To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many (a) male and (b) female members of staff of the House were issued with personal digital assistants in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. (181350)

The number of personal digital assistants (PDAs) issued centrally since 2001 to staff of the House of Commons totals 79. A breakdown of the figures by year of purchase and gender of the recipient is given in the following table.

A small number of PDAs have been issued over the years to staff directly by House departments before the creation of PICT in 2006, but detailed records do not exist.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will make a statement on the use of (a) free-range chicken, eggs, other poultry and pork, (b) organic food and (c) fair trade products in House of Commons catering. (181954)

The information requested is as follows:

(a) Free-range chicken, eggs, other poultry and pork: free range chicken accounted for 10 per cent. of the catering service's total chicken purchases for calendar year 2007. The catering service has quickly reacted to recent consumer demand and increase in awareness and have now completely moved away from intensively reared poultry. A species called Devonshire Red has been sourced which is corn fed and Freedom Foods (RSPCA) monitored; currently discussions are taking place with the supplier for a longer term relationship if consistency of supply and price can be guaranteed.

Since February 2002 catering services have purchased only free range eggs from Ashford in Kent and in 2007 were awarded a Good Egg Award which recognised continued leadership on eggs, helping to promote animal welfare and corporate social responsibility in the food industry.

Apart from chicken, no other poultry purchases are free range or Freedom Foods monitored. However the Purchasing Department is currently engaged in the sourcing of better quality, higher welfare products to include turkey, duck, and guinea fowl.

Pork purchases are all classed as free range and come from West Sussex.

(b) Organic food: the catering service does not keep records that specifically identify organic purchases and so it is not possible to put a value on this expenditure. The issues of consistency and availability are still prevalent in this area, consequently purchasing of organic products is restricted to branded, pre-packed goods, such as sandwiches, salads, yoghurts, biscuits, cakes, etc. which offer some guarantee and assurances of quality.

(c) Fair trade products: in 2007 the catering service purchased 72 fair trade food and beverage products throughout the estate including fresh fruit, juices, coffee, tea, chocolate, cakes, cookies, biscuits, tropical whole foods, smoothies and sugar. Spend for these items was £62,137. 11 fair trade souvenir items are available for sale, for example wooden picture frames (India), stationery (Nepal), coffee (Kenya). A regular supply of fair trade chocolate is currently being arranged. Two fair trade wines are sold in the House's dining and banqueting rooms. Fair-trade products are used when supply and quality can be guaranteed.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will make a statement on the origin of veal products used in House of Commons catering. (181955)

Over the last year, the catering service has spent approximately £5,000 on veal, 40 per cent. on meat including offal (£2,000) and the remainder on bones (£3,000).

The majority (91 per cent.) of veal meat products purchased are small speciality cuts, and come from a well-established company in Holland (as do all the bones). It is the world's largest veal producer and has an excellent traceability system (back to a specific animal) and a guarantee that the veal is free of growth promoters, hormones and b-agonists. Quality systems are based on HACCP and are BRC compliant which surpass international standards. Animal welfare is of utmost importance and the calves are given diets that are high in fibre (and not iron deficient), generous space allowances, and adequate bedding. All the calves are accommodated in groups in spacious, well-ventilated and well-lit stables.

The remainder (9 per cent.) was purchased from UK suppliers which have the highest standards and best welfare practices for veal production, but not the availability and consistency of supply.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if the Commission will bring forward plans to construct a canopy to protect people walking between Norman Shaw South and Norman Shaw North from rain; and if he will make a statement. (181685)

There is a covered bridge at second floor level between Norman Shaw North and South buildings which protects people from rain. At present there are no plans to construct a canopy at ground floor.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what guidance has been provided to staff employed by the Commission on the extent to which they can engage in political activity in their spare time; and what political restrictions exist for each grade of staff. (181314)

The House's rules relating to engagement in political activity by staff are set out in contracts of employment and the House of Commons staff handbook. Political restrictions depend on the nature of the work undertaken by the postholder rather than their level in the organisation. A copy of the staff handbook is available on the Department of Resources intranet site.

