To ask the Solicitor-General what the total liability to the Law Officers’ Departments would be in circumstances of immediate termination of all (a) public-private partnerships and (b) public finance initiative contracts. (109300)

Of my Departments, only the Crown Prosecution Service is affected by this question. The CPS has a 10-year public finance initiative partnership with LogicaCMG.

The contract with LogicaCMG covers the provision, support and refresh of the hardware and software applications used by the CPS.

The cost of terminating this contract is currently estimated to be £85.3 million. This estimate excludes any costs associated with the Department’s contractual responsibility regarding redundancy or Transfer of Undertaking (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 (TUPE) as it would be possible to calculate these costs at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Solicitor-General what (a) public-private partnerships and (b) private finance initiative contracts have been entered into by the Law Officers Departments; what assets were transferred to the private sector as part of each deal; what the value of these assets was; what the total cost is of each contract; and what estimate was made of the cost to the Law Officer’s Departments of traditional procurement over the life of each contract. (109342)

The CPS is the only one of my Departments covered by this question. The CPS started a 10-year private finance initiative (PFI) partnership with LogicaCMG in 2001.

The contract with LogicaCMG covers the provision, support and refresh of the hardware and software applications used by the CPS. At the start of the contract all CPS owned IT assets were transferred to LogicaCMG. The value of the assets transferred was £21 million. The total service cost of this contract over the 10-year period is forecast to be £250 million. This is a projection of the supplier. The unitary charge payment is conditional on the performance of the supplier. The unitary charge payments cover the cost of service provision, capital repayment, technical refresh and inflation.

The business case for the procurement of this contract compared two feasible options (a) a PFI/public-private partnership (PPP) approach. This meant that there was a single prime contractor for all ICT infrastructure and case management services and expenditure would be transaction and business outcome based and (b) a public sector comparator (PSC) approach. This was based upon a prime contractor for IT infrastructure services, a prime contractor for case management system services, a prime contractor for wide area network services, and a prime contractor for consultancy services. Expenditure would have been a mix of capital investment and running costs.

A cost comparison of the two approaches showed that the total service costs (undiscounted) for the PFI approach was similar as the PSC approach (£327 million) because the PFI option total cost of £359 million contained a total of £31 million for contingency, and to account for transfer of the CPS’s IT assets to LogicaCMG.

One of the major benefits of the PFI approach was that risks would be transferred to the supplier. When risk allocations were taken into account, the PFI approach (£359 million) was estimated to save £41 million over the risk adjusted PSC approach (£400 million).

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which of the five places selected for Enterprise Insight's local campaign hubs is not in the lowest 20 per cent. for deprivation. (106421)

The local campaign hub, that has been selected and is not in the worst 20 per cent. for deprivation is Lowestoft. It ranks 113th out of 354 local authorities in terms of deprivation. However, there are fewer VAT registrations in Lowestoft than in any other area covered by the local campaign hubs, except for Redcar.

Lowestoft was chosen as a hub to build upon existing enthusiasm for positive change in enterprise among the key local organisations that have had successful influence elsewhere.

The hub manager will work closely with these organisations, which include Enterprise Lowestoft, North Waveney Enterprise Service, Shell UK and East of England Development Agency, to help make the hub a success.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many information technology projects within the responsibility of his Department, its agencies and their predecessors have been cancelled since 1997; what the total cost was of each project at cancellation; and if he will make a statement. (105479)

Since 1997 the Department of Trade and Industry (excluding agencies) has cancelled one significant Information Technology project.

Personnel records system project:

Contracted total cost of project £750,000.

Contract terminated in February 1999.

An estimate of costs was made as part of a settlement agreed with the supplier which is subject to a confidentiality agreement. The release of details related to the agreed settlement would prejudice commercial interests.

We are not able to provide information about the agencies as to do so would incur disproportionate costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action has been taken since the publication of “Partnerships for poverty reduction: rethinking conditionality” to persuade the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development and the International Monetary Fund to change practice on conditionality. (112800)

At the last replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA), the UK agreed to provide an additional £100 million if the World Bank made progress on harmonisation and conditionality. The first £50 million was linked to the bank carrying out a thorough review of its practice and current thinking on conditionality. In September 2005 the bank's governors endorsed this review, whose five new good practice principles for the use of conditions accord well with the principles underlying the UK policy on conditionality.

Bank management agreed to report to the board on implementation after the first year. The first progress report did not provide sufficient information. In September 2006, we told the bank that we would withhold our second contribution of £50 million until we saw clear evidence that the principles were being applied. President Wolfowitz agreed to produce a fuller report, which was discussed by the bank's board on 5 December. In our view, this thorough and candid report provided the evidence that the bank has made the satisfactory progress on conditionality that is required to release the second £50 million contribution.

The report reiterates bank management's strong commitment to make further improvements in its use of conditionality. Its several recommendations include:

avoiding conditions on sensitive policy areas if government ownership is uncertain or the political environment is fragile;

early and more proactive disclosure of the bank’s analytic work;

reducing the number of benchmarks;

specifying the progress expected so that an assessment can be made of the impact of the programme on the poor and the bank’s contribution to that programme.

Benchmarks set out the steps that a Government will take in implementing their policies and plans. They are not equivalent to conditions and do not affect disbursement. However, there is much misunderstanding and misinformation surround them. Feedback from developing country governments suggests that they do not always distinguish between benchmarks and conditions. Part of the bank’s response should therefore be to ensure greater understanding of the nature and purpose of benchmarks.

