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Modular Building Techniques (Fire Risk)

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment the Government have made of the fire risk from modular building techniques; and if he will make a statement. [13118]

Jim Fitzpatrick: 'Modular buildings' can include a wide range of different materials and construction techniques and many have been in production for a considerable period, using well-tested approaches. We have not undertaken any detailed assessment of the potential fire risk from modular building techniques.

However, we intend to look at the fire safety aspects of such innovative construction products and techniques, including modular buildings, in the research programme planned for this financial year, which underpins the health and safety requirements of the Building Regulations.

New Buildings

Lynne Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to require building regulations to specify that all new buildings have built-in means of microgeneration of energy. [12637]

Yvette Cooper: The Building Regulations set levels of required energy performance rather than prescribing solutions. This approach offers designers the flexibility to choose solutions that best meet their needs, that are cost-effective and practical, and that enable innovation. It would not therefore be appropriate to prescribe particular microgeneration technologies.

Pensions

Mr. McGovern: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the terms of reference are for the tri-partite commission discussing changes to public sector pensions. [13507]

Mr. Woolas: The terms of reference for the tri-partite committee have been published on the local Government pension scheme website and can be found at www.xoq83.dial.pipex.com.

Sustainable Communities

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment his Department has made of (a) the funding requirements of and (b) the sources of funding for the North Northamptonshire Together local delivery partnership; and what assessment he has madeof the partnership's capacity to deliver the sustainable communities spatial strategy for North Northamptonshire. [13331]

Yvette Cooper: The draft business plan for North Northants Together indicates that an income of £1.473 million is needed to cover expenditure in the 2005–06 financial year. This total includes in kind contributions from partners. The sources of funding are the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (£500,000), the five relevant local authorities, emda, English Partnerships and Catalyst Corby. Details for future years are still under consideration. North Northants
 
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Together has submitted a bid for funding from the Growth Area Fund for the years 2006–07 and 2007–08. A decision on the bid will be announced in due course.

North Northants Together was formally established in February 2005. Its draft business plan outlines how the partnership aims to deliver the sustainable communities spatial strategy for North Northamptonshire. It addresses the capacity of the delivery vehicle. The business plan will be an important reference point for future decisions on funding and for reviewing performance.

Taxis

David T.C. Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the Department has spent on taxis in each of the last five years. [6492]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created following Machinery of Government changes on 29 May 2002. Expenditure on taxi hire in the three financial years completed since then is as follows.

	£
2002–03	92,395
2003–04	138,465
2004–05	145,186;

There is also a contract in place at Ashdown House Hastings whereby officials order taxis for local use and the bill is repaid centrally. This contract is managed by the Department for Transport on behalf of both Departments, but prior to the current financial year DfT did not recharge the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for its expenditure. It is thus not possible to provide precise figures for ODPM's expenditure on the contract in the three years above, but based pro-rata on the spend in this financial year, the figures are likely to be between £1,000 and £2,000 a year.

Unitary Local Government

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what expenditure the Government have undertaken relating to unitary local government since the north east regional referendum. [13106]

Mr. Woolas: No expenditure has been undertaken relating to unitary local government since the north east regional referendum other than some portion, not separately identified, of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's administration costs relating to a small team whose responsibilities include dealing with questions about local governance and structures.

TRANSPORT

A14 (Blackbridge)

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the proposed new Blackbridge bridge over the A14 between Cranford and Burton Latimer for pedestrians, cycles and horses will be constructed. [13330]

 
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Dr. Ladyman: Subject to available funding, work on the new bridge should start in November 2005. It will take approximately 12 weeks to complete.

Road Hauliers (Costs)

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to increase the costs to road hauliers to cover the full social and environmental costs, including greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, noise, congestion, accidents and deaths, of transporting freight by road. [12817]

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.

Decisions on taxation are taken by the Chancellor on a Budget-by-Budget basis, taking account of all the relevant social, economic and environmental factors.

In addition to this, as the Secretary of State for Transport announced on 5 July 2005, Official Report, column 173, the Government are looking into how all lorries can contribute to the costs that they impose on UK roads as part of a wider national road pricing scheme.

South Hampshire Rapid Transit Scheme

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether a decision on the funding of the South Hampshire Rapid Transit Scheme phase 1 will be announced before Parliament adjourns for the summer recess. [13042]

Derek Twigg [holding answer 18 July 2005]: I will announce a decision in due course.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

Drugs (Afghanistan)

11. Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the supply of illegal drugs from Afghanistan to the UK. [12888]

Ian Pearson: Support for Afghan action to tackle the production and supply of heroin remains a top priority for HMG. We are committed to working with Afghanistan for the long-term. We are spending around £176 million over 2003–06 for this purpose. As lead nation, the UK is helping the Government of Afghanistan to deliver their National Drug Control Strategy. We work closely with international partners and with Afghanistan's neighbours on this.

Israel

12. Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his latest assessment is of progress made by Israel with its disengagement plan. [12889]

Mr. Straw: Disengagement is a real opportunity for progress in resolving the Middle East conflict. Israel has begun the preparatory phase and, crucially, there is now some co-operation between the two sides. We are working with both sides to support this activity. The G8 Summit this July agreed to support a three year $3 billion per annum package of assistance for Gaza.
 
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Iraq

13. Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence he has received of human rights abuses by members of the Iraqi security services. [12891]

Ian Pearson: I have seen the Human Rights Watch Report dated 25 January this year and we are aware of allegations of abuse by members of the Iraqi security forces and people wearing police uniform as well as recent press reports. We condemn all abuse and have raised our concerns with the Iraqi authorities at the highest levels. They have told us they take these allegations very seriously and that they will investigate them.

20. Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Iraqi Government on the development of trade unions in Iraq. [12899]

Mr. Straw: The Government attach great importance to developing trade unions and civil society in Iraq. We welcomed the provision in the Transitional Administrative Law giving Iraqis the right to join a trade union. Trade unions can make a positive contribution to the development of a stable, democratic and open society in Iraq and to the modernisation of the Iraqi economy. The Prime Minister and the FCO Minister of State met a delegation of Iraqi trade unionists on 28/29 June and reaffirmed the Government's support for the development of trade unions in Iraq .

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