To ask the Solicitor-General how much the Crown Prosecution Service has spent to keep victims informed of prosecution decisions since 2002. (267421)

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) keeps victims informed of prosecution decisions by writing to victims when key decisions are taken, by meeting victims in serious cases, and through the work of Witness Care Units (WCU), which provide information and support to victims and other witnesses. Detailed information on the costs of these activities is not available. A comprehensive review of the resources dedicated to victim and witness care is to take place in 2009-10.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much it cost to process hon. Members' applications for expenses in the last year for which figures are available. (267419)

The direct staff cost of processing hon. Members' claims is forecast to be some £1.2 million for 2008-09. This does not include IT or accommodation costs which cannot be disaggregated to this level.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the maximum number of tours of Parliament organised through the central tours office is that may take place on each day from Monday to Friday during sitting periods. (267237)

During sitting periods the number of tour slots each day is as follows:

Mondays, 38

Tuesdays, 38

Wednesdays, 38 (15 full tours, 23 Lords end only)

Thursdays, 0

Fridays, sitting (either House) 24, Non sitting 92

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission which individuals have booked tours of Parliament through the central tours office in the last four weeks. (267238)

Information can be provided on the categories of individuals sponsoring tours. To maximise capacity, small groups can sometimes be combined, thus accommodating additional groups. Therefore the total number of tour groups accommodated usually exceeds the number of slots available, as illustrated:

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much advance notice is required to book a tour of Parliament through the central tours office. (267239)

On the first working day of each new month, booking opens for the month six months ahead, e.g. on 1 April the spreadsheet for October will be opened. Slots within a new month are usually booked close to capacity within two to three weeks of that month becoming available.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission which categories of people are able to book tours of Parliament through the central tours office. (267240)

The following categories of people are able to book tours:

Members and Officers of both Houses

Permanent staff of either House for work purposes (expressed in the regulations as “where there is a clear business need, i.e. not for personal guests”)

Central Tours Office—if the group is clearly one which Parliament would wish to host, such as direct requests from ministries, overseas parliamentarians, civil service training.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the objectives are of his forthcoming visit to China. (267011)

To support Scottish Council for Development and Industry members in winning business in this growing economy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on the objectives of his forthcoming visit to China. (267012)

My right hon. Friend has had discussions with various colleagues about his visit to China and UKTI have been closely involved in its planning and support in China.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when his decision to join the Scottish Council for Development and Industry’s trade delegation to China was taken. (267013)

Discussions have been ongoing with SCDI on support to their overseas trade delegations. Earlier this year they asked my right hon. Friend to lead their delegation to China.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on which date his travel to and from China as part of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry’s trade delegation was booked. (267014)

Ministerial travel is booked at the appropriate time having regard to the visit itinerary and other diary commitments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) officials and (b) special advisers will accompany him on his forthcoming visit to China; and what budget has been allocated for the visit. (267019)

Two civil servants and one special adviser. Funding for the visit has been allocated from the budget of the Scotland Office in the normal way to support my right hon. Friend’s responsibilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he received from the Scottish Council for Development and Industry on joining its forthcoming trade delegation to China. (267020)

SCDI requested that my right hon. Friend lead their trade mission to China.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether it is his Department’s policy to offer staff (a) additional leave entitlement for Christmas shopping and (b) Christmas bonus payments. (262805)

Staff in the Scotland Office are seconded from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice and the Office follows the policies of the parent Departments regarding leave entitlements and bonus arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to ensure that no cleaning products or ingredients of cleaning products used by his Department have been tested on animals. (261120)

The Scotland Office obtains its cleaning services through central procurement contracts set up by the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice. As part of the procurement process, any specific requirements for using ethically sourced cleaning products would be for the Executive or the Ministry of Justice to consider.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff in his Department (a) were disciplined and (b) had their employment terminated as a result of a poor sickness record in each of the last 12 months. (262230)

No staff were disciplined or had their employment terminated as a result of a poor sickness record in the last 12 months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2009, Official Report, column 3W, on departmental surveys, if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of the staff survey undertaken by his Department in 2007. (263358)

A copy of the Scotland Office staff survey published in 2007 has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many training courses civil servants in his Department undertook in each of the last three years; and what the cost of such training was in each year. (266266)

The Scotland Office encourages all staff to undertake learning and development activities. The majority of opportunities are provided through the Scottish Executive and the Ministry of Justice at no direct cost to the Office; but where the training need is still not available within central Government, external training courses may be considered.