Further progress on conditionality will be a central consideration in our funding of the next replenishment of IDA, which begins in March. We asked the Bank to produce their next report on conditionality later this year and to consult with developing country governments in order to hear their views on how things are changing.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has a set of conditionality guidelines that are aligned with the principles adopted by the Bank. The IMF's most recent internal review demonstrated an improved focus of conditions within its area of core competence on macroeconomics. In addition a detailed report by the Fund's Independent Evaluation Office is currently being finalised. This will examine the IMF's use of conditions in areas such as privatisation and trade liberalisation.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development to which countries he has considered (a) reducing and (b) interrupting UK aid because of (i) movement away from agreed poverty reduction objectives or outcomes, (ii) violation of human rights and (iii) risk of misuse of funds in each year since 2005. (112856)

The provision of direct development support by DFID to a partner Government is dependent on a number of conditions, including commitment to poverty reduction, human rights and accountability. Compliance with these conditions is assessed regularly.

However, DFID endeavours not to let the poor suffer by reducing our development assistance as a consequence of their Governments’ political choices or shortcomings. We will not put money directly through Government systems in countries where we have concerns about accountability or governance. We will, however, stay engaged in such countries where we believe our assistance can have a positive impact on poverty reduction. In these instances we will channel funds through NGOs or other development agencies instead.

There have been a number of cases since 2005 where events have caused DFID to review its bilateral engagement in certain countries.

In the case of Uzbekistan, where there were serious concerns about human rights, we took the view that our small programme was unlikely to have significant impact on poverty reduction in the current political environment. We therefore closed the bilateral programme in January 2006, but continue to support a Central Asia regional programme on HIV and AIDS that includes Uzbekistan. We also support the continued engagement there of multilateral agencies.

In Rwanda DFID considered interrupting UK aid at the beginning of 2005. This was a consequence of threats by the Government of Rwanda to send troops into the Democratic Republic of the Congo to attack the bases of hostile militia. After careful monitoring and assessment indicated that such attacks had not occurred, UK aid was provided without any reduction in 2005.

In several other cases we have not reduced funding but delayed it, chosen not to proceed with planned increases, or altered the channel through which we support poverty reduction.

Ethiopia—In June 2005 DFID put on hold a proposed increase in direct budget support from £30 million to £50 million in the light of human rights abuses, which occurred following the general election. In November the same year, we suspended all direct budget support to Ethiopia. DFID did not reduce the overall levels of aid to Ethiopia and has developed alternative programmes for delivering assistance to poor people.

Uganda—Of £50 million allocated by DFID as direct budget support to the Government of Uganda in the Ugandan financial year 2005-06, £15 million was not disbursed, following concerns about delays in political transition, the continuation of state financing for the ruling party, events surrounding the arrest and trial of the leader of the main opposition party, and a significant overrun in public administration expenditure. The £15 million was reallocated as humanitarian assistance in conflict affected areas of northern Uganda. Of the £35 million balance, £5 million was initially held back and linked to the conduct of multi-party elections; this sum was subsequently disbursed following the holding of these elections.

In the Ugandan financial year 2006-07, DFID’s direct budget support remained at £35 million due to governance and public expenditure concerns, rather than increase to a potential £55 million previously indicated to the Government of Uganda. Again, overall levels of UK aid were not affected.

Sierra Leone—in 2006, DFID withheld £2.5 million out of a £15 million allocation of direct budget support (£10 million baseline and £5 million performance-linked) following weaker than expected progress against mutually agreed benchmarks. The funds remained within the DFID programme for Sierra Leone and were reallocated as support to the election process.

Nepal—In February 2005 following King Gyanendra’s declaration of a State of Emergency and imposition of direct rule, I agreed new criteria for deciding on our aid programme in Nepal. In March 2005, projects that had been supporting the Police, Prime Minister’s Office and Prison Service as part of the Enabling State programme were stopped on effectiveness grounds. All other parts of the Nepal programme continued and funding for 2005-06 was maintained at 2004-05 levels.

It was decided that support through Government systems would continue in health and education, but individual payments would require ministerial scrutiny to reflect the high level of risk. As a result, the way funding was given to the Rural Access programme and Livelihoods and Forestry programme was revised and payments were made through direct support to these programmes rather than financial aid through the Government of Nepal’s budget.

We welcome the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement on 21 November by the Seven Party Alliance Government and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and the subsequent Agreement on the monitoring of Arms and Armies on 28 November. The agreements are a major step forward and the UK stands ready to help support implementation. DFID is reviewing its strategy and programme in the light of recent developments to ensure that we continue to respond effectively to the changed political and conflict environment.

Palestinian Territories—Following the election of Hamas in January 2006 the Quartet (US, EU, UN and Russia) set out three principles for the new Palestinian Government: renouncing violence, recognising Israel’s right to exist and signing up to previous peace agreements. As a result of Hamas’s failure to comply with these principles the UK, alongside most of the international community, withdrew direct financial and technical assistance to the Palestinian Authority.

DFID has not, however, stopped or reduced its support to the Palestinians, but is disbursing funds in a different way. This includes a commitment of up to £12 million channelled to the EU-led Temporary International Mechanism (TIM). This provides aid directly to the Palestinian people to help meet their basic needs in areas such as health. DFID has also provided £15 million this year for Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. DFID is satisfied with the arrangements put in place to ensure its current contributions to the TIM and previous budget support contributions to the World Bank-managed reform trust fund are used for the purposes intended.

