To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support his Department plans to give to the National Care Farming Initiative. (132569)

Natural England, and its predecessor bodies, have provided financial support to the National Care Farming Initiative in the past and further support will continue in terms of information and advice. Future funding will be considered when budgets are clarified in the middle of May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farms in each district authority in Cumbria are eligible for single payment scheme payments; how many received SPS payments in the 2006-07 financial year; and what percentage of farmers this represents in each case. (132101)

Detailed analysis by constituency, area or category of the payments made under the single payment scheme is not available.

As of 18 April 2007, a total of 98,395 of farmers in England have received either a full or partial payment under the 2006 single payment scheme year, and 10,605 farmers, equating to 9.7 per cent. of the estimated total claimant population, have not received any payment. The total cash value of all outstanding payments is £415.16 million. The Rural Payment Agency’s target is to pay 96.14 per cent. of the total value of the fund by 30 June 2007.

There are 30 2005 claims that are outstanding and have not received full payment, totalling £261,054.88.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that single farm payments are made in their entirety and on time. (132276)

The difficulties experienced in completing payments under the 2005 single payment scheme have inevitably impacted on the payment timetable for the 2006 scheme year. The Rural Payments Agency has made it clear that the target of paying 96.14 per cent. of claims by value by 30 June 2007 is challenging.

RPA is developing a comprehensive set of actions to recover from the problems of SPS 2005 and has already made several improvements to the way in which it operates. These changes will take into account the recommendations of the EFRA Select Committee, National Audit Office and other inquiries.

As of 18 April 2007, RPA had paid £1.12 billion in full or partial SPS 2006 payments to 98,395 claimants. The Department and RPA continue to work closely to ensure that the remaining claims and top-up payments where a partial payment has been made, are paid as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of farmers in England are awaiting single payment scheme payments from financial year 2006-07; how many farms this represents; what the total cash value is of these outstanding payments; and when these payments are expected to be made. (132278)

As of 18 April 2007, a total of 98,395 of farmers in England have received either a full or partial payment under the 2006 single payment scheme year, and 10,605 farmers, equating to 9.7 per cent. of the estimated total claimant population, have not received any payment. The total cash value of all outstanding payments is £415.16 million. The Rural Payments Agency target is to pay 96.14 per cent. of the total value of the fund by 30 June 2007.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers received Single Farm Payments of more than (a) £40,000 and (b) £50,000 in 2006. (132295)

[holding answer 20 April 2007]: 1,429 farmers received single payment scheme payments of more than £40,000 and less than £50,000 in 2006.

2,434 farmers received SPS payments of more than £50,000 in 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farms are eligible for single farm payments; how many single farm payments were made in 2006; and what the average value was of those payments. (132296)

[holding answer 20 April 2007]: The 119,374 claimants who received entitlements in 2005 are therefore eligible to claim under the single payment scheme (SPS): 116,914 payments were made in 2006 with an average value of £13,165.98.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which companies providing carbon offsetting arrangements his officials examined in making a choice for his Department's offsetting arrangements. (119406)

DEFRA ran a tendering process for the Government carbon offsetting fund contract and received 16 expressions of interest from:

AEA Technology plc

Agrinergy Ltd

Arup Project Management

Carbon Aided Ltd

Carbon Ventures Ltd

Carbonium

Climate Focus BV

Climate Wedge Ltd

CO2e Ltd

Ecofys UK Ltd

EcoSecurities Ltd

EEA Fund Management Ltd

Hyder Consulting (UK) Ltd

Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM)

South Pole Carbon Asset Management Ltd

The Carbon Neutral Company

EEA Fund Management was selected as the winning bidder after delivering the highest score following all rounds of the evaluation process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from which (a) UK county and (b) other countries the turkey poults supplied to the Bernard Matthews’ plant at Holton, Suffolk originated; and what the health status of each supplying plant was with regard to the H5N1 virus. (133891)

The 159,000 day-old turkey poults came from Bernard Matthews’ own hatchery in Norfolk, between 30 November and 14 December 2006. The eggs had been supplied by Bernard Matthews’ breeding flocks in Norfolk and Suffolk. We have no evidence of H5N1 infection at these sites.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the effect of the Common Agricultural Policy on the amount spent by an average family in the UK on food in one year. (132810)

[holding answer 20 April 2007]: We can calculate an estimate of the UK consumer cost of the Common Agricultural Policy by comparing the difference between UK and world prices for agricultural products and applying that difference to the volume of UK consumption. On that basis the cost of higher spending on food to a notional family of four in 2004 was approximately £260. Our provisional estimate for 2005 is approximately £220.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are in place to limit the amount of money spent on alcohol for hospitality purposes by his Department. (132202)

The Department has clear guidance on hospitality in both its finance manual and staff handbook. Both these guides follow the principles laid down in Government accounting and the Treasury handbook on regularity and propriety.

The two key principles operated by the Department are: that hospitality may be provided only if it is in the public interest and necessary for the conduct of business; and the amount spend shall be appropriate for the occasion and not such to attract adverse comment.

Directors General are responsible for monitoring expenditure on hospitality and are required to ensure that any such expenditure meets the above principles

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanisms are in place to ensure his Department's economical use of paper. (128008)

From information held centrally, the amount of printing paper purchased between April 2005 and March 2006 was 829 tonnes, and for copier paper 235.8 tonnes. The Department is taking the following steps to ensure its use of paper is economical:

a move away from paper-based records management towards electronic records thereby reducing the volume of paper-based information held locally. In time, this will reduce the volume of paper stored in archives;

DEFRA has revised recently its procedures for records management so that more of DEFRA's records can be created captured and stored electronically rather than printing to paper;

double sided printing as standard if documents need to be printed at all;

printer rationalisation and reduction as part of DEFRA's IT and facilities management strategies;

online communications or events for its external communications;

expanding the scope of e-publishing for key publications;

moving towards binless offices as part of DEFRA's facilities management strategy.