4. To ask the Minister for the Olympics what assessment she has made of the merits of the venue for the shooting events at the 2012 Olympic Games; and if she will make a statement. (182019)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Maldon and East Chelmsford (Mr. Whittingdale) on 10 September 2007.

Outline assessments during the bid phase were conducted on the basis of providing the overlay required to stage shooting events at the National Shooting Centre at Bisley. However, during the bidding phase, the International Olympic Committee commented on the distance between Bisley and the Olympic Park. On the basis of this feedback, and following consultation with the International Shooting Federation and British Shooting (the national governing body), the Royal Artillery barracks at Woolwich was selected as the shooting venue, due to its iconic location and its close proximity to the Olympic Park and Village. These factors will improve the athlete and spectator experience by limiting travel and making it easier to attend other Games events on the same day in the Olympic Park.

LOCOG will work with the Ministry of Defence, the Home Office and Greenwich Council to see what legacy can be left behind in Woolwich after the Games.

5. To ask the Minister for the Olympics what her objectives are for the legacy of the Olympic Games in London. (182020)

The Mayor of London leads on the delivery of the legacy of the 2012 Games. He recently published his “Five Legacy Commitments” which set out in detail how the 2012 Games will make a huge and permanent impact on London. This includes creating new homes (9,000 in and around the Olympic Park and an additional 30,000 in the wider lower Lea valley) and 50,000 new job opportunities, as well as new sporting facilities for community and elite use.

In addition, London's transport network will benefit from a £10 billion investment, leading to 50 per cent. extra capacity on the DLR, an extended east London line, an improved London overground network, extra capacity on the Jubilee line and new walking and cycling routes.

6. To ask the Minister for the Olympics if she will make a statement on progress on developing the 2012 Olympic site. (182021)

Excellent progress has been made in the last 12 months and we remain on track to achieve site preparation targets by the start of the Games in Beijing this summer.

We are now at an advanced stage in the land clearance, with demolition work on the five permanent venue sites already completed.

And last week saw further progress with cabling work completed in one of the two underground tunnels that will carry the power around the Park.

To ask the Minister for the Olympics if she will hold discussions with the Health and Safety Executive about on-site construction safety standards at the Olympic site in Stratford. (182018)

I am determined that the Olympic Park site will be a leading example in health and safety performance, and that we will go beyond regulatory compliance to ensure performance remains consistently high.

The ODA has published a comprehensive health and safety statement in July 2007 and this is being rigorously implemented and monitored.

The HSE has appointed its London Regional Director as its head of London 2012 regulatory activities and the HSE regularly inspect the site to assess health, safety and environment conditions.

Already there is robust evidence that this attention to health and safety is paying off and the ODA has just achieved a second period of one million worker hours on site preparation works without a reportable accident.

To ask the Minister for the Olympics what meetings she has had with trades union officials since 1 July 2007; on what dates; and with which trades unions. (179862)

Ministers meet many people as part of the process of policy development. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many 0845 or similar cost telephone numbers are used by his Department for public access to services. (179374)

None.

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how many (a) press and (b) communications officers were employed by the Church Commissioners in each of the last 10 years. (182525)

In 1997 and 1998 the Commissioners employed four officers who were engaged in press and communications work. Since 1999, however, the Commissioners have not directly employed any press or communications officers. The Archbishops’ Council provides communications services to the Commissioners at an annually agreed level.

To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission how many overseas visits were made by staff of the National Audit Office in each of the last 10 years; which countries were visited; and what the cost of the visits was in each year. (181460)

The National Audit Office does not collate this specific information and this could be done only at disproportionate cost. The National Audit Office has published on its website (www.nao.org.uk ) details of recent expenditure incurred on national and international travel and subsistence by the Comptroller and Auditor General and his senior management. This information will be updated every six months.

To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission when the Electoral Commission will complete its compilation and review of information from police forces on alleged fraud in connection with elections. (182138)

The Electoral Commission informs me that it has put in place arrangements to gather and review information held by police forces in England and Wales on a continuing basis.