Further information on programmes where we have reduced or interrupted our development assistance can be found in table 6a of DFID’s departmental report 2006, (please note this only covers the period between April and December 2005), a copy of which is available in the library and on DFID’s website at the following address; http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/departmental-report/2006/default.asp

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the (a) job titles and (b) nationalities were of people employed as consultants by his Department since 2003. (113194)

Details of contracts issued on a consultancy basis from April 1999 to March 2005 are held in the Library of the House. We do not maintain a central record detailing nationalities of people engaged as consultants, and this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will review whether the arrest of former presidential candidate Marie-Thérèse Nlandu should lead to changes in the aid programme to the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and if he will make a statement. (112879)

The British ambassador in Kinshasa has spoken to the Interior Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and advisers to President Kabila on several occasions regarding the detention of Marie Therese Nlandu. We and European partners raised our concerns that Mme Nlandu's human rights, particularly her access to legal representation, were not being respected. The British embassy in Kinshasa continues to monitor the situation closely.

The UK's development programme is focused on improving the lives of poor people in DRC and preventing a return to the violence that has blighted progress there. About half of our £62 million programme is spent on meeting urgent humanitarian needs. The other half is used to promote longer term development, for example, we have supported distribution of anti-malaria bednets to protect one million people and supported mobile courts to deliver justice in some areas unserved for many years. It is important that this DFID support, including reform of the judiciary, continues.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much financial aid his Department gave to Somalia in the financial year 2005-06. (104989)

DFID bilateral aid to Somalia in the fiscal year 2005-06 was £18.75 million. More than 80 per cent. of that was humanitarian assistance in response to the drought in the region and other needs. The remainder went on education, health and promoting improved governance and the rule of law—all things that Somalia desperately needs.

£13,000 was in the form of other financial aid which relates to pensions payments where the UK has take over liabilities from the Somali authorities. None of these funds were provided directly to the transitional federal institutions. Somalia has been without a recognised central Government since 1991.

For statistical reporting purposes, the term financial aid covers poverty reduction budget support and other projects and programmes. A full breakdown of ‘Bilateral Aid for Somalia is published in Table 12.1 of Statistics on International Development 2001/02-2005/06, a copy of which is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Basra. (110369)

We routinely assess the security situation in Basra Province and Iraq as a whole. The reported rate of civilian murders has reduced significantly from the high levels in June and July 2006. Some terrorist elements continue to target Multi National Forces.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 12 December 2006, on the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), (1) if the Government will make it a condition of purchasing JSF that the purchased aircraft must be assembled and checked out in the UK; (109708)

[holding answer 18 December 2006]: The Government have received assurances on technology transfer for Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), that would provide for a final assembly and check-out (FACO) facility for JSF in the UK. However, we have not yet decided whether to invest in a UK-based FACO facility. We are considering all aspects of the case, including costs and industrial skills. Should we decide to invest in such a facility, we shall discuss appropriate arrangements with JSF partners.

The UK will remain the only ‘level 1’ partner in the System Development and Demonstration phase of the JSF programme until that phase’s conclusion in 2013. The next phase, Production, Sustainment and Follow- on Development, of which the Memorandum of Understanding signed on 12 December sets the framework, does not have any such ‘tier’ structure. The Memorandum of Understanding signed on 12 December, which sets the framework for PSFD, is a multilateral document common to all participants. The UK’s specific requirements, including the assurances on technology transfer, are listed in a classified bilateral annexe.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the Meteorological Office’s revenues came from licensing products to (a) local and (b) central Government in the last year for which figures are available. (112774)

Met Office customers are charged a fee for the overall provision of products and services, not just a licensing charge. Of its total revenue in 2005-06 of £170 million, 1 per cent. was for the provision of products and services to local government and 35 per cent. for products and services to central Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to ask the (a) Hydrographic Office and (b) Meteorological Office to implement the recommendations in the Office of Fair Trading’s recent market study of public sector information; and if he will make a statement. (110283)

[holding answer 18 December 2006]: The Government have until March to consider its response to the Office of Fair Trading’s Market Study of public sector information. The DTI is responsible for co-ordinating the preparation of the agreed Government response, and MoD officials will liaise with the DTI during the consultation process. Following that response both the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and the Met Office will of course fully implement any newly agreed policy, as appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how each of the options outlined in the White Paper “The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear deterrent” was tested for viability. (113826)

The process by which the options were assessed is described in detail in section 5 and annexe B of the White Paper “The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent” (Cm 6994), published on 4 December 2006. Copies of the White Paper are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors determined (a) the expected operating cost of the Trident replacement cited in the White Paper “The future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent”, and (b) the costs of Trident cited in 1994; and if he will make a statement. (109888)

A number of factors determined the estimate (set out in paragraph 5-14 of the White Paper: “The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent” (Cm 6994), published on 4 December) of the expected in-service costs of the UK nuclear deterrent once a new fleet of SSBNs comes into service. The estimate drew on: projections based on the actual and planned future maintenance and operating costs of the current system, including manpower costs; assessments of in-service costs of system components; studies of potential infrastructure and disposal costs; projected costs of the Atomic Weapons Establishment; and an assessment of the impact of risk.

