) Old Admiralty Building, Whitehall, (iv) 1 Carlton Gardens, London and (v) Lancaster House, London; and what plans he has to sell these properties; and if he will make a statement.

(98390)

323   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has achieved its Public Service Agreement target to ensure increasing public support for EU activities; and if he will make a statement.

(98429)

324   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his latest estimate is of the (a) market value and (b) same use value of the FCO properties at (i) Berlin, Germany, (ii) Munich, Germany, (iii) Accra, Ghana, (iv) Guatemala City, Guatemala, (v) Hong Kong. (vi) Bombay, India, (vii) Calcutta, India, (viii) Madras, India, (ix) New Delhi, India, (x) Naples, Italy, (xi) Rome, Italy, (xii) Kingston, Jamaica, (xiii) Tokyo, Japan, (xiv) Abuja, Nigeria, (xv) Kaduna, Nigeria, (xvi) Lagos, Nigeria and (xvii) Muscat, Oman; and what plans he has to sell these buildings.

(98380)

325   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his estimate is of the UK's total net financial contribution to the United Nations in each of the last 15 years; and if he will make a statement.

(98499)

326   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his estimate is of his Department's total net spending on the Westminster Foundation for Democracy in each year from 1990-91 to 2005-06 (planned); and if he will make a statement.

(98436)

327   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his latest estimate is of the value of British Council property in (a) Madrid and (b) Barcelona, in terms of (i) market value and (ii) same use market value; what use is made of these properties; and if he will make a statement.

(98388)

328   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many overseas students were awarded FCO scholarships in each of the last five years; what their country of origin was; what the total cost was of the scheme for each year; and if he will make a statement.

(98437)

329   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his latest estimate is of the (a) same use value and (b) market value of the FCO properties at (i) Buenos Aires, Argentina, (ii) Bridgetown, Barbados, (iii) Santiago, Chile, (iv) Alexandria, Egypt, (v) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, (vi) Helsinki, Finland, (vii) Bordeaux, France, (viii) Lyon, France, (ix) Marseilles, France, (x) Paris, France and (xi) Strasbourg, France; what plans he has to sell these properties; and if he will make a statement.

(98381)

330   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his estimate is of the expenditure of his Department, in enhancing the competitiveness of UK companies abroad in the latest year for which information is available; what contribution to this spending was made by the companies which benefited; and if he will make a statement.

(98434)

331   Mr Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North & Leith): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the provision of peacekeeping forces within Iraq in the event of military action being taken against that country.

(98953)

332   John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in how many cases of British nationals convicted abroad since 1997 the Government has intervened to seek release or reduction in sentence; and how many of these people were (a) white and (b) non-white.

(98456)

333   John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the British Government has made to the Indian Government in the case of Surjit Kaur Athwal.

(98457)

334   John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many cases the British Government has dealt with involving British nationals abroad since 1997 who have (a) disappeared, (b) been murdered or suspected of being murdered, (c) been kidnapped or held hostage and (d) been incarcerated, broken down by country.

(98458)

335   John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the delay between the disappearance of Surjit Kaur Athwal and the first representations by the UK Government to the Indian Government on her case.

(98459)

336   John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the progress of representations to the Indian Government in the case of Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhullan.

(98452)

337   John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what ethnic monitoring is undertaken by his Department of the recipients of the delivery of its services to UK citizens abroad.

(98453)

338   John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many cases dealt with by his Department of UK citizens who have disappeared abroad since 1997 were (a) white UK citizens and (b) non-white UK citizens.

(98454)

339   John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the standard procedure followed by his Department is in dealing with cases of UK citizens who have (a) disappeared and (b) been murdered abroad.

(98455)

340   John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the progress of the application for a visa to return to the UK by Mr Balbir Singh Bonnis; and on what grounds the processing of this visa application has been delayed.

(98460)

341   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what funding he has made available to London Underground Limited to display multi-lingual poetry to mark the thirtieth anniversary of United Kingdom accession to the European Community.

(98475)

342
N   Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Indonesia about the holding of the Reverend Rinaldy Damanik in prison; and if he will make a statement.

(98360)

343   Andrew Rosindell (Romford): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the five economic tests for determining whether there is a clear and unambiguous case for UK entry into the eurozone will be applied separately to the economies of overseas territories, with particular reference to Gibraltar.

(98833)

344   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list IT contracts in his Department above £50 million in each of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been.

(99000)

345   Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the United Kingdom has passed all evidence it has on Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction to the (a) UNMOVIC and (b) IAEA inspectorates in Iraq.

(98510)

346   Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the trilateral French-German-Russian proposals on Iraq.

(98517)

347
N   Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of human rights abuses in North Korea.

(98268)

348   Dr Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Romanian authorities regarding the trafficking of women.

(98822)

349   Dr Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of China following the execution of Lobsang Dhondup; and what the outcome was.

(98821)

350   Dr Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to re-introduce a de facto embargo on the sale of military equipment and arms sales to Algeria.

(98820)

351   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on Iran's announcement that it intends to produce and reprocess nuclear fuel.

(98546)

352
N   David Winnick (Walsall North): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the honourable Member for Walsall North will receive a substantive reply to his letter of 10th December regarding a constituent, ref GV100/79888/NS.

(98396)

353   Tony Worthington (Clydebank & Milngavie): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what mechanism is available for determining the legality of a bilateral treaty concerning the Charter on the International Criminal Court.

(98385)

354
N   Tony Worthington (Clydebank & Milngavie): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what countries, other than the United States, have approached him with a view to negotiating a bilateral Article 98 treaty relating to the International Criminal Court; and what his policy is regarding this.

(98214)

355
N   Tony Worthington (Clydebank & Milngavie): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he will resume negotiations with the United States on the proposed Article 98 bilateral agreement concerning the International Criminal Court; and if he will make a statement.

(98213)

356   Tony Worthington (Clydebank & Milngavie): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what account he has taken of the scope of US federal law in deciding whether to conclude a bilateral Article 98 treaty relating to the International Criminal Court.

(98386)

357
N   Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many ambassadorial and consular offices and houses have been sold since 1997; and where these were.

(98126)

358
N   Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans there are to sell the San Francisco Consulate's residence; and if he will make a statement.

(98125)

359
N   Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department spent on maintaining embassies and consulates in (a) EU countries and (b) the USA in the last 12 months.

(98127)

360   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what improvements have been made to local health services available to people in Nottingham North since June 1997.

(98324)

361   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many university students his Department and associated agencies have supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what his policy is on work placements; what plans he has to develop such schemes; and what his policy is on paying their university fees.

(98532)

362
N   Mr John Baron (Billericay): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many agencies, which have recruited nurses from developing countries, have signed the code of practice on international nurses; what steps the Department will take to prevent the use of agencies which have not signed the code of practice; and if he will make a statement.

(98391)

363
N   Mr John Baron (Billericay): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many private recruitment agencies the NHS used to recruit nurses from developing countries in each of the last five years.

(98392)

364
N   Mr John Baron (Billericay): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the 25 countries were from which the highest number of overseas nurses were recruited in each of the last five years; and how many nurses were recruited from each country in each year.

(98393)

365   John Barrett (Edinburgh West): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many legal actions have been taken against (a) general dental practitioners, (b) specialist dental practitioners and (c) health authorities in England and Wales by patients who have received retrograde amalgam fillings and whose general health was adversely affected as a result; how many of these actions were successful; and what was the total amount of damages awarded by the courts in respect of such actions.

(98354)

366   John Barrett (Edinburgh West): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) testing and (b) assessment was made of the (i) efficacy and (ii) safety in relation to the recipient's health of retrograde amalgam fillings for teeth before their use in England and Wales.

(98355)

367   John Barrett (Edinburgh West): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when retrograde amalgam fillings for teeth were first introduced in England and Wales.

(98352)

368   John Barrett (Edinburgh West): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the use of retrograde amalgam fillings was discontinued in England and Wales; and for what reasons.

(98353)

369   Mr Harold Best (Leeds North West): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time for orthopaedic surgery in Leeds was over the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

(98416)

370   Mr David Borrow (South Ribble): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what actions have been taken since the Approved Code of Practice on passive smoking was published.

(98640)

371   Mr David Borrow (South Ribble): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he is making to ensure a healthy work environment for employees.

(98639)

372   Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been spent to on audiology modernisation (a) in phase I and (b) in phase II; how much is allocated for completion of the national programme; and how much of the total will (i) be offset by PCT expenditure and (ii) be raised by public/private partnership arrangements.

(98675)

373   Andy Burnham (Leigh): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the choice programme pilot scheme announced on 11th February.

(99065)

374
N   Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many senior managers employed by the NHS (a) had their employment within the NHS terminated rather than being moved to another job within the NHS and (b) were sacked and then re-employed in another capacity in the NHS in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

(98317)

375
N   Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what qualifications are held by National Care Standards Commission inspectors relevant to their work in inspecting residential nursing homes.

(98014)

376
N   Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list, by local authority area in England, the (a) average and (b) maximum home care charges made by local authorities.