The Commission has completed a review of information held by the Crown Prosecution Services on allegations of electoral malpractice at elections in England and Wales between 2000 and 2006. An analysis of this information is available on its website and a copy has now been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what guidance the Electoral Commission has issued to electoral registration officers when referring to credit referencing as an encouragement to the public to apply for inclusion on the electoral register. (182135)

Section 10 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 requires Electoral Registration Officers to use a prescribed form when conducting the annual registration canvass. This form does not contain any information on the use of the electoral register for credit purposes. The Electoral Commission informs me that it advised Electoral Registration Officers in 2003 of its view that electoral information only should be provided with annual canvass forms.

To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what guidance is issued by the Electoral Commission to electoral registration officers to highlight the requirement for Commonwealth citizens to have valid leave to remain in order to legally register. (182136)

The Electoral Commission informs me that it has issued guidance advising Electoral Registration Officers that a ‘qualifying Commonwealth citizen' is either one who does not require leave to remain in the United Kingdom or is a person who both requires and holds leave to remain.

The Commission further advises Electoral Registration Officers that if there are any doubts about an applicant's eligibility in relation to immigration status, the Electoral Registration Officer has the power to require a statutory declaration of eligibility, under Regulation 24(2)(d)(ii) of the Representation of the People Regulations 2001.

To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what guidance is issued by the Electoral Commission to electoral registration officers on their duty to maintain accurate electoral registers in relation to illegal immigrants. (182137)

The Electoral Commission informs me that it has provided guidance to Electoral Registration Officers in Great Britain that if there are any doubts about an applicant's eligibility in relation to immigration status, the Electoral Registration Officer has the power to require a statutory declaration of eligibility, under Regulation 24(2)(d)(ii) of the Representation of the People Regulations 2001.

To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how many (a) press and (b) communications officers the Electoral Commission employed in each of the last 10 years. (182507)

The Electoral Commission informs me that the numbers of press and communication officer posts in each year since it was established are as follows:

To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how much the Electoral Commission paid in bonuses to press and communication officers in each year since it was established; and what the (a) highest and (b) lowest such bonus was in each of those years. (182727)

The Electoral Commission informs me that the following special bonuses have been awarded to press and communication officers since the Commission was established in 2000:

In addition to the special bonus scheme, in April 2007 a reward voucher scheme for all staff was launched to recognise good team and/or individual performance. The vouchers can be redeemed in a variety of shops and outlets across the UK. Since the introduction of this scheme 15 press and communication officers have been awarded vouchers, averaging £25 each.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the (a) role and (b) remit of the Africa Progress Panel is; what support the Government are providing to the Africa Progress Panel in 2007-08; and what activities have been undertaken by the Africa Progress Panel since it was established. (181744)

The Africa Progress Panel's objective is to use its collective influence and knowledge to work with Africa and its development partners to ensure the implementation of promises to support the continent. This includes commitments made at the Gleneagles G8 summit in 2005.

The panel was launched in Berlin on 24 April 2007, where it issued a communiqué setting out its objectives and priorities in detail:

http://www.africaprogresspanel.org/english/ourwork.php.

The panel's Africa launch took place in Accra, Ghana, on 11 June 2007. The UK Government have committed £1 million to support the panel during its existence which is expected to be until 2010-11.

Panel members held discussions with a number of international leaders in 2007 to advance its work, including the German Chancellor (as President of the G8), the President of Ghana (as Chair of the African Union), the President(s) of the European Union, the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair and other world leaders.