The estimate of the lifetime operating costs of Trident provided by the MOD to the House of Commons Defence Committee in 1993, shortly before the first of the Vanguard class submarines, HMS Vanguard, entered operational service, included projections for: manpower and related costs of the crews of the submarines and associated civilian staff; the costs of refits of the submarines over the lifetime of the force; the costs of stores and stores personnel and transport; a share of the running costs of the Clyde submarine base; the costs of the Atomic Weapons Establishment; in-service support of the strategic weapons system and the submarine; and decommissioning and disposal of the submarines.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2006, Official Report, column 813W, on service personnel (Priory Clinic), how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks were referred to the Priory Clinic in each of the last 12 months. [R] (109812)

In order to preserve the anonymity of the individuals concerned, it has been necessary to aggregate the available data. In addition to the information previously provided, during the period from December 2005 to November 2006, 16 officers and 286 other ranks were referred to the Priory Group or its sub-contractors under the terms of our contract with the Priory Group.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects a decision to be made on the maintenance of the Towed Array Sonar. (112827)

[holding answer 8 January 2007]: It has been decided to relocate Towed Array Sonar maintenance (array testing, processing and storage) from Defence Munitions Centre (DMC) Beith to DMC Crombie. This transfer will take effect from 19 January 2007.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission on which occasions the Cross of Saint George is flown from Portcullis House. (113687)

Access to the flagpole on Portcullis House is currently denied on health and safety grounds so no flags are flown.

The St. George Flag is never flown on the parliamentary estate as each building on the Estate only has one flagstaff.

The House follows guidance from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on these matters and this suggests that on St. George’s Day, where a building has two or more flagstaffs the appropriate National flag may be flown in addition to the Union flag, but not in a superior position.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission on which occasions the Union flag is flown from Portcullis House. (113689)

Access to the flagpole on Portcullis House is currently denied on health and safety grounds so no flags are flown. The Union flag would normally be flown on the following occasions in 2007:

Also the day of the opening of a Session of the Houses of Parliament by Her Majesty and the day of prorogation of a Session of the Houses of Parliament by Her Majesty.

The Union flag is flown on Victoria Tower when either House is sitting from 10 am until sunset or when the Sovereign is on the premises when the Royal Standard is raised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what targets she has set to ensure that the London 2012 Olympics are (a) environmentally, (b) economically and (c) socially sustainable. (113783)

An overarching sustainability policy for the Olympic programme was published in July 2006, which sets out the five key themes to achieve a sustainable games: climate change, waste, biodiversity, inclusion and healthy living. We are currently working with the other Olympic stakeholders to develop policies and targets within these five themes, which will be brought together into an overarching sustainability plan for the games which will be published in the spring.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department has taken to support the UK’s independent music industry. (114053)

Sponsorship of the music industry means DCMS works closely with Government partners and the independent music sector to ensure its interests are safeguarded and independent music continues to thrive.

Through the Creative Economy Programme (CEP), we continue to tackle the main issues which impact on the music industry.

Last year DCMS published the results of research into access to business support and investment finance. The Music Exports Group, on which the independent music sector is represented, is developing export strategies for the industry’s priority markets.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding her Department has given to individual trade unions in the last three years. (113984)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not provided funding to any trade union in the last three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funding the Government have paid to (a) Mohammed Daud, former Governor of Helmand Province and (b) other Afghan politicians in each financial year since 2001-02. (113105)

Since the appointment of former Governor Daud in December 2005, the Government have committed over £1 million in support of good governance activity in Helmand Province. In addition, the UK has provided £253,000 for counter narcotics activity (including a public awareness campaign, prison upgrade and vehicle support) in financial year 2006-07. In 2006 a sum of £151,000 was paid to the Governors of Nangahar and Kandahar for governor-led eradication.

The UK contributes to the Government of Afghanistan’s (GOA) core budget and has committed £355 million between 2002-09. The UK also remains a major contributor to the Law and Order Trust Fund of Afghanistan established in 2002, and the Counter Narcotics Trust Fund established in 2006, both through the European Commission and bilaterally. The UK also contributes funds to the GOA through a number of ongoing projects aimed at building capacity in the Afghan Government.

Since 2001, the UK has contributed over £1 billion to assisting Afghanistan and is the second largest bilateral donor to Afghanistan after the US.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on responsibility for the series of bomb blasts in Bangkok on 31 December 2006. (113835)

No group has claimed responsibility for carrying out the attacks in Bangkok on 31 December. The Thai authorities are still pursuing their investigation to determine responsibility for the attacks. We continue to liaise with the Thai authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her Department’s expenditure on hospitality and entertainment was in (a) 1996-97 and (b) 2005-06. (114074)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not keep centralised records of its overall expenditure on hospitality and entertainment worldwide.

The Government hospitality section of FCO services organises all official ministerial hospitality for the Government as a whole. In 1996-97 its costs amounted to approximately £430,000. In 2005-06 its costs amounted to £809,000, a figure which reflects increased activity due to the joint presidencies of the EU and the G8.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the budget of the Government hospitality section of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was in each year since 1997-98. (114076)

The budget for Government hospitality’s service is drawn from the grant in aid payment to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) that funds both Government hospitality and VIP visits section, FCO services. This figure has not changed since 1997-98 and remains at £1.8 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which UK (a) embassies and (b) high commissions cases involving the fraudulent diversion of public funds were discovered in 2006; and on what dates the discoveries were made. (113711)

In accordance with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) Fraud Policy, the following frauds committed at embassies, high commissions, consulate generals, and deputy high commissions were reported to the FCO’s Financial Compliance Unit in 2006:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which (a) embassies and (b) high commissions were visited by her departmental internal audit teams in 2006; and on what dates such audits were carried out. (113712)

