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 19 May 2003

Here you can browse the Written Questions for answer on Monday 19 May 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 19th MAY

1   Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he expects to publish the Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service for 2002.

(114769)

2   Mr Harry Barnes (North East Derbyshire): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what powers he has over the operations of VAT to prevent master franchises from using coercive attempts to press their franchisees into registering for VAT as a means of the master franchises obtaining an exemption under the provisions of the Trading Schemes Act 1996; and if he will make a statement.

(114818)

3   Mr Harry Barnes (North East Derbyshire): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claims were made to the Inland Revenue on forms (a) P161, (b) R27 and (c) R40 in the last year for which figures are available; how many of these claims were successful; and what estimates he has made of the numbers who were entitled to the benefit concerned.

(114599)

4   Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress is being made with the composition of duty on goods imported to the UK claiming preference under the EU-Israel Association Agreement but where the goods involved are believed to originate in illegal Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights or the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

(114847)

5   Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his actions since the statement of 28th April, column 53, to overcome delays in the processing of tax credit claims and on the progress of his Department on the matter.

(114903)

6   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many persons in London, broken down by borough, have applied for working tax credit; and if he will make a statement.

(114961)

7   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average time has been for dealing with applications in London for working tax credit, broken down by borough; and if he will make a statement.

(114962)

8   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost was of the advertising of working tax credit; what (a) the installation and (b) the running costs of the helpline were; what evaluation is due to take place of the advertisement campaign; and if he will make a statement.

(114959)

9   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average period of time has been since the introduction of working tax credits from application to first payment in London, broken down by borough; and if he will make a statement.

(114960)

10
N   Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations the Government has made to the European Commission regarding the impact of the imposition of value added tax on postal services.

(113931)

11
N   Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue has been received by the Treasury from rents paid for use of the Crown Estate's seabed in each year since 1973; and how much the Crown Estate has invested in marine research in each of those years.

(113935)

12
N   Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment the Government has made of the impact of the imposition of value added tax on postal services.

(113937)

13
N   Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government are taking regarding the imposition of value added tax on commercial postal service providers.

(113936)

14   Mr Martin Caton (Gower): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the companies providing independent financial advice that the Financial Services Authority has required to cease regulated activities because they have been unable to secure professional indemnity insurance.

(114650)

15   Mr Ben Chapman (Wirral South): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the quality of performance of the Valuation Office Agency in Liverpool.

(114821)

16
N   Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Government will respond to the Treasury Committee's Fourth Report of Session 2002-03, HC 184; and what the reasons are for the delay in replying.

(114568)

17
N   Mr Kenneth Clarke (Rushcliffe): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the Question tabled by the Right honourable Member for Rushcliffe for answer on 28th April, ref 109374, on tax credits.

(114341)

18   Tom Cox (Tooting): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the income received from the sale of publicly owned assets since May 1997.

(114853)

19   Mr John Cummings (Easington): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will develop the tax derogation on bio-diesel to support the rural economies.

(114795)

20   Mr Robert Key (Salisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his Department has had with the relevant finance and development departments of other donor countries regarding the proposed International Finance Facility; and if he will make a statement.

(114665)

21   Mr Robert Key (Salisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's spending predictions are for (a) overseas aid after 2015 and (b) the International Finance Facility; and if he will make a statement.

(114664)

22   Mr Robert Key (Salisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the funds from the proposed International Finance Facility will be given as (a) grants and (b) loans; and if he will make a statement.

(114667)

23   Mr Robert Key (Salisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the financial risks associated with the proposed International Finance Facility; how he plans to minimise them; and if he will make a statement.

(114669)

24   Mr Robert Key (Salisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what criteria will be used to decide which countries will receive aid from the proposed International Finance Facility; and if he will make a statement.

(114668)

25   Mr Robert Key (Salisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what contingency plans his Department has in conjunction with the Department for International Development in the event that the required number of donors for the proposed International Finance Facility reaches 50 per cent. or less of the target; and if he will make a statement.

(114666)

26   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to change (a) duty levels on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and (b) the level of grants available for vehicles converting to LPG.

(114742)

27   Mr John MacDougall (Central Fife): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what the latest unemployment claimant count was in (a) Scotland and (b) Fife.

(114609)

28   Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people and what percentage of the total workforce in the UK were employed in the public sector in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) central government, (b) local government, (c) non-executive agencies and (d) the NHS.

(114857)

29   Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to include average annual increase in council tax and utility bills rather than the Retail Price Index as a basis for assessing the annual increase in the state retirement pension; and if he will make a statement.

(114858)

30   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department's procurement policy includes timber used in the construction of departmental building projects; and if he will make a statement.

(114842)

31   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets he has for improving energy efficiency; and how he intends to achieve these targets.

(114843)

32   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment is made (a) of the environmental impact and (b) against sustainable development criteria, of the bids made for the different grants awarded by his Department; who makes such an assessment; and whether these assessments are published.

(114844)

33   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment is made (a) of the environmental impact and (b) against sustainable development criteria of the bids made for contracts awarded by his Department; who makes such an assessment; and whether these assessments are published.

(114841)

34   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 10th February, Official Report, column 603W, on census forms, how many households received census forms; what assessment he has made of the impact of households returning forms (a) early and (b) late; and if he will make a statement.

(114607)

35   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer when the independent review of the Royal Mint will be published.

(114594)

36   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what remit relating to sustainable development is undertaken by his Department's (a) executive agencies, (b) advisory non-departmental bodies, (c) executive non-departmental bodies, (d) tribunals, (e) public corporations and (f) other bodies.

(114895)

37   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 28th February, Official Report, column 767W, on the Capital Modernisation Fund, why the Customs and Excise anti drug surveillance was terminated in February 2002; and if he will make a statement.

(114593)

38   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer when the departmental strategy for sustainable development will be published; and what steps (a) are being taken and (b) are planned to take forward the actions outlined.

(114894)

39   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the annual savings to the Exchequer which would result from lower debt interest costs if United Kingdom interest rates were (a) 0.5 per cent., (b) 0.75 per cent., (c) 1 per cent., (d) 2 per cent. and (e) 3 per cent. lower across the yield curve for 2003-04.

(114652)

40   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what target the Inland Revenue has set for the number of individual taxpayers filing self assessment tax returns on the internet by 2005; and if he will make a statement.

(114706)

41
N   Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many standard letters the Inland Revenue has issued (a) in total and (b) in the last month to tax credit applicants, asking them to confirm their name, address, date of birth and National Insurance number.

(114569)

42
N   Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason his Department ceased issuing notices to people with an incomplete record of National Insurance contributions in a given tax year; when and how this omission was noted; how many letters will now be issued; and if he will make a statement.

(114570)

43
N   Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the honourable Member for Middlesborough, representing the Church Commissioners, how many churches have been deconsecrated since 1997.

(113820)

44   Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what safeguards she intends to put in place to ensure that the bid for the Olympics does not restrict the resources available to non-Olympic sports; and what plans she has to support such sports and promote participation in them.

(114900)

45   Mr Iain Coleman (Hammersmith & Fulham): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what specific or direct grants have been made by her Department to local authorities for 2003-04 (a) in England and (b) broken down by local authority, identifying whether the grant is (i) ring fenced, (ii) a specific formula grant, (iii) within aggregate external finance and (iv) outside aggregate external finance.

(114921)

46
N   Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much has been raised in funding for good causes from the National Lottery in each year since 1994.

(113766)

47
N   Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much has been given in good causes under the (a) New Opportunities Fund and (b) Community Fund in each year since its creation, broken down by type of organisation and activity.

(113767)

48
N   Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to encourage subtitling on (a) television, (b) videos, (c) DVDs and (d) other audiovisual media.

(113768)

49   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a statement on the future of small independent cinemas.

(114867)

50   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a statement on regulations on future entertainments on school premises.

(114865)

51   Mr Andy Reed (Loughborough): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will list the regional distribution of sports lottery funding in 2002-03.

(114827)

52   Mr Andy Reed (Loughborough): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of the lottery contribution to the cost of hosting the Olympic Games will come from existing lottery distributors.