The panel has also issued several statements, including a response to the outcomes of the 2007 G8 summit, and an assessment of progress towards the Millennium Development Goals—accessible from the panel's website:

www.africaprogresspanel.org

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the Africa Partnership Forum is planning to present a progress report on peace and security in Africa. (181745)

The Africa Partnership Forum (APF) discussed a paper on peace and security at its 8th meeting, in Berlin, on 22 to 23 May 2007. The paper and the chair's summary of the discussion are available online at the following address:

http://www.africapartnershipforum.org/document/60/0.3343.en_37489563_37637521_39576060_1_1_1_1.00.html

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation of refugees and internally displaced persons in Chad; and if he will make a statement. (180820)

Eastern Chad hosts 240,000 Sudanese refugees in 12 refugee camps and 46,000 Central African refugees in four refugee camps. There are 180,000 IDPs, and an estimated 700,000 in host communities have been adversely affected by the ongoing conflict. DFID relies on data from partner agencies for assessment of the humanitarian situation affecting the displaced populations, and the humanitarian situation in Chad is monitored closely by a dedicated west African humanitarian advisor. In financial year 2007-08, DFID has committed £6.5 million to Chad through humanitarian agencies. These include ICRC (3600,000), UNHCR (£2 million) UNOCHA (£260,000), Oxfam (£330,000), WFP (£1.8 million) and Islamic Relief (£500,000).

Though conditions for refugees remain of concern, the immediate humanitarian needs of most of the refugee population are being addressed. In the majority of refugee camps, for example, refugees are receiving 15 litres of potable water per person per day, in accordance with international standards. According to the UN, refugees all have access to primary health care facilities, although vaccination coverage is less than the accepted level. The UN estimates that 82 per cent. of refugee school-age children are enrolled and attend school. In line with international nutritional norms, refugees are all receiving 2,100 kCal per person per day. Nutritional surveillance shows that in the refugee population, global acute malnutrition is 7.7 per cent. which is within the WHO-defined ‘alert’ band, and severe acute malnutrition is 0.75 per cent.—which is defined as ‘acceptable’.

The situation for the internally displaced population is more worrying; in many cases, standards fall below the internationally accepted norms. Of the total of 180,000 IDPs, only 125,000 are receiving more than 10 litres of potable water per person per day. The UN estimates that 70 per cent. of IDPs have access to primary health care facilities at utilisation rate of one visit per person per year, which is below what is to be expected for a displaced population. 2,100 kCal per day have been provided to a caseload of 150,000 IDPs. Global acute malnutrition levels are at 21.4 per cent. and severe acute malnutrition levels are at 2.6 per cent; both levels are classified by WHO as ‘serious’. The UN notes that information relating to the full extent of coverage of humanitarian need is as yet incomplete. The situation for the host population, and those otherwise affected by the conflict, is very serious, with global and severe malnutrition figures comparable to those prevalent amongst the IDPs. The UN estimates that some 700,000 additional people fall into this category.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many 0845 or similar cost telephone numbers are used by (a) his Department and (b) related departmental bodies for public access to services. (179376)

DFID has one 0845 number which enables members of the public to call the public enquiry point in East Kilbride from anywhere in the United Kingdom, charged at standard local rates. No related departmental bodies use 0845 numbers for public access to services.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his G8 counterparts on the provision of health workers to work with people with AIDS in developing countries; and if he will make a statement. (180917)

[holding answer 22 January 2008]: The UK has been actively engaged with the US Government to address health worker shortages in Africa. Through the International Health Partnership, DFID recently held a joint meeting in Ethiopia with the US Presidents Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and four PEPFAR and IMP African countries to agree priority actions to increase and improve resources for health workers, including those needed to deliver HIV and AIDS services.

DFID has committed £1 million to the Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA) to take forward global advocacy and lesson learning, including on issues such as supply, retention and migration of health workers. We are working with GHWA as it develops its plan to support the scale-up of health workers, including health education and training.

The UK will continue to push for action to address health worker shortages in developing countries at the forthcoming meeting of the G8 health experts group. We will work with G8 partners, and especially closely with Japan during its 2008 G8 presidency, to maintain the profile and momentum to help solve the health worker crisis facing the poorest countries. We hope the GHWA will be a useful contribution to this.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on introducing conditionality changes related to anti-trafficking measures into the UK's bilateral development and assistance programmes. (181680)

Where the Department for International Development (DFID) gives money to partner governments, it comes with conditions. We assess whether partner governments show commitment to tackling poverty, upholding human rights and managing public money wisely. We may, and do, interrupt or stop aid if a partner government breaches these commitments. All our conditions relate to these three partnership commitments. DFID has no plans to introduce conditionality changes specifically related to anti-trafficking measures.