All Departments are required to meet cross-Government sustainable operations targets, launched last year. The targets for reducing their waste arisings are 5 per cent. and 25 per cent. by 2010 and 2020 respectively, relative to 2004-05 levels; and for increasing their recycling figures to 40 per cent. and 75 per cent. of their waste arisings by 2010 and 2020, respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department undertakes employee exit surveys. (130581)

DEFRA sends out an exit questionnaire to each employee leaving the Department and also offers exit interviews to staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what reduction in UK carbon emissions is predicted to result from (a) phase 1 and (b) phase 2 of the EU emissions trading scheme, expressed (i) in tonnes and (ii) as a percentage of the total at the start of the scheme; (131411)

[holding answer 16 April 2007]: The approved UK national allocation plan (NAP) for phase I (2005-07) of the EU emissions trading scheme is set to deliver carbon dioxide emissions savings of around 65 million tonnes (roughly 8 per cent.) below the projected business as usual emissions of the installations covered by the scheme during phase I. The rationale behind emission trading is to ensure that the emission reductions take place where the cost of the reduction is lowest thus lowering the overall costs of tackling climate change. The emissions reductions referred to above may not therefore all take place in the UK.

Comparing 2003 and 2005 emissions in the UK from installations in the EU ETS shows a reduction of around 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (MtCO₂) which equates to 4 per cent. However, a number of new installations commenced operation and entered the scheme in 2004 and 2005, emitting a total of around five MtCO₂ in 2005. Therefore, the net total reduction in emissions from UK installations (incumbent and new) in the EU ETS was approximately five MtCO₂ between 2003 and 2005.

The UK NAP for phase II (2008-12) is set to deliver an annual reduction of 29.3 million tonnes of CO₂ against projected business as usual emissions for 2010. The allocation level has been set at 13 per cent. below emissions from these installations in 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers there are in (a) England, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales. (132159)

The number of registered holdings in England at June 2006 was 200,381. Figures for the other UK countries fall under the jurisdiction of the devolved authorities.

Source:

June Agricultural Survey

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2007, Official Report, column 763W, on inland waterways: repairs and maintenance, how much the Trub Farm, Rochdale canal, received in alternative money; and what the source of funding was. (133306)

Works to install a bridge and associated road at Trub Farm on the Rochdale Canal were carried out as part of British Waterways’ 2006-07 works programme at a cost of £586,000. The alternative source of funding related to British Waterways made provision for the cost of the work in its 2005-06 accounts as it was contractually committed to this work. The project was therefore removed from its 2006-07 cost schedule and was unaffected by the 2006-07 cuts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Competition Commission on the share of the retail price of milk that is passed on to farmers by supermarkets. (131978)

The Competition Commission announced in January that it intended to look further at the impact of supermarket buyer power on dairy farmers during the next stage of its inquiry into the groceries market. DEFRA has had no recent discussions with the CC on this matter. We have, however, provided it with information on the dairy sector and have made clear our willingness to meet, should they wish to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what studies his Department has undertaken into the degrading of peat bogs by the releasing of carbon in the form of dissolved organic carbon. (132318)

The degradation of peat bogs can lead to a loss of soil carbon in various forms, including as dissolved organic carbon. Research into peat bog degradation and restoration in the UK has been, and is currently being, funded by a range of organisations such as water companies, conservation groups and the Government. DEFRA has recently undertaken reviews of the available literature on both the degradation of organic soils (including peat bogs) and management options for restoring degraded bogs.

We are now developing a programme of research on soil carbon to improve our understanding of the main mechanisms by which carbon is lost, the impacts of land use and land management, and practical methods for mitigating losses. This will form part of the forthcoming soil strategy for England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken (a) to preserve and (b) to reactivate drained peat bog land as carbon sinks; what his policy is on the long-term role of peat bogs as carbon sinks in the UK; and if he will make a statement. (132319)

The need to preserve peat bogs for their biodiversity value, and as stores of carbon, is being addressed on a range of fronts.

Agri-environment schemes provide for good management of around 230,000 hectares of peat bogs . A progress review of environmental stewardship (ES) is due to begin shortly. Increasing the contribution of ES to climate change mitigation, including the role of peat restoration, will be examined as part of this.

We are also working towards our current public service agreement target to ensure that 95 per cent. of the area in England designated as sites of special scientific interest is in favourable or recovering condition by 2010. A considerable proportion of peat bogs are designated as SSSIs and currently around two thirds of this area meets the target. Improving the condition of the remainder is a priority.

The England biodiversity strategy also contributes towards the protection of peat bogs, as does the UK air quality strategy which sets objectives to protect vegetation and ecosystems. The forthcoming soil strategy for England will draw together all these strands and DEFRA will consider, as part of this strategy, what further activity is required to protect existing carbon stocks.

Our long-term policy is to promote management which (i) minimises further losses of carbon from peat soils, and (ii) allows peat bogs to act as a carbon sink. The potential for significantly off-setting carbon emissions may be somewhat limited because of the time it takes for peat to form.

There are significant areas of peat bog in Scotland (which has over 70 per cent. of the UK peat resource), Wales and Northern Ireland. The devolved Administrations have policy responsibility in their territories, and DEFRA will continue to work closely with them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will estimate the effect on the UK's carbon dioxide emissions if the existing nuclear generating fleet was replaced by (a) coal-powered fire stations and (b) gas- fired power stations. (132111)

I have been asked to reply.