(114825)

53   Mr Andy Reed (Loughborough): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made on the impact of existing sports lottery funded projects of hosting the Olympic Games in 2012; and if she will make a statement.

(114826)

54   Mr John Bercow (Buckingham): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart about the establishment of a UK base in Iraq.

(114810)

55   Mr John Bercow (Buckingham): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of equipment supply to the armed forces.

(114809)

56   Mr John Bercow (Buckingham): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what measures he will take to support widows and partners of service personnel who died in the Gulf conflict.

(114811)

57   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what financial support his Department is proposing for the Sea Cadets to assist in Trafalgar Day celebrations; and if he will make a statement.

(114958)

58
N   Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when territorial army medical staff in the Gulf will return to their jobs in the National Health Service; and if he will make a statement.

(114566)

59
N   Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civilian aircraft have been chartered for the return of British troops from Iraq; how many military aircraft are being used to return troops from Iraq; what the average delay is for troops awaiting transport home from Iraq; and if he will make a statement about transporting troops home from Iraq.

(113416)

60   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the Medical Research Council to respond to the approach by the Ministry of Defence's Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Unit, as referred to in his letter of 2nd May to Robert G. Wood Smith & Partners.

(114862)

61   Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects to sign a memorandum of understanding with the United States administration in respect of low-cost production of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

(114891)

62   Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many technology access agreements have been signed by Her Majesty's Government and the United States in respect of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter; and what areas of technology they covered.

(114890)

63   Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the likely impact on Britain's defence industry of the refusal by the US Congress to grant a waiver to the United Kingdom in respect of International Trafficking in Arms Regulations.

(114892)

64   Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the former members of the Iraqi regime who have either surrendered to or been captured by Coalition forces; where they are being held; and whether the British authorities have regular access to those individuals to question them.

(114893)

65
N   Glenda Jackson (Hampstead & Highgate): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where the sites were from which Iraqi weapons of mass destruction could have been launched in 45 minutes; and whether they have been destroyed.

(114515)

66
N   Glenda Jackson (Hampstead & Highgate): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what evidence has been found following the conflict that Iraq had continued to develop weapons of mass destruction programmes, in defiance of UN resolutions.

(114513)

67
N   Glenda Jackson (Hampstead & Highgate): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 12th March, Official Report, column 15, in what circumstances it would be inappropriate to publicise the identification of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

(114518)

68
N   Glenda Jackson (Hampstead & Highgate): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of British forces in Iraq are engaged in making safe unexploded ordnance; how many devices have been disarmed; and what other agencies are assisting in this work.

(114516)

69
N   Glenda Jackson (Hampstead & Highgate): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British personnel have been seconded to the Iraq survey groups; and what their expertise is.

(114514)

70   Mr John MacDougall (Central Fife): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's plans are for the future involvement of British forces in combating international terrorism in (a) the Far East, (b) the Middle East and (c) Europe.

(114616)

71   Albert Owen (Ynys Mo(r)n): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British military bases have been sold to the United States in each of the last 10 years; and whether leasehold arrangements are made for military bases.

(114595)

72   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many sorties were flown by Iraqi military (a) aircraft, (b) helicopters and (c) unmanned aerial vehicles during the recent conflict; how many were destroyed by Coalition forces; and how many are now in the possession of Coalition forces.

(114834)

73   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what stocks of (a) solid propellant, (b) other fuel (including unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine), (c) oxidiser and (d) other related materials capable of use with short or medium range ballistic missiles capable of being fired at ranges (i) no greater than 150km and (ii) greater than 150km have been identified as having been destroyed (A) by Coalition forces and (B) other causes during the recent conflict.

(114924)

74   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what stocks of warheads, airframes, engine components or guidance and control components capable of use with short or medium range ballistic missiles capable of being fired at ranges (a) no greater than 150km and (b) greater than 150km have (i) been captured and (ii) fallen into the possession of Coalition forces in Iraq.

(114930)

75   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what stocks of (a) solid propellant, (b) other fuel, including unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine, (c) oxidiser and (d) other related materials capable of use with short or medium range ballistic missiles capable of being fired at ranges (i) no greater than 150km and (ii) greater than 150km have (A) been captured by and (B) fallen into the possession of coalition forces in Iraq.

(114923)

76   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many persons (a) with knowledge of the Iraqi short or medium range missile programmes, (b) who have been involved with such programmes and (c) who were in command positions with units possessing such missiles during the recent conflict have been (i) detained for questioning and (ii) held as prisoners of war by (A) the United Kingdom and (B) other Coalition forces.

(114934)

77   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many short or medium range ballistic missiles capable of being fired at ranges (a) no greater than 150km and (b) greater than 150km have been identified as having been launched by Iraqi forces during the recent conflict.

(114925)

78   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what transporter-erector-launchers, other mobile launchers, fixed launchers, support vehicles or other related equipment capable of use with short or medium range ballistic missiles capable of being fired at ranges (a) no greater than 150km and (b) greater than 150km have (i) been captured by and (ii) fallen into the possession of Coalition forces in Iraq.

(114931)

79   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many short or medium range ballistic missiles capable of being fired at ranges (a) no greater than 150km and (b) greater than 150km have been identified as having been destroyed, prior to launch, (i) by Coalition forces and (ii) by other causes during the recent conflict in the Gulf.

(114928)

80   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) drawings, (b) technical, research, production, testing, administrative or other documentation, (c) computer diskettes, (d) video tapes or other data storage media, (e) training aids and (f) remnants of tested or destroyed items have been (i) identified by the coalition as related to Iraqi short or medium range missile programmes and (ii) seized.

(114933)

81   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many short or medium range ballistic missiles capable of being fired at ranges (a) no greater than 150km and (b) greater than 150km have (i) been captured by and (ii) fallen into the possession of Coalition forces on Iraq.

(114926)

82   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what transporter-erector-lauchers, other mobile launchers, fixed launchers, support vehicles or other related equipment capable of use with short or medium range ballistic missiles capable of being fired at ranges (a) no greater than 150km and (b) greater than 150km have been identified as having been destroyed by (i) Coalition forces and (ii) other causes during the recent conflict in Iraq.

(114932)

83   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what stocks of warheads, airframes, engine components or guidance and control components capable of use with short or medium range ballistic missiles with the capable of being fired at ranges (a) no greater than 150km and (b) greater than 150km have been identified as having been destroyed (i) by Coalition forces and (ii) other causes during the recent conflict.

(114929)

84   Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on the operation of the Housing Density Directive; how many planning applications have been refused or called in; and which local authorities are affected.

(114901)

85   Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much money the South West Regional Assembly will receive from central government in 2003-04; and how much of this will be spent on its advisory role on regional planning.

(114897)

86
N   Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to the statement on 7th April, Official Report, column 94, when he will publish the draft guidance on the High Hedges (No 2) Bill.

(114564)

87   Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much funding each local authority contributes in the financial year 2002-03 to funding regional assemblies; what the expenditure of each regional assembly (a) was in that period and (b) is expected to be in 2003-04; how many staff each assembly employs; and what estimate he has made of the effect upon council tax levels of funding regional assemblies.

(114718)

88   Mr Iain Coleman (Hammersmith & Fulham): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what specific or direct grants have been made by his Department to local authorities for 2003-04 (a) in England and (b) broken down by local authority, identifying whether the grant is (i) ring fenced, (ii) a specific formula grant, (iii) within aggregate external finance and (iv) outside aggregate external finance.

(114914)

89   Mr John Cummings (Easington): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what assessment has been made of the potential value of (a) film, (b) new media and (c) broadcasting to the UK economy; and if he will break down the results of each assessment by region.

(114803)

90   Mr John Cummings (Easington): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many abandoned motor vehicles were collected in the district of Easington in (a) 2000-01 and (b) 2002-03; and what the cost was to the local authority.

(114714)

91   Mr John Cummings (Easington): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on the future funding of the Coalfield Regeneration Trust.

(114658)

92   Mr David Lepper (Brighton, Pavilion): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what categories of workers will be eligible for consideration for starter homes in the next round of the Starter Homes initiative.