The following Foreign and Commonwealth Office overseas posts were subject to internal audit in 2006:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she has raised the case of the death of John Foulkes in Malta with the authorities in that country. (113939)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office cannot interfere in the judicial processes of other countries nor does it have any investigative function. However, consular officials have, at the request of Mr. Foulkes’ family, been in regular contact with the police authorities and the Attorney-General’s office in Malta. Most recently, consular officials spoke with the police officer who is leading the investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Foulke’s death on 30 November 2006. On the same date our officials enquired about a letter that had been sent to the Attorney-General’s office by the Foulkes family.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance has been provided to Emily Foulkes of Sittingbourne and Sheppey constituency in relation to the death of a family member in Malta. (113940)

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave him today (UIN 113939). Consular officials have been in regular contact with Emily Foulkes and have provided her with all the information that they can. We have advised that it will be necessary to appoint legal representation in Malta to act on the family’s behalf. We have also been able to obtain and return some of Mr. Foulkes’ personal effects to his family.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the South African Government since South Africa’s accession to the United Nations Security Council. (113852)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary congratulated the South African Government shortly after South Africa’s election to the UN Security Council for 2007-08. A South African delegation subsequently visited London in October 2006 for useful discussions with senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials on a range of Security Council issues. We will keep in close touch with South Africa throughout their membership of the Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date her Department received the Report of the National Audit Office of 4 December 2006, into Handling Staff Grievances at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; and what the reason was for the delay in placing the report (a) on her Department’s intranet site and (b) in the Library. (113706)

A paper copy of the report by the National Audit Office (NAO) into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) Grievance Procedures was received on 5 December. The NAO was also asked to supply an electronic version for the FCO’s intranet site. This was received on 18 December and added to the intranet on 19 December. The report was made available to staff through the weekly bulletin the next day.

Copies of the NAO report were placed in the Library of the House on 20 December, the date on which it was announced to FCO staff through the intranet.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what public opinion research was undertaken for the 2006 (a) Budget and (b) pre-Budget report; what the cost was of each poll; and which company conducted each one. (109990)

HM Treasury has not undertaken any public opinion research to the Budget 2006 or the 2006 pre-Budget report.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what gross domestic product per capita was in each local authority area in (a) 1979, (b) 1992, (c) 1997 and (d) the latest year for which figures are available. (108167)

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 January 2007:

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question about Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in each local authority area in 1979, 1992, 1997 and the latest year for which figures are available. (108167)

Office for National Statistics currently publishes regional Gross Value Added (GVA) rather than regional GDP. These data are published in Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics (NUTS) regions and the lowest breakdown of geography for which data are published is the NUTS3 level. These data run from 1995 to 2004 and can be accessed in the following link:

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=14650

GDP per capita data prior to 1995 were published biennially at the county level. These data were last published in 1998. The attached table shows GDP per capita for counties for the biennial period 1977-1995.

Both data-sets are at current prices, therefore the effects of inflation are not taken into account.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the last year of the current economic cycle will be included in the next economic cycle for the purposes of calculating compliance with the Golden Rule. (112835)

[holding answer 8 January 2007]: The Government set out their latest assessment of progress against the Golden Rule in each Budget and pre-Budget report. The most recent assessment is set out in paragraphs 2.54 to 2.57 of the 2006 pre-Budget report, Cm 6984.

To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission (1) how many written parliamentary questions to the Public Accounts Commission in the 2005-06 Session were not answered wholly or in part on grounds of disproportionate cost; (113269)

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many bat licences have been granted by his Department in the last five years. (109980)

The number of bat licences issued under Regulation 44(2)(e) of the Conservation (Natural Habitats) Regulations 1994 in the last five years is shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings (a) he and (b) his Ministers have held with boating organisations since the announcement of budget reductions to British Waterways in 2006-07. (107489)

[holding answer 5 December 2006]: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to her on 11 December 2006, Official Report, column 731W. This details meetings the Secretary of State has had with British Waterways. The Secretary of State has not met with any boating organisations. Lord Rooker met the chair of the Inland Waterways Association informally on 26 November.

I met with British Waterways on 19 July and 27 November 2006 and with the Broads Authority on 16 March and 18 September 2006 and I also met with the Waterways Trust on 26 April 2006 and The Waterways all Party Parliamentary Group on 12 December 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the volume of canal traffic was in each year since 2000. (112782)

The majority of canals in England and Wales are managed by British Waterways. The volume of traffic is recorded in terms of licences sold. These are set out as follows:

Information on the canals owned or managed by non-public navigation authorities is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on agricultural policy. (109967)

Ministers and officials in the Department have regular discussions with EU counterparts on agricultural issues, in particular in the context of the monthly Agriculture and Fisheries Council meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of the UK fish stock was classified as (a) in danger and (b) at risk in (i) 2001, (ii) 1996 and (iii) the most recent period for which figures are available. (110438)

The International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) classifies a stock’s status by comparing the amount of mature fish (the spawning stock biomass) and the rate at which the stock is exploited in comparison with agreed reference levels.

In terms of spawning stock biomass, a stock is considered to have either full reproductive capacity, being at risk of suffering reduced reproductive capacity or suffering reduced reproductive capacity.

In terms of the rate of fishing mortality, a stock is considered to be harvested sustainably, at risk of being harvested unsustainably or harvested unsustainably.