(98318)

377   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to ensure that foundation hospitals cannot disestablish modern matron posts.

(98592)

378   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to minimise tuition fees costs for people wanting to undertake a three-year social worker degree.

(98591)

379   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on placing Area Child Protection Committees on a statutory footing; and if he will make a statement.

(98594)

380   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the Protection of Vulnerable Adults list.

(98725)

381   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his definition is of (a) multidisciplinary working and (b) co-terminosity; and if he will make a statement.

(98593)

382   Mrs Ann Cryer (Keighley): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effects of passive smoking in the workplace.

(98501)

383
N   Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the likely effect on numbers of medical students of the proposed increase in tuition fees; and what steps he is taking to increase the number of medical students.

(98072)

384
N   Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what regulations govern local authority care commissioning; and what measures are in place to ensure transparency.

(98071)

385   Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether costs were incurred by his Department as a result of the fire strikes.

(98387)

386   Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients from Hendon he expects to be offered a change of hospital under patient choice in (a) this and (b) the next financial year; and if he will make a statement.

(98933)

387   Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to reduce accident and emergency waiting times at Barnet Hospital; and if he will make a statement.

(98934)

388   Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what treatments are available to patients in Hendon under Patient's Choice", at hospitals other than those to which they were originally referred; and if he will make a statement.

(98943)

389   Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) current and (b) accumulated deficit is of Barnet Chase Farm Trust; and if he will make a statement.

(98944)

390   Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much (a) Barnet PCT and (b) other PCTs have contributed, outside the original yearly budget, to the deficits at Barnet Chase Farm, in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

(98939)

391   Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of capacity at Barnet Hospital; and if he will make a statement.

(98932)

392   Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make arrangements to require Barnet Chase Farm Trust to submit reports on performance to the PCTs who commission services from them.

(98946)

393   Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to establish diagnostic and treatment centres at (a) Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and (b) Barnet and Chase Farm Trust; when he expects such centres to become operational; and if he will make a statement.

(98937)

394   Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to improve the cleaning services at Barnet Hospital; and if he will make a statement.

(98949)

395   Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement as to the future clinical strategy for Barnet Chase Farm Trust.

(98940)

396   Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to reduce (a) waiting times and (b) cancelled operations for elective surgery at Barnet Hospital; and if he will make a statement.

(98935)

397   Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to move elective surgery from Barnet Hospital to Chase Farm Hospital; and if he will make a statement.

(98936)

398   Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, to what extent Barnet PCT is permitted to switch the commissioning of services from Barnet Chase Farm Hospital to other hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

(98947)

399   Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects Barnet Chase Farm Hospital to publish its proposals for the Masterplan reconfiguring services on its Trust's two sites; what consultative arrangements will be in place to allow the public to consider its proposals; and if he will make a statement.

(98948)

400   Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to create a unified management system for Barnet and Chase Farm Trust; what savings are expected from such unification; and if he will make a statement.

(98942)

401   Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what actions in what timeframe at Barnet Chase Farm Trust to bring the costs of their service into line with other comparable trusts; and if he will make a statement.

(98945)

402   Julia Drown (South Swindon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information foundation hospitals will cease to need to provide to their strategic health authority, his Department and other regulatory bodies.

(99032)

403   Julia Drown (South Swindon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether foundation trusts can choose not to have modern matrons.

(99033)

404
N   Mr Peter Duncan (Galloway & Upper Nithsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the extent of parental responsibility to register children with (a) local GPs and (b) other health professionals.

(98342)

405
N   Mr Peter Duncan (Galloway & Upper Nithsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in whom rests final authority to (a) retain and (b) destroy patient records and associated documentation.

(98122)

406
N   Mr Peter Duncan (Galloway & Upper Nithsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on his policy regarding consent for (a) clinical experimentation, (b) research and (c) trials on babies born in the NHS with life-threatening conditions.

(98119)

407
N   Mr Peter Duncan (Galloway & Upper Nithsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many allegations in terms of the Children's Act 1989 were made by health trusts in respect of child protection issues in each of the last five years.

(98343)

408
N   Mr Peter Duncan (Galloway & Upper Nithsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what procedures are in place for correcting false records relating to patients in the NHS.

(98120)

409
N   Mr Peter Duncan (Galloway & Upper Nithsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether it is permissible for medical records to be released on an unsolicited basis by one health trust to another.

(98128)

410
N   Mr Peter Duncan (Galloway & Upper Nithsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what procedures are in place for preventing a health trust (a) destroying records within its possession and (b) failing to disclose information.

(98121)

411   Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the effectiveness and provision of cancer wards for teenagers in England.

(98511)

412   Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many beds have been available in specialist teenage cancer wards in England each year since 1997.

(98513)

413   Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many beds are available for teenage cancer patients on exclusively teenage wards in (a) the North West of England and (b) Lancashire.

(98512)

414   Mr Mark Field (Cities of London & Westminster): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements are made to innoculate NHS staff against TB.

(98627)

415   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on GPs being paid for registering asylum seekers.

(99101)

416   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, who will determine whether a patient in London waiting more than six months for elective surgery is eligible to choose an alternative hospital.

(99105)

417   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients in London waiting more than six months for cataract surgery had a choice of alternative hospital in (a) 1998, (b) 1999, (c) 2000, (d) 2001, (e) 2002 and (f) 2003.

(98931)

418   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients waiting more than six months for heart surgery had a choice of alternative hospital in (a) 1998, (b) 1999, (c) 2000, (d) 2001, (e) 2002 and (f) 2003.

(98929)

419   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many choices of alternative hospital patients waiting more than six months for heart surgery have had since 1997, and what has been the average wait between referral and treatment in the alternative hospital.

(99093)

420   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he and his ministers have had with (a) representatives of South Stoke PCT and (b) North Staffordshire LMC regarding the treatment of asylum seekers.

(99100)

421   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many choices of alternative hospital patients in London waiting more than six months for elective surgery will have.

(99103)

422   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the representatives of general practitioners regarding (a) screening for sexually transmitted diseases; (b) counselling for sexually transmitted diseases; and (c) the provision of contraceptive services.

(99088)

423   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, who will determine whether a patient in West Yorkshire needing an eye operation is eligible to choose an alternative hospital.

(99106)

424   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what types of hospital accommodation are covered by the guidelines issued by his Department in December 2000.

(98926)

425   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many choices of alternative hospital patients in Greater Manchester waiting six months for orthopaedic treatment, ENT treatment or general surgery will have.

(99108)

426   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has issued to primary care trusts regarding GPs' role in screening for chlamydia.

(99087)

427   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the Government spent on improving (a) residential and (b) on-call hospital accommodation in England and Wales in 2002.

(98927)

428   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance on the provision of hospital accommodation his Department has issued since December 2000.

(98925)

429   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, who will determine whether a patient in Greater Manchester waiting six months for (a) orthopaedic treatment, (b) ENT treatment or (c) general surgery is eligible to choose an alternative hospital.

(99107)

430   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has issued to primary care trusts regarding GPs' role in screening for sexually transmitted diseases.

(99085)

431   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many choices of alternative hospital patients in London waiting for six months for cataract surgery have had since 1997, and what has been the average wait between referral and treatment in the alternative hospital.

(99092)

432   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients in London waiting more than six months for elective surgery had a choice of alternative hospital in (a) 1998, (b) 1999, (c) 2000, (d) 2001, (e) 2002 and (f) 2003.

(98924)

433   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many choices of alternative hospital the 100,000 extra patients identified by him in his speech of 11th February will have; and who will determine their eligibility.

(99102)

434   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many choices of alternative hospital patients in West Yorkshire needing eye operations will have.

(99104)

435   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether it is his policy that NHS Direct nurses will be the first point of contact for all out-of-hours calls by the end of 2004.

(99089)

436   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if it is his policy that NHS Direct retain its responsibility for out-of-hours calls.

(99084)

437   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether voluntary residential accommodation is covered by his Department's inspection and enforcement procedures.

(98928)

438   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which NHS trusts have not carried out renovations to provide separate sleeping, toilet and washing facilities for male and female mentally ill patients; when work is expected to start at those trusts to provide such arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

(99078)

439   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which NHS trusts are undergoing works to provide separate washing facilities for men and women who are mentally ill; when work is expected to be completed at those trusts; and if he will make a statement.

(99079)

440   Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether foundation hospitals will have the right to remove modern matron posts.

(98710)

441   Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of treating non-UK nationals in each of the last five years.

(98841)

442   Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 12th February to questions refs 96102 and 93640, what proportion of these employees are (a) administrators or managers and (b) clinical staff.

(99136)

443   Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on (a) smoking in public places and (b) passive smoking.

(98843)

444   Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department plans to give to its employees on actions to take on No Smoking Day.

(98840)

445   Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to change food labelling regulations.

(98838)

446   Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the additional employers NI costs for each NHS trust will be in the next financial year.

(98824)

447   Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the Food Standards Agency's recommendations for the compulsory labelling of the nutritional content of food; and which foods would be covered if such proposals were enacted.