(114699)

93   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many new houses have been built in (a) Adur district, (b) Worthing Borough and (c) West Sussex in each of the last six years; how many more need to be built in order to meet the Government's housebuilding targets; and by what date the houses need to be built.

(114822)

94   Mr John MacDougall (Central Fife): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what plans his Department has to establish a single equality body to deal with all equality issues.

(114613)

95   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on the level of council taxes in England in financial years (a) 2001-02 and (b) 2003-04.

(114866)

96   Mr Eric Martlew (Carlisle): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, further to the Answer of 14th May, Official Report, column 301, on Regional Government (North West), if he will make a statement on how the question to be put in the second vote will be decided on; and whether the result of the second vote will be binding on the Government.

(114711)

97   Bob Russell (Colchester): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will extend the Control of Roadside Sales Order to enable local authorities to remove vehicles for sale which are parked on the highway or adjacent greenswards; and if he will make a statement.

(114654)

98   Bob Russell (Colchester): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what powers are available to local authorities to remove vehicles for sale which are parked on the highway or adjacent greenswards.

(114653)

99   Mr John Taylor (Solihull): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will ensure that members of the Fire Brigades Union will have the opportunity to vote in secret ballot on the revised pay and conditions of employment currently on offer to them; and if he will make a statement.

(114586)

100
N   Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what assessment he has made of the (a) practicality and (b) benefits of providing a joint control room for (i) social services, (ii) fire, (iii) ambulance and (iv) other emergency services on the Isle of Wight.

(114365)

101
N   Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will ask the Audit Commission to investigate the delays and loss of correspondence in the housing benefits department at Swale Borough Council.

(114194)

102
N   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of the Ninth Report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, Session 2002-03, HC666, on The Case for a Children's Commissioner for England; and if he will make a statement.

(113772)

103   Mr Iain Coleman (Hammersmith & Fulham): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what specific or direct grants have been made by his Department to local authorities for 2003-04 (a) in England and (b) broken down by local authority, identifying whether the grant is (i) ring fenced, (ii) a specific formula grant, (iii) within aggregate external finance and (iv) outside aggregate external finance.

(114915)

104   Tom Cox (Tooting): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many unfilled places there are in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the London borough of Wandsworth.

(114854)

105   Tom Cox (Tooting): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many vacancies he estimates exist within the teaching profession in schools in the Greater London area.

(114856)

106   Tom Cox (Tooting): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what percentage of children living in the Greater London area receive education at three or four years of age.

(114855)

107   Mr David Lepper (Brighton, Pavilion): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many childcare places were available in Brighton and Hove in each year since 1996-97.

(114691)

108   Mr David Lepper (Brighton, Pavilion): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children were in classes of 31 or more in infant schools or infant classes in primary schools in Brighton and Hove in each year since 1996-97.

(114698)

109   Mr David Lepper (Brighton, Pavilion): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the funding was per pupil in the Brighton and Hove LEA in each year since 1996-97.

(114697)

110   Mr David Lepper (Brighton, Pavilion): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, which schools in the city of Brighton and Hove receive capital funding allocations through targeted schemes for each year since 1996-97, what the amount of each allocation was; and when the project was for which funding was allocated in each case.

(114694)

111   Mr David Lepper (Brighton, Pavilion): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many full-time equivalent teachers were working in schools in Brighton and Hove in each year since 1996-97.

(114696)

112   Mr David Lepper (Brighton, Pavilion): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what total amount of capital funding was allocated to schools in Brighton and Hove in each year since 1996-97.

(114695)

113   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what arrangements there are for educating schoolchildren in how better to deal with (a) depression and (b) related emotional help and well-being problems.

(114744)

114   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what measures have been instituted in schools in recognition of extra demands put on carers under the age of 16.

(114743)

115   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will make a statement on schools budgets in 2003-04 in relation to teaching staff.

(114868)

116   Mr Andy Reed (Loughborough): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of school playing field sales.

(114690)

117   Mr Andy Reed (Loughborough): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many school sports coordinators were in post in England on 1st April

(114688)

118   Mr Andy Reed (Loughborough): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will estimate what percentage of children in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools are receiving two hours of physical activity per week.

(114689)

119   Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of the relevance of (a) materials science and (b) engineering to the development of scientific and technological understanding in AS and A level students.

(114651)

120   Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what public consultation will take place before a decision is taken on whether or not to establish a conservation board for the Cotswold area of outstanding natural beauty; what estimate he has made of the possible cost of such a board; what benefits he expects will result; and how local democratic accountability will be maintained if such a board is established.

(114850)

121   Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many confirmed cases of tuberculosis in cattle there have been in the last five years; and what has been the geographical spread of the disease.

(114888)

122   Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on progress in developing a vaccine to counteract tuberculosis in cattle; and if she will publish the report of the Vaccine Scoping Standing Sub-committee when it is available.

(114719)

123   Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, why she has not set a CSR target for tuberculosis in cattle.

(114887)

124   Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking in the operation of the Hague Preference to ensure that any fishing quota cuts are favourable to those countries which border the North Sea.

(114886)

125   Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions for illegal food imports into the UK there have been in the last five years.

(114884)

126   Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many jobs have been lost in UK agriculture in the last five years.

(114885)

127   Mr Iain Coleman (Hammersmith & Fulham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what grants have been made by her Department to local authorities for 2003-04 in England broken down by local authority; and whether the grant is (a) ring fenced, (b) a specific formula grant, (c) within aggregate external finance and (d) outside aggregate external finance.

(114919)

128   Tom Cox (Tooting): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government's budget is for research and development into organic farming; and if she will make a statement.

(114852)

129
N   Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has had with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on possible action to encourage rural tourism.

(113417)

130   Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the dates were of the recent visits by DEFRA vets to the Baronsdown Deer Sanctuary; how many deer were estimated to be in the sanctuary and how many of them were inspected; how long each visit lasted; how many of the visits were done (a) during daylight and (b) after dark; what study was made during the visits of the relative size of the deer in the sanctuary against Exmoor Red Deer in general; and whether any of the deer exhibited signs of malnutrition.

(114835)

131
N   Andrew George (St Ives): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether small and medium sized food and drink (a) producers and (b) exporters must become members of Food from Britain to receive support from her Department.

(113769)

132
N   Andrew George (St Ives): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the need for (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation to implement any EU directive regarding the commercialisation of GM crops.

(113771)

133
N   Andrew George (St Ives): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the procedure her Department follows to transpose an EU directive into United Kingdom law.

(113770)

134
N   Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what regulations she plans to implement on the treatment of ash residue from (a) incineration of animal by-products and (b) human incineration at crematoria.

(114388)

135   Mr Robert Key (Salisbury): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason salmon in the Hampshire Avon are being tagged by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; what the anticipated mortality rate is amongst tagged salmon; what prior consultation was undertaken with (a) riparian owners and (b) angling interests; and if she will make a statement.

(114670)

136   Fiona Mactaggart (Slough): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with (a) the Carbon Trust and (b) Action Energy about changes imposed by a private company in the contracts with consultants to bring business to Action Energy.

(114705)

137   Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list the (a) location and (b) date of comment of genetically modified crop trials in Shrewsbury and Atcham since 1997.

(114768)

138   Albert Owen (Ynys Mo(r)n): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures her Department will put in place under the CAP decoupling proposals to protect the future of (a) local authority owned and (b) other small farms following the proposal to pay a single subsidy payment to the tenant and to allow the tenant to retain the entitlement payments; and whether it is her policy that the subsidy remain with the farm rather than with the tenant.

(114587)

139   Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on the export trade of unsorted kerbside collected recyclables from English recycling schemes to Pacific Rim countries on economic regeneration in the UK, with special reference to the Government's Waste Strategy Proximity Principle.

(114793)

140   Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take action to reduce the disparity between the cost of exporting unsorted recyclables and the cost of sorting them in the UK.

(114794)

141   Bob Spink (Castle Point): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures she has (a) evaluated and (b) applied under Environment Agency control to resolve the problems of odours in South Essex.