The current system for classification was introduced in 1998, making comparison with earlier years difficult. The following table presents the percentage composition within each category for the 47 stocks of most interest to the UK. Figures are given for 1998, 2001 and 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Securing the Benefits initiative in tackling fisheries management since June 2005. (113109)

Good progress has been made since DEFRA and the devolved administrations published “Securing the Benefits” in response to the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit landmark report, “Net Benefits”. In particular, in terms of modernisation of fisheries management, we have achieved the following results:

(i) We have appointed a Regional Fisheries Manager for South West England to pilot the benefits of the role.

(ii) We have begun work to change the quota management system in the UK. We are developing options for change and will soon be consulting on these.

(iii) We have set up a Marine Fisheries Science Advisory Group.

(iv) We have continued to fund the Fisheries Science Partnership and, with industry involvement, identified projects for 2006-07 including work on North East coast crabs and lobsters, North Sea whiting and Eastern Channel cod.

(v) We have set up a new fund for science projects.

(vi) We have put in place registration of buyers and sellers of fish to strengthen the assurance that all fish are caught and landed in compliance with the relevant fisheries legislation.

(vii) We have appointed regional advisers to help with applications for grants under the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance.

(viii) We have announced that modernised Sea Fisheries Committees (SFCs) will be given new powers, through the Marine Bill, to deliver improved management of fish stocks and the marine environment.

(ix) We have announced an increased minimum landing size for bass which will offer greater protection to the stock while providing more and larger bass for commercial fishermen and anglers.

Further information on the progress that has been made over the last year is contained in DEFRA’s progress report which was published as a supplement to “Fishing Focus” in October 2006 on the DEFRA website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/fish/pdf/fishfocus 1006supp.pdf.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the integrated pollution prevention and control regulations apply to intensive gamebird farms. (110004)

Gamebirds—that is to say, those hunted for sport—are not poultry and thus not subject to the Integrated Pollution Prevention Control Directive or the regulations which transpose it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many seizures there were of wild birds illegally imported into the UK in the 12 months (a) before and (b) since October 2005. (112693)

From October 2004 to September 2005, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) made seven seizures of wild birds illegally imported into the UK under their border enforcement powers relating to the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). These comprised 311 wild birds in total.

From October 2005 to October 2006 HMRC made three seizures of wild birds illegally imported into the UK under their powers relating to CITES. These comprised three wild birds in total.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the security costs were for each UK international airport in each of the last three years; and with whom responsibility lies for meeting those costs. (113713)

The costs associated with delivering the Government’s aviation security requirements are the responsibility of the industry. In some cases security will be a dedicated function and in others security will be combined with other duties. It is therefore not possible to put a figure on the financial cost to industry of implementing security measures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make available a synopsis of the Boys Smith report on airport security. (113715)

The Secretary of State made a written statement 20 July 2006 confirming that the content of the report is not appropriate for public consumption and will not therefore be placed in the Library.

A further statement will be made in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his written statement of 20 July 2006, Official Report, column 56WS, on airport policing, if he will place in the Library a summary and the recommendations of the report. (110354)

[holding answer 8 January 2007]: The Secretary of State made a written statement, 20 July 2006, confirming that the content of the report is not appropriate for public consumption and will not therefore be placed in the Library.

A further statement will be made in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he has put in place to ensure that car owners do not alter exhaust or silencer systems after an MOT test to ensure that those systems do not break noise regulations. (114124)

Enforcement of the Road Traffic Regulations is primarily a matter for the police, although the Vehicle Operator and Standards Agency support this process through a programme of roadside inspections.

An objective assessment of the noise levels of individual vehicles during a roadside inspection is problematic due to interference from other noise sources, and static testing does not necessarily give a good representation of the level of noise with the vehicle in motion. However the Department is considering letting further research into the feasibility of a simple and robust test that might be used in these circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will further tighten regulations 54 and 97 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 to ensure that exhaust and silencer systems remain in good working order and do not make excessive noise. (114125)

The Department currently has no plans to tighten the regulations referred to, although this position is kept under review. Regulation 54 already requires exhaust systems to be maintained in good and efficient working order and prohibits modification to increase the level of noise emissions. The regulations as they stand are therefore adequate for dealing with noisy vehicles.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the current distance vision test for checking novice drivers’ vision; and if he will make a statement; (113767)

A review of the eyesight testing requirements for drivers is being undertaken alongside a review of medical licensing, and it is intended to issue proposals for consultation in the spring.

Accurate estimates of the prevalence of visual function below the current visual standards cannot be made at present. Police officers can check a driver’s visual acuity at the roadside only when impaired driving is observed and vision is suspected as its cause. The DVLA can check whether a driver’s self-declared unimpaired visual function is correct only when there are reasonable grounds for suspicion.

In 2005 there were 147,509 road accidents in which a police officer attended the scene and at least one contributory factor was identified. Uncorrected defective eyesight was identified as one of the contributory factors in only 226 personal injury accidents. Poor eyesight was named as the sole contributory factor in only 12 of these 226 accidents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will implement the findings of the safety review on Class 2/3 electrical powered mobility products, including scooters. (113005)

[holding answer 8 January 2007]: The review on Class 2 and Class 3 vehicles has raised a number of issues in a very complex area which are being carefully considered before decisions can be taken about implementation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the four formal safety recommendations arising from the FV Gaul Re-opened Formal Investigation have been implemented; and what the date of implementation was of each. (113302)

The Report of the re-opened formal investigation into the loss of the FV Gaul made four recommendations for consultation with the fishing industry. In putting these recommendations forward, the Wreck Commissioner was aware that they were likely to have been superseded by improvements in design and working practices that had evolved over the 30 years since the loss of the FV Gaul. Nevertheless, he considered that, because of their fundamental importance to the safety of fishing vessels, they should be reviewed again.