The Office incurred the following direct expenditure:

The Office does not maintain a central record of all training courses attended by staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on Scotland’s involvement in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; and if he will make a statement. (265520)

The Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with the First Minister on Scotland's involvement in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In the last couple of months I have met separately with Tessa Jowell, Minister for the Olympics and John Armitt, Chair of the Olympic Delivery Authority to discuss how Scotland can contribute to a successful Olympic and Paralympic Games.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions his Department has had with organisations representing business on (a) business crime and (b) recording business crimes separately. (247125)

Government policy to tackle crime against business, including whether such crime should be recorded separately is overseen by the Home Office. This Department works with the Home Office to inform the policy. BERR is represented on the joint Government/Industry National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG). Officials have had conversations in partnership with the Home Office with a number of national and sector-specific trade bodies.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department takes to ensure the co-ordination of its support for business with that provided by local councils and chambers of commerce. (255509)

[holding answer 9 February 2009]: In order to strengthen co-ordination of business support, we have introduced ‘Solutions for Business’—a streamlined portfolio of publicly funded support products. This has been delivered through the Business Support Simplification Programme (BSSP). The BSSP has been overseen by a board which includes the Local Government Association, business representative bodies, a range of Government Departments and regional development agencies (RDAs). This Department and the RDAs have worked very closely with local authorities and business groups to deliver this streamlined, co-ordinated offer to businesses.

The RDAs deliver this Department's business support and co-ordinate efforts to help business, bringing together regional and local partners, including local authorities and Chambers of Commerce, and the private sector. They also manage Business Link, the access route to all forms of business and skills support, including ‘Solutions for Business’. In each region Business Link works with local authorities and business representative groups, including Chambers of Commerce.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what (a) meetings and (b) correspondence on Heathrow expansion which (i) he, (ii) other Ministers in his Department and (iii) officials in his Department have had with representatives from (A) BAA, (B) trades unions, (C) airlines using Heathrow, (D) other corporate bodies and (E) residents from communities affected by Heathrow expansion since 3 October 2008; when each meeting took place; who attended each meeting; and what the subject of each meeting was. (252766)

[holding answer 29 January 2009]: Ministers and officials within the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform have not held meetings specifically on Heathrow expansion. However, they have held a number of meetings with business organisations where Heathrow was discussed as part of a broader conversation.

In addition, between 3 October 2008 and 26 January 2009, the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform received correspondence about Heathrow airport from local residents, businesses and business organisations. This included a letter from the chief executive of BAA on 3 October 2008 to Lord Mandelson.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) when he expects the protocol governing the consultation process between Clearsprings Management Limited and local authorities with regard to its bail accommodation and support service accommodation to be completed; and when he will publish it; (267294)

I expect a joint working protocol for use between local authorities and ClearSprings to be finalised and available in April, subject to agreement by the Local Government Association.

ClearSprings operate in 76 local authority areas and 10 London boroughs. No authorities have formally written but letters raising specific points of concern have been received by the Ministry of Justice from individual ward councillors in Enfield, Haringey, Lewisham, Middlesbrough, Pontypridd, St. Helens and Stockton-on-Tees and have been addressed. Local authorities recognise the value and need for accommodation and support in the community for those on bail and home detention curfew.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the (a) need for and (b) timing of the installation of in-cell electricity in the residential blocks of HM Prison Latchmere House. (266354)

In-cell electricity is being developed and work is programmed to begin on site in February 2010 and be completed around September 2010. Work to replace alarms will be included in the project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals to change the regulatory system for donating to political parties to encourage smaller donations from a wider range of individuals. (267287)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Ribble Valley (Mr. Evans) on 2 March 2009, Official Report, column 1259W.