(114662)

142   Bob Spink (Castle Point): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will instruct the Environment Agency immediately to implement legal action against those responsible for the pungent odours in South Essex and pursue that action as forcefully as possible with no loss of time.

(114661)

143
N   Paddy Tipping (Sherwood): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects to (a) receive and (b) publish Lord Haskins' review of DEFRA and its agencies.

(114342)

144   Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the effect upon the cost of collection and management of municipal waste in the UK of meeting the (a) recycling and (b) recovery targets of the Waste Strategy 2000.

(114715)

145   Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the effects upon the cost of (a) collection and (b) management of municipal waste stream in the UK of complying with the requirements of article 5 of the Landfill Directive to (i) reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste to 50 per cent. of 1995 levels by 2013 and (ii) reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste to 35 per cent. of 1995 levels by 2020.

(114791)

146   Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost of collection and management of (a) household and (b) municipal waste was in (i) England, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) Scotland and (iv)  Wales in each year since 1997-98 for which figures are held by her Department.

(114790)

147   Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the estimate of the proportion of methane emissions arising from fossil fuel extraction, set out in paragraph 2.8 of the 22nd report of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution; and what action she will take.

(114717)

148   Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the findings of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's 22nd report Energy-the changing Climates, in paragraph 2.8 on page 18, on the contribution of methane gases from landfill sites to the greenhouse effect.

(114963)

149
N   Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will provide support for British Food Fortnight.

(113763)

150
N   Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps (a) her Department, (b) executive agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies sponsored by her Department are taking to improve the competitiveness of small and medium sized food and drink (i) producers and (ii) exporters.

(113765)

151
N   Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) representations she has received from and (b) consultations she has held with small and medium sized food (i) producers and (ii) exporters concerning the allocation of the recently announced additional funding for Food from Britain.

(113762)

152
N   Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the additional funding for Food from Britain will be spent on (a) personnel, (b) training, (c) members' services and (d) press relations; and if she will provide a breakdown of spending in other categories.

(113764)

153
N   Donald Anderson (Swansea East): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on his visit to South Africa on 13th and 14th May.

(113795)

154   Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Israeli Government about the restrictions placed by the Israeli Government on the freedom of foreign nationals to enter the Gaza Strip, and what response he has received to those representations.

(114848)

155   Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of reports that the Israeli government has imposed a requirement on foreign nationals wishing to enter the Gaza Strip should sign a waiver absolving the Israeli military of responsibility if the foreign national command is killed or injured by Israeli military action; and what representations he has made to the Government of Israel on the issue.

(114849)

156   Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the matters discussed during his talks with the Israeli Foreign Minister on 16th May; and if he will make a statement on the outcome of those talks.

(114846)

157   Alistair Burt (North East Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Egyptian Government on the recent attack by a unit from the Egyptian army on the Patmos Centre, a Christian children's home.

(114757)

158   Alistair Burt (North East Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Egyptian Government on the treatment by police of converts from Islam to Christianity.

(114756)

159   Alistair Burt (North East Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Egyptian Government concerning the (a) imprisonment of Malak and Naglaa Gawargios Fahmy and (b) reports of attempts to force Naglaa Gawargios to renounce her faith.

(114755)

160
N   Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many applications for entry clearance are awaiting determination at the British High Commission in Islamabad; how many have been outstanding for more than (a) six months and (b) three months; and if he will make a statement.

(114565)

161   Mr Vernon Coaker (Gedling): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Indonesian Government regarding human trafficking for the purposes of sexual and labour exploitation.

(114579)

162   Mr Vernon Coaker (Gedling): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the situation with respect to visa applications in Karachi.

(114580)

163   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his Answer of 8th May, Official Report, column 287W, on Iraq, if he will name those invited to the Nassiriya Conference on 15th April; what the rationale was for each of their invitations; and if he will make a statement.

(114864)

164   Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what action he is taking under international law as an occupying power to (a) ensure public order and safety in Iraq, (b) meet the basic needs of the Iraqi population, (c) protect displaced persons and refugees, (d) respect the rights of detainees and (e) ensure justice in Iraq.

(114879)

165   Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on the admission of UN human rights monitors throughout Iraq and the establishment of a UN commission of experts to advise on approaches to ensuring justice in Iraq.

(114880)

166   Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) men and (b) women in Afghanistan have received police training.

(114877)

167   Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information he has collated on the number of executions per 100,000 population in the five countries with the highest rates of judicial executions in each of the last three years.

(114878)

168   Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made in the development of a justice system in Afghanistan that meets international standards; and what his assessment is of the adequacy of resources available to develop such a system.

(114876)

169   Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the US on the timescale for the identification of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

(114881)

170   Mr Edward Leigh (Gainsborough): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will support the deployment of a United Nations military force in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo.

(114710)

171   Mr John MacDougall (Central Fife): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what monitoring of security at airports abroad is undertaken by UK embassies and consulates.

(114614)

172   Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the UK's diplomatic relationship with North Korea.

(114679)

173   Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to establish effective bilateral relations with the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea.

(114687)

174   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make copies of the Quartet's Middle East Roadmap available on his Department's website; and if he will place a formal copy of the Roadmap in the Library.

(114927)

175   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the treatment of minorities in Slovakia; and what discussions he has had on the matter with his Slovak counterpart.

(114922)

176
N   Andy Burnham (Leigh): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the distance from target for each primary care trust in Greater Manchester for each of the three years of the current spending settlement.

(113017)

177
N   Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in the Mid-Essex Hospital Trust area were waiting for in-patient treatment in each of the last two months for which figures are available.

(112378)

178
N   Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in the Mid-Essex Hospital Trust area were waiting over 13 weeks for an outpatient appointment for the latest available quarter.

(112379)

179   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions the National Care Standards Commission and Commission for Health Improvement have agreed for the other body to undertake their functions as provided for by the Care Standards Act 2000.

(114750)

180   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what role the Commission for Health Inspection and Audit will play in assessing the quality of (a) health care and (b) clinical governance as it affects residents in care homes.

(114745)

181   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for drawing up standards for day centres.

(114746)

182   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements his Department has made to ensure that health care assistants working in care settings registered under Part II of the Care Standards Act 2000 are registered with the General Social Care Council or Nursing and Midwifery Council.

(114747)

183   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much each hospital trust in England spent on agency recruitment in (a) nurses and (b) doctors in (i) the last 12 months and (ii) each of the previous five years.

(114754)

184   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library a copy of the report following the monitoring exercise by the Social Services Inspectorate of local authority enforcement of private fostering regulations in 2000-01.

(114751)

185   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish the unit cost figures for residential care for each local authority area obtained by his Department as part of the data collection for the performance assessment framework in each of the last three years.

(114749)

186   Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will (a) list and (b) publish the directions he has issued to the National Care Standards Commission since its inception.

(114748)

187   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of total funds available for cancer treatment was given to endoscopy services in 2002-03, broken down by NHS trust; and if he will make a statement.

(114956)

188   Patsy Calton (Cheadle): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department's procurement policy includes timber used in the construction of departmental building projects; and if he will make a statement.

(114608)

189   Mr Iain Coleman (Hammersmith & Fulham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what grants have been made by his Department to local authorities for 2003-04 in England broken down by local authority; and whether the grant is (a) ring fenced, (b) a specific formula grant, (c) within aggregate external finance and (d) outside aggregate external finance.

(114918)

190
N   Mr Frank Dobson (Holborn & St Pancras): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the estimated patient electorates are of each of the hospital trusts he has authorised to proceed with application for foundation status.

(114517)

191
N   Mr Frank Dobson (Holborn & St Pancras): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the underlying deficit is of each of the hospital trusts which he has authorised to proceed with application for foundation status.

(114387)

192   Paul Flynn (Newport West): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many reports the Medicines Control Agency has received of suicides attributed to Seroxat in each of the last three years.

(114707)

193   Paul Flynn (Newport West): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the under-reporting to the Medicines Control Agency of problems experienced by patients prescribed Seroxat.

(114709)

194   Paul Flynn (Newport West): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many yellow card reports the Medicines Control Agency has received about Seroxat in each of the last three years.