The recommendations stated that:

“permanent openings into critical internal spaces of a vessel, that could be submerged periodically and that are required to be kept open for intermittent purposes during fishing operations can usually be avoided by design. Such openings that do exist should have effective and, ideally passive or automatic means of closure;

automatic pumping arrangements together with water level alarms should be fitted to any space which may be vulnerable to flooding which would significantly reduce the vessel’s stability;

warning lights should be installed in the wheelhouse to indicate any openings, watertight doors or hatches which remain open”.

The issues covered by these recommendations were initially addressed by the Fishing Vessels (Safety Provisions) Rules 1975, which came into force in 1 May 1975. For vessels built on or after 1 January 1999, further safety requirements were introduced by the Fishing Vessels (EC Directive on Harmonised Safety Regime) Regulations 1999, which came into force on 1 December 1999.

The final recommendation was that a CCTV camera, with a monitor on the bridge, should be fitted to allow the officer of the watch to monitor continually any large working spaces that are vulnerable to flooding and which may be left unattended for relatively long periods of time.

The Fishing Vessels (EC Directive on Harmonised Safety Regime) Regulations 1999 require all vessels to be fitted with an audio and visual alarm (not necessarily a CCTV camera). It is considered that this requirement ensures an equivalent level of protection against flooding of the spaces mentioned in the recommendation.

Since the publication of the report on the FV Gaul in 2004, the Department’s Fishing Industry Safety Group (FISG), which includes representatives of the fishing industry, has been conducting-a review of all Rules and Regulations applicable to vessels of 24 m registered length and over. This review will consolidate, update and enhance the current legislation into one Code of Practice, in line with Better Regulation principles.

The review is expected to be completed in the spring and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) will then undertake a consultation exercise on behalf of FISG. The intention is that the new Code will come into force in winter 2007-08, and will also take account of the four recommendations made in the FV Gaul report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated consumption of fuel by (a) UK hauliers and (b) foreign registered hauliers on UK roads was in the last year for which figures are available. (113936)

9.2 million tonnes of UK diesel were consumed by heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in 2005, which includes fuel purchased in the UK but used outside it, but does not include fuel purchased outside the UK. It is not possible to break this figure down into consumption by domestic and foreign HGVs.

This figure is published in table 3.1 of “Transport Statistics Great Britain: 2006”. The publication is available in the Library of the House and on the Department for Transport’s website at the following link:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_transstats/documents/divisionhomepage/031571.hcsp

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many information technology projects within the responsibility of his Department, its agencies and their predecessors have been cancelled since 1997; what the total cost was of each project at cancellation; and if he will make a statement. (105483)

The Department for Transport was formed in summer 2002. Information on DfT projects is only held from that point in time. Information from 1997 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The Department for Transport (DfT) can confirm that two IT projects have been cancelled:

Highways Agency: CEO and Correspondence Unit Document Management System (CECO)—cost at cancellation: £227,574.

DfT (central): Electronic Documents and Records Management System (EDRM)—cost at cancellation: £853,899.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent by the Department on external legal advice in each of the past five years. (109092)

The Department was formed on May 2002. In each of the past four years the Department for Transport has spent the following on external legal advice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the £8 billion announced on 18 December 2006 will be allocated to local transport authorities in each year covered by the allocation. (113975)

All the funding is for local transport capital and the £8 billion total is for five financial years (2006-07 to 2010-11). It consists of three funding streams allocated in different ways.

Firstly, funding for integrated transport improvements (approximately £2.9 billion) is being allocated according to three factors:

(i) a formula, which considers local transport pressures;

(ii) the distribution of the equivalent funding in the previous five years (of most importance for the earlier years); and

(iii) the Department for Transport’s classifications of the quality of the forward local transport plans and the delivery of the previous plans.

Secondly, funding for highways capital maintenance (approximately £3.6 billion) is being allocated largely according to a formula which considers pressures for road, bridge and (from 2007-08 onwards) street lighting capital maintenance. A small proportion (less than 10 per cent.) of the funding is being allocated in response to bids from local authorities for specific projects, mainly for strengthening bridges on main roads.

Thirdly, funding for major projects (in almost all cases each costing more than £5 million) is allocated in response to bids from local authorities. For 2007-08 onwards decisions about which projects are funded are being influenced by advice from regional bodies. The exact funding levels for local authority projects depend on the priorities in each region between trunk road and local authority schemes. On the basis of the previous distribution, £2 billion to £2.5 billion of local authority projects would be funded over the five years.

More details about the allocation process are published on the Department for Transport’s website under the local transport capital settlement 2006 heading at www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_localtrans/documents/divisionhomepage/032393.hcsp and under the regional funding allocation heading at www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_localtrans/documents/divisionhomepage/039134.hcsp

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the £3 billion announced on 18 December 2006 for the local transport capital settlement includes the £1.6 billion from the previous year. (113976)

The £3 billion of funding announced on 18 December 2006 does not include the £1.6 billion settlement made for 2006-07.