There are no such plans. The Government believe it is for political parties to decide how to conduct their fundraising activities within the legislative framework. One potential option to change the legislative framework would be to introduce a cap on the level of permissible donations, and an associated increase in the amount of public funding available to parties. This option was put to the major political parties following the review conducted by Sir Hayden Phillips in 2007. However, the inter-party talks that followed that review did not result in agreement to proceed with the wider package of reforms that Sir Hayden recommended to the party funding legislation.

The Government's White Paper, ‘Party finance and expenditure in the United Kingdom’ (CM7329) considered the issues of donation caps and public funding in considerable detail. The Government believe that any arrangements for increased public funding and associated cap on donations would need to be considered carefully as part of a wider public debate. There would need to be clear support from both the public and political parties before such steps could be taken. It is not clear that such a broad consensus of support currently exists. However, the Government stand ready to continue that debate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what protocols and procedures are in operation within prisons to prevent persistent bullying. (267264)

Ministers, the National Offender Management Service and the Prison Officers' Association are collectively committed to ensuring that violence in prisons is not tolerated in any form and since 2004, a national strategy has directed every public sector prison to have in place a local violence reduction strategy. Since 2007 this has been applied to the contracted out estate. Under the national strategy, prisons are instructed to implement a local violence reduction strategy aimed at dealing with all forms of violence in their establishment. Strategies based on reducing violence rather than focusing specifically on bullying help to ensure a more holistic approach to antisocial behaviour that recognises the complexities of managing violence in prisons.

Local strategies to manage violence include identifying problems specific to the establishment, such as bullying between prisoners. Strategies must involve regular analysis of problems such as identifying problem areas, formulating solutions and providing action plans to improve personal safety and reduce violence. All establishments, except open prisons, are required to undertake a cell-sharing risk assessment to inform cell allocation. The violence reduction strategy is due to be reviewed during 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many criminal convictions were obtained on the basis of evidence from film of protests stored by the police in each of the last five years. (266580)

Data held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on court proceedings does not contain information about the circumstances behind each case, other than the description provided in the statute under which convictions are brought.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to increase the number of prison officers at HM Prison Wymott. (264830)

In March 2008 the target staffing figures for all officers, prison officers, health care officers, physical education (PE) officers and dog handlers at Wymott prison was 221. In February 2009 this had risen to 225, which consisted of an additional PE officer and three additional dog handler officers. We keep this under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the proportion of accidents on trunk roads caused by vehicles travelling between 50 and 60 miles per hour in the last year for which figures are available. (265128)

The Highways Agency uses validated police accident data to inform its analysis and investigation into accidents occurring on the trunk road network. This data tells us that in the three years 2005 to 2007, speed was adjudged to be a contributory factor in 227 out of 1,120 deaths on trunk roads (20 per cent). However, the data does not include details of the travelling speed of vehicles prior to accidents occurring.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost of training personnel to trap and vaccinate badgers under the injectable badger vaccine deployment project. (266959)

Costs for the injectable badger vaccine deployment project have not yet been finalised and will vary depending on the areas in which vaccination will take place, as well as other factors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 14 January 2008, Official Report, column 858W, on fly-tipping: prosecutions, if he will provide equivalent figures for 2007-08. (262159)

In 2007-08, local authorities and the Environment Agency reported 1,285,300 fly-tipping incidents on the Flycapture system ranging from single black bags to “significant multiple loads”.

1,969 prosecutions were taken against fly-tippers in 2007-08, 1,865 (95 per cent.) of which were successful.

Prosecution figures only represent cases taken through the court system and do not reflect the wider range of enforcement actions available to local authorities.

In 2007-08, local authorities also took an additional 179,122 enforcement actions against fly-tippers, consisting of warning letters, statutory notices, fixed penalty notices, formal cautions and injunctions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to assist British Waterways to encourage use of the canal network for (a) leisure and (b) freight transport in the summer months of 2009. (265200)

I support British Waterways in promoting the use of their waterways which deliver considerable public benefit. British Waterways’ national marketing campaign “Yours to Enjoy” highlights the easy accessibility of the waterways to deliver a wide range of public benefits related to recreation.

For example, the Kennet and Avon Canal which runs through the hon. Member's constituency, supports 1,000 leisure and tourism jobs. In addition to sustainable tourism such as hire-boating, the waterways also offer opportunities for green recreation close to home. Use of the towpaths for walking and cycling not only improves health but offers a viable and sustainable transport option which is sometimes overlooked.