(114708)

195   Paul Flynn (Newport West): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the yellow card scheme; and if he will allow patients to send their observations to the Medicines Control Agency using the yellow card scheme.

(114823)

196   Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has policies in place that encourage that antidepressive drugs which are used to treat depression in women are tested on women during the drug qualification process.

(114583)

197   Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on NHS dentistry, with particular reference to (a) Portsmouth and (b) the rest of Hampshire.

(114863)

198   Dr Evan Harris (Oxford West & Abingdon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 6th May, Official Report, column 665W, on security incidents, what definition of security incident is used in the figures provided; what the changes to the reporting procedures were; and where the acknowledgement was made that the level of recorded incidents was likely to rise in the short term.

(114883)

199   Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of levels of (a) obesity and (b) youth obesity; and what research he has evaluated on levels in other European countries.

(114805)

200   Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) funding and (b) funding as a percentage of departmental expenditure his Department allocated to measures to promote physical activity in the last year for which figures are available.

(114800)

201   Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of levels of physical activity amongst (a) adults and (b) children.

(114806)

202   Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures are being taken to promote physical activity at a cross-departmental level; and how plans to promote physical activity are co-ordinated between departments.

(114799)

203   Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures his Department is taking to promote the health benefits of physical activity; how these measures are being co-ordinated; and what the long-term strategy is for investment in health promoting physical activity programmes.

(114798)

204   Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures he has to promote the prevention of obesity; and how much funding has been made available for this purpose.

(114797)

205   Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what evaluation has been made of measures by primary care trusts to promote physical activity with particular reference to recommendations contained in the National Service Frameworks.

(114804)

206   Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which pilot schemes were selected under the Local Exercise Action Pilots programme; what the proposed timescale for the selection of schemes following the initial announcement of the LEAP programme was; and whether the selection process met the planned timeframe.

(114802)

207   Nick Harvey (North Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the estimated cost to the NHS is of conditions related to low levels of physical activity amongst the population.

(114801)

208   Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he intends to reply to the letter dated 14th April from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr N. Thorpe.

(114672)

209   Mr Robert Key (Salisbury): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many additional (a) crisis resolution teams, (b) assertive outreach teams, (c) community gateway staff, (d) staff to give breaks to carers and strengthen carer support, (e) court assessment schemes and (f) medium secure services have been established in the South Wiltshire area of the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust in 2003-04; whether there is now a full community mental health team in South Wiltshire; and by how much the mental health budget will change in South Wiltshire this year.

(114671)

210   Mr David Lepper (Brighton, Pavilion): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects patients forums to be in place.

(114693)

211   Mr David Lepper (Brighton, Pavilion): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he will issue guidance on setting up patients forums.

(114692)

212   Mr Tony Lloyd (Manchester Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information he has collated about the incidence of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus; and if he will make a statement on what steps the Government is taking to tackle MRSA.

(114954)

213   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the number of Caesarian deliveries in each of the last six years where such interventions might not have been necessary had the mother been advised of positions for natural delivery other than lying down in bed.

(114728)

214   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether all social services departments have received the new, shorter guidance on aspects of child protection.

(114725)

215   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list directives issued by his Department (a) in response to the Climbie� Report and (b) following his statement to the House on 28th January.

(114731)

216   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what health professionals are available in schools to deal with problems of depression amongst pupils.

(114788)

217   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the percentage of service personnel returning from Iraq likely to need access to mental health services; and to what extent he has drawn on the experiences of the first Gulf conflict in making that assessment.

(114736)

218   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many women were tested for HER2 last year.

(114726)

219   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many recommendations by Lord Laming in his report on Victoria Climbie� shown as achievable within three months have been initiated; which have not been initiated; and for what reason.

(114732)

220   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the progress made by the Suicide Prevention Strategy.

(114789)

221   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures are being taken to deal with problems of depression amongst pupils.

(114787)

222   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance he has issued to hospital maternity departments to enable women to give birth in positions other than lying down.

(114727)

223   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients waiting for heart operations for more than six months have been offered operations at alternative hospitals; and at which alternative hospitals.

(114730)

224   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what occasions private planes were chartered to transport NHS patients for treatment in continental European hospitals; and at what cost.

(114724)

225   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to include a duty on primary care trusts to provide age-appropriate mental health services under the proposed Mental Health Bill.

(114740)

226   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to enhance the position of carers under the age of 16.

(114738)

227   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made in ensuring that children in custody are protected by the Children Act 1989.

(114734)

228   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the requirement for hospital admission of people made subject to compulsory treatment orders under the Mental Health Act 1983 has restricted the number of such orders made.

(114741)

229   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects to publish the clauses relating to children for the proposed Mental Health Bill.

(114739)

230   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many Caesarian deliveries there have been in each of the last six years; and what percentage of overall births those figures represented in each year.

(114729)

231   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in the UK are infected with (a) Hepatitis C and (b) HIV or AIDS.

(114786)

232   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS patients have been treated in continental Europe so far this year; what the treatment was for; and at what cost.

(114723)

233   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he will publish the Action Plan for Hepatitis C.

(114733)

234   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what provision has been made to meet the mental health needs of young soldiers returning from Iraq, with particular reference to those who have undergone combat experiences.

(114735)

235   Mr Stephen McCabe (Birmingham, Hall Green): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, by how much on average primary care trusts charged their prescription of statins during 2002; and at what cost.

(114588)

236   Mr Stephen McCabe (Birmingham, Hall Green): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what timetable the Minister envisages for selling cholesterol lowering statins over the pharmacy counter; and how he will seek to prevent inequalities arising between those who can and cannot afford the drugs.

(114589)

237   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospitals he estimates will have Foundation Status by April 2004.

(114869)

238   Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on research into enuresis and the effects on long-term mental health.

(114767)

239   Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether performance indicators will be included in the Children's National Service Framework to measure outcomes.

(114764)

240   Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost of health services for an elderly person in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire in each year since 1997.

(114762)

241   Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of enuresis on the welfare of a child with the condition.

(114763)

242   Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which standards in the Children's National Service Framework will cover improving the treatment of enuresis and paediatric continence.

(114766)

243   Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether targets to improve the treatment of specific common conditions will be included in the Children's National Service Framework.

(114765)

244   Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many elderly people were hospitalised as a result of cold in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire in each year since 1997.

(114759)

245   Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many dental practices in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire accept new patients for treatment on the NHS that are (i) elderly, (ii) children, (iii) unemployed and (iv) disabled.

(114760)

246   Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the address of each mental health NHS Trust in England.

(114905)

247   Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many deaths amongst old people in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire were attributed to cold in each year since 1997.

(114758)

248   Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost of dental treatment was for people over the age of 65 in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham, (b) Shropshire and (c) England in each year since 1997.

(114761)

249   Diana Organ (Forest of Dean): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) children's cancer play therapists, (b) outreach staff grade paediatric cancer nurses and (c) paediatric cancer consultants are (i) fully funded by the NHS and (ii) part-funded by the NHS in partnership with a voluntary organisation.

(114628)

250   Diana Organ (Forest of Dean): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) consultants, (b) staff grade nurses, (c) play therapists and (d) outreach nurses work in children's cancer services in each regional cancer centre.

(114627)

251   Diana Organ (Forest of Dean): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of funding for posts dedicated to children's cancer services is provided by (a) the NHS and (b) charities and the voluntary sector.

(114623)

252   Diana Organ (Forest of Dean): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the partnership between the voluntary sector and the NHS in children's cancer services.

(114629)

253   Diana Organ (Forest of Dean): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) consultants, (b) play therapists, (c) staff grade nurses and (d) outreach domiciliary nurses for children's cancer services are based at (i) Royal Victoria Infirmary Newcastle, (ii) Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, (iii) Queen Elizabeth II Hospital Birmingham, (iv) Wythenshawe Hospital Manchester, (v) Bristol Children's Hospital, (vi) Cookridge Hospital Leeds, (vii) St James University Hospital Leeds, (viii) John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford, (ix) Manchester City Hospital and (x) Leicestershire and Rutland Health Care Trust.

(114622)

254   Diana Organ (Forest of Dean): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total funding by the NHS for children's cancer services was in each of the last five years.