(98839)

448   Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 4th February, Official Report, column 226W, on PHLS laboratories, whether he will instruct PCTs to maintain funding levels to NHS laboratories beyond one year after the laboratories are subsumed into local trusts.

(99071)

449   Mr Damian Green (Ashford): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what provisions he has made in his departmental budget for the spending entailed in the Sustainable Communities plan on healthcare in Ashford; and if he will make a statement.

(98635)

450   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on nurse recruitment in the Portsmouth area in the last three months.

(98348)

451   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many vacancies he estimates there are for social workers in (a) the Portsmouth area and (b) England; and if he will make a statement.

(98344)

452   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what action he is taking to increase the number of social worker applications in (a) the Portsmouth area and (b) England; and if he will make a statement.

(98345)

453   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) cancelled operations and (b) delayed discharges there were in each NHS trust in England on the latest date for which figures are available.

(98850)

454   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he will answer the parliamentary questions numbered (a) 79796, (b) 79800, (c) 79804, (d) 79805 and (e) 79806 tabled by the honourable Member for Oxford West and Abingdon.

(98989)

455   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 27th January, Official Report, column 672W, on the Departmental Performance Report, when the Chief Executive's report will be reviewed; and when his Department will publish its service delivery agreements.

(99011)

456   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what rules and guidance govern disclosure of the salaries of NHS chief executives.

(98959)

457   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on Agenda for Change in relation to the payment of NHS managers.

(98958)

458   Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 10th January from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs H Fisher.

(98964)

459   Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many incidences of drug misuse by maternity patients there have been in England since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(98467)

460   Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures are in place to help pregnant women who are addicted to drugs; and if he will make a statement.

(98468)

461   Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many teenage cancer patients since 1997 spent the majority of their cancer treatment in (a) adult and (b) children's wards in (i) England and (ii) the North East of England; and if he will make a statement.

(98466)

462   Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the locations of teenage-specific cancer wards (a) in 1995, (b) in 2003 and (c) that are planned to be completed by 2010; and if he will make a statement.

(98471)

463   Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many young people under the age of 25 were (a) diagnosed with cancer and (b) died of cancer last year; and if he will make a statement.

(98472)

464   Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to recognise teenagers as a separate group within the National Health Service for all purposes; and if he will make a statement.

(98470)

465   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding he plans to give to PCTs for extra capital for new hospital projects.

(98306)

466   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what financial assistance primary care trusts receive to meet (a) Government requirements and (b) PSA targets.

(98301)

467   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much financial support his Department gives Strategic Health authorities to meet PSA targets.

(98307)

468   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidelines are followed when contracting out disposal of human tissue to hospital waste disposal companies; what outside companies are used by the NHS for disposal of human tissue; what the terms of their contracts are; and for how long they have been doing work for the NHS.

(99082)

469
N   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the health establishments which have treated NHS patients on the Continent; and which other establishments he plans to use.

(98155)

470
N   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 10th February, ref 92556, what types of operation were carried out on the 190 patients in (a) France and (b) Germany; and whether the £1.1 million includes travelling costs of patients and accompanying relatives.

(98156)

471   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what action his Department will undertake to ensure that primary care trusts fund the treatment of patients suffering from predominantly classic CNV associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) within the context of the clinical studies recommended in the Final Appraisal Determination of photodynamic therapy for AMD issued by NICE.

(98632)

472   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many perinatal deaths there were in each of the last 10 years; what the most common causes of perinatal deaths are; what figures he has collated on the rate of perinatal deaths in the UK compared to European countries and the USA; and what he is doing to reduce the number of perinatal deaths.

(99081)

473   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department's estimate is of the number of patients who, according to the product licence, should have been eligible for treatment for AMD during the clinical studies.

(98634)

474
N   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 5th February, Official Report, column 316W, on NHS treatment abroad, whether the figure includes payments for search agents identifying suitable health establishments to be used by NHS patients in (a) France and (b) Germany; and which search agents were used in each case and at what cost.

(98157)

475   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department returned photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration to NICE; and when final guidance is expected.

(98633)

476   Mr Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to meet patient demand for GPs in Derbyshire.

(98889)

477   Mr Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) general practitioners, (b) nurses and (c) consultants are employed in (i) Derbyshire and (ii) England and Wales.

(98890)

478   Mr Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many fully operational ambulances were stationed at each of the ambulance stations in Derbyshire in each year since 1997.

(98888)

479   Mr Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many nursing vacancies there were in each Derbyshire NHS trust in (a) 1997 and (b) 2002; and if he will make a statement.

(98891)

480   Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prisoners with mental health problems were awaiting transfer to a secure hospital on the last day of 2002, broken down by prison establishment.

(98524)

481   Mr Kerry Pollard (St Albans): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward legislation to ban smoking in public places.

(98491)

482   Mr Kerry Pollard (St Albans): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research he has commissioned on the effects of passive smoking in the workplace; and if he will make a statement.

(98492)

483   Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were employed in the departmental filestores in each year since 1997; how many have been transferred to the private sector; and if he will make a statement.

(98856)

484   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list IT contracts in his Department above £50 million in each of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been.

(99001)

485   The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have received a red button alert device, broken down by region.

(98264)

486   The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans there are to reclassify Rohypnol; and how many doses of Rohypnol have been prescribed in each country of the United Kingdom in each year since 2000.

(98364)

487   Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS dentists (a) are practising in south-west Hampshire and (b) have left the NHS in south-west Hampshire in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

(99034)

488   Ann Taylor (Dewsbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) average waiting times and (b) number of people waiting were for referral to (i) cancer and (ii) heart specialists in the Dewsbury area in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

(98222)

489   Dr Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what trials are taking place on methods of treatment for Pompe's disease; and if he will make a statement.

(98819)

490   Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) gross and (b) net cost is of (i) production and (ii) distribution of NHS Magazine; and what its circulation is.

(98812)

491   Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on their health of transferring elderly people between residential or nursing homes.

(98862)

492   Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he will substantively reply to the letter of the honourable Member for the Isle of Wight dated 8th October 2002, ref PO 1017307, concerning Mr Wardrop.

(98813)

493   Mr Peter Viggers (Gosport): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the approved affordability is of the private finance initiative at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham.

(98628)

494   Mr Peter Viggers (Gosport): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the expected annual cost is of the private finance initiative at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham.

(98629)

495   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with (a) representatives of the NSPCC on child protection and (b) the Fostering Network on care of children.

(98487)

496   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans the Government has to increase (a) funding for the foster carer service and (b) local authority allowances for children in foster care.

(98486)

497   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many university students his Department and associated agencies have supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what his policy is on work placements; what plans he has to develop such schemes; and what his policy is on paying their university fees.

(98533)

498   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers there were in the Nottinghamshire Constabulary in each year since 1997; and how many there will be in each year for which projections are available.

(98325)

499   Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how frequently serving police officers returning to active duties after traumatic brain injury should be assessed by a clinical psychologist.

(98674)

500   Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to promote to the public the (a) use, (b) effectiveness, (c) range of initiatives and (d) suitability of community based sentencing.

(98878)

501   Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to engage magistrates, lay magistrates, youth magistrates and other sentences in the (a) design, (b) implementation and (c) management of community sentences and other alternatives to prison.

(98879)

502   Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans his Department has to support the establishment and development of voluntary organizations using the model and approach of 'Kids Company' in Camberwell.

(98875)

503   Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to (a) promote and (b) provide financial assistance to corporate socially responsible training programmes in prisons and young offenders institutions; and if he will make a statement.

(98877)

504   Andy Burnham (Leigh): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers were placed in each local authority area in England under the dispersal policy in each year since 1998.

(98680)

505   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) hit and run accidents, (b) hit and run accidents whose driver did not have insurance and (c) hit and run drivers taken to court and (i) fined, (ii) imprisoned and (iii) acquitted there were in each of the last five years; and what percentage of these fines remain unpaid.

(98724)

506   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the maximum fine is that can be levied on a hit and run driver without insurance.

(98723)

507   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff have been redeployed to the Criminal Records Bureau from the Passport Agency in each month since the introduction of the Criminal Records Bureau.

(98722)

508   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the computer-based correspondence tracking system being piloted in his Department.

(98408)

509   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his Answer of 3rd February, Official Report, column 72W, what the total cost is of the ex-gratia payments that have been made by the CRB.

(98836)

510   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list for each of the last 12 months the average time a passport application took to be processed by the UK Passport Agency; and if he will make a statement.

(98721)

511   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the re-registration fees for relevant foreign national nationals are in each police authority area.

(99094)

512   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seeker applications by country of origin are awaiting first interview after a period of (a) three months or less, (b) six months or less, (c) 12 months or less, (d) two years or less and (e) more than two years after lodging their case.

(99095)

513   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average (a) set-up costs and (b) weekly revenue costs of units of accommodation supplied by local authorities under NASS arrangements are; and what projections he has made of annual increases in those costs.

