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Pregnancy (Triple Test)

Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidelines have been issued to each of the Northern Ireland health boards regarding the triple test for pregnant women. [162723]

Angela Smith: No guidance has been issued to Health Boards in Northern Ireland on use of the triple test for screening pregnant women in relation to Down's syndrome.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the role of the Government's proposed Serious Organised Crime Agency will be in Northern Ireland. [161977]

Jane Kennedy: The Serious and Organised Crime Agency will have a UK wide remit. However, because of the distinctive features of organised crime in Northern Ireland a regional focus will be maintained and the PSNI will continue to have a central role in tackling organised crime.

A representative from the new agency will join the Northern Ireland Organised Crime Task Force.

Ulster Scots

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will publish the results of (a) surveys and (b) measurements of demand for the Ulster-Scots language in Northern Ireland. [159542]

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Angela Smith: The results of the 1999 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey are currently published on the internet (www.ark.ac.uk/nilt).

My officials are currently finalising and preparing for publication the Dunne report, which includes research dating back to 2002. The published report will include the results of the 2000 and 2001 Omnibus Survey. I envisage that the report will be published before the summer.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Small Arms

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what provision has been made to extend funding for (a) the small arms and light weapons global conflict prevention pool beyond 2004 and (b) the United Nations development programme global weapons collection programme. [163368]

Hilary Benn: The Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP) Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Strategy allocation for 2004–5 is £6.0 million. It is expected that the allocation up to 2006–07 for all strategies including SALW will be agreed by Ministers towards the end of 2004.

Support for the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Small Arms Project on Weapons Collection, Management and Destruction comes from the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP), jointly managed by the Department for International Development, Ministry of Defence and Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The current phase of support is worth £7.5 million and runs for three years, ending in April 2004. We are currently considering a proposal to extend funding for a further period.

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to extend small arms and light weapons destruction projects. [163428]

Hilary Benn: DFID is keen to provide continued support to programmes which demonstrate their ability to reduce the availability of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) through stockpile management, collection and destruction initiatives.

Support for United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP's) Small Arms Project on Weapons Collection, Management and Destruction comes from the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP), jointly managed by DFID, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The current phase of support is worth £7.5 million and runs for three years, ending in April 2004. We are currently considering a proposal to extend funding for a further period.

The UK Government will provide on-going support in 2004–05 towards the development of a five year National Action Plan in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique and Namibia. These plans will provide a comprehensive approach to weapons control in these countries and will include disarmament, destruction and weapons management.

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The GCPP will continue to fund a Brazilian NGO, Viva Rio in 2004–05. The next part of the programme will commence in April 2004 and will contain stockpile, destruction and tracing initiatives as part of their awareness raising campaign.

In joint co-operation with MOD and FCO we are also increasing our funding to the UN Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean to co-ordinate and execute assistance to several Latin American countries during 2004 for weapons destruction and stockpile management, including the organisation of public events.

DFID is also planning new SALW destruction projects in the Balkans.

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his officials have discussed assistance to the Economic Council of West African States to combat small arms problems in West Africa with the ECOWAS secretariat. [163429]

Hilary Benn: DFID recognises that more needs to be done to combat small arms proliferation in West Africa. In recent months DFID, together with the FCO and MOD, and other donors have been working closely with Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and is member states to take forward a number of emerging opportunities. An outcome of this is that the UK is part funding an ECOWAS conference on Combating illicit Small Arms Brokering during March. As well as focusing on arms brokering this Conference will also review the existing ECOWAS moratorium on small arms and the proposed roles and responsibilities of the ECOWAS Small Arms Unit. The UK contribution for the Conference will be financed through the Global Conflict Prevention Pool to which DFID, FCO and MOD all provide funding.

CDC and Actis

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total cost of new office space procured for (a) CDC and (b) Actis is; and what price per square foot has been paid for each of their new London offices. [157827]

Hilary Benn: The total costs and price per square foot of the new office space for both CDC and Actis are covered by confidentiality clauses in the contracts between the two companies and their respective landlords. The landlords have been asked to waive these restrictions but have declined to do so for commercial reasons. I am not therefore able to provide the information requested.

However, achieving the best value for money has been a priority in the decision to move into the two new offices. CDC's old office was in need of expensive refurbishment to its ventilation and cabling. Furthermore, its 52,000 sq ft of floor space had become too large for a staff complement, which had fallen from some 270 to around 170 over the last few years. The combined floor space of the two new offices amounts to some 32,000 sq ft in comparison. By selling their old office, CDC have also realised the value of the property (some £24 million) which can now be used for CDC's mission of investment in the private sector in poorer developing countries.

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TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Long-service Awards

10. Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to introduce legislation on the issuing of long-service awards by companies. [163442]

Jacqui Smith : Long-service awards can benefit both employers and employees. Depending on the circumstances, such awards might amount to indirect age discrimination under the Article 13 European Employment Directive, which requires discrimination on the grounds of age in employment and vocational training to be outlawed by December 2006. We intend that our implementing legislation will provide for employers to be able to continue to offer justifiable long-service awards.

National Minimum Wage

11. Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of people benefiting from the recent uprating of the national minimum wage. [163443]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Based on the Office for National Statistics' Low Pay data released in 2003, the DTI estimates that between 1.6 million and 1.9 million people in the UK stand to benefit from the October 2004 uprating of the national minimum wage which was announced last week.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of people benefiting from the recent uprating of the national minimum wage. [163569]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Based on the Office for National Statistics Low Pay data released in 2003, the DTI estimates that between 1.6 million and 1.9 million people in the UK stand to benefit from the October 2004 uprating of the National Minimum Wage which was announced last week.

Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of (a) adults, (b) 16 and 17-year-olds and (c) households in Leeds West that will benefit from the minimum wage rise in October 2004. [162606]

Mr. Sutcliffe: DTI analysis of low pay data from the Office for National Statistics suggests that between 180,000 to 210,000 workers in Yorkshire and the Humber stand to benefit from the October 2004 uprating of the national minimum wage. More detailed information by constituency is not possible using the data available. Information on 16 to 17-year-olds and on households is neither available by region nor by constituency due to small sample size.

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