(114626)

255   Diana Organ (Forest of Dean): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many charities and voluntary sector organisations (a) fully and (b) partly fund (i) a consultant, (ii) a staff grade nurse, (iii) a play therapist and (iv) an outreach domiciliary nurse for children's cancer services in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will list those organisations.

(114624)

256   Diana Organ (Forest of Dean): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which (a) charities and (b) voluntary sector organisations providing posts in children's cancer services receive (i) part funding and (ii) full funding from the NHS; and how much funding they receive.

(114625)

257   John Robertson (Glasgow, Anniesland): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what relative priority his Department has placed on (a) treatment and (b) research into treatment for cancer patients whose condition has been caused by exposure to asbestos.

(114828)

258   John Robertson (Glasgow, Anniesland): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in the UK died from cancers caused by exposure to asbestos for each year since 1998.

(114832)

259   John Robertson (Glasgow, Anniesland): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of people in the UK likely to die from cancers caused by exposure to asbestos over the next 20 years.

(114833)

260   John Robertson (Glasgow, Anniesland): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what action he is taking to ensure that cancer patients whose condition has been caused by exposure to asbestos receive proper and sufficient medical attention.

(114830)

261   John Robertson (Glasgow, Anniesland): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the new treatments available in countries other than the UK to cancer patients whose condition has been caused by exposure to asbestos.

(114829)

262   Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will issue advice to local authorities on guidelines in contacts issued to caterers concerning the levels of salt in foods prepared by them.

(114859)

263
N   Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission a research project into myalgic encephalomyelitis and the (a) suspected causes, (b) the scale of the problem, (c) the treatments available and (d) the number of specialists employed by the NHS to whom GPs can refer patients with ME-like symptoms.

(113800)

264
N   Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recommendations have been made by the Chief Medical Officer to treat symptoms of myalgic encephalomyelitis.

(113797)

265
N   Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the NICE guidelines are for the use of biologic drugs as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis; and when the NICE Committee will next meet to discuss the use of such drugs as an early treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

(113799)

266
N   Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average amount of time has been to implement NICE guidance on the use of drugs; and if he will make a statement on the delays in implementing the NICE recommendation for the use of modern antipsychotic drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia.

(113796)

267
N   Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans there are to recruit specialists to whom GPs can refer patients with symptoms of myalgic encephalomyelitis; and if he will make a statement.

(113798)

268   Mr Paul Truswell (Pudsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) in-patients and (b) out-patients (i) the Leeds Acute Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and (ii) its predecessor acute trusts treated in each year since 1995.

(114815)

269   Mr Paul Truswell (Pudsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding (a) the Leeds PCTs and (b) their predecessor Leeds Health Authority received in each year since 1995.

(114816)

270   Mr Paul Truswell (Pudsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many nurses (a) the Leeds Acute Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and (b) its predecessor acute trusts employed in each year since 1995.

(114813)

271   Mr Paul Truswell (Pudsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many doctors, broken down by specialty, (a) the Leeds Acute Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and (b) its predecessor acute trusts employed in each year since 1995.

(114814)

272   Mr Paul Truswell (Pudsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding (a) the Leeds Acute Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and (b) its predecessor acute trusts received in each year since 1995.

(114817)

273   Mr Paul Truswell (Pudsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many Accident and Emergency department attendances have occurred at (a) St James's Hospital, Leeds and (b) Leeds General Infirmary in each year since 1995.

(114812)

274   Mr Dave Watts (St Helens North): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how long he expects it will take for each primary care trust to reach its target funding levels.

(114585)

275
N   Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to provide the resources needed to enable the Ashford and St Peters Hospitals NHS Trust to implement the recommendations in the Commission for Health Improvement report on the trust's maternity services.

(113129)

276
N   Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the progress made with the implementation of the Franchise Plan for the Ashford and St Peters Hospitals NHS Trust.

(113130)

277
N   Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions have taken place between his officials and officers of the Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust about the possibility of opening a midwife-led maternity unit at Ashford Hospital.

(113131)

278
N   Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions have taken place between his officials and officers of the Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust about Dr Kevin Gangar.

(113132)

279
N   Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list maternity units in England, indicating (a) the number of whole-time equivalent midwives needed to meet the Birthrate Plus standard, (b) the number of WTE midwife posts funded in 2002-03 and (c) the number of WTE midwives in post in 2002-03.

(113133)

280   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much investment has gone into laboratory diagnostic testing since 1997; what assessment has been made of whether clinical diagnostics can cut down the costs of treatment on the NHS; and if he will make a statement on the benefits to be gained from early diagnosis of illnesses.

(114701)

281   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17th December, Official Report, column 672W, on fluoridation, what easily accessible and reliable information on fluoridation has been supplied by the Department to local communities; and what further research is being undertaken to improve the understanding of fluoridation.

(114819)

282   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether people will have their water fluoridated against their will under the Department's proposals to extend the fluoridation of water; and if he will make a statement.

(114952)

283   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been made of the cost of the fluoridation of water supplies; what the estimated cost of dental fluorosis is to the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

(114703)

284   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what health problems have been found to be a result of fluoridation of water supplies.

(114704)

285   Mr James Wray (Glasgow, Baillieston): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures have been undertaken to increase awareness of the importance of teeth brushing and reducing sugar in the diet to dental hygiene.

(114702)

286   Mr Iain Coleman (Hammersmith & Fulham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what specific or direct grants have been made by his Department to local authorities for 2003-04 (a) in England and (b) broken down by local authority, identifying whether the grant is (i) ring fenced, (ii) a specific formula grant, (iii) within aggregate external finance and (iv) outside aggregate external finance.

(114920)

287   Andrew George (St Ives): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of the Terrestrial Trunk Radio (TETRA) base stations required to provide full national radio coverage (a) have not yet found a site acceptable to landowners, (b) have yet to be subject to a planning application, (c) have been refused planning permission, (d) are proposed to be located in an area with a landscape planning dispensation, (e) are subject to a planning appeal and (f) have been subject to the upholding of a refusal to grant planning approval following an appeal.

(114598)

288   Andrew George (St Ives): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Terrestrial Trunk Radio (TETRA) base stations are required across the country to provide the police with the required national digital radio communications service.

(114597)

289
N   Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations he has received about (a) the proposed Charities Bill and (b) charitable incorporated organisations.

(114573)

290
N   Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when legislation will be introduced to enable the formation of charitable incorporated organisations.

(114572)

291   Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will reply to the Question tabled by the honourable Member for Selly Oak for answer on 1st May, ref 111005.

(114873)

292   Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he intends to reply to the letter dated 7th April from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Tahir Ahmed.

(114673)

293   Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, why he has still not replied to the letter dated 31st March from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Miss Zahra Suleiman.

(114674)

294   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan citizens who arrived on the hijacked plane at Stansted in February 2000 (a) have been returned to Afghanistan, (b) have been granted asylum or leave to remain and (c) are still in the UK.

(114721)

295   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many subscribers use the City of London and Metropolitan Police Priority Alert Scheme; what the cost to (a) subscribers and (b) operators is; how many messages were issued in each case of the last five years; and for what purposes.

(114720)

296   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has held with Sussex police about continuing to work with the Community Alerts.

(114722)

297   Mr Stephen McCabe (Birmingham, Hall Green): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001 on recorded and actual vehicle crime; how many salvage operators have been registered under the Act; how many registrations have been rejected; and how many premises have been inspected by the police using their new powers.

(114592)

298   Mr John MacDougall (Central Fife): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with which countries the UK does not have an extradition agreement.

(114610)

299   Mr Archie Norman (Tunbridge Wells): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under what circumstances lower skilled migrants admitted under new schemes to alleviate labour shortages in the food processing and hospitality sectors will be permitted to remain in the United Kingdom for longer than 12 months.

(114935)

300   Mr Archie Norman (Tunbridge Wells): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures have been taken to raise awareness of the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme in countries outside the European Union.