(99077)

514   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which overseas students paying the full overseas student fee are required to re-register home addresses under the foreign national rules; and why they are required to do so.

(99091)

515   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to hold (a) tribunals, and (b) interview sessions in the region of dispersal for asylum seekers dispersed under NASS arrangements.

(99096)

516   Mrs Janet Dean (Burton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance has been given to local authorities about the safety-testing of non-monolithic memorials without approved ground anchor fixing.

(98951)

517   Mrs Janet Dean (Burton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what action he plans to take to ensure that new memorials are installed to the code of practice produced by the National Association of Memorial Masons.

(98950)

518   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his Answer of 10th February, Official Report, column 542W, on the intensive supervision and surveillance programme, how many young offenders have taken part in the intensive supervision and surveillance programme since 2001; and what the re-offence rate is.

(98907)

519   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of criminal offenders required immediate detoxification on entering prison in each year since 1995.

(98503)

520   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) drink driving offences were recorded in each year since 1997 by the police constabulary and (b) successful prosecutions there have been in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Scotland since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(98488)

521   Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what studies his Department has undertaken in relation to drink driving offences from the sale of alcohol from (a) supermarkets, (b) off-licences and (c) petrol filling station forecourts; and if he will make a statement.

(98489)

522   Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what response he has given to the application for the extradition to France of Nadhmia Auchi.

(98315)

523   Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 23rd December 2002 from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs Lutfi.

(98961)

524   Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 18th November 2002, from the Right honouarble Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr A Z Majid.

(98965)

525   Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 23rd December 2002 from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Ahmed.

(98962)

526   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 4th November 2002 from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms Mansovreh Bozoronia.

(98963)

527
N   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mechanisms he will use to ensure that the numbers of anti-Gulf War protesters marching to Hyde Park on 15th February are accurately counted.

(97956)

528   Mr Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many offences were recorded by the Derbyshire Police Force in each year since 1997, broken down by category.

(98897)

529   Mr Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding was made available for the rehabilitation of drug offenders in Derbyshire in each year from 1997 to 2002.

(98894)

530   Mr Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) incidents of domestic violence were reported and (b) deaths resulting from domestic violence there were in (i) West Derbyshire and (ii) Derbyshire in each year since 1997.

(98896)

531   Mr Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of the budget of each police force in England was spent on pension funds in 2002-03.

(98903)

532   Mr Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many crimes there were, by major category, in Derbyshire, in each year since 1997.

(98902)

533   Patrick Mercer (Newark): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what means are used to detect the illegal passage of radioactive, weapons-grade material through British ports.

(98851)

534   Patrick Mercer (Newark): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information he has received from Swiss authorities regarding two Britons detained in Switzerland last year on suspicion of terrorist activities at the Go�sgen nuclear power station in Switzerland.

(98852)

535
N   Mr Archie Norman (Tunbridge Wells): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision in prisons of sniffer dogs for the purpose of preventing drug use.

(98521)

536   Mr Eric Pickles (Brentwood & Ongar): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the future of the St Charles site in Brentwood and Ongar.

(98446)

537   Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were employed in the departmental filestores in each year since 1997; how many have been transferred to the private sector; and if he will make a statement.

(98859)

538
N   Mr Alex Salmond (Banff & Buchan): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Minister for Citizenship and Immigration intends to reply to the letter dated 11th December 2002 from the honourable Member for Banff and Buchan regarding his constituent Mrs S Mitchell of Farnborough.

(98218)

539   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list IT contracts in his Department above £50 million in each of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been.

(99010)

540   Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the cost of the Office of the Immigration Services Commission in 2002-03 to (a) the Home Office and (b) other public bodies; and how many (i) public bodies, (ii) private bodies and (iii) private individuals are (A) registered with and (B) registered exempt from registration with the OISC.

(98811)

541   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the decision to allow employment of domiciliary carers for disabled people without them first being cleared by the Criminal Records Bureau from April 2003.

(98553)

542
N   David Winnick (Walsall North): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the honourable Member for Walsall North will receive a reply to his letter of 8th January regarding a constituent ref. 71113.

(98395)

543   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will establish independent child death review teams to deal with child deaths from abuse and neglect.

(98485)

544   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to set up child safeguarding teams to ensure that professionals involved in the care and protection of children can work together more effectively on the ground.

(98484)

545   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what type of software is used to filter e-mails in the House.

(98279)

546   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether use of the internet within the Parliamentary estate is monitored.

(98278)

547
N   Mr Paul Tyler (North Cornwall): To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to his Answer to the honourable Member for North Cornwall on 27th January, Official Report, column 584W, on e-mail, what steps have been taken to meet honourable Members' concerns that legitimate communications are not being blocked; what filters are in place to block unsolicited spam messages; and if he will make a statement.

(98208)

548   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many university students her Department and associated agencies has supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what her policy is on work placements; what plans she has to develop such schemes; and what her policy is on paying their university fees.

(98549)

549   Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth & Camborne): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her expenditure plans are for financial assistance for water and sanitation projects, in absolute terms and as a proportion of the Department budget; and what proportion of the Departmental budget was allocated as financial assistance for water and sanitation projects, in (a) 2001-02 and (b) 2000-01.

(98967)

550   Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth & Camborne): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the National Audit Office's report Maximising Impact in the Water Sector; and if she will make a statement.

(98975)

551   Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth & Camborne): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the Department's financial assistance for water and sanitation projects was allocated to institutional capacity and human resources in (a) 2000-01 and (b) 2001-02; and what proportion will be allocated in (i) 2002-03 and (ii) 2003-04.

(98976)

552   John Barrett (Edinburgh West): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make a statement on the humanitarian effects of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Zimbabwe.

(98993)

553   John Barrett (Edinburgh West): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her Answer of 4th December 2002, Official Report, column 854W, on the Central African Republic, what action is being taken to tackle the shortage of medical supplies.

(98582)

554   John Barrett (Edinburgh West): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations she has made to the US Government on contributions to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria.

(98994)

555   John Barrett (Edinburgh West): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the estimated cost is to the Government of funding for the Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre course at the Command and Staff College in Nigeria.

(98585)

556   John Barrett (Edinburgh West): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what evidence has been collated by her Department on the early harvesting of immature maize in Malawi; and what assessment she has made of the effects of late planting of maize in Malawi on food stocks there.

(98991)

557   John Barrett (Edinburgh West): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her Answer of 5th February, Official Report, column 291W, on Central Africa, when she expects United Nations humanitarian assessment missions to enter the zones under rebel control.

(98584)

558   John Barrett (Edinburgh West): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department has allocated for research into HIV/AIDS subtype A vaccines in Eastern Africa; what progress is being made towards a vaccine for the HIV/AIDS subtype A virus; and if she will make a statement.

(98992)

559   John Barrett (Edinburgh West): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps are being taken to tackle the trafficking of children in Togo.

(98587)

560   John Barrett (Edinburgh West): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will provide a breakdown of how the £1 million contribution to the Emergency Operation Appeal in the Western Sahara will be spent.

(98583)

561   Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, to what extent funding to Ethiopia under the Department's Direct Budget Support system will be conditional upon an improved human rights situation in the country.

(98873)

562   Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether, at her meeting with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, she will raise (a) the detention without trial of thousands within Ethiopia and (b) the likelihood of the Ethiopian government either releasing such persons or placing them on trial as soon as possible.

(98874)

563   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what development aid has been made available in each of the last two years to Eritrea.

(98806)

564   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what development aid has been made available in each of the last two years to Somalia.

(98807)

565   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether development assistance is available to help with the expansion of mobile communications in the third world.

(98808)

566   Norman Lamb (North Norfolk): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps have been taken to monitor the humanitarian situation in Iraq in the event of military action.

(98880)

567   Norman Lamb (North Norfolk): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what additional funds have been allocated to address the need for humanitarian relief in Iraq following military action.

(98881)

568   Norman Lamb (North Norfolk): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what analysis has been conducted as to likely humanitarian needs in the event of military action in Iraq.

(98882)

569   Mr Bob Laxton (Derby North): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what additional funds have been allocated for humanitarian relief to accompany any military action in Iraq.

(98601)

570   Mr Bob Laxton (Derby North): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what preparations are being made to (a) monitor the humanitarian impact of military action in Iraq and (b) provide the appropriate humanitarian assistance.

(98600)

571   Mr Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North & Leith): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what contingency plans she has made to provide assistance to the people of Iraq in the event of military action being taken against that country.

(98954)

572   John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Department will be conducting training of Ethiopian police and security forces as referred to in the Department's Ethiopian Country Assistance Plan.

(98828)

573   John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if, at the meeting to be held with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, she will ask him what steps are being taken by the Ethiopian Government to investigate the detention without trial and torture and ill-treatment of (a) up to 60 demonstrators arrested in Oromia in April 2002 and (b) approximately 48 persons in the capital Addis Ababa suspected of being members of the Oromo Liberation Front in August 2002.

(98827)

574   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will list IT contracts in her Department above £50 million in each year since it was established; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been.