The full lifecycle release of carbon dioxide emissions from nuclear power is similar to wind power, and much less than fossil fuel plant such as coal and gas. The calculation of avoided carbon dioxide emissions if the existing nuclear generating fleet were replaced by (a) coal-powered fire stations is an increase of 44 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and (b) gas- powered fire stations is an increase of 22 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) whether non-agricultural or environmental rural businesses will be able to access funding from the rural development programme for England; (132102)

Rural businesses across all sectors will be able to access funding under Axes 1, 3 and 4 of the rural development programme for England. These provide support for measures to improve competitiveness, enhance the economy and improve quality of life in rural areas, and to implement community-lead regeneration activity.

We have set out in the draft rural development programme document, available on the DEFRA website, our key priorities for helping English rural and agricultural businesses to be more competitive and to enhance employment and business opportunities in rural areas. These include:

(i) promoting and encouraging greater collaboration and cooperation

(ii) improving agricultural and forestry industry uptake of technology and entrepreneurial skills

(iii) filling gaps in existing training and advice provision

(iv) promoting the adoption and dissemination of innovative business processes and practices

(v) supporting innovative rural-based business development and enterprise, including diversification and sustainable tourism

(vi) improving skills in the wider rural work force

(vii) tackling social disadvantage through steps to support fair access to services

(viii) supporting areas of economic underperformance and individuals experiencing disadvantage.

We will be making available approximately £600 million over the seven years of the programme in support of these priorities.

We have devolved responsibility for delivery of these priorities to the regional development agencies in England. The RDAs are currently working with partners to finalise the picture of the needs and priorities for their regions and sub-regional areas. Rural business people can contact their local RDA to discuss how any potential project meets the regional objectives of the programme.

Funding will be available once the EU Commission has approved the programme, which we expect to submit later in the spring. The approval process may take around six months.

Each of the RDAs has been operating an expressions of interest approach since October 2006, so that potential beneficiaries from rural development funding can discuss their ideas at the earliest possible stage. They will be making available further information about how to access funding when there is greater certainty about when the programme will begin, following approval by the EU Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the rural development programme for England will financially incentivise environmental stewardship. (132105)

The rural development programme for England 2007-13 will provide about £3.3 billion to land managers for agri-environment and other land management schemes. Around £2.9 billion of this will be used to fund Environmental Stewardship. The incentive for entering an Environmental Stewardship agreement depends on the complexity of the environmental management undertaken. The payment range extends from £30 per hectare to £700 per hectare in multi-annual agreements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations his Department has received from the Lake District national planning authority on the rural development programme for England. (132106)

A wide range of stakeholders have been consulted on the development of the new programme. The English National Park Authorities’ Association responded to the consultation on the priorities for the next programme that we ran last year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was (a) spent on and (b) allocated to bonuses for staff in the Rural Payments Agency in the financial year (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2005-06 and (iii) 2004-05; what the (A) highest and (B) lowest bonus paid in each year was; and what percentage of the total sum in each year was related to staff who have responsibility for rural payments (1) in the north-west and (2) in Eddisbury constituency. (131779)

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) paid bonuses to staff at grade 6 and below and to members of the senior civil service between 2004-05 and 2006-07.

In 2004-05 the RPA paid a flat rate non-consolidated bonus payment of £500 for staff with ‘Exceeded’ box marks following the end of year individual performance review. This was pro-rated for part time staff. This arrangement was negotiated with the trade union side and implemented as part of the 2004 pay settlement.

In 2005-06 the RPA awarded a flat rate bonus of £550 to staff with ‘Exceeded’ box marks. This was awarded in two parts. Part one—a half step progression in the pay scale. Part two—the remaining value of the bonus was paid as a non-consolidated lump sum up to the value of £550. This arrangement was negotiated with TUS and implemented as part of the 2005 pay settlement.

In 2006-07 the RPA awarded a flat rate non-consolidated bonus of £500 to staff with ‘Exceeded’ box marks. This was pro-rated for part time staff. This arrangement was negotiated with TUS and implemented as part of the 2006 pay settlement.

A detailed analysis for staff responsible for payments in the north- west and in Eddisbury constituency is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average price was of a pound of sugar produced (a) in the UK and (b) overseas in 2006; and what volume of sugar produced in the UK was exported in that year. (132809)

[holding answer 20 April 2007]: The volume of exports of sugar¹ from sugar beet was 865 thousand tonnes in 2006.

The information on sugar prices is not available in the form requested. However, the average producer price of refined granulated sugar in the UK in 2006 was 74.4 pence per kilogram.

From statistics on overseas trade the average price of exported sugar derived from the value and volume of exports of sugar¹ from sugar beet was 24.3 pence per kilogram in 2006. The average price of imported sugar derived from the value and volume of imports of sugar¹ was 40.1 pence per kilogram in 2006.

¹ Sugar is in various states—volumes have been adjusted where necessary onto a refined basis

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in his Department have work objectives that make reference to composting; and what the pay band is of each staff member. (132271)

Please find in the table, the information held on the DEFRA e-HR system on how many staff in the department have work objectives that make reference to composting. Please note that this is not comprehensive (in particular it does not include staff in the Senior Civil Service, nor DEFRA agencies). To produce more comprehensive details would be at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the number of vehicles he expects the new dual carriageway on the A358 between the M5 and the A303 to carry each day (a) on average and (b) at peak times of the year. (133209)

The information is as follows:

(a) The estimate of traffic in the design year (2032) used for assessment purposes in the current option study on the new dual carriageway varies along the routes between 33,800 and 39,700 vehicles (low traffic growth forecast) and between 41,900 and 49,600 vehicles (high traffic growth forecast).

