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29 Apr 2004 : Column 1172W—continued

Public Expenditure/Taxation

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much (a) public expenditure there was and (b) tax revenue was raised per head of population in each of the last seven years. [168430]

Mr. Boateng: Data on tax revenue and public expenditure over the past seven years are available in the public finances databank on the HM Treasury website. (www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/economic   data   and   tools/pubfinance/data   pubfinance   databank.cfm).

Population estimates are contained in the ONS publication, Population Trends 115, available on the ONS website (www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme    population/PT115.pdf).

Treasury Building (Union Flag)

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason the Union Flag was not flown above the Treasury on the Queen's Birthday on 21 April. [168801]

Ruth Kelly: The Union Flag was raised above the Treasury on the Queen's Birthday on 21 April.

UK Covered Bonds

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans his Department has to draft legislation which would enable UK covered bonds to be put on an approved list that is compliant with the European Directive on Undertakings for Collective Investments in Transferable Securities; and if he will make a statement. [168892]

Ruth Kelly: The Financial Services Authority is considering the best way to enable covered bonds issued in the UK to be compliant with the UCITS Directive.
 
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DEFENCE

Droitwich Spa Army Medal Office

Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of the Droitwich Spa Army Medal Office in the issuing of the Jubilee medal. [168919]

Mr. Caplin: The Army Medal Office (AMO) at Droitwich issues the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal to those serving and discharged Army personnel who meet the qualifying criteria. The AMO assess eligibility and determine entitlement to the Jubilee Medal and, to date, it has issued 95,332 medals. The majority of those entitled to receive the medal have now received it.

Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the medals being issued by the Droitwich Spa Army Medal Office. [168921]

Mr. Caplin: The Army Medal Office at Droitwich is currently responsible for the issue or replacement of some 332 medals or awards. I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Medals

Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Iraq and (b) GSM Canal Zone medals have been issued; and how many are expected to be issued during 2004. [168923]

Mr. Caplin: The information is as follows.

(a) Six.

(b) 6,30 land 777 clasps.

Note:

All figures as at 23 April.

It is difficult to estimate how many Iraq or Suez medals will be awarded in the coming months as it depends on applications. However, I can assure the hon. Member that medal offices will deal with applications as speedily and efficiently as possible.

MOD Sites (Portsmouth)

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make available information regarding contamination of land (a) owned and (b) formerly owned by his Department in the City of Portsmouth to Portsmouth City Council; [169409]

(2) what records his Department holds regarding contamination under the sites of former Ministry of Defence houses in Portsmouth. [169404]

Mr. Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Parliamentary Questions

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 31 March 2004, Official Report, column 1480W, on public perceptions, when he will write to the hon. Member for North Norfolk. [169731]

 
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Mr. Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member within the next week.

Service Detainees (Far East)

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ex-servicemen who were detained by the Japanese have received ex-gratia payments under the terms of the 1951 San Francisco Peace Agreement; how many have not received ex-gratia payments; and if he will make a statement. [168051]

Mr. Caplin: The payment scheme under the 1951 Peace Treaty remains open, and claims in respect of eligible individuals who have not yet applied may still be made. Some 51,000 British Service personnel were detained by the Japanese during WW2. The payment records are held individually, and it would incur disproportionate cost to analyse them to provide the information requested.

As a result of the Ex Gratia Payment Scheme which this Government established in November 2000, 8,430 payments have been made to British Servicemen detained by the Japanese during the Second World War and 12,973 payments have been made to the widows or widowers of former servicemen or former civilian internees who qualify for the scheme.

Wind Farms

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of interference with Ministry of Defence navigational instruments from wind farms placed in UK territorial waters. [168234]

Mr. Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the risk to defence interests from the placement of wind farms around the UK coast. [168235]

Mr. Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has been asked to fund navigational aids to prevent his Department's vessels colliding with windmills. [168238]

Mr. Caplin: There has been no formal requirement placed on the Ministry of Defence to fund navigational aids to prevent Royal Navy vessels and other MOD owned or operated vessels colliding with offshore wind farms. The cost of correctly marking these structures by navigational buoys and lights is the responsibility of the owner and, as such, must comply with standards defined by the Maritime Coastguard Agency in conjunction with the General Lighthouse Authorities (Trinity House, Northern Lighthouse Board and Irish Lights).

HOUSE OF COMMONS

North West Food

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee whether the House plans to source
 
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more food from North West food producers following the North West Food and Drink promotion in the House on 22 April. [168709]

Mr. Dennis Turner: In conjunction with North West Fine Foods, the Refreshment Department launched the two week North West Regional Food and Drink Promotion on 20 April. This is the second in a series of planned regional promotions.

I recognise the strong interest in the provenance of food and drink sold in the House. Regional promotions give small businesses a chance to raise awareness of their produce with wholesalers supplying the House, and other potential customers. I hope that some of the products that prove popular during the course of the promotion will, in future, be available for regular supply to the House.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Burnett: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what the total expenditure incurred by the Commission was in each year since 1996–97. [169458]

Sir Archy Kirkwood: The total expenditure for each year as set out in the House's published annual accounts was:
£000

	Net cash expenditure	Resource outturn
1996–97	130,192	n/a
1997–98	145,228	n/a
1998–99	173,550	n/a
1999–2000	165,905	n/a
2000–01	162,538	n/a
2001–02	132,508	165,426
2002–03	138,328	180,006

Full information is not yet available for 2003–04. Prior to 2001–02 all reporting was on a cash basis only.

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