Poverty and social exclusion make people vulnerable to human trafficking. DFID is supporting long-term programmes to help eliminate the underlying causes of poverty. Our programmes help improve the livelihood opportunities and security of poor people so that they are less susceptible to traffickers. DFID also supports the anti-trafficking work of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) through its Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour and its International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour. Over £14 million is currently committed to ILO and civil society anti-trafficking programmes in south-east Asia.

To ask the Leader of the House what meetings the Deputy Leader of the House has had with ministerial colleagues on the business of the House in each of the last six months. (181934)

Since July 2007, I have had regular meetings with ministerial colleagues to discuss the business of the House.

To ask the Leader of the House how many overseas visits by officials in her Office took place in each of the last 10 years; which countries were visited; and how much was spent on such visits in each such year. (181599)

Following a Machinery of Government change, information prior to 2006-07 is available only at disproportionate cost.

All travel is undertaken in accordance with the “Civil Service Management Code” and the “Ministerial Code”.

Details of overseas ministerial visits, including costs for Ministers and officials are published annually by the Cabinet Office and can be found at:

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers

To ask the Leader of the House (1) how many suggestions for topical debates her Department has received from hon. and right hon. Members by (a) post, (b) the link on her website and (c) other means; how many she has received from hon. Members of each party; and who suggested each of the subjects she has selected for debate; (181869)

The information is as follows.

Topical debates take place in Government time and the decision and announcement are for me.

Of the requests made, other than at business questions, two subjects have been requested more than once. The topics are: a medal for members of the armed forces who have been killed or wounded in combat and Farepak.

To ask the Leader of the House what criteria she uses to decide whether a subject proposed for a topical debate is topical. (181872)

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given by my right hon. and learned Friend the Leader of the House to the hon. Member for Billericay (Mr. Baron) on 18 December 2007, Official Report, column 1225W.

11. To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the European Commission on the EU rules affecting the nationalities of team members in domestic sports teams. (182033)

We have been in regular dialogue with both the European Commission and colleagues in member states on the issue of home grown players and on the relationship between the Commission and sport more widely.

The Commission published its White Paper on Sport in July last year and are assessing in more detail the relationship between sport and freedom of movement rules.

We look forward to the outcomes of this work which we understand will be completed in April.

12. To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects the draft Heritage Bill to be published. (182034)

We are aiming to publish the draft Heritage Protection Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny in spring 2008.

13. To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward proposals to encourage school students with an interest in sport to undertake additional sporting activity outside school. (182035)

The 2006-07 school sport survey showed that 86 per cent. of five to 16-year-olds did two hours of high quality PE and school sport per week in and out of school, exceeding the target of 85 per cent. a year early.

We now have a more ambitious target to offer five hours of sport for all young people aged five to 16 and three hours for those aged 16 to 19 per week. This will be delivered in and out of school through a range of school, community and club providers.

15. To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the BBC on arrangements for the scrutiny of BBC expenditure by the Committee of Public Accounts. (182037)

Neither I nor my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions have had recent discussions. The matter was fully addressed during Charter review and I am satisfied that the current arrangements strike the right balance between protecting public resources and maintaining the independence of the BBC. We have no plans to propose any changes.

16. To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to promote opportunities for young people to participate in competitive sport. (182038)

The 2006-07 School Sport Survey showed that:

98 per cent. of schools held a competitive sports day;

58 per cent. of pupils were involved in intra-school competition; and

35 per cent. of all pupils were involved in inter-school competition.

We are committed to increasing the number of children and young people involved in competitive sport as part of our plans to offer five hours of sport for all five to 16-year-olds and three hours for young people aged 16 to 19.

We are working with governing bodies and school sport associations to improve their competition frameworks and we are also establishing a national network of competition managers to implement our plans at a local level.