(b) These figures are daily two-way traffic flows averaged over the year; peak period flows have not been modelled for the current stage of development.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) timetable and (b) budget is for the construction of the new dual carriageway on the A358 between the M5 and the A303. (133210)

The Highways Agency is currently investigating options for the dualling of the A358 between the A303 and the M5 at Taunton. Neither a timetable nor budget have yet been approved for the implementation of this scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much funding the British Transport police received from (a) his Department, (b) the rail industry, broken down by service provider, and (c) Transport for London in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement; (132346)

Information held by the Department and relevant to the question is as follows:

A detailed breakdown by operator is not held by the Department for Transport but by the British Transport police who can be contacted at: British Transport police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, e-mail:

general.enquiries@btp.pnn.police.uk.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to increase the speed of Eurostar trains between the Channel Tunnel and London; and if he will make a statement. (133758)

The operation of the Eurostar trains is a matter for Eurostar and London and Continental Railways as operator of the railway on which they run, and not for the Secretary of State. There are no current plans to increase the speed of Eurostar trains.

Section 2 of the Channel Tunnel rail link, now known as high speed 1, will open on 14 November 2007. As a result journey times to the Channel Tunnel from London will reduce by some 23 to 25 minutes.

It needs to be borne in mind that higher speeds require additional power and the right balance needs to be struck between keeping journey times short and carbon emissions down.

The speed of the trains on high speed 1 is governed by the design speed of the railway based on track geometry, and the maximum speed of the trains themselves. The maximum speed of the current Eurostar train sets is around 335 kph based on the 2003 record run on section 1. The scheduled line speed between Ebbsfleet and the Channel Tunnel is 275 kph, although trains can travel at up to 300 kph if necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received since June 2006 on the application of traffic regulations to pedicabs. (132726)

Since June 2006, the Secretary of State has received representations from the Minister for Housing and Planning, the hon. Member for Regent's Park and Kensington, North (Ms Buck), Peter Hendy, Commissioner of Transport for London and Martin Low, director of transportation at Westminster city council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the progress of the rail accident investigation into the Oxenholme derailment. (133590)

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is continuing with its investigation into the derailment and expects to publish a second interim report once its investigation into the condition of the points is complete.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate has been made of the potential change in carbon dioxide emissions of operating longer trains. (133479)

The Department has not made such an estimate. However, the Department recognises the carbon advantages that longer trains offer compared to other modes in meeting underlying demand. Based on average occupancy levels, trains produce around half the carbon emissions of cars per passenger kilometre.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what requirement exists for train operating companies (a) to carry and (b) to provide space for carrying bicycles on their trains; and if he will make a statement. (133452)

The Department has formally adopted as its own policy the Strategic Rail Authority cycling policy document published in November 2004. It expects all train operating companies to accommodate the carriage of non folding bicycles whenever possible, while recognising that in peak periods there may be circumstances where it is in the best interests of the majority of passengers not to do so.

We believe that TOCs are best placed to know where and when such pressure on capacity exists and should be free to impose restrictions accordingly. TOCs should also specify the services that they define as peak. The carriage of folding bikes is recommended at all times.

The Department has asked Cycling England, its advisory body on cycling, to report on how further improvements to integrate bike and rail journeys might be made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the proposed service frequency is for Stockport in the invitation to tender issued by DfT Rail for New Cross Country; and if he will make a statement. (133889)

The specification for the New Cross Country franchise requires Stockport to be served by a minimum of one train per hour in each direction. Bidders are free to stop more trains at Stockport if they believe that there is a call to do so and they can reach and agreement with Network Rail.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate has been made of the potential reduction in motor vehicle journeys due to the extra capacity on the rail network. (133478)

No estimate has been made of the reduction in motor vehicle journeys due to the extra capacity that will be provided on the rail network.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the 1,000 new carriages in the high level output specification to which he referred in his speech to the rail conference on 14 March 2007 are in addition to any previously existing orders or anticipated orders which provide additional capacity rather than replacing other existing stock; how he expects any additional capacity to be funded; by whom he expects it to be funded; and if he will make a statement. (132504)

The 1,000 new carriages will be in addition to any pre-existing orders. It is too early to predict how many of the existing fleet of approximately 11,400 rail carriages will be replaced by 2014. I can, however, reiterate the Government intention to commit to contracting with train operators for 1,000 additional carriages by 2014 to meet the rising demand for rail travel. This will form part of the capacity procured through the rail high level output specification to be published in July and will be in addition to any carriage replacements. The HLOS will be accompanied by a statement of funds available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the 1,000 new train carriages announced on 14 March 2007 will include the 106 carriages needed to reduce congestion on Virgin’s Pendolino trains. (133299)

It is too early to say where precisely the additional rolling stock will be used. The deployment of the new rolling stock will be agreed with the industry following the publication of the high level output specification and the long-term rail strategy this summer, in accordance with the periodic review timetable set out in the Office of Rail Regulation’s advice to Ministers published in February 2007.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what quantity of (a) fruit and (b) vegetables was purchased by the Refreshment Department in each of the last three years; what the cost of these purchases was in each year; and if the Commission will estimate what percentage of each of these items was imported. (131066)

Accounts have not yet been finalised for the full year ending March 2007, but during the 11 months to February 2007, the Refreshment Department spent an estimated (a) £103,000 on the purchase of fresh fruit and (b) £290,000 on the purchase of fresh vegetables. Many fruit and vegetables are purchased by individual piece or bunch, not by weight or any other consistent measure, and so it is not possible to give an overall estimate of the quantity of fruit and vegetables purchased. If the hon. Member wishes to know the estimated quantity of specific items purchased during this period, he should write to the director of catering services, who will be pleased to let him have such details.