(99007)

575   Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of providing cross-border humanitarian assistance to internally displaced people in Burma.

(98267)

576   Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of allegations of fraud concerning the World Bank funded Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline.

(98274)

577   Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the number of child soldiers in Burma; and what steps she is taking to tackle this.

(98266)

578   Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the progress towards halving by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.

(98269)

579   Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much aid her Department is giving to Malawi to deal with food shortages.

(98271)

580
N   Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what external audits have been commissioned for the World Bank funded Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline; and whether these audits will be made public.

(98272)

581   Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether malnutrition rates in Ethiopia are increasing.

(98270)

582   Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make a statement on the cost of the World Bank funded Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline.

(98273)

583   Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of food shortages in Zimbabwe.

(98651)

584   Dr Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when figures for the WFP distribution of food aid for Southern Africa for January will be made available.

(98823)

585   Dr Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what financial resources her Department (a) allocated and (b) transferred to Montserrat in each year from 1998.

(98835)

586   Dr Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what subjects she discussed with the Chief Minister of Montserrat during his recent visit to London.

(98834)

587   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make a statement on Palestinian food shortages.

(98554)

588   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, how many university students his Department and associated agencies have supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what his policy is on work placements; what plans he has to develop such schemes; and what his policy is on paying their university fees.

(98536)

589   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, how many laptop computers were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 1995; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; what their cost was; and if he will make a statement.

(98704)

590   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, if he will consult the authorities in (a) Jersey, (b) Guernsey and (c) the Isle of Man about the extension of the clauses relating to the inspection of bank accounts in the Crime (International Co-operation) Bill to them.

(98428)

591   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, if she will list IT contracts in the Department above £50 million in each of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been.

(99004)

592
N   Sir John Stanley (Tonbridge & Malling): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what steps his Department takes to discharge its obligations in relation to rights of access under Article 21 of the 1980 Hague Convention on International Child Abduction in the circumstances where the left-behind parent is in the UK and the abducted child is with its other parent in a state that has ratified the Hague Convention.

(98250)

593   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many university students his Department has supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what his policy is on work placements; what plans he has to develop such schemes; and what his policy is on paying their university fees.

(98550)

594   Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what priority is being given to upgrading the A2 between Carrickfergus and Jordanstown, Co Antrim; and if he will make a statement.

(98817)

595   David Burnside (South Antrim): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the impact on Northern Ireland of the UK's non-implementation of the EU Directive on integrated pollution prevention and control rules; what representations he has made; what fines will be imposed; and what steps are being taken to rectify the situation.

(98370)

596   David Burnside (South Antrim): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of Translink's increased customer base, as set out in the latest edition of the Northern Ireland Road and Rail Transport Statistics Quarterly Bulletin, is accounted for by (a) paying customers, (b) those entitled to free travel, (c) new business and (d) ticket price increases.

(98265)

597   David Burnside (South Antrim): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when the level of the reduction to the general grant was notified to the affected local councils.

(98367)

598   David Burnside (South Antrim): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the change of the general grant proposed for 2003-04 is as a proportion of the budget of the councils affected for 2002-03.

(98368)

599   David Burnside (South Antrim): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he will be introducing transitional arrangements for the changes to the general grant.

(98369)

600   David Burnside (South Antrim): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will confirm whether there will be a difference in the treatment of gas pipeline companies involved in gas transportation for Northern Ireland whose pipelines would be designated under the Energy (Northern Ireland) Order 2003.

(98365)

601   David Burnside (South Antrim): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what consultation took place with local government representatives on the implications of the new formulae for distributing financial support to local councils through the general grant.

(98366)

602   Mr Nigel Dodds (Belfast North): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what information he has about the number of hours of (a) Irish language programmes and (b) Ulster-Scots language programmes broadcast by BBC Northern Ireland on television in each year since 1999.

(98257)

603   Mr Nigel Dodds (Belfast North): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what information he has about the number of hours of (a) Irish language programmes and (b) Ulster-Scots language programmes broadcast by BBC Northern Ireland on radio in each year since 1999.

(98258)

604
N   Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many Roman Catholic applicants entered each recruitment competition since the formation of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

(98314)

605   Lady Hermon (North Down): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on whether Crown immunity is to continue for the Water Service of Northern Ireland.

(98335)

606   Lady Hermon (North Down): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will reintroduce the moratorium on planning applications for developments that would (a) cause and (b) be likely to cause a breach of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.

(98337)

607   Lady Hermon (North Down): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on Northern Ireland's compliance with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.

(98336)

608   Lady Hermon (North Down): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the Lord Chancellor's Department about (a) the proposed closure of courthouses in Northern Ireland and (b) the timetable for such closures.

(98331)

609   Lady Hermon (North Down): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on nurse recruitment in Northern Ireland during each of the last three years.

(98334)

610   Lady Hermon (North Down): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans he has to accord foundation status to hospitals in Northern Ireland.

(98333)

611   Lady Hermon (North Down): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on the impact of the firefighters' dispute in Northern Ireland.

(98332)

612
N   Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 11th February, Official Report, column 681W, on airport police, if he has taken into account his powers under Article 19 of the Airports (Northern Ireland) Order 1994 in relation to the Government's consideration of the contents and recommendations of Sir John Wheeler's report into policing at UK airports.

(98622)

613   Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what procedures, tests, and exercises constitute the process by which PSNI officers reclassify in relation to use of firearms; and if he will make a statement.

(98568)

614   Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how frequently PSNI officers have to undergo sessions to re-classify in relation to firearms; how often Belfast International Airport police officers have to re-classify; and if he will make a statement.

(98567)

615
N   Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his Answer of 11th February 2003, Official Report, column 683W, whether (a) the Special Branch Portal Unit and (b) the response unit from Strandtown PSNI station provided the initial presence at the arrest for drugs by Customs and Excise referred to in his reply; what the response time was; and if he will make a statement.

(98623)

616
N   Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his Answer of February 11th, Official Report, column 683W, on Belfast City Airport, whether (a) the Special Branch Portal Unit and (b) the response unit from Strandtown PSNI station provided the initial presence following the complaints of (i) the alleged assault in flight, (ii) three disruptive passengers and (iii) one drunk person; what the response time was in each case; and if he will make a statement.

(98624)

617
N   Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much public funding, including European grant aid was allocated to the Hospitality Association of Northern Ireland between 1995 and 1999; and which agencies allocated the funding.

(98418)

618   Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on which occasions Belfast International Airport officers have undergone the procedures to re-classify in relation to the carrying and use of firearms since the privatisation of the airport in 1994; and if he will make a statement.

(98569)

619
N   Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what research the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland is funding concerning the effectiveness of the Fair Employment and Treatment Order 1998; and what proportion this represents of the total research budget of the Commission for 2002-3.

(98209)

620
N   Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what research the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland plans to fund concerning the causes and appropriate policy response to the employment and unemployment differential between Catholics and Protestants.

(98212)

621
N   Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many cases concerning an alleged breach of the Fair Employment and Treatment Order 1998 the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland is supporting financially; how many it supported in each year since 1999; and what proportion this represents of the total 2002-3 budget for supporting discrimination claims on all grounds.

(98211)

622
N   Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many investigations the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland is undertaking that concern compliance with the Fair Employment and Treatment Order 1998; and what proportion this represents of the total investigations budget of the Commission for 2002-3.

(98210)

623
N   Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many crimes have been committed by (a) Loyalist and (b) Republican paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland (i) since the signing of the Belfast Agreement and (ii) since 1st January 2002, broken down by category of crime.

(98394)

624   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will list IT contracts in his Department above £50 million in each of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been.

(99002)

625   The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the average trolley wait was in each hospital in Northern Ireland in January.

(98262)

626   The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the average trolley waits in Daisy Hill Hospital were in (a) November 2002, (b) December 2002 and (c) January 2003.

(98261)

627   The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many new nurses have taken up their post in each board area in Northern Ireland over the last two years.

(98260)

628   The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the number of insurance underwriters prepared to quote for public liability insurance for charities working with children in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

(98263)

629   The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much was distributed through the Social Fund for the red button alert device scheme in Northern Ireland in each year since 2000; how many people have a red button alert device; what plans he has to increase free provision of the red button alert device for pensioners; and what plans he has to update the red button alert device technology.

(98363)

630   The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate he has made of the cost of diabetes and its associated complications to the health service in Northern Ireland.

(98311)

631   The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on the availability of Rohypnol in Northern Ireland; and what mechanisms are in place to ensure that Rohypnol is attained by the public solely for its prescribed purpose.

(98374)

632   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Prime Minister, how many university students his Department supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what his policy is on work placements; what plans he has to develop such schemes; and what his policy is on paying their university fees.

(98496)

633
N   Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk): To ask the Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on the proposal outlined at the recent Anglo-French summit for an inter-governmental defence capabilities development and acquisition agency; and when he anticipates the agency coming into operation.

(98522)

634   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Prime Minister, how many laptop computers were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his office in each year since 1995; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; what their cost was; and if he will make a statement.