(114936)

301   Bob Russell (Colchester): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of citizens from the Roma ethnic minorities in applicant states to the European Union who may seek residence in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

(114685)

302   Bob Russell (Colchester): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the (a) human rights and (b) equal rights of citizens of Roma ethnic minorities living in EU applicant states; and if he will make a statement.

(114655)

303   Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what penalties have been incurred by Capita on the Criminal Records Bureau contract; and if he will make a statement.

(114845)

304   John Barrett (Edinburgh West): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the estimated cost was of the reprinting of the Department's 2003 Annual Report following the resignation of the Right honourable Member for Birmingham, Ladywood as Secretary of State.

(114700)

305   Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will place in the Library a copy of the memorandum sent during the week commencing Monday 12th May to the Quartet envoys by international development agencies operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territories concerning the impact of restrictions on their freedom of movement and ability to operate imposed by the Israeli Government since 1st April 2003; if he will list the restrictions involved; and what his assessment is of their impact.

(114902)

306   Tom Cox (Tooting): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress has been made on the eradication of Third World debt during the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

(114851)

307   Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the Department's funding in sub-Saharan Africa is allocated to (a) primary health care and (b) reproductive health care.

(114896)

308   Mr Win Griffiths (Bridgend): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will publish the outcome of the study commissioned on violence in the Central American region; and what action is proposed based on the study's findings.

(114712)

309   Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what aid the Department for International Development has provided for North Korea in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

(114678)

310   Mr Iain Coleman (Hammersmith & Fulham): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what specific or direct grants have been made by her Department to local authorities for 2003-04 (a) in England and (b) broken down by local authority, identifying whether the grant is (i) ring fenced, (ii) a specific formula grant, (iii) within aggregate external finance and (iv) outside aggregate external finance.

(114916)

311
N   Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what (a) representations and (b) external advice she has received on the operations of the National Land Information System; what assessment she has made of its compliance with competition regulations; and what plans she has to review the governance arrangement of NLIS.

(114366)

312
N   Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, when she last met board members of the National Land Information System; and if she will publish minutes of the meeting.

(114368)

313
N   Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what representations she has received from local authorities concerning the operation of the National Land Information System.

(114369)

314
N   Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what plans she has to review the operation of the National Land Information System; and what role she envisages for the private sector in the future operations of NLIS.

(114367)

315
N   Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, when the Department last reviewed the National Land Information System business plan; and what assessment she has made of the viability of its future operations.

(114370)

316   Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, when she expects to publish the draft bill to bring UK legislation in line with the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in Goodwin and I v UK (Judgment of 11 July 2002); and if she will make a statement.

(114875)

317   Mr David Kidney (Stafford): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, if the Lord Chancellor will make it his policy to ring-fence a proportion of the legal aid budget for civil law cases.

(114621)

318   Bob Russell (Colchester): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, if she will allocate additional financial resources to the Essex Magistrates' Courts Committee to compensate for the costs incurred by the delay in implementing the Committee's Private Finance Initiative proposals for Essex; and if she will make a statement.

(114656)

319   Bob Russell (Colchester): To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, when the appeal by Thurrock Council against the consequent closure of Grays Courthouses was lodged; when a decision will be made; what the cause was of the delay in processing the appeal; and if she will make a statement.

(114657)

320   Lady Hermon (North Down): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on progress by His Honour Judge Peter Corry in the investigation of cases identified at Weston Park in July 2001.

(114716)

321   Lady Hermon (North Down): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people there were in Northern Ireland in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available, broken down by country of origin.

(114596)

322   Lady Hermon (North Down): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what facilities are available in Northern Ireland for those seeking asylum; and if he will make a statement.

(114601)

323   Lady Hermon (North Down): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many applications for asylum have been made in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

(114600)

324   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent representations he has received on decommissioning in Northern Ireland.

(114872)

325   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the state of decommissioning is in the Province.

(114871)

326
N   Malcolm Bruce (Gordon): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to her Answer of 4th February, Official Report, column 133W, on rural post offices (Scotland), how much of the money the Government is putting towards rural post offices over the next three years will be spent on Scottish post offices; and of the funding for Scotland, how much of this represents (a) a guarantee of existing subsidies and (b) investment in infrastructure.

(114389)

327   John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to her Answer of 9th April, Official Report, column 278W, on ministerial meeting, if she will give the date of her last meeting with (a) the Minister of State for Trade and Investment and (b) the Scottish Minister responsible for Scottish Trade International.

(114964)

328   John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many times she has met the Chairman of Scottish Enterprise in each of the last five years; and when her last meeting was.

(114965)

329   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what representations the Government has received regarding its financial support for the development of the A400M engine from World Trade Organisation partners; and if she will make a statement.

(114584)

330   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the redesign of the pin pad for Post Office card account cardholders.

(114955)

331   Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what criteria she has used in determining the budget allocations to individual regional development agencies in 2003-04.

(114897)

332
N   Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many individuals have opted out of the limit of 48 hours on the working week.

(114567)

333   Mr Vernon Coaker (Gedling): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the report by the OFT into the Wholesale Code of Practice on newspaper distribution.

(114578)

334   Mr Vernon Coaker (Gedling): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the request by the National Federation of Newsagents for a full referral of newspaper and magazine distribution to the Competition Commission by her Department.

(114581)

335   Sue Doughty (Guildford): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her Answer of 3rd April, Official Report, columns 793-4W, on solar energy, whether her Department's review of the solar PV Major Demonstration Programme will take place within the 2003-04 financial year; and if she will make a statement.

(114603)

336   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her Answer of 8th May, Official Report, column 804W, on the Everything but Arms Agreement, for what products imports have (a) grown and (b) declined from sub-Saharan African countries (i) covered by and (ii) not covered by the Everything but Arms Agreement since its implementation; by what margin; and if she will make a statement.

(114882)

337   Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she plans to hold further discussions with interested parties to resolve outstanding issues relating to group 3 claims for vibration white finger.

(114659)

338   Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on discussions to reach agreement with coal mining related representatives on the terms of the Claims Handling Agreement.

(114660)

339   Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the impact of the recent ruling of the European Court of Justice on the legality of state-owned golden shares for (a) BAA, (b) National Grid, (c) Rolls Royce, (d) BAE Systems, (e) NATS, (f) British Energy and (g) the general economy.

(114969)

340   Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the purpose of state-owned golden shares in privatised industries.

(114874)

341   Mr John MacDougall (Central Fife): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what employment rights have been introduced since May 1997.

(114620)

342   Mr John MacDougall (Central Fife): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what action her Department is taking to recognise the needs of (a) sub-Saharan African countries and (b) Indo-Chinese countries in world trade agreements.

(114615)

343   Mr John MacDougall (Central Fife): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans the Department has to accord people aged over 65 the same level of employment rights as those aged under 65.

(114611)

344   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans she has to make auditors subject to a single statutory regulator.

(114907)

345   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans she has to impose a duty of care to (a) shareholders and (b) employers on company auditors.

(114906)

346   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many auditors have been presented by her Department as a result of criticisms by her Department's inspectors in the last 10 years.

(114909)

347   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans she has to give company employees a role in determining remuneration packages for senior executives and directors.

(114912)

348   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans she has to require plcs to publish an annual social responsibility report.

(114908)

349   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans she has to (a) investigate and publish the profits made by participating companies on PFI deals and (b) compare the costs of each PFI with the estimated costs if kept in the public sector after 10 years.

(114911)

350   Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans she has to make non-executive directors of companies subject to (a) election and (b) approval by employees.

(114910)

351   Diana Organ (Forest of Dean): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what representations she has received on the proposal from the Medical Research Council to close the National Institute for Medical Research at Mill Hill and to transfer part of its research to Cambridge; and if she will make a statement.

(114753)

352
N   Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many broadband users there were, broken down by (a) local authority area and (b) regions in England and Wales; and what percentage of the population this represented, in the last month for which figures are available.

(114571)

353   Mr John Smith (Vale of Glamorgan): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans she has to issue advice to holiday makers about the absence of travel insurance cover for flight-related deep vein thrombosis.

(114966)

354   Mr John Smith (Vale of Glamorgan): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans she has to encourage travel insurance companies to warn their clients that they are not covered for death, personal injury or loss of income due to flight-related deep vein thrombosis.