Detailed purchase information is not currently available for the year 2005-06 due to technical issues that are being investigated by the software supplier. The director of catering services will write to the hon. Member with the purchase expenditure for fruit and vegetables when the requested information becomes available. No information is available for previous years.

No record is kept of the country of origin of fruit and vegetables purchased and so it is not possible to estimate the percentage of imported produce.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many comfort boxes sent to UK military personnel in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq have been robbed (i) in transit and (ii) on arrival in theatre since the beginning of the current engagement. (132765)

[holding answer 20 April 2007]: As these incidents occurred at various times and places, the Royal Military Police have been asked to gather all the reports together. Once the details have been collated, I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what security measures he is taking to prevent comfort boxes sent to UK military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan from being robbed. (132766)

[holding answer 20 April 2007]: Comfort boxes are secured in a standard transport container, using a security seal, by the unit concerned. Containers are then transported to a UK port, shipped by sea to the relevant port for the theatre and off-loaded prior to being transported using road transport to the location in-theatre where they are handed back to the unit, at which point the seals are checked again. From this point, containers are transported by road to the unit’s base location.

The Royal Military Police are currently gathering information on any thefts that have occurred during transit. Once the details have been collated and any possible improvements to container security in transit have been identified, I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2007, Official Report, column 854W, on the armed forces: casualties, whether the full board of inquiry report has been made available to the next of kin; and if he will place a copy in the Library. (133167)

The remainder of the board of inquiry report into the death of Private Jason Smith, redacted in accordance with Data Protection and Freedom of Information Act considerations, has been made available to his next of kin, through their solicitor.

The redacted board of inquiry report will be added to the Ministry of Defence publication scheme and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his statement of 17 April, on service personnel killed on operations: changes to arrangements for repatriation, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the resources available to the Wiltshire and Swindon coroner to carry out military inquests. (132983)

[holding answer 23 April 2007]: The MOD engaged fully with the Wiltshire and Swindon coroner’s office and Wiltshire county council during the planning stages to change the repatriation airhead from RAF Brize Norton to RAF Lynham. The Wiltshire and Swindon coroner plans to transfer as many inquests as he can to the jurisdiction of the “home” coroner.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has to mark the 40^th anniversary of the deployment of troops to Northern Ireland in 1969; and what representations he has received on the matter. (133149)

The Ministry of Defence does not intend to formally mark the 40^th anniversary of the deployment of troops, although we are currently looking at appropriate ways of marking the end of Operation Banner which concludes on 31 July 2007. I hope to be in a position to announce the Department’s plans to the House soon. The Department has received four representations from hon. Members on this topic and a number of inquiries from members of the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how he made the calculation that the impact of the Budget on the lowest paid members of the armed forces who are single is that they will be worse off by the equivalent of £1 per week. (131081)

[holding answer 16 April 2007]: The calculation is based on the impact of the income tax rates and allowances for 2007-08 given in the Budget report, together with the reforms to personal tax which come into effect on 1 April 2008.

Those with children may benefit from changes to the child element of child tax credit and the working tax credit threshold.

Other relevant recent changes to armed forces remuneration include the pay rise for all service personnel which came into effect on 1 April 2007, when the annual salary of the lowest paid fully trained service personnel increased from £14,323 to £15,677—an increase in gross pay of £26 per week; and the new operational bonus introduced in October, which amounts to £12.31 per day, tax free, for all those deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, or the Balkans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the risks and benefits to the UK of allowing the US to install a ballistic missile defence system on British territory. (130966)

The UK already makes a valuable contribution to the US ballistic missile defence system through the programme to upgrade RAF Fylingdales. In 2002 the Ministry of Defence published a public discussion paper on missile defence, copies of which are available in the Library of the House and on the MOD website:

www.mod.uk.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the cost has been of the project to rationalise communication systems in the Defence and Communications Services Agency; how many (a) consultants and (b) contractors have been employed in its implementation; at what cost; and if he will make a statement; (133001)

Defence information infrastructure (Future) (DII(F)) is a £4 billion programme over 10 years, which will provide a single, coherent information infrastructure across defence. Its implementation, on an incremental basis, will underpin MOD’s change programme and modernising Government agenda.

The ATLAS Consortium (comprising EDS Defence Ltd as the principal contractor, with Fujitsu, General Dynamics, EADS and Logica CMG as key sub-contractors) was awarded the DII(F) contract on 21 March 2005 for a period of 10 years following full and open competition. The contract is subject to incremental commitment and implementation and at contract award the Department committed to the first increment only for the provision of a fully networked and managed IT service to around 70,000 user access devices and 200,000 users around the world. The contract was amended on 29 December 2006 to incorporate a second planned increment (2a) which will provide for nearly 44,000 additional user access devices and 58,000 user accounts in support of the defence change programme and other identified business priorities. This amendment was made in the light of an assessment of ATLAS' performance in supplying increment 1 up to that point in its delivery schedule. The number of employees within the consortium is a matter for them but it is of the order of 2000, on average.

The number of consultants employed by MOD on the DII(F) project has varied and will continue to vary across the life of the project. As a result, the precise information requested together with the associated expenditure can be provided only at disproportionate cost, when looked at over the total life of the programme from its inception. The total budget for consultants approved to date under the DII programme is £57.5 million (rounded) since the inception of the programme, including work during the concept and assessment phases, leading up to the main competition and subsequently for later increments. As at 18 April 2007 the number directly employed on the project was 164.