(98703)

635
N   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Prime Minister, what provisional plan he has made for the care of children in Iraq in the event of armed conflict.

(98442)

636   Jon Cruddas (Dagenham): To ask the Prime Minister, what the (a) terms of reference for and (b) members of the new cabinet sub-committee on the Thames Gateway are; and if he will make a statement.

(98613)

637
N   Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Prime Minister, which minister gave final approval for the publication of the UK dossier on Iraq of September 2002.

(98371)

638   Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): To ask the Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on matters discussed and decisions taken during his meeting with the heads of the UNMOVIC and IAEA inspection teams on 6th February.

(98498)

639   Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight): To ask the Prime Minister, if he will cite the references for statements which are not obtained directly from intelligence sources in his dossiers of evidence of Iraq's involvement in terror and weapons of mass destruction.

(98861)

640   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many university students her Department has supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what her policy is on work placements; what plans she has to develop such schemes; and what her policy is on paying their university fees.

(98539)

641   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many laptop computers were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in her Department in each year since 1995; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; what their cost was; and if she will make a statement.

(98709)

642   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Solicitor General, how many university students her Department and associated agencies supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what her policy is on work placements; what plans she has to develop such schemes; and what her policy is on paying their university fees.

(98495)

643   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many university students her Department and associated agencies have supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what her policy is on work placements; what plans she has to develop such schemes; and what her policy is on paying their university fees.

(98534)

644   Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what estimate she has made of the impact on the environment of the working time directive in respect of carbon dioxide emissions; and if she will seek a derogation from this Directive in respect of the quarrying and construction industries.

(99142)

645   Mr Harold Best (Leeds North West): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when she will next meet trades union representatives to discuss the implications of passive smoking.

(98443)

646   Mr Harold Best (Leeds North West): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the impact passive smoking has had on (a) the economy and (b) work production in the United Kingdom.

(98444)

647   Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans her Department has to enforce the (a) accurate and (b) specific labeling of fur used in consumer goods; and if she will make a statement.

(98876)

648   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many laptop computers were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in her Department in each year since 1995; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; what their cost was; and if she will make a statement.

(98708)

649   Mr David Chaytor (Bury North): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list (a) the grant schemes operated by her Department, and (b) the sums of money made available to stimulate new technology in (i) solar power, (ii) heat pumps used for space and water heating purposes, (iii) combined heat and power and micro-chp, (iv) micro-wind power, (v) bio-mass driven electricity generation and (vi) other low, or zero- carbon technologies used for generating heat or electricity.

(98671)

650   Mr David Chaytor (Bury North): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many solar installations have been completed as a result of the grants made available by her Department; what has been the average cost of these installations to (a) her Department and (b) the recipient of the grant; and what carbon dioxide savings are expected as a result of these installations.

(98669)

651   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether she has plans to cap auditor liabilities.

(99090)

652   Jeff Ennis (Barnsley East & Mexborough): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when she next plans to meet unions to discuss workers' health.

(98493)

653   Jeff Ennis (Barnsley East & Mexborough): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what guidance she issues to employees who resigned because of health problems attributable to passive smoking.

(98555)

654   Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what official visits (a) the Minister for Science and (b) the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government have made in each of the last three years in their scientific role.

(98966)

655   Mr John Grogan (Selby): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the results of the consultation on investment for the coal industry.

(98638)

656
N   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the remedies to UK employees of multinationals who have been made redundant without the required (a) process of consultation, (b) notice, (c) definition of the criteria for selection for redundancy and (d) evidence that the post has become surplus to requirements.

(98251)

657
N   Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on her assessment of the relative susceptibility to being made redundant of employees of multinationals operating within the EU of (a) British, (b) Dutch, (c) French and (d) other EU companies.

(98252)

658   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many projects were started by the South West RDA in (a) 2000-01, (b) 2001-02 and (c) 2002-03.

(98303)

659   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many staff work in each department of the South West RDA.

(98302)

660   Mr Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the effect on post offices in Derbyshire of the change in payment of benefits from over-the-counter to direct bank transfer.

(98893)

661   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the reasons underlying the treatment of (a) compulsory periods of service on North Sea fishing boats and (b) periods spent in prison in calculating service for the purposes of her compensation scheme for Icelandic trawlermen; and how (a) and (b) are treated under redundancy legislation.

(98479)

662   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much has been paid out to how many trawlermen, and how many claims have been (a) rejected and (b) reduced because of breaks in service for each of the main distant water ports, under her compensation scheme for former Icelandic trawlermen.

(98478)

663   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many former Icelandic trawlermen had their claims for compensation rejected because of breaks in service in each of the four main distant water fishing ports.

(98477)

664   Linda Perham (Ilford North): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the (a) current and (b) potential size of the market for automotive liquid petroleum gas.

(98642)

665   Linda Perham (Ilford North): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what representations she has received on the future growth of the market for automotive liquid petroleum gas.

(98643)

666
N   Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what types of arms were exported to Israel in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

(98361)

667   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list IT contracts in her Department above £50 million in each of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been.

(98999)

668   Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, which United Kingdom companies or organisations have benefited from the European Council Decision 668/2002/Euratom of 3rd June 2002, which estimated a European funding area for the sixth framework programme for Euratom research and training activities.

(98497)

669   Ms Dari Taylor (Stockton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what formula was used to determine allocations to universities of the Science Research Investment Fund for 2004 to 2006; and what factors underlay the allocation made to (a) the University of Teesside and (b) other universities in the North East.

(98809)

670   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when her Department will publish the firework injury statistics for November 2002; and what plans she has to collect year-round firework injury statistics.

(98716)

671   Mr Mike Wood (Batley & Spen): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what estimate she has made of the number of employees who have resigned in the last 12 months for which figures are available because of passive smoke in the workplace.

(98480)

672   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the (a) role of coal mine methane and (b) its importance in the security of UK future energy requirements.

(98562)

673   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether the Renewables Obligation will be extended to cover coal mine methane.

(98509)

674   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what discussions she has had with EU colleagues regarding EU approval for the exemption from the Climate Change Levy of the coal mine methane industry; and if she will make a statement.

(98508)

675   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many university students his Department and associated agencies have supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what his policy is on work placements; what plans he has to develop such schemes; and what his policy is on paying their university fees.

(98535)

676   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many laptop computers were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 1995; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; what their cost was; and if he will make a statement.

(98707)

677   Jon Cruddas (Dagenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will announce his review of the system for appraising new transport schemes; what the terms of reference are for the review; and when he hopes to complete the review.

(98620)

678   Jon Cruddas (Dagenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to establish a light rail link to Dagenham Dock and Rainham.

(98711)

679   Jon Cruddas (Dagenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what additional allocations for transport infrastructure he has made to support the increase in the numbers of homes and new communities planned for the Thames Gateway London area, as set out in the Deputy Prime Minister's Sustainable Communities Plan.

(98621)

680   Jon Cruddas (Dagenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will announce the terms of reference of the review of his ten year transport plan referred to in the Sustainable Communities Plan.

(98619)

681   Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe & Nantwich): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much compensation is payable to Bombardier as a result of the lack of power for the South Central Electrostar trains.

(98397)

682   Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe & Nantwich): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what definition he uses for over-crowding on different forms of public transport.

(98612)

683   Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe & Nantwich): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the maintenance contracts which have been awarded to private firms by the SRA since its inception; and if he will list the maintenance firms which have had their contracts prematurely terminated by the SRA.

(98402)

684   Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe & Nantwich): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many consultants the SRA employs; and what specialities they cover.

(98403)

685   Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe & Nantwich): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the charge in lorry miles as a result of the freezing of freight and track access grants; and if he will list the companies which will have their freight and track access grants frozen, with the dates on which the freeze will take effect.

(98398)

686   Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe & Nantwich): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many of the non-fatal injuries that occurred on the rail network required hospital treatment in each year since 1997; and what definitions his Department uses for the different categories of injury incurred by passengers on the rail network.

(98589)

687   Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe & Nantwich): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the authorities in England who have the direct responsibility for gritting trunk roads; and what the authorities' new responsibilities are for gritting roads.

(98556)

688   Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe & Nantwich): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on the viability of the special purpose vehicles entered into between Amey and Croydon Tramlink.

(98590)

689   Mr Don Foster (Bath): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which organisation is managing the recruitment of the senior staff for the Railway Standards and Safety Board; and who is chairing the selection committee.

(98340)

690   Mr Don Foster (Bath): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, to which organisations the proposed Railway Standards and Safety Board will report.

(98338)

691   Mr Don Foster (Bath): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which organisations provided (a) legal, (b) financial and (c) auditing services valued at over £25,000 to the Strategic Rail Authority in 2002.

(98339)

692   Mr Damian Green (Ashford): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what provisions he has made in his departmental budget for the spending entailed in the Sustainable Communities plan in and around Ashford; and if he will make a statement.

(98637)

693   Jane Griffiths (Reading East): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effects on incidence and severity of injuries to cyclists as a result of increased cycle helmet wearing in the UK.