The £3 billion consists of:

(i) allocations totalling £1.254 billion for 2007-08 to support integrated transport improvements and highways capital maintenance; and

(ii) indicative allocations for integrated transport totalling just short of £1.8 billion for 2008-09 to 2010-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the occasions since he has held his present office when he has used (a) rail services, (b) the London Underground, (c) tram or light railway services and (d) buses in connection with his ministerial duties. (101859)

[pursuant to the reply, 11 December 2006, Official Report, c. 736W]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has also made one journey on a light railway service in connection with his ministerial duties since he was appointed to his present office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of overseas registered lorries using the UK road system in each of the last five years. (113937)

Annual figures for the number of foreign registered HGVs travelling from GB to mainland Europe are published in section 3, table 3.3 of “Road Freight Statistics: 2005”.

This is available on the Department for Transport’s website at http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_ transstats/documents/page/dft_transstats_611935.hcsp and is also available in hard copy from the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers used (a) Bentley, (b) Fleet, (c) Hook, (d) Winchfield and (e) Liphook railway stations in 2005-06; how many passengers he expects to use each station in each of the next 10 years; and what plans he has to change capacity at these stations. (113797)

The Department does not have definitive figures of passenger use, however, the following figures for passenger use of the listed stations have been derived from the LENNON system in line with industry practice.

With regards to future usage, the Network Rail Route Utilisation Strategy assumed a growth 20 per cent. over 10 years. The Department in letting the new South Western franchise asked bidders to develop innovative means to manage the expected increase in capacity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish annual data for the consumption of fuel by (a) train and (b) freight operating companies. (113935)

The Department currently has no plans to publish this information. However, through the cross-industry Rail Sustainable Development Group, the passenger and freight rail sectors intend to report annually, starting in 2007, on their performance against a range of sustainability measures. This is expected to include data on diesel and electricity consumption.

In addition, the Office of Rail Regulation recently consulted on discharging its sustainable development and environmental duties including through the regular publication of key rail performance indicators such as energy consumption. ORR will publish its draft conclusions in February 2007 with final conclusions following in May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in how many and what proportion of road traffic accidents exceeding the speed limit was given as a contributory factor to the incident in each of the last five years; and how many of these accidents resulted in a fatality. (113737)

The information requested for 2005 has been published by the Department on its website in table 6 of the article ‘Contributory factors to road accidents’. This article can be found at the following web address:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_transstats/documents/downloadable/dft_transstats_612594.pdf

Copies of the article are also available in the Library of the House. Data for earlier years are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on road (a) building and (b) maintenance in each year since 1997. (112864)

[holding answer 8 January 2007]: Information on public (central and local government) and private funding for transport infrastructure in Great Britain is published in Table 1.14 of “Transport Statistics Great Britain (TSGB)”, which is available on the Department for Transport’s website (www.dft.gov.uk) and is available in the Library of the House. These figures cover both new construction and structural maintenance, but the available expenditure data do not enable new road construction to be identified as a separate category.

Information on expenditure on road maintenance for England and Wales is available from Tables 8.2 and 8.3 of the “National Road Maintenance Condition Survey 2005”, also available on the Department for Transport’s website (www.dft.gov.uk) and the Library. Data for Scotland are published in Table 11.2 and 11.3 “Scottish Transport Statistics 2006 Edition” by the Scottish Executive, available on www.scotland.gov.uk. These sources identify expenditure on structural maintenance, but overlaps in definition mean that these sources can not be combined with the investment data from Table 1.14 to estimate total expenditure on road building and maintenance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport further to his announcement of 19 December 2006, on Thameslink, how many people are employed on the project team; and what the expected annual cost is of the team. (113938)

Network Rail currently employ 170 staff on the Thameslink Project. The current projected annual direct cost of this team is in the order of £8 million. Their primary objective is to progress the development of the project so a more robust decision can be made in the summer of 2007 as to whether to proceed with the implementation of the project following the conclusions of the cross Government Comprehensive Spending Review and the development of the new high level output specification for Network Rail.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what major transport projects have been approved in the last 12 months, broken down by parliamentary constituency. (108921)

A table has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people in Tamworth constituency applied for (a) apprenticeships and (b) post-16 vocational courses in each of the last six years. (112821)

Data on the number of applications to apprenticeships and post-16 vocational courses more generally are not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of care services for 16 to 17-year-olds in each local authority are provided by private corporations. (113414)

The DfES obtains information from each Local Authority Social Services Department relating to looked after children from ages 0-18 years, their legal status and the reasons for their being in care. There is also a vast range of other care services which local authorities provide, including respite care, services for children with disabilities and child care.

The information supplied to the Department does not disaggregate these services according to the age of the person and the type of organisation which provides the services. However, the Department is keen to see a mixed market of providers, to enable local authorities to commission the appropriate services which will best improve the outcomes for the young person.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what representations he has received on the availability and provision of care services for disabled children; (113507)

Ministers meet regularly with representatives of the disabled children’s voluntary sector, discussing these and other matters.

Written representations have been received this year relating to:

the disability strand of the joint HM Treasury/Department for Education and Skills Children and Young People’s Review;

“Care Matters”—the Green Paper on looked-after children;

the “Every Disabled Child Matters” Campaign;

the Disabled Children’s Assessments and Services Bill; and

the Disabled Children’s Short Breaks Bill.

Representations have related in particular (but not exclusively) to short breaks (respite care) for disabled children, child care for disabled children and services for disabled children who are looked after.

Early in the new year Ministers will meet parliamentary and voluntary sector proponents of the Disabled Children’s Short Breaks Bill, now before Parliament.