18. To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department will be spending on (a) museums and galleries and (b) theatre in the next 12 months. (182040)

In 2008-09 DCMS will provide nearly £371.5 million to the DCMS-sponsored museums and galleries and £46.2 million toward the Renaissance in the Regions programme for regional museums. Arts Council England propose to spend £102.5 million on theatre and £25.4 million on galleries.

19. To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria were used in determining the withdrawal of Arts Council England funding from certain arts organisations. (182041)

The Arts Council operates at arm's length from Government, according to the criteria set out in their Royal Charter:

“to develop and improve the knowledge, understanding and practice of the arts (and) to increase accessibility of the arts to the public in England.”

In February 2007 the Arts Council said it would give particular priority to:

achieving a portfolio of effective and thriving organisations;

increasing engagement in the arts across the population;

delivering greater arts activity and presence in emerging priority places; and

delivering the recommendations of Turning Point, the Arts Council's strategic review of the visual arts sector.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to encourage more diversity among participants in and audiences for cultural events; and if he will make a statement. (182025)

The Government are supporting a number of initiatives to increase diversity among participants and audiences for cultural events, across the arts, museums and heritage sectors.

We are working closely with Arts Council England, sponsored museums, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and English Heritage to deliver this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward legislative proposals to increase levels of transparency of salaries paid by professional football clubs. (182032)

There are currently no plans to bring forward legislation in this area. Salaries are a matter for individual clubs and the Football authorities.

I have been clear, however, that football must find the right balance between its commercial and sporting sides if it is to secure its long-term success and stability.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of visits by children to national museums in 2006-07. (182036)

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave earlier to the hon. Member for Luton, North (Kelvin Hopkins).

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his Department's planned expenditure on business support, promotion of enterprise and economic development is for each year from 2007-08 to 2010-11; and which elements of this expenditure are planned to be funded through regional development agencies' single pot. (179228)

[holding answer 15 January 2008]: My Department provides the following funding for tourism:

The regional development agencies single budget is intended to deliver a range of statutory objectives including regeneration, business support, employment, skills and sustainable development. Detailed proposals for business support covering the next three years will be set out in the regional development agencies’ corporate plans which will be published in the spring.

In addition, my Department will also provide up to £3 million per year for the next three years to support projects that might emerge through the process of Government engagement with the creative industries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance his Department has issued on the treatment of requests for the (a) return and (b) permanent loan of historical artefacts held by a museum in one part of the UK which were (i) discovered and (ii) created in another part of the United Kingdom. (182176)

My Department has not issued guidance on this topic. Requests for the restitution of cultural objects are a matter for individual museums to consider.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many confirmed security breaches of databases controlled by his Department occurred in each of the last five years; whether the breach resulted from internal or external action in each case; how many records were compromised on each occasion; and what estimate was made of the total number of records accessible to the individuals concerned. (173708)

[holding answer 13 December 2007]: Except in exceptional cases, when it is in the public interest, it has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on breaches of security.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department paid in bonuses to press and communication officers in each of the last 10 years; and what the (a) highest and (b) lowest such bonus was in each of those years. (182715)

As part of the 2007 annual pay award for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, bonuses totalling £11,730 were paid to press and communications officers. The highest payment was £2,500 and the lowest payment was £680.

To provide the historical information requested for the past 10 years would incur disproportionate cost because in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport information is held by grade and not job role.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what proportion of his Department's staff are employed within each salary band; what the title and role of each position within each salary band is; and for each salary band what the (a) bonus structure, (b) retirement provision, (c) expenses provision, (d) total expenses incurred in each of the last 10 years, (e) average age of employee, (f) number of (i) women and (ii) men and (g) ethnic composition is. (171413)

The information is as follows:

(a) The Department makes bonus payments to its staff for two purposes for staff below the senior civil service: (i) special bonuses to reward outstanding contributions in particularly demanding tasks or situations; and (ii) performance bonuses to reward highly successful performance over a whole year. Senior civil service salaries, including bonuses are subject to review by the Senior Salaries Review Body.

(b) The normal retirement age for all permanent DCMS staff in all grades including the senior civil service is 65. Staff can choose between a range of pension options operating under the Principle Civil Service Pension Scheme.