(98988)

694   Jane Griffiths (Reading East): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of reports 286 and 365 published by the Transport Research Laboratory on the effects on cycle use of promotional campaigns to encourage cycle helmet wearing.

(98987)

695   Jane Griffiths (Reading East): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has assessed the relative safety merits of (a) promoting helmet wearing for cyclists and (b) promoting helmet wearing for (i) car drivers and (ii) pedestrians.

(98986)

696   Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what responsibility the Strategic Rail Authority has for rail services in Scotland.

(98383)

697   Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what level of funding under the Rail Passenger Partnership Fund is identified for transfer to regional assemblies in England.

(98883)

698   Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any specific liabilities of the Strategic Rail Authority, beyond those detailed in his Minutes to Parliament of 27th June 2002, are comprised within the comfort letter proposed to be issued to the Strategic Rail Authority, as set out in the Secretary of State's Minute of 3rd February.

(98960)

699   Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what requirements for accountability to Parliament he intends to apply to the Strategic Rail Authority in respect of its receipt of guarantees from public funds for its borrowings.

(98970)

700   Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will inform the House if his current intentions as regards the matters contained in his proposed comfort letter to the Strategic Rail Authority (3rd February 2003 written statement) were to change.

(98941)

701   Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what effect on planned growth in freight traffic between 2000-01 and 2010-11 he expects to result from the deferred schemes of (a) the Trans Pennine/South Humberside freight capacity works, (b) Felixstowe to Nuneaton Phase 2, (c) the de-scoped East Coast Main Line and (d) reviewed Phase 1 of Felixstowe to Nuneaton.

(98968)

702   Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the contingent liabilities of the Strategic Rail Authority which are proposed to be the subject of a comfort letter from him would score against public sector debt.

(98956)

703   Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his written statement of 3rd February, for what reason his power to guarantee the Strategic Rail Authority's borrowing under Schedule 14 of the Transport Act 2000 is confined to sums which the SRA borrows temporarily"; and how he defines temporarily" in this context.

(98977)

704   Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the contingent liabilities of the Strategic Rail Authority in respect of which he proposes to issue a comfort letter includes (a) the Bridge Facility I, (b) the KfW facilities, (c) the EIB facilities and (d) the legacy working capital facility, as set out in Minutes from him laid before Parliament on 27th June 2002.

(98952)

705   Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how he reconciles the Strategic Rail Authority's goal of a 50 per cent. growth in passenger traffic between 2000-01 and 2010-11 with the Strategic Rail Authority's planning forecast, as reported in their Strategic Plan, that passenger rail travel will be 25 to 35 per cent. greater in passenger kilometre terms than it was at the beginning of the 10 year plan period.

(98978)

706   Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any limit (a) has been and (b) is intended to be set in relation to the contingent liabilities of the Strategic Rail Authority which are proposed to be the subject of a comfort letter from the Secretary of State, as set out in his minute of 3rd February.

(98957)

707   Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what limit on contingent liabilities, which may be the subject of the proposed comfort letter to the Strategic Rail Authority from him as proposed in his Minute to Parliament of 3rd February, is consistent with the Strategic Rail Authority's current (a) agreed budget and (b) financial framework.

(98972)

708   Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, under what circumstances his statement in paragraph 12 of his proposed comfort letter to the Strategy Rail Authority, that the letter does not create binding obligations and should not be construed as a guarantee, would override his current intention as set out in paragraph 11.

(98969)

709   Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list those airports whose operators are not charged for police services and presence; and for what reason charges are not made.

(98564)

710   Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list those airports which are designated for police purposes, and for which the airport operators are charged for police services.

(98565)

711   Mr Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the road quietening schemes that are being examined by his Department for the ASO.

(98885)

712   Mr John Maples (Stratford-on-Avon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the proposed new national guidance on speed limits to be published.

(99051)

713   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much was raised in light dues in the latest available year; and what his estimate is of the amount paid (a) per merchant ship per voyage and (b) by each fishing vessel (i) per voyage and (ii) per year.

(98409)

714   Mr Eric Pickles (Brentwood & Ongar): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidelines and duties there are for local authorities on the prompt repair of traffic lights.

(98866)

715   Mr Eric Pickles (Brentwood & Ongar): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) guidance he gives and (b) duties are laid upon local authorities, to repair defective traffic lights within a specified period.

(98445)

716   Mr Eric Pickles (Brentwood & Ongar): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidelines and duties there are for local authorities on the imposition of traffic calming measures in mixed residential and industrial areas.

(98865)

717   Mr John Redwood (Wokingham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will respond to the request from the honourable Member for Wokingham of 17th June 2002 for information held on the honourable Member by the Department.

(98715)

718   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list IT contracts in his Department and its predecessors above £50 million in each year of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been.

(99006)

719   Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will allow a period of two months between the issue of his response to the consultation process on the future development of air transport in the United Kingdom and the publication of the White Paper.

(98276)

720
N   Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on the impact of the inclusion of Gatwick Airport in the Government's consultation exercise on the (a) scope and (b) validity of proposals at other regional airports.

(98275)

721
N   Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will amend the Zebra, Pelican and Puffin Pedestrian Crossings Regulations and General Directions 1997 to allow for the part-time operation of flashing beacons.

(98588)

722   Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will be making an announcement on the future of the Bristow helicopter operation at Portland.

(98650)

723   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many university students his Department has supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what his policy is on work placements; what plans he has to develop such schemes; and what his policy is on paying their university fees.

(98538)

724   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many laptop computers were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 1995; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; what their cost was; and if he will make a statement.

(98706)

725   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will list IT contracts in his Department and its predecessors above £50 million in each of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been.

(98998)

726   Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his Answer of 10th February, to Official Report, column 564, on students (National Assembly), if he will establish whether the press were in possession of information on the question of further devolution of powers with regard to tuition fees and maintenance grants to the National Assembly for Wales in advance of contacting his press office.

(98566)

727
N   Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South): To ask the Minister for Women, what discussions she has had with the Home Office and the Department for Health regarding the availability of health care for female asylum seekers and refugees at dispersal areas.

(98073)

728   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Minister for Women, what work she is undertaking in partnership with other bodies to encourage women to train for managerial positions; and with which bodies she is carrying out such work.

(99134)

729   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Minister for Women, how much has been spent on regional seminars by the Women and Equality Unit on attracting women to public appointments; and if she will make a statement.

(99041)

730   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Minister for Women, if she will make a statement on the publication of the Cabinet Office report—Public Bodies 2002.

(99043)

731   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Minister for Women, what initiatives she has planned during the next year and what budget has been proposed to attract more women into public appointments; and if she will make a statement.

(99044)

732   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Minister for Women, if she will make a statement on the regional seminar series hosted by the women and equality unit in attracting women to public appointments; and if she will make a statement.

(99045)

733   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Minister for Women, how many regional seminar series in each region were hosted by the Women and Equality Unit to attract women to public appointments in each of the last two years; and if she will make a statement.

(99040)

734   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Minister for Women, what recent consultations the Minister has had with childcare organisations in the last year regarding the provision of childcare; and if she will make a statement.

(99038)

735   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Minister for Women, what discussions she has had and plans to have with the Home Office about the central collection of statistics regarding domestic violence.

(99047)

736   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Minister for Women, what guidance she gives to departments regarding the setting of departmental targets for the appointment of women; and if she will make a statement.

(99039)

737   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Minister for Women, if she will make a statement regarding the proportion of her ministerial time she gives to her Women's Portfolio duties.

(99037)

738   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Minister for Women, how many women have attended regional seminars by the Women and Equality Unit on attracting women to public appointments; and if she will make a statement.

(99042)

739   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Minister for Women, what Civil Service departments and agencies are not on target for completing pay reviews to close any equal pay gaps; and if she will make a statement.

(99048)

740   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Minister for Women, if she will make a statement regarding conclusions reached at the EU Equality Advisory Committee meeting on 9th October 2002.

(99049)

741   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Minister for Women, what research her Department has carried out regarding the link between child physical abuse and domestic violence.

(99036)

742   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Minister for Women, what assessment she has made on the effectiveness of the child tax credit in enabling mothers to return to work; and if she will make a statement.

(99046)

743   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Minister for Women, if she will list the initiatives she has organised in each of the last three years to attract more women into public appointments and their cost; and if she will make a statement.

(99035)

744   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) young people, (b) single mothers, (c) disabled people, (d) people over 50 and (e) other categories for which information is collected have benefited from the New Deal in Nottingham North since its inception.

(98321)

745   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many university students his Department and associated agencies have supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what his policy is on work placements; what plans he has to develop such schemes; and what his policy is on paying their university fees.

(98531)

746   Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners there are in Nottingham North; how many qualify for a free TV licence; and how many get the minimum income guarantee.

(98323)

747   Mr Julian Brazier (Canterbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what organisations have been awarded the contract announced by the Department of Work and Pensions in July 2002 to narrow the 17 per cent. gap between the overall employment rate and that of ethnic minority people; and what timescale has been set for delivering the contracts.