Later this month it will be my privilege to reopen the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, following a major programme of repairs by British Waterways. This canal plays a significant role in the local economy and together with the leisure businesses it supports it is a major tourism asset for Wales.

Freight is more complex, relying as it does on the availability of both sources and destinations by water, the availability of suitable carriers and other considerations of costs and benefits specific to each traffic and waterway. I support British Waterways' efforts to develop niche freight opportunities on appropriate waterways, such as the larger rivers in Yorkshire and the East Midlands, and London's Olympic Park. I also support British Waterways' other activities to harness the network's potential to help us adapt to climate change, such as generating green renewable energy from wind and water.

For the longer term British Waterways is intending to consult on its future strategy this summer and the Government are intending to consult on a new updated version of “Waterways for Tomorrow” later in the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will commission research into public attitudes towards the use of livestock vaccination as a means of reducing the incidence of animal disease. (266046)

DEFRA has no current plans to commission research into public attitudes towards the use of livestock vaccination. We do, however, have access to reports produced by other organisations. A recent survey carried out by The Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) on behalf of NOAH (The National Office of Animal Health) reveals an increased consumer awareness of animal medicines. The survey also found that consumers have confidence in those working in the food chain to use animal medicines appropriately and produce safe food.

Further details are available at the NOAH website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps the Environment Agency is taking to investigate the circumstances of the spillage at the Canvey Island Calor Gas site on 15 October 2008; and if he will make a statement; (265451)

The Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are the joint competent authority for the site. The incident on the 15 October 2008 involved the spillage of liquid petroleum gas following the failure of pipework. The Environment Agency and the HSE agreed that the HSE would lead the investigation with assistance from the Environment Agency if required.

As a result of the HSE led investigation, the Environment Agency has not entered into discussions with the company concerning the specific circumstances surrounding the spillage. However, the Environment Agency continues to undertake its normal regulatory activities at the site.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make an estimate of changes in the wild rabbit population in the last five years. (265483)

Rabbit populations can fluctuate widely from year to year especially at the local level. However, the most recent mammal data from the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust National Gamebag Census indicates that the trend for the UK rabbit population is a decline of 19 per cent. for the period 2002-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in what circumstances (a) commercial and (b) household waste is regarded as a source of energy; what proportion of such waste streams were regarded as energy sources in 2008; and what assessment he has made of the effect of classification of waste as an energy source on (i) waste collection authorities, (ii) private sector waste contractors and (iii) commercial waste producers. (265747)

The Government do not classify waste in this way. Many types of waste, including paper, wood and plastics, are capable of being either recycled or used to generate energy. Recycling is the generally preferred option because the energy saved from avoiding the use of virgin material is greater than that contained in the waste, although there are some exceptions. Residual waste for which no practical re-use or recycling opportunities exist will therefore be a candidate for energy from waste treatment. In 2007, 5,172,000 tonnes of waste were incinerated for energy recovery purposes. These figures are not available for 2008.

To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many people are employed on (a) construction and (b) development of Olympic venues (i) in London and (ii) elsewhere. (263714)

The latest figures published in January 2009 showed that there are 3,315 people working on the Olympic Park in London. The Olympic Delivery Authority expects that 30,000 people in total will be employed on the Olympic Park and the Village over the life of the project. This number will peak at 11,000 in 2010.

The construction of the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy (WPSNA) is already complete. Work to enhance the WPSNA began in March 2008 and was completed in November 2008—the first venue completed for the London 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games. During this period 115 people were employed in construction on the site.