(c) Expenditure on expenses in the Department is conducted in accordance with the principles of managing public money as well as the Department's internal guidance. An analysis of expenses is not separately recorded in the Department's accounting system and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

(e) The following table provides the further information requested;

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many 0845 or similar telephone numbers are used by (a) his Department and (b) related departmental bodies for public access to services. (179013)

My Department does not use any 0845 telephone numbers for public access to services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of the total value of Heritage Lottery Fund awards was given in grants of (a) less than £1 million and (b) more than £5 million in each year since 1997. (181947)

The information is given in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects to announce the appointment of the new chair and four trustees of the Heritage Lottery Fund. (181948)

An open and independently scrutinised process is being carried out, in accordance with the requirements of the Commissioner for Public Appointment's code of practice, and these appointments will be made by the Prime Minister on the recommendation of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and myself.

Interviews have been held for all five posts, and recommendations will be sent to No. 10 shortly. No 10 will announce the appointments as soon as is possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what assessment his Department has made of the use of temporary event notices by licensed premises; and if he will make a statement; (182131)

In 2005 DCMS formally consulted on Permitted Temporary Activities and the temporary event notices (TENs) regulations. Ministers considered views from all respondents and decided not to further restrict the limits on TENs.

While there had been some representations about licensed premises using TENs to operate additional hours or activities which have not been included on the full licence, the Government believed that the existing limit was sufficient. Licensed premises were able to hold events outside their set hours under the old licensing regime by the use of special orders of exemption.

However, we will continue to monitor the position with stakeholders and if there is compelling evidence to suggest that the TENs regulations are not covering problems which cannot be dealt with by using the other powers available to the police for handling disorder or noise nuisance, including the closure of premises in certain cases where a TEN has effect. The premises holding the TEN may also have their licence reviewed if they are found to be failing to promote the four licensing objectives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many visitors there were to the UK in each of the last six years. (181985)

[holding answer 25 January 2008]: The table shows the number of overseas visits to the UK for the latest six years for which data are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of foreign visitors to the North East of England in each year since 2004; and if he will make a statement. (182916)

The table shows the number of overseas visits to the north-east of England in each year since 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2008, Official Report, column 1167, on planning permission: playing fields, if he will break down the planning applications considered by Sport England by parliamentary constituency. (182698)

Sport England does not hold information on planning applications affecting playing fields, broken down by parliamentary constituency. Sport England does however collect information by region.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2008, Official Report, column 1167, on planning permission: playing fields, whether his Department still collects information on the number of planning applications approved each year affecting sites which either were too small or of the wrong shape to accommodate a playing pitch as currently defined as referred to in the answer of 1 November 2006, Official Report, column 421, on playing fields. (182805)

Sport England is a statutory consultee on all planning applications affecting playing field land where there is at least one pitch marked out of 0.4 hectares or greater. As part of that process Sport England collects information on the number of applications that affected land too small or the wrong shape to accommodate a playing pitch.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from which budget headings of (a) his Department and (b) UK Sport the £2.8 million UK contribution to the International Inspiration programme will come; and if he will make a statement. (182683)

The total funding that has been secured for the pilot phase of the International Inspiration programme is £9.25 million, which was rounded to £9 million for the announcement.

The sources of that funding are:

In addition the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has agreed, as part of the programme, to dedicate up to 12 Chevening scholarships per year until 2012 for post-graduate studies in sports administration. Over the period of the pilot phase of International Inspiration this has a value of £0.425 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on tourism by the South West Regional Development Agency in each of the last five years. (181982)

[holding answer 25 January 2008]: SWRDA's estimated expenditure on tourism is set out in the following table. The expenditure includes regional brand campaigns; tourism skills development; and support for South West Tourism to deliver the regional tourism strategy, ‘Towards 2015’:

These figures do not include other expenditure which benefits tourism, such as SWRDA's substantial capital investment in regeneration schemes and attractions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the average expenditure per head by overseas tourists visiting the north-east in the last five years for which figures are available. (181547)