(98017)

748   Mr Julian Brazier (Canterbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what preliminary information is available from conducting the Ambition Construction Initiative pilots.

(98015)

749   Mr Julian Brazier (Canterbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what organisations have received monies from the Innovation Fund; for what purposes they have received funding; and how much funding they have received.

(98019)

750   Mr Julian Brazier (Canterbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the review of the Innovation Fund is expected to be completed and published.

(98018)

751   Mr Julian Brazier (Canterbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage and what value of New Deal contracts are delivered by (a) Jobcentre Plus and (b) other organisations.

(98016)

752   Mr Julian Brazier (Canterbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what contracts have been awarded and in what locations, to deliver the Ambition Construction Initiative; to whom they have been awarded; what timescale has been set for delivering the contracts; and what delays there are compared with the original tender specifications.

(98020)

753   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many laptop computers were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 1995; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; what their cost was; and if he will make a statement.

(98701)

754   Mrs Ann Cryer (Keighley): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans there are to review legislation on worker safety dealing with the effects of passive smoking.

(98506)

755   Annabelle Ewing (Perth): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to recognise impingement syndrome of the shoulder as a prescribed disease for the purpose of industrial injuries disablement benefit.

(98598)

756   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the Employer's Liability Compulsory Insurance Review.

(98596)

757   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps he has taken to improve the financial position of pensioners in Portsmouth; and if he will make a statement.

(98347)

758   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the rate of unemployment in Portsmouth; and if he will make a statement.

(98346)

759   Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what level of interference with asbestos is required to meet the definition that a person has disturbed asbestos for the purposes of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002; and if he will make a statement.

(98665)

760   Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the Health and Safety Executive's review of the science relating to the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002; and who is in charge of the review.

(98678)

761   Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on how the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 apply to debris containing asbestos that is found on a site; and what quantities of such debris are acceptable for the purposes of the Regulations.

(98664)

762   Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list the (a) expert advisers and (b) scientitsts consulted by (i) his Department and (ii) the Health and Safety Executive in connection with the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002; and if he will list the qualifications and experience in relation to asbestos of each such adviser and scientist.

(98659)

763   Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how a material is defined as containing asbestos for the purposes of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002; what minimum quantity of each relevant mineral is required to be present; and how this minimum quantity is measured.

(98662)

764   Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the definition of the terms (a) asbestos, (b) asbestos fibre and (c) asbestos dust in the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002; and what the difference between each of the definitions is.

(98663)

765   Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, by what means it is proposed that health and safety inspectors will measure the level of asbestos fibres in the air to determine whether the control limit specified in the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 has been exceeded; in what circumstances prosecutions will be brought for the offence of contravening the Regulations by exceeding the control limit; and if he will make a statement.

(98660)

766   Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which a health and safety inspector may rely on his own opinion rather than making scientific measurements in order to establish that the permitted levels of asbestos under the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 have been exceeded; and what defences are available to a person where a breach of the Regulations is established by the opinion of the inspector rather than by a measurement.

(98661)

767   Mrs Joan Humble (Blackpool North & Fleetwood): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individuals in the constituency of Blackpool North and Fleetwood have incomes (a) up to £10,000, (b) between £10,000 and £20,000 and (c) over £20,000 per year.

(98676)

768   Mrs Joan Humble (Blackpool North & Fleetwood): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average income is in the constituency of Blackpool North and Fleetwood.

(98677)

769   Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many buildings were sold to the Trillium Group Limited under the Private Sector Resource Initiative for Management of the Estate; what the market value was of these buildings at the time of the sale; if he will list the buildings involved; and if he will make a statement.

(98389)

770   Mr Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners in Derbyshire have migrated from over-the-counter benefit payments to direct bank transfers.

(98892)

771   Mr Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners collect benefits from post offices in Derbyshire.

(98895)

772   Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost was of operating his Department's filestores in each year since 1997.

(98845)

773   Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were employed in the departmental filestores in each year since 1997; how many have been transferred to the private sector; and if he will make a statement.

(98855)

774   Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of his Department's files went missing temporarily or were lost in (a) his Department's filestores and (b) private sector contractors in each year since 1997.

(98846)

775   Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list IT contracts in his Department and its predecessors above £50 million in each of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been.

(99003)

776   Joan Walley (Stoke-on-Trent North): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to change the bereavement payments system for those leaving no dependants; and if he will make a statement.

(98990)

777   Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list each information technology project being undertaken by his Department and its agencies including (a) the start date, (b) the planned completion date, (c) the current expected completion date, (d) the planned cost and (e) the current estimated cost; and if he will make a statement.

(98224)

778   Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has for the issue of state pension forecasts; in what sequence different groups will be issued with such forecasts and over what timescale; how many such forecasts he expects to issue for each group; and if he will make a statement.

(98519)

779   Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employers have informed him that they are willing to co-operate with his Department in issuing combined pension forecasts to their employees.

(98518)

780   Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what changes he intends to make to jobcentre plus regulations as a result of the evaluations of the ONE Programme.

(99054)

781   Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the amount of recoverable benefit overpayments caused by fraud and error in each of the past five years; and how much of these overpayments has been recovered.

(99067)

782   Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much he expects his Department to spend on early retirement packages over the next five years; and how much the Department and its predecessor spent on such packages in the last five years.

(99053)

783   Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether all pensioners newly entitled to the pension credit will be able to claim the money in October.

(99068)

784   Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who is on the Fraud Prevention Board.

(99066)

785   Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many New Deal 50plus participants were first time claimants of (a) the employment credit and (b) the training grant, in each month since the scheme went nationwide.

(99055)

786   Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason British pensioners living abroad are facing a delay in receiving their state retirement pension.

(99070)

787
N   Mr Peter Duncan (Galloway & Upper Nithsdale): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on his role in maintaining accurate child protection records.

[Question Unstarred] [Transferred] (98758)

788   Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what research has been completed on the Severn Barrage.

[Transferred] (98287)

789   Annabelle Ewing (Perth): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of how many people suffer from impingement syndrome of the shoulder; and what representations he has made to his Department about the recognition of the syndrome as a prescribed disease for the purpose of industrial injuries disablement benefit.

[Transferred] (98599)

790   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many domiciliary carers seeking employment in (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002 were found to have a criminal record preventing them from work.

[Transferred] (98552)

791   Mr Mike Wood (Batley & Spen): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to meet employers to formulate a policy to ban smoking at the workplace.

[Transferred] (98481)

792   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial help is available to producers who wish to (a) supply and (b) use combined heat and power.

[Transferred] (98901)

793   Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Office of National Statistics took responsibility for providing data on low income families.

[Transferred] (98679)

794   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his Answer of 10th February to the honourable Member for Hertford and Stortford, Official Report, column 620W, on world oil prices, what estimate he has made of the effect of (a) a short conflict in Iraq and (b) a prolonged conflict in Iraq on the underlying supply and demand situation for oil.

[Transferred] (99133)

795   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many medical reservists there are in the United Kingdom, broken down by speciality.

[Transferred] (99086)

796   Dr Liam Fox (Woodspring): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many medical staff, broken down by speciality, will be deployed to the Gulf in the event of a conflict.

[Transferred] (98930)

797   Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what estimate he has made of the average debt level that a medical student would incur during his or her training as a result of the Government's proposals for higher education.

[Transferred] (98842)

798   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on the increased level of policing at UK airports; and whether the airports will meet the full cost of the additional policing.

[Transferred] (98653)

799   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on the level of security for rail access to London airports.

[Transferred] (98655)

800   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on the level of security at (a) transport infrastructure facilities other than airports and (b) railways.

[Transferred] (98654)

801   Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the number of additional HGVs which will be required on roads in Northern Ireland if the Working Time Directive is applied.

[Transferred] (99124)

802   Mr David Chaytor (Bury North): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the level of grant which would need to be provided to householders to enable them to install a micro-combined heat and power plant instead of a high-efficiency boiler without incurring additional costs; what the carbon dioxide savings from such an installation would be; and what the savings to the householders' fuel bills would be.

[Transferred] (98668)

803   Mr David Chaytor (Bury North): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on encouraging industry to invest in developing (a) micro combined heat and power, (b) domestic heat pumps and (c) other technology that could reduce emissions of CO2 in the long term.

[Transferred] (98670)

804   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what evidence he has examined with regard to the claim by the Government of Iraq that International Military Services supplied (a) materials, (b) expertise and (c) other types of support for the development of (i) missiles and (ii) rocketry.

[Transferred] (98869)

805   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) legal and (b) other costs incurred by International Military Services Ltd in the course of its arbitration with the Government of Iran were.

[Transferred] (98868)

806   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment she has made of the regional variation in cost of childcare; and if she will make a statement.

[Transferred] (99050)

807   Mr David Willetts (Havant): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families are expected (a) to gain and (b) to lose from the child support reforms, broken down by (i) couple families and (ii) families headed by a lone parent.

[Transferred] (99052)