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9 Feb 2004 : Column 1136W—continued

Lottery

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding Cunninghame, South has received from National Lottery grants in each of the past five years. [153216]

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Estelle Morris: In the last five years, starting from 1 January 1999, Cunninghame, South has been awarded grants to the value of:

	Amount awarded (£)
1999	1,320,060
2000	195,087
2001	746,145
2002	986,707
2003	1,753,870
Total	5,001,869

These numbers are derived from the Department's database of lottery awards, which is based on information supplied by the distributing bodies.

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total sales were for National Lottery tickets in Cunninghame, South, in each of the past five years. [153217]

Estelle Morris: The available information is set out in a table prepared by Camelot, listing sales of National Lottery tickets by postcode area since the Lottery's launch, The table was placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 9 December 2003 in response to a written parliamentary question from the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Jones) on 18 November 2003, Official Report, column 764.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total sales of National Lottery tickets in (a) Chorley and (b) Lancashire were in each of the past five years. [153855]

Estelle Morris: The available information is set out in a table prepared by Camelot, listing sales of National Lottery tickets by postcode area since the Lottery's launch. The table was placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 9 December 2003 in response to a written parliamentary question from the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Jones) on 18 November 2003, Official Report, column 764.

Transmitter Mast (Worksop)

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the transmitter mast in Worksop will be upgraded so the local residents can receive Freeview. [152370]

Estelle Morris: Broadcasters, through contracts with transmission operators, are responsible for maintaining the terrestrial network. But until the analogue signals are turned off, there will not be enough frequencies available to enable all the transmitters to carry digital terrestrial services. We believe that digital switchover could be achieved between 2006 and 2010, subject to our affordability and availability criteria being met, but we can't be more precise at this stage about which transmitters will be converted by any given date.

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INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bangladesh

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what research he has commissioned into abuses of human rights in Bangladesh, with particular reference to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. [153524]

Hilary Benn: DFID and the FCO actively monitor human rights in Bangladesh and take account of the concerns of marginalised communities through research related to funding development programmes. HMG and our post in Dhaka are aware of the concerns over the pressure being put on the Ahmadiyyas. The FCO has raised these concerns on several occasions, most importantly through the EU Troika, with senior officials of the Foreign Ministry and with senior MPs of the ruling party. Gareth Thomas, PUSS, raised the issue of Human Rights with the Minister of Foreign Affairs during his visit to Bangladesh in late January.

Iraq

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) aid and (b) compensation is available for residents of Baghdad whose properties were destroyed by American rockets in the war. [152537]

Mr. Ingram: I have been asked to reply.

Questions of aid or compensation by other coalition partners are a matter for them.

Tuberculosis

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of UK overseas aid in 2003–04 goes towards combating tuberculosis. [152974]

Hilary Benn: The UK plays a major role in combating tuberculosis worldwide through its support for Global Partnerships, such as the Global Fund, and country programmes. Our strategy is to ensure a more coordinated and collaborative international and national effort in TB control. Much of our assistance is given through support to country health sector programmes or as General Budget Support to developing countries. We give significant core contributions to international agencies such as the World Health Organisation, some of which is used to tackle the disease. As a result it is not possible to disaggregate our bilateral expenditure on tuberculosis in the manner requested.

SCOTLAND

Whisky

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to his answer of 3 February 2004, Official Report, column 757W, on the whisky industry, what previous meetings he has had with representatives of the Scottish whisky industry; and what representations he has made to the Treasury on the impact of introducing a tax strip for the sector. [153934]

9 Feb 2004 : Column 1139W

Mrs. McGuire: My right hon. Friend has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues affecting Scotland.

Aside from the meetings referred to in my answer of 3 February 2004, Official Report, column 757W, Scotland Office, Ministers have had no other formal meetings with representatives of the Scotch whisky industry.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Pensions

17. Mr. Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to help people make informed choices about their pensions in retirement. [153189]

Malcolm Wicks: The recent Command Paper CM6111 "Simplicity, security and choice: Informed Choices for working and saving", published on 3 February 2004, sets out our programme to help people make informed decisions about retirement. The strategy that I have set out is based around three steps—activation, education and information. We are determined to:

Enable people to make the most of pension provision and encourage availability of the right pension products;

Raise people's awareness of their options and improve financial education; and Ensure that everyone has high-quality, accurate and timely information.

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the effect on expenditure on the basic state pension in each of the next five years of ascribing to all persons below state pension age a full year's national insurance contributions in lieu of their actual contributions in all future years. [150456]

Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is in the table.

£ million

	Additional expenditure onbasic state pension
2005–06	20
2006–07	50
2007–08	100
2008–09	160
2009–10	220

Notes:

1. The costs for the first few years are shown and are very low because they relate to current public expenditure. The effect on the underlying fiscal position is larger because future public spending liabilities are being increased in respect of people of all ages.

2. The costs given are the gross costs to the nearest £10 million, in 2003–04 price terms, using 2004 benefit rates.

3. The costs assume that the first year for which the contributions will be credited is 2004–05.

4. The costs take into account that men aged 60 to 64 are automatically awarded national insurance credits for those years irrespective of whether they are in work or not. These credits count towards state pension entitlement.

Unemployment Action Teams

19. Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the role of action teams in reducing unemployment. [153191]

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Mr. Browne: Action teams are having a positive impact on the lives of disadvantaged people, in some of the most economically deprived areas of the country, and have already been successful in helping nearly 100,000 people into work.

I would like to thank my hon. Friend for the consistent support he has shown for the action team operating in his constituency, which has helped nearly 1,000 disadvantaged people across North West Wales into work, contributing to the fall in unemployment in his constituency of 41 per cent. since 1997.

Working Tax Credit

20. Mr. Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the application of working tax credit to (a) parents with care and (b) absent parents. [153192]

Mr. Pond: In the new scheme only the non-resident parent's income is taken into account; the parent with care's income is ignored.

In the old scheme a parent with care who receives working tax credit is treated as having no assessable income.

Generally speaking, in both schemes, a non-resident parent's working tax credit counts as income. (The exception is where his current partner is the principal earner).

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