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Carer's Benefit
12. Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the numbers of people in Scotland claiming carer's benefit. [199389]
Mrs. McGuire:
My right hon. Friend has discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on a range of issues. There are 41,695 people in Scotland receiving carer's allowance.
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Scottish Regiments
13. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence since 26 October regarding the future of Scottish Infantry Regiments. [199390]
Mr. Darling: My right hon. Friend and I have had recent discussions on a range of issues including the future of the Scottish infantry regiments.
14. Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence in the last month on the future of the Scottish infantry regiments. [199391]
Mr. Darling: My right hon. Friend and I have had recent discussions on a range of issues including the future of the Scottish infantry regiments.
Rail Services
15. Mr. Russell Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with (a) the First Minister and (b) train operating companies in respect of the recent timetable changes on the West Coast Main Line. [199392]
Mr. Darling: Recent timetable changes reflect the outcomes of the Strategic Rail Authority's "West Coast Strategy" for extensive up-grading work on this line. The strategy was published in July 2003 following extensive consultation with the rail industry, the Scottish Executive, national and local politicians, local authorities and others.
Fisheries
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Fisheries Commissioner on the impact of the Common Fisheries Policy on Scotland. [199387]
Mrs. McGuire: My right hon. Friend and I have had no recent discussions with the Fisheries Commissioner. Fisheries is a devolved matter and the Scottish Executive Minister for Environment and Rural Development is fully involved in the development and presentation of the UK position in Brussels. I keep in close touch with developments.
Public Sector Job Relocation
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the impact of the Lyons Review in areas of Scotland not named in the King Sturge report; and what role his Department is taking in public sector job relocation to Scotland. [199386]
Mr. Darling: The King Sturge report was intended to be used as a guide to Departments when considering relocation opportunities and is not definitive. The choice of locations is for individual Departments to decide based on operational need.
I have made the advantages of Scotland as a location clear to other Government Departments and have encouraged them to consider Scotland when reviewing relocation plans. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State, has agreed to a meeting to discuss the matter further.
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ADVOCATE-GENERAL
Devolution (Prisons)
20. Rosemary McKenna: To ask the Advocate-General how many devolution issues she has dealt with regarding prisoner complaints about prison conditions. [199397]
The Advocate-General: I have received intimation of 175 devolution issues minutes which concern prisoner complaints regarding prison conditions.
LEADER OF THE HOUSE
Citizenship Education
37. Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Leader of the House what representations he has made to Education Ministers to give more emphasis to Parliament in the school citizenship syllabus. [200072]
Mr. Woolas: My right hon. Friend has drawn to the attention of the Secretary of State for Education and Skills the recommendation of the Modernisation Committee, in its report on "Connecting Parliament with the Public", that Ministers re-examine the balance of the citizenship curriculum to ensure that it provides young people with an understanding of Parliament and the political process.
Post-legislative Scrutiny
39. Tony Wright: To ask the Leader of the House what plans he has to bring forward proposals for improving post-legislative scrutiny. [200074]
Mr. Woolas: My right hon. Friend is sympathetic to the case for more post-legislative scrutiny, both with Government and by Parliament, though he is conscious of the potential resource implications. The Government are currently considering its response to the recent report of the House of Lords Constitution Committee on "Parliament and the Legislative Process", which contains a number of recommendations in this area.
Parliamentary Questions
40. Mr. Dismore: To ask the Leader of the House if he will bring forward proposals to carry over written questions unanswered at the end of one session to the start of the next. [200075]
Mr. Woolas: My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so. I refer my hon. Friend again to the Written Ministerial Statement which the Leader of the House made on 21 July 2004, Official Report, column 35WS, on "I will write replies".
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Advantage West Midlands
Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the projects and investments undertaken by Advantage West Midlands meet European state aid requirements. [199569]
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Jacqui Smith: Advantage West Midlands (AWM) works within the policy and performance framework provided by the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998 and guidance and direction issued by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. This policy framework ensures among other things, that particular programmes or projects do not conflict with national or European rules or agreements, such as state aids.
AWM has incorporated State Aids considerations into its project appraisal system to ensure that all projects are compliant with Current State Aids rules. AWM also employs both a state aid and legal advisor to ensure compliance and to offer the necessary support and guidance to its personnel.
Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to which projects Advantage West Midlands has issued letters imposing claw-back requirements so that funding may be withheld or withdrawn even if schemes reach output performance targets. [199570]
Jacqui Smith: When Advantage West Midlands (AWM) contracts with partners, it issues the standard grant contract that clearly defines the claw-back conditions upon which grant is offered and relates to non-performance or breach of contract. AWM has not issued any letters imposing claw-back of funding to a partner when the partner has met their output performance requirements.
Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether Advantage West Midlands is expected to meet key performance targets on (a) learning opportunities created, (b) jobs created and safeguarded, (c) new business created and attracted and (d) other areas in (i) 2004–05 and (ii) 2005–06. [199571]
Jacqui Smith: As with all regional development agencies, (RDAs) Advantage West Midlands (AWM) performance is currently measured against key five core performance outputs, known as Tier 3. The following table shows the targets agreed with AWM for 2004–05.
All RDAs will shortly be submitting their mid-year progress reports on their achievements against the 2004–05 Tier 3 targets. The results are expected to be laid before Parliament, before the Christmas Parliamentary Recess. Similarly, the end of year results for achievements against the Tier 3 targets will be published next summer.
2004–05 will be the last year for Tier 3 outputs. For 2005–06 we are introducing a new performance Framework for RDAs, known as the Tasking Framework, and the final version of this is expected to be issued shortly. All RDAs will need to set their 2005–06 targets in the context of this new framework.
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Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much Advantage West Midlands will make available for revenue funding on new projects in (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06 (i) in regeneration zones and (ii) elsewhere in the region. [199575]
Jacqui Smith: Advantage West Midlands (AWM) has provided £19.8 million of revenue resources to the Regeneration Zones in 2004–05 which has now been legally committed in full. AWM's allocation for 2005–06 has not yet been confirmed by Government.
AWM currently has no revenue resources available for new projects in 2004–05, whether in or outside the Regeneration Zone.
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