Throughout its life, the DII(F) project has been subject to regular review under the Office of Government Commerce gateway review procedure. Those reviews confirmed that the project is proceeding satisfactorily. As a result, I see no need for a further strategic review of the project at this time; the case for it remains valid and the contracted increments are proceeding within budgetary provision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many private consultants were employed in each of the last 24 months by the Defence and Communication Services Agency; at what cost; and if he will make a statement; (133006)

It is not possible to provide the number of consultants employed as we do not “employ” consultants on an individual basis—we contract with private consultancy companies for a service to provide clearly defined deliverables on agreed packages of work within specified timescales. The procurement of such consultancy assistance from the private sector is called “external assistance”. However, the following table details the cost of engaging external assistance by the Defence Communication Services Agency—now DEandS Information Systems and Services—over the past five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on hospitality by his Department in the financial year 2006-07. (133250)

As in previous years, we will publish this information in the MOD’s annual report and accounts. I cannot therefore give a figure at this stage as the accounts are currently subject to audit by the National Audit Office. Copies of the annual report will be placed in the House Library on publication and made available on the departmental website at www.mod.uk. I expect this to be before the summer recess.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many people in his Department participated in (a) involuntary and (b) voluntary staff exit schemes in each year since 1997-98; and if he will make a statement; (131546)

The Ministry of Defence records the number of people who leave the Department early but the records do not always show whether an individual has left under an early release scheme or whether the departure was for voluntary or compulsory reasons. The following table reflects the data held for the period requested and where we know it, whether they have left voluntarily or involuntarily. “Unconfirmed” is used where we do not know whether the departure was on voluntary or involuntary terms:

To provide the specific information on the sum that individuals were paid against each price band would require a Departmental-wide trawl. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been achieved since October 2006 on military reform in the Iraqi provinces of (a) Al Basrah, (b) Al Muthanna, (c) Dhi Qar and (d) Maysan; and if he will make a statement. (132523)

10 Division of the Iraqi Army, which covers all four provinces, has made significant progress. This was recently highlighted in Maysan when security responsibility for the province was transferred to the Iraqis. This transition occurred in Al Muthanna and Dhi Qar provinces in July and September 2006 respectively.

In October 2006, 10 Division’s capability was demonstrated when it took the lead in the later phases of Operation Sinbad in Basra, operating without overt coalition assistance. Elements of 10 Division are also supporting the Baghdad security plan. Coalition forces continue to provide training and mentoring and much remains to be done in the areas of logistics and leadership.

Operational control of 10 Division was transferred to the new Iraqi military headquarters in Baghdad in January 2007. This transfer of command and control is a critical step toward handing over responsibility for delivering security in southern Iraq.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the reasons for the number of personnel listed as having sustained disease or non-battle injury during November 2006 as part of Operation Herrick and Operation Telic; and if he will make a statement. (132849)

The temporary increase in levels of disease or non-battle injuries in both Operations Telic and Herrick was a result of the roulements in both theatres. An increase in those being treated for diarrhoea and vomiting type illnesses is common at such times, largely as a result of the climatic, food and environment changes experienced by those deploying into operational theatres. While such symptoms are unlikely to result in a patient being admitted to a hospital in the UK, individuals are admitted to hospital in theatre as returning them to barracks may lead to the spread of disease.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) the net cost has been of the British military operations in Iraq in each year from 2002-03 and (b) the predicted cost is of continued British military presence in Iraq, broken down by month. (133408)

The costs of operations are calculated on a net additional basis and audited figures are published each year in the MOD’s annual report and accounts. The total of the annual audited figures for the costs of operations in Iraq for the years 2002-03 to 2005-06 was £4,026 million. A total estimated cost of £1,002 million for 2006-07 was included in the spring supplementary estimates published in February. Final figures will be published in the MOD’s annual report and accounts for 2006-07.

It is not possible to provide estimates for future years as planning assumptions are constantly changing with the varying tempo and requirements of the operation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on information exchange with the US in the last 12 months with regard to achieving sovereign capability on the joint strike fighter; and if he will make a statement. (132906)

I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 27 March 2007, Official Report, column 1440W, to the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell).

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 1 March 2007, Official Report, column 1455W, on rendition, whether the bilateral arrangements mentioned apply to state aircraft acting in a civilian capacity. (133763)

[holding answer 24 April 2007]: The Department’s bilateral arrangements cover routine flights by military aircraft from the relevant countries transiting UK airspace and landing in the UK. They also apply to other state aircraft landing at UK military airfields on routine business. These arrangements do not provide any form of immunity from customs and immigration procedures, national or international law, or regulations covering safe use of UK airspace. Action would be taken by the appropriate authority with MOD support should illegal activity be detected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had on the future of Formula One Grand Prix racing at Silverstone. (133159)

The Government support and desire a British Grand Prix at Silverstone but our role remains one of dialogue and facilitation.

