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Shipping

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much shipping tonnage is registered in the United Kingdom. [8616]

Dr. Ladyman: The tonnage of trading vessels of 100gt and over registered in the United Kingdom at the end of March 2005 was 10.4 million in gross tons and 10.9 million in deadweight tonnes.

Speed Limits

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to issue his revised guidance on the setting of speed limits in villages. [9356]

Dr. Ladyman: The Government's guidance to local highway authorities, who are responsible for setting local speed limits, is that the limit for villages should normally be 30mph, and Traffic Advisory Leaflet 1/04 provides guidance on how this can be achieved.

This is being incorporated into the Department's revised wider guidance to Traffic Authorities on setting local speed limits, to be published later this year.

Traffic Signs

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many types of road traffic signs are approved by his Department. [8328]

Dr. Ladyman: Section 64 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 provides that traffic signs shall be of a size, colour and type prescribed by regulations made by the Secretary of State except where the Secretary of State authorises the erection or retention of a sign of another character.

The current regulations specifying the appearance and use of signs are the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) 2002 (SI No. 3113). The basic sign types are warning signs, regulatory signs, directional and other informatory signs, road markings and signals. For ease of reference the TSRGD group signs for railway and tramway level crossings together in schedule 3, signs for bus, tram and pedal cycle facilities in schedule 5, and road works signs in schedule 12. Decisions about the placing of particular types of sign at particular locations are the responsibility of the relevant traffic authority.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Jamaica

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department has given to Jamaica following its recent earthquake; and if he will make a statement. [8397]

 
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Mr. Thomas: At 2258 hrs on Sunday 12 June, Jamaica experienced an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, followed by 12 smaller aftershocks. This was the strongest to affect the island since a 5.4 earthquake in 1993. The Government of Jamaica's Office for Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) was quick to assess the situation and reported no loss of life or injuries. Damage to property was also minimal. The DFID office in Kingston, Jamaica, kept in close touch with ODPEM, but the organisation did not consider it necessary to issue an appeal for international assistance.

Madagascar

Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes his Department has in Madagascar; how they will be affected by the closure of the British embassy; and if he will make a statement. [8384]

Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development does not have a development programme in Madagascar.

NGOs (China)

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make it his policy not to fund non-governmental organisations who are involved in the one child policy in China. [8122]

Mr. Thomas: DFID do not fund non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that support China's one child policy. UK assistance for sexual and reproductive health programmes anywhere in the world is provided in support of the principles of free and informed choice set out at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo in 1994 and reaffirmed in various international fora since. These principles reject coercion in matters relating to child bearing and reproduction.

Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department is providing to the Yemeni Government to promote health services in Yemen. [8125]

Hilary Benn: DFID has recently approved a project of £3.09 million over four years to assist the Government of Yemen to improve maternal and infant health services. The project will operate at two levels: field (district and governorate) level, working with UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPAO, local government and civil society to improve service delivery in maternal and neonatal health; and at central Government level where the focus will be on developing policy and planning capacity within the Ministry of Public Health and Population. The project will also work closely with other donors including World Bank, the Netherlands and the World Health Organisation.
 
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HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Cleaners' Pay

Mr. Winnick: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what representations the Commission has received from the trade union side of the Whitley Committee regarding contract Commons cleaners' pay; and if he will make a statement. [8964]

Nick Harvey: The Commission has received no representations from the trade union side of the Whitley Committee about contract cleaners' pay. The trade union side raised the issue briefly with officials at the Whitley meeting on 28 February but, as the matter was outside the remit of the Committee, there was no substantive discussion.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Work-related Stress

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Leader of the House how many cases of work-related stress have been reported in his Office in each of the last three years; how much compensation was paid to employees in each year; how many work days were lost due to work-related stress in each year; at what cost; what procedures have been put in place to reduce work-related stress; at what cost; and if he will make a statement. [7868]

Nigel Griffiths: No cases of work-related stress have been reported by staff working in the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons over the past three years. No compensation has been paid and no work days have been lost over the same period.

Staffing for the Office of the Leader is provided by the Privy Council Office (PCO). PCO has an external employee counselling service at an annual cost of £3,000, and regularly consults its staff to seek their views and ideas on how working practices might continue to be improved. Such consultation includes a staff survey each year (costing £8,000) which specifically asks whether they have difficulties with work/life balance or long hours. PCO gives its staff the option, where compatible with business needs, to work flexibly or at home or part-time—or in a combination of these ways. Career breaks are also available.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Baghdad Museum

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on missing and damaged Iraqi artefacts; when she expects the Baghdad Museum to be fully open; and if she will make a statement. [8641]

Tessa Jowell: The scale of the looting of artefacts was thankfully not as devastating as originally thought. Recent estimates suggest that around 3,000 items were taken, although the lack of inventories makes precise calculations impossible. Of the items taken, 30 or so are
 
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considered to be highly significant, and the British Museum has suggested that around half of these artefacts have now been recovered.

Due to the continued security concerns, there are currently no immediate plans to reopen the museum. The decision on when to open the museum is one for the Iraqi authorities.

Broadcast Advertising (Food and Drink)

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress Ofcom's consultation on proposals to tighten the rules on broadcast advertising, sponsorship and promotion of food and drink to children, as set out in the Choosing Health White Paper has made to date; and what the timetable is for publication of this consultation. [8063]

James Purnell: I understand that Ofcom is currently finalising the details of its consultation on proposals to tighten the rules on broadcast advertising, sponsorship and promotion of food and drink to children, as set out in the Government's public health White Paper, Choosing Health. Ofcom has indicated that the consultation will take place this autumn with the results published subsequently.

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