The following table shows the average expenditure per visit by overseas residents visiting the north-east in the last five years for which data are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of each category of crime was cleared up by the Police Service of Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. (180630)

The following table sets out the percentage rate of each category of crime which was cleared by the Police Service of Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. The Northern Ireland Policing Board is committed to working with the PSNI to improve clearance rates—the 2007-08 Policing Plan contains a target of increasing the sanction clearance rate by three percentage points.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the (a) start date, (b) original planned completion date, (c) current expected completion date, (d) planned cost and (e) current estimated cost is for each information technology project being undertaken by his Department and its agencies; and if he will make a statement. (180574)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 December 2006, Official Report, columns 306-07W.

There are a large number of information technology projects across the Northern Ireland Office. The majority of these are relatively small and are developed in-house with minimum cost. To compile information to support all projects would be at disproportionate cost therefore the information within the following table relates only to current IT projects which cost in excess of £l million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many 0845 or similar cost telephone numbers are used by his Department for public access to services. (179373)

There are no 0845 or similar cost telephone numbers used by the Northern Ireland Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the Police Service of Northern Ireland budget in each district command unit was allocated to the prevention and investigation of crime in each of the last five years. (180863)

The following table sets out the percentage, where available, of the PSNI budget in each district command unit which was allocated to prevention and investigation of crime. The information requested is available for 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) assistant chief constables, (b) chief superintendents and (c) superintendents in the Police Service of Northern Ireland are university graduates. (180633)

Within the Police Service of Northern Ireland the following numbers of officers in each rank who are showing qualifications which would be attributable to university graduates (Open University Diploma, Degree, Post Graduate, Degree and Post Graduate, Higher National Certificate and Post Graduate and Higher National Certificate only) are:

These figures also include officers who are temporarily promoted to each rank.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he plans to take to improve community confidence in the capability of the Police Service of Northern Ireland to respond effectively to crime. (180866)

Confidence in the police is high—the latest NI Crime Survey figures, for the period 1 October 2006 until 30 September 2007, show a further upturn in confidence levels in police and policing arrangements, now standing at 78 per cent.

The Northern Ireland Policing Board works with the PSNI to increase confidence, and a range of targets are set out in the current Policing Plan. A copy of the current Policing Plan 2007-10 is available on the Policing Board website:

www.nipolicingboard.org.uk

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of building a female prison as referred to in the recent Northern Ireland Affairs Committee Report on the Prisons Estate in Northern Ireland (HC 118). (182304)

As I previously announced, the Northern Ireland Prison Service is taking forward a review of the needs of female offenders, including the scope for provision of a dedicated facility.

The project team is still in the research phase, including an examination of good practice in other jurisdictions, and is scheduled to provide Ministers with a draft report by the end of February. Costings will not be available until late summer 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent estimate he has made of the number of weapons held by each (a) Republican and (b) Loyalist paramilitary organisation in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. (182456)

As any estimate about the number of illegally-held weapons in Northern Ireland would be based on intelligence, it would be inappropriate to publish this information.

Decommissioning has been a key measure for securing the trust and confidence necessary to achieve political stability in Northern Ireland. There needs to be engagement with the IICD by all paramilitary organisations, and that must be backed up by action.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2008, Official Report, column 1204W, on which dates officials of his Department had discussions with officials from the Department of Children, Schools and Families on the sponsorship of academies. (182350)

MOD officials have discussed the general issue of sponsorship of academies with officials from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) on a number of occasions, though these were not formally minuted meetings. In particular officials spoke on 5 September 2006 and 15 March 2007 on sponsorship and there were a number of other exchanges. These discussions confirmed that the MOD would not sponsor academies, but that it was appropriate for the local chain of command to engage with sponsors where there was a significant Service community interest. For example, there has been considerable contact between military representatives in Wiltshire and the sponsor of the planned Wellington academy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many men from the (a) 2nd Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, (b) 1st Battalion The Rifles and (c) 2nd Battalion The Scots Guards are providing reinforcements to the 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment in Afghanistan. (182313)

None of the Battalions listed are providing any reinforcements to the 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment in Afghanistan.