I have attended a number of meetings to discuss the future of Formula One Grand Prix racing at Silverstone. The most recent meeting was on 20 March with the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) to discuss their plans for redevelopment of the Silverstone circuit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the testing regime for ensuring that gaming machines comply with the technical standards required under the Gambling Act 2005 has been finalised. (133162)

The testing regime for ensuring that gaming machines comply with the technical standards required under the Gambling Act 2005 has not been fully finalised. The Gambling Commission is working closely with the industry to discuss the testing regime and the timetable for those tests, including any necessary transitional arrangements to cover machines already in the market. The aim is for the overall testing strategy to be finalised in good time before the provisions of the Act become effective from 1 September 2007.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether contractors have been selected to undertake on behalf of the Gambling Commission the tests required to ensure that gaming machines comply with the technical standards required under the Gambling Act 2005. (133163)

The Gambling Commission has invited test houses to apply for approval to carry out tests required to ensure that gaming machines and remote gambling systems comply with the technical standards required under the Gambling Act. All prospective test houses will be required to undergo a Commission assessment on the suitability, integrity and independence of their business. They will also need to demonstrate accreditation to BS/EN ISO 17025, plus any additional features (skills, capabilities, capacity) that may be required to test to the Commission’s technical standards. All test houses which meet the requirements will be granted approval, and operators will be able to choose which approved test house to use. The Commission has received three applications to date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what recent discussions her Department has had with personnel from HM Treasury on the future of the Tote; (133566)

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what discussions she has had with the Treasury concerning the potential sale of the Tote; (133738)

The Government have received and are considering a bid for the Tote from a consortium of racing interests and the staff and management of the Tote itself. The Government will announce shortly how they intend to proceed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the average (a) value of lottery receipts from sales made, (b) number of applications for lottery awards from and (c) number of lottery awards made in (i) England, (ii) the Eastern Region and (c) Castle Point was in each of the last five years. (133448)

The national lottery operator, Camelot, does not collect ticket sales information on a constituency basis and does not routinely collect ticket sales data on a postcode basis. The most up-to-date sales data by postcode area are available in the Libraries of both Houses and provide information up to 2004. Information about the number of applications for lottery grants is not held centrally and the information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The number and value of lottery awards made in England, in the Eastern Region and in the Castle Point parliamentary constituency in each of the last five completed financial years is given in the following table. This information is derived from the Department’s lottery grants database, which uses information supplied by the lottery distributors and can be searched at:

www.lottery.culture.gov.uk

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that Colchester shares in the (a) economic, (b) social and (c) sporting benefits arising from the 2012 Olympic games. (133376)

The Government are committed to ensuring that people across the UK, including Colchester can benefit from, and participate in, the 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games. We are working closely with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic games and Paralympic games (LOCOG) and the Nations and Regions Group (NRG), chaired by Charles Allen, which brings together representatives from every nation and region. Each nation and region is finalising its own plan to maximise the impact of the games in their area, as well as the wider opportunities to deliver a sustainable legacy from the games. The East of England released its regional plan on 28 March 2007. In developing the plan, consultation has taken place over the last two years. It can be found on the East of England Regional Development Agency website:

<http://www.eeda.org.uk/27.asp>

Further detailed information regarding the region’s plan can be provided by the relevant NRG Coordinator, Katie Huane (East of England Development Agency, The Business Centre, Station Road, Histon, Cambridge, CB4 9LQ).

In addition, Broxbourne in Hertfordshire will host the 2012 canoeing and kayaking and Weald country park near Brentwood in Essex will also host the Olympic mountain biking competitions. Together these events will add significant strength to the region’s potential to benefit from the games.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Sport England spent on administration and running costs in each region in each of the last eight years. (133434)

The information requested for the last eight years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The table shows the regional administration costs, excluding salary costs, for the last six years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people Sport England employed in each region in each of the last eight years. (133433)

The information on staff employed in each Sport England region is not held in the format requested and could be provided for the eight year period only at disproportionate cost. The total number of staff employed in the regions over the last four years are:

For 2007 the staff numbers by region are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Sport England spent on advertising in each of the last eight years. (133329)

Information on money spent on advertising could be provided for the eight year period only at disproportionate cost. Money spent on recruitment advertising and Everyday Sport over the last six years is:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of Sport England’s budget was spent on (a) sporting events, (b) capital spending on sports facilities and (c) support for individual sports men and women in each of the last eight years. (133435)

Data for the past eight years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The table shows the percentage of Sport England’s budget spent on (a) sports events, (b) capital spending on sports facilities and (c) support for individual sports men and women over in each of the last six years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will instigate a national debate to promote sport and fitness in schools. (133654)

The Government implemented the National School Sport Strategy in 2002. This is underpinned by a joint DCMS/DfES PSA target, to increase the percentage of five to 16-year-olds participating in at least two hours high quality PE and school sport each week to 85 per cent. by 2008.

The 2005-06 annual school sport survey showed that 80 per cent. of pupils in school sport partnership schools are participating in at least two hours in a typical week, which surpassed the target of 75 per cent. We are therefore making excellent progress towards the PSA target of 85 per cent. by 2008. The long-term ambition is to offer all children at least four hours of sport a week by 2010, comprising two hours at school and a further two to three hours delivered by a range of school, community and club providers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many oral questions tabled by hon. and right hon. Members to his Department have been transferred to other departments since May 2005. (133797)

A total of 14 oral questions, tabled to this Department since May 2005, have been transferred to other Government Departments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what safeguards are in place to ensure that businesses offering individual voluntary arrangements do not use misleading marketing; and if he will make a statement. (134172)

Only an authorised insolvency practitioner is able to administer an individual voluntary arrangement. Insolvency practitioners are required to comply with professional standards agreed by the bodies that regulate them. All of the authorising bodies apply common ethical codes and professional standards to the insolvency practitioners and the way in which they obtain their work falls within the regulatory regime.

In addition the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has made it clear that insolvency practitioners who act in relation to individual voluntary arrangements require a Consumer Credit License and are therefore subject to OFT regulation.

