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CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Free Television Licences

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will amend the regulations on free television licences for those under the age of 75 in care homes. [163611]

Estelle Morris: Television licence fee regulations laid before Parliament on 11 March this year and due to come into force on 1 April include amendments to the rules governing the £5 Accommodation for Residential Care concessionary scheme, principally in response to changes in care homes legislation or for the clarification of entitlement. These amendments are not intended to make any changes of substance to the scope of the scheme's coverage. The Government have no plans at present for any wider changes to the concessionary scheme, but have made clear that the future funding of the BBC will be considered as part of the Charter review process. This will include a detailed examination of the concessionary arrangements.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Criminal Justice System (Women Professionals)

24. Mr. Heath: To ask the Minister for Women what recent discussions she has had with the (a) Lord Chancellor and (b) Law Officers on the role of women professionals in the criminal justice system. [163456]

Ms Hewitt : My colleagues and I agree that the more our Criminal Justice System reflects the society it serves, the better it will be.

I was delighted when Dame Brenda Hale was appointed the first women Law Lord in this country.

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Alcohol

25. Mrs. Calton: To ask the Minister for Women what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on women and alcohol. [163457]

Ms Hewitt : None. However the analysis that underpins the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England, published by the Government last week, highlights some key issues for women. Nearly one in five women now exceed 14 units of alcohol each week; on one in five occasions when women drink they do so to excess. The strategy will help tackle alcohol-related harm and its causes.

Career Opportunities (South-east)

26. Mr. Denham: To ask the Minister for Women what assessment she has made of the career opportunities open to women in the south-east of England. [163458]

Jacqui Smith : As my hon. Friend is aware, the Department is concerned to promote women's economic participation nationally.

The major changes my right hon. Friend has introduced to support flexible working and work-life balance—rights to request flexible working, increased maternity leave and pay, and paternity leave—are all making a real difference to women's participation.

I have tasked the Regional Development Agencies in the south-east, as elsewhere, to develop economic strategies that focus, among other things, on women's jobs and careers. The Government have increased funding to the RDAs in order to deliver these strategies.

Equal Opportunities

27. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister for Women if she will make a statement on equal opportunities for professional women in appointments to senior positions in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003. [163459]

Ms Hewitt: This Government are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for professional women in appointments to senior positions. The precise figures asked for are not available but since 1999 the number of women directors of a FTSE 100 company has increased from 6 per cent. to 9 per cent. In public appointments 36 per cent. of posts are held by women, an increase of 4 per cent. from 1998; and in the Civil Service, women hold 23 per cent. of the 600 top posts compared with 13 per cent. in 1998.

Civil Service (Pension Entitlement)

28. Mr. Challen: To ask the Minister for Women what steps are being taken to ensure that women in the Civil Service do not suffer from a gender gap in pension entitlement. [163460]

Jacqui Smith: The Civil Service pension scheme is a final salary scheme. Benefits are worked out as a proportion of final pensionable earnings multiplied by years of service. Steps are being taken to ensure the Civil Service provides equal pay, to help women who want to maximise their years of service, and to remove barriers

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to progression. These will all help to ensure that women in the Civil Service do not suffer from a pension gap in pension entitlement.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to expand the mandate of the provisional reconstruction teams in Afghanistan to enable them to respond to (a) human rights abuses, (b) factional clashes and (c) drugs production. [162967]

Mr. Ingram: The objectives of the British-led Provincial Reconstruction Team are to help the Afghan Transitional Authority extend its influence, to stimulate the development of Security Sector Reform and the reconstruction effort and so to facilitate the development of a stable and secure environment in the Afghan regions. We have no plans to revise these objectives.

ALARM Missile

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long the ALARM missile will remain in service. [162645]

Mr. Ingram: Under current planning assumptions, ALARM is due to remain in service until around the end of the next decade.

Armed Forces Postings

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel have been posted to new locations in each of the last five years; and how many service families were required to move house within the UK and abroad in each year. [153829]

Mr. Ingram: The Naval Service are unable to provide accurate figures on postings to new locations as their information system does not distinguish between drafts of a week and longer tours of duty. The information could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Information on Army postings could also be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The number of RAF personnel posted to new locations is shown in the following table.

Financial year	Officers	Ground Airmen
1998–99	3,636	8,805
1999–2000	3,822	8,587
2000–01	4,156	8,105
2001–02	3,511	7,943
2002–03	3,601	7,783

The table details the number of postings for both officers and ground airmen. No statistics are held for Non Commissioned Aircrew as they tend to remain at the same unit for a number of years and therefore are likely to move around less often.

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Postings where no physical movement has occurred have been excluded from these statistics. No data on detachments/attachments or deployments has been included.

The Defence Housing Executive records the numbers of moves into and moves out of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) in mainland UK. During 2003 around 24,000 SFA occupants moved within mainland UK or between SFA in Britain and married quarters overseas.

Reliable figures are not readily available for previous years and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Army Personnel (Self-harm)

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2003, Official Report, column 317W, on Army Personnel (self-harm), if he will make a statement on progress in the collection and analysis of the existing information on incidents of deliberate self-harm in the army. [163148]

Mr. Caplin: The Department is considering whether it is feasible to collect information on incidents of self-harm that would be reliable and consistent between the three Services. The work in hand is looking at the identification and recording of such incidents, reporting systems, analysis and data protection. This is, however, a complex area and an early conclusion is unlikely.

Climate Change

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent work his Department has carried out to assess the security implications for the UK of climate change; and if he will make a statement. [162884]

Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence is reviewing the implications of climate change for national security as part of its wider assessment of strategic trends which might impact on the United Kingdom's interests.

D-Day Commemoration

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which military bands will be attending commemorations for the 60th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings; of these bands, how many are being funded by (a) his Department and (b) other sources; and at which venues they each will be performing. [160248]

Mr. Caplin: Musical support will be provided by six bands, those of the Royal Marines (Scotland), the Normandy Band of the King's Division, the Royal Irish Regiment, the Parachute Regiment, the Army Air Corps and the Rifle Volunteers (Devon and Dorset). All are being funded by the Ministry of Defence: two centrally and four by unit budgets.

Currently there are 18 separate events which will be supported by one or more bands. The main events for each band are as follows:

Royal Marines—British Memorial Garden Reception afloat at Ouistreham on 4 June, tree-planting ceremony at Ouistreham on 5 June.

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King's Division—veterans' homage to Field Marshal Montgomery at Colleville-Montgomery on 5 June, inauguration of the British Memorial Garden and Beating Retreat at Caen on 5 June, Binational Ceremony at Bayeux on 6 June, International Parade at Arromanches on 6 June (or Royal Irish Regiment), final parade of the Normandy Veterans Association at Arromanches on 6 June.

Royal Irish Regiment—inauguration of the British Memorial Garden and Beating Retreat at Caen on 5 June, International Parade at Arromanches on 6 June (or King's Division), final parade of the Normandy Veterans Association at Arromanches on 6 June.

Parachute Regiment—veterans of 3 Parachute Brigade event at Le Mesnil on 5 June.

Army Air Corps—inauguration of the HORSA glider at Ranville on 5 June, Remembrance Ceremony at Hermanville on 6 June.

Rifle Volunteers—Royal British Legion service at Bayeux Cathedral on 6 June, 231 Brigade commemoration at Asnelles on 6 June.

It is also expected that most of the bands will participate in the International Tattoo in Caen on the evening of 6 June, but the programme has yet to be finalised.

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