Eton Dorney, Broxbourne and the shooting venue at Woolwich are yet to be constructed and will provide further employment opportunities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether he plans to review the Dealing in Cultural Objects (Offences) Act 2003; and if he will make a statement. (266443)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, as a matter of good practice, intends to review the Dealing in Cultural Objects (Offences) Act as soon as resources allow.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Lottery funding has been awarded to organisations in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997. (266087)

Full details of lottery funding for organisations in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997 can be found at the National Lottery Grants Database:

http://www.lottery.culture.gov.uk/

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department has provided for the regeneration of seaside towns in each of the last three years; and what plans there are for such funding in the next funding round. (267580)

My Department’s contribution to the Government’s work in support of the regeneration of seaside towns is through the £45 million (£15 million per annum over the next three years) Sea Change Programme. This has only been in place since 1 April 2008, but £29.3 million has been made available for regeneration of seaside towns through this initiative since then as set out in the table:

It is too early to announce plans for public expenditure beyond 2011.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to publish the results of his Department’s video games consultation. (267369)

We expect to publish the results shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much he has allocated for expenditure on income-based jobseeker's allowance in the next three years. (266798)

[holding answer 26 March 2009]: Most benefits, including income-based jobseeker’s allowance, are managed through Annually Managed Expenditure (AME). AME is public expenditure for which multi-year spending limits are not seen as appropriate, and which is instead subject to regular review.

Available information on future jobseeker's allowance expenditure up to 2010-11 is shown in the table, taken from the forecasts published at the Pre-Budget Report in November. The figures will be updated after the Budget on 22 April 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training for employment officers his Department plans to provide to external providers of the Flexible New Deal; and what budget has been allocated for this training. (262846)

[holding answer 11 March 2009]: The successful flexible new deal providers will be contracted to deliver their own service delivery model, involving support tailored to the needs of each individual.

As such employment officer status will be an integral part of contractors’ job roles and it will be the employer’s responsibility to provide and fund any necessary training. The same situation applies in current new deal contracts and employment zones.

Responsibility for the customer’s continuing entitlement to jobseeker’s allowance will remain the responsibility of Jobcentre Plus.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Pensions Ombudsman requires relevant case evidence to be submitted before it may exercise its discretion not to investigate cases. (258737)

[holding answer 25 February 2009]: The Pensions Ombudsman will seek such evidence as he considers necessary to determine whether or not to investigate a complaint.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many hardship payment awards his Department has made (a) in each region and (b) at each payment level in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available; (261066)

The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves:

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking how many hardship payment awards his Department has made (a) in each region and (b) at each payment level in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available and how many hardship payment awards his Department has made in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

Jobcentre Plus has management information relating to Jobseeker’s Allowance hardship payments. However, this information is not available prior to July 2002. The information held does not distinguish between the payment levels. The available data is attached at Annex 1.

Annex 1

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Jackal armoured vehicle in protecting frontline service personnel in Afghanistan from blasts. (267298)

The Jackal is a highly mobile weapons platform which has been subject to detailed technical assessment. While we believe that Jackal is appropriately protected given its role and the threats it faces, I cannot comment on the specific levels of protection, as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Armed Forces Pay Review Body report for 2009 will be published; and what the reasons are for the time taken to publish the report. (267235)

The 2009 Report of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB) will be published shortly. It is right that Ministers take time before this important report is published to consider carefully their response.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the Armed Forces Pay Review Body report for 2009 was submitted to the Prime Minister. (267236)

The 2009 Report of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body was submitted to the Prime Minister on 29 January.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military chaplains there were in each of the armed services in each of the last five years. (266933)

The following table provides the number of military chaplains in each of the armed services as at 1 April for each of the last five years:

Due to ongoing validation of data from the Joint Personnel Administration System, Army strength statistics from 1 April 2007, and Naval Service and RAF strength statistics from 1 May 2007 are provisional and subject to review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the assessment phase for the Future Rapid Effects System Scout vehicle to conclude. (264960)

The assessment phase of a project is the period during which a range of options to meet the requirement are examined and tested. The phase will not end until the evidence is sufficiently mature to allow a decision to be made on the option to be taken forward. It is not possible to be precise in advance about when this point will be reached but I hope it can conclude before the end of this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Colombia; and if he will make a statement. (266071)

I have been asked to reply.

The security situation in Colombia has improved over recent years, in particular in Colombia’s main urban centres. Violent crime and kidnappings have reduced. But serious threats to security and therefore the human rights of all Colombians remain, especially in those areas where illegal armed groups are active. We regularly call on the Government of Colombia to address these areas of concern.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel have been admitted to the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court (a) in each year since 2005 and (b) in each of the last 14 months. (265134)

The Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court records the total number of patient episodes, which is the number of collated reviews for individual patients, as well as new patient referrals. The total numbers of such episodes over the last five financial years up to 28 February are provided in the following table. These figures include patient episodes at both the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre itself and the London and Overseas Regional Rehabilitation Unit which is also based at Headley Court.