(114967)

355   Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the trade relationship between the UK and North Korea.

(114675)

356   John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many times she has met the Chairman of Scottish Enterprise in each of the last five years; and when her last meeting was.

(114904)

357   Mr Bill Tynan (Hamilton South): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what recent research her Department has (a) carried out and (b) commissioned with regard to improving productivity in the United Kingdom; what their main findings were; and what discussions she has had with colleagues regarding implementing these findings.

(114663)

358   Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the value of (a) manufacturing and (b) consumer spending on jewellery in (i) the UK and (ii) the EU was in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement on her analysis of the trends emerging.

(114860)

359   Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations his Department has received regarding the decision by Network Rail to cut back vegetation and fell trees along railway lines; and if he will make a statement.

(114957)

360   Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the report of the English Regions Cycling Development team will be published.

(114713)

361   Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the level of congestion was in large urban areas in (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002.

(114898)

362   Mr Iain Coleman (Hammersmith & Fulham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what grants have been made by his Department to local authorities for 2003-04 in England broken down by local authority; and whether the grant is (a) ring fenced, (b) a specific formula grant, (c) within aggregate external finance and (d) outside aggregate external finance.

(114913)

363   Jon Cruddas (Dagenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if toll revenues from the Dartford Bridge will be ring-fenced for the proposed Thames Gateway river crossings.

(114605)

364   Jon Cruddas (Dagenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the funding of the proposed Thames Gateway river crossings.

(114606)

365   Jon Cruddas (Dagenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made in developing plans for the Thames Gateway Bridge; and to what parliamentary procedures he expects the plans will be subject.

(114604)

366   Jon Cruddas (Dagenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether plans for the proposed Thames Gateway Bridge include segregated public transport lanes.

(114602)

367   Mr Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North & Leith): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received regarding the loan or donation of a Concorde by British Airways to the National Museums of Scotland.

(114824)

368   Mr Stephen McCabe (Birmingham, Hall Green): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many number plate suppliers have registered under the Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001; what checks have been carried out to ensure number plate manufacturers and suppliers are complying with the Act; how many vehicle identity check centres have been established and on what basis their location was decided; how many VIC checks have been completed to date; how many checks resulted in refusal to register a vehicle; and what the most common reasons for refusal to register a vehicle were.

(114591)

369   Alan Simpson (Nottingham South): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to achieve greater transparency in relation to the SRA's use of funds.

(114820)

370   Alan Simpson (Nottingham South): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many train operators are running on a cost-plus basis; and what assessment he has made of the number of train operating companies that are technically insolvent.

(114861)

371   Mr John Smith (Vale of Glamorgan): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will undertake an inquiry into the incidence, extent and cause of deep vein thrombosis amongst British air travellers, with specific reference to the case of Sara Newman.

(114968)

372   Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the maximum penalty is for the (a) owners and (b) operators of vessels causing pollution in UK waters.

(114840)

373   Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the criteria will be for inspecting foreign flag vessels in UK ports when the port state control directive comes into force.

(114837)

374   Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many foreign flag vessels were inspected by the Maritime Coastguard Agency in each of the last five years.

(114836)

375   Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vessels were prosecuted for pollution incidents in UK waters in each of the last five years.

(114838)

376   Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, for what reason Welsh ports are not being provided with counter terrorism technology to identify the import of radioactive materials.

(114808)

377   Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what access residents of Blaenau Gwent will have to digital terrestrial television; and when analogue broadcasting will be withdrawn from viewers in Wales.

(114807)

378
N   Mr Harry Barnes (North East Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many JSA claimants were subject to a benefit sanction for breach of the labour market condition or New Deal rule in each quarter since the start of 1997, broken down by the categories by which they are recorded.

(113932)

379
N   Mr Harry Barnes (North East Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy that anyone facing a benefits sanction for breach of labour market conditions or the New Deal rule will initially be sent a warning letter giving contact details for local advice agencies.

(113934)

380
N   Mr Harry Barnes (North East Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the rates of Unemployment Benefit/Jobseekers Allowance (Contributions) were for a single claimant over the age of 25 in each year since 1979; and what those rates would have been had the benefit been uprated annually in line with the percentage increases in average earnings.

(113933)

381   Mr Iain Coleman (Hammersmith & Fulham): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what specific or direct grants have been made by his Department to local authorities for 2003-04 (a) in England and (b) broken down by local authority, identifying whether the grant is (i) ring fenced, (ii) a specific formula grant, (iii) within aggregate external finance and (iv) outside aggregate external finance.

(114917)

382
N   Annabelle Ewing (Perth): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what budgetary provision has been made for the annual salary and benefit package of the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus for each of the first three years of his contract.

(114386)

383
N   Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many customers have (a) been invited to take part in direct payment and (b) failed to respond to such an invitation, in respect of each benefit.

(114044)

384
N   Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer to the honourable Member for Sutton and Cheam, Official Report, 1st April, column 607W, on post office card accounts, what procedure will be adopted for an individual customer to require that his benefit is paid by an alternative method of payment other than direct payment; and if he will make a statement.

(114190)

385
N   Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what limit there is on the amount of money that can be held in a post office card account; whether there is a requirement to withdraw funds from a post office card account; whether interest is payable on balances in post office card accounts, and in what circumstances; and if he will make a statement.

(114043)

386
N   Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer to the honourable Member for Sutton and Cheam, Official Report, 1st April, column 607W, on post office card accounts, if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which an alternative method of payment to replace the exception scheme will be put in place (a) nationally and (b) in individual cases; and whether (i) his Department and (ii) individual customers may require the alternative method to be used.

(114189)

387
N   Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what limit or other restriction there is on the amount of money which may be withdrawn from a post office card account by an agent of the account holder; and if he will make a statement.

(114045)

388   Mr John MacDougall (Central Fife): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to abolish mandatory retirement ages.

(114612)

389   Mr John MacDougall (Central Fife): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many lone parents there were on income support in (a) Scotland and (b) Fife in (i) May 1997 and (ii) the last month for which figures are available.

(114619)

390   Mr John MacDougall (Central Fife): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants there were of (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) housing benefit in (i) Scotland and (ii) Fife in (A) May 1997 and (B) the last month for which figures are available.

(114618)

391   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of the new Pensions Service.

(114870)

392   Diana Organ (Forest of Dean): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have claimed industrial injuries disablement benefit having contracted bovine TB in the last (a) two years, (b) five and (c) 10 years; and how many claims were successful in each of those periods.

(114752)

393   Mr Alan Reid (Argyll & Bute): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners receive their state pension by means of (a) direct payment into a bank or building society account, (b) direct payment into a Post Office card account and (c) a pension book.

(114677)

394   Mr Alan Reid (Argyll & Bute): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which banks and building societies operate accounts into which direct payments of pensions and benefits may be made, and which can be accessed at Post Office branches.

(114676)

395   Ian Stewart (Eccles): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims have been made to vaccine damage tribunals in each year since 1990; and how many of those claims, in each year, have been successful (a) on first hearing and (b) on appeal.

(114680)

396   Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to raise the retirement age to 70.

(114839)

397
N   Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of women who are affected by the ECHR ruling on occupational pension provision for part-time workers; what estimate he has made of the number that have successfully exercised their rights following that ruling; and if he will make a statement.

(114512)

398   Mr John Cummings (Easington): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage the use of spare capacity at regional airports for low cost airlines.

[Transferred] (114796)

399   Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what opportunity British authorities have had to question Mr Tariq Aziz; and whether he plans to proffer charges against Mr Aziz.

[Transferred] (114889)

400   Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what the reasons are for the delay in publication of the Children at Risk Green Paper.

[Transferred] (114737)

401   Mr John MacDougall (Central Fife): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what the most recent cancer survival rates for the most common forms of cancer are in the UK; and what information he has received on survival rates in (a) other EU, (b) other G8 and (c) EU applicant countries.

[Transferred] (114617)

402   John Robertson (Glasgow, Anniesland): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what action he is taking to encourage businesses in the UK to take steps to remove asbestos from workplaces.

[Transferred] (114831)