Earlier this year the OFT warned 26 IVA providers that their advertisements and/or websites were potentially misleading and the OFT continues to monitor that situation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the percentage of the price of gas from the cost of companies buying gas is maintained through price fluctuations. (133379)

This is a commercial matter for the gas supply companies. As I mentioned in an earlier answer on 2 March 2007, Official Report, column 1602W, Ofgem, as the independent sectoral regulator, keeps the level of competition in the gas market under review, and has the powers it needs to deal with any failure of competition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2007, Official Report, column 1601W, on natural gas: prices, what steps the Government have taken to encourage gas companies to consider their most valuable customers; and what the results were of such encouragement. (133380)

Subject to any regulatory controls, it is for gas suppliers, not Government, to determine who their most valuable customers are.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will instruct the regulator to analyse and to report to him on the time taken between raw material gas prices falling and any reductions in domestic retail gas prices; and if he will place such a report in the Library. (133647)

No. Ofgem, as the independent sectoral regulator, produced a fact-sheet last month called ‘Household Energy Bills Explained’, which explains why there is a time lag between the falls in the wholesale price and domestic prices see:

http://www.ofgem.gov/uk/Media/FactSheets/Documents1/Update%20-%20Household%20energy%20hills%20 explained.pdf.

As I mentioned in an earlier answer on 2 March 2007, Official Report, column 1602W, Ofgem keeps the level of competition in the gas market under review, and has the powers it needs to deal with any failure of competition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Redfern Inquiry will have access to the National Archives files on radiation exposure experiments from 1950. (133214)

If Mr. Redfern wishes to have access to the National Archives files on radiation exposure experiments, I am sure that he will make appropriate representations to see them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the reorganisation of the Small Business Service. (133864)

[holding answer 24 April 2007]: I refer the hon. Member to my written statement of 26 October 2006, Official Report, columns 95-97WS.

9. To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans he has to introduce greater deterrents for prisoners who abscond from custody in Northern Ireland. (132691)

Details of prisoners who escape from prison custody are brought to the attention of the relevant authorities with a view to prosecution. In cases where prisoners have absconded while on temporary release, prosecution is also possible.

In addition, the governor is able to punish the prisoner with a range of measures including cellular confinement. The prisoner also has the number of days he was unlawfully at large added to his original release date.

12. To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on the provision of Alzheimer's treatment by the NHS in Northern Ireland. (132694)

A range of treatment and care is provided for people with Alzheimer's disease, across the primary, community, specialist and secondary care sectors.

The treatment and management of Alzheimer's disease includes life-style measures and therapeutic interventions, which aim to promote active physical and mental health and help maintain an individual's capacity for independence. Appropriate drug interventions are also provided, including medicines designed to improve cognitive function

13. To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what effect he expects the transfer of responsibilities to the devolved Assembly to have on the future size of the Northern Ireland Office; and what estimate he has made of the likely change in administrative costs. (132695)

The Northern Ireland Office—as distinct from the 11 Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments—will be relatively unaffected by the restoration of devolution on 8 May, although there will be a reduction in the NIO ministerial team.

The eventual devolution of policing and justice functions will, of course, have a much greater impact on the size of the NIO. When that happens, the respective administrative funding streams attached to those functions will devolve with them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were diagnosed with cancer in Northern Ireland in each of the last six years, broken down by type of cancer. (133107)

The following table details information on the incidence of cancers by type of cancer in Northern Ireland for each of the last six years for which data were available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the evidential basis was for the decision on the relative proportion of speciality training and fixed term speciality training posts in Northern Ireland; and by whom the decision was made. (133705)

The decision on the proportion of speciality training and fixed terms speciality training posts in NI was based on work force planning projections. The decision was made by my Department in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost has been of (a) modernising medical careers in Northern Ireland and (b) the Medical Training Application Service in Northern Ireland. (133706)

The total cost attributed to Modernising Medical Careers is £1.7 million.

The total spend to date for the introduction of Modernising Medical Careers is £1.565 million. The Northern Ireland contribution to the Medical Training Application Service is £165,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) total and (b) average amount of domestic waste was produced per household in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months. (133926)

The latest complete and validated data for municipal waste is for the financial year 2005-06. This indicates that:

(a) The total amount of household waste arisings in Northern Ireland for 2005-06 was 937,331 tonnes.

(b) The average amount of waste collected per household in 2005-06 was 1.36 tonnes, equating to 26.2 kg per household per week.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which programmes have been funded in Northern Ireland from the PEACE budget of the European Regional Development Fund in the last 12 months. (133550)

A list of projects awarded funding since April 2006 under the European Regional Development Fund measures of the PEACE II Programme has been placed in the Library of the House. In addition to this, 46 individuals have been awarded funding. Due to data protection considerations these names have not been included.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had in the last 12 months with Ministers from the government of the Republic of Ireland on illegal dumping in Northern Ireland of waste from the Republic of Ireland. (133925)

I discussed the matter of illegal cross-border waste movements at a meeting with Dick Roche, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in Ireland on 2 October 2006. Issues discussed, including enhanced co-operation between the relevant authorities on illegal waste movements, are being carried forward by officials in both jurisdictions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are planned to be taken to ensure that sufficient medical staff are available to provide a high standard of patient care in Northern Ireland during the first week of August 2007. (133793)

The Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency is implementing a rigorous recruitment process that will be completed by the end of May. The best quality applicants will be appointed and will be in post by 1 August 2007.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which projects have been funded in Northern Ireland by the International Fund for Ireland in the last 12 months. (133548)

The International Fund for Ireland is administered by an independent board appointed jointly by the British and Irish Governments and all matters pertaining to the projects supported by the fund are a matter for that board. I will forward the request to the chairman of the International Fund for Ireland and ask him to respond directly and I will place a copy of the reply in the House of Commons Library.

The fund’s annual reports list the projects funded. The 2006 report has been published and a copy has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what powers and responsibilities he intends to devolve to councils in Northern Ireland. (132683)