Details over the last 14 months are provided as follows.

Patient referrals cover a wide range of injuries. Over the period covered by these statistics, there has been an increase in military operational tempo. This has led to an increase in patient activity overall and a more complex patient cohort requiring repeat admission to Headley Court. There have also been changes in the balance between the numbers of patients requiring a ward bed and those who do not, including an increase in specialist clinics such as consultant-led visiting clinics and prosthetic clinics. However, it continues to be the case that most cases treated at Headley Court have not resulted from current operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2009, Official Report, column 236W, on Navy: deployment, what the outcome was of the conference in London held on 13 March on contingency options directed at countering arms smuggling into Gaza; and what decisions have been made on the UK’s contribution to such operations. (266919)

In response to concerns over the flow of weapons to the Gaza Strip, the nations represented at the London Conference on tackling arms smuggling into Gaza agreed and published a ‘Program of Action’. This initiative seeks to enhance efforts to prevent and interdict the illicit trafficking of arms, ammunition and weapon component to Gaza and, within the relevant jurisdictions prevent the facilitation of such transfers. A range of options is available for participating governments to consider, including the sharing of information and intelligence, co-ordinated diplomatic engagement and co-ordinating military and law enforcement activities.

The UK continues to explore a number of contingency options to support this initiative and will attend further meetings of participating states.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Lutyens war memorial in Bury to be replaced with an alternative structure; whether he plans to consult publicly on the form of that replacement; and if he will make a statement. (267241)

The Ministry of Defence does officially commemorate the final resting place of all those who die in service and the UK Government contributes close to £40 million each year towards the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to mark and maintain the graves, and the official memorials for those who have no known grave, of some 1.7 million Commonwealth service personnel who died during the two World Wars.

However, the Department does not have the responsibility for war memorials. This responsibility rests with the owner of the memorial, which, in the case of the Lutyens War Memorial in Bury, is the Trustees of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Museum, an independent charity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) required strength, (b) actual strength and (c) percentage shortfall is in each trade in the Royal Navy. (266944)

The following table provides information on the liability and actual trained strength as at 1 February 2009 for each trade/specialisation for both officers and ratings/other ranks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides to private nursing home providers on their statutory obligations towards nursing home residents in their care. (267363)

All care and nursing homes, whether in the private, public or voluntary sectors, are required to comply with the Care Homes Regulations 2001 and to register with the regulator, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI).

CSCI regulates care homes in accordance with statutory regulations and national minimum standards, which govern the quality and safety of care and level of protection for residents. CSCI publishes a comprehensive range of guidance for providers of care on its website at:

www.csci.org.uk/professional

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure extra resources are made available to publicly owned nursing homes and local primary care trusts where private nursing home providers withdraw their provision. (267364)

It is for local authorities and the national health service to decide how to provide care in their areas, either through direct provision or by contracting with independent sector providers. Local authorities should ensure they have procedures in place to arrange care for residents if they have to move care homes for whatever reason and that capacity exists to deal with such eventualities.

Councils have received record increases in funding—39 per cent. in real terms—since 1997. The increases, which will rise to 45 per cent. by 2010-11, mean local authorities have the resources they need to arrange care to meet the needs of their local communities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has compiled a list of approved private nursing care home providers. (267365)

No. All care homes are required to register with the regulator, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). Registration by CSCI signifies that a home meets statutory requirements governing quality and safety and is permitted to operate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will consider the introduction of a blood screening test for blood donors in place of blood filtering; and if he will make a statement; (266420)

At present, there is no validated test for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) on the market although the technology is under development. The expert Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs will assess options for further vCJD risk reduction measures, including prion filtration technology and screening tests, as further information becomes available, and will advise on their use. If a suitable vCJD blood screening test becomes available, the offer of such a test to individuals will be for agreement between the individual and their clinician.

The Department will consider the use of validated tests for ascertaining the population prevalence of vCJD as they become available.