asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they intend to take to investigate the activities of non-legally qualified claims assessors. [HL2819]

I intend to establish a small committee to investigate the provision of legal advice by non-legally qualified persons who act as claims assessors, whose business is to process claims on behalf of clients arising as a result of death or personal injury. In particular, the committee will examine the sector's cost, standard, appropriateness and customer satisfaction. The committee will report its findings and make recommendations on whether further control of this sector is needed in the public interest.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Lord Chancellor's remarks on 25 May (H.L. Deb., col. 818), how many Liberal Democrats will be offered nomination for life peerages in accordance with the arrangements for "proportional creations" of life peers outlined in paragraph 6.7 of the White Paper on House of Lords reform, on the assumption that the House of Lords Bill is enacted with the present Clause 2. [HL2722]

The Government's commitment to proportionate creations for the Liberal Democrats and other political parties in the House of Lords reform White Paper was a commitment for the lifetime of the transitional House. It should be read in the context of the manifesto commitment to move, over time, towards more accurately reflecting the proportion of votes cast in the previous general election. Numbers cannot presently be specified.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will increase access to justice by extending legal aid to proceedings in employment tribunals. [HL2699]

It would be premature to make any decisions about extending publicly-funded representation in tribunal proceedings before the Government have completed their review of the extent to which current procedures and other arrangements, including representation, comply with our ECHR and EU obligations and until we have identified options for ensuring compliance in the future. If legal aid were to be extended to provide some representation in employment tribunal proceedings, it could not realistically be made available beyond a limited range of cases, given other priority calls on the budget. Factors to be considered would include the complexity of the case, factually or legally, the public importance of the issues at stake and the availability to the applicant of other sources of representation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Following the suspension of UN sanctions, whether the Government have any plans to lift the national controls on the export of aircraft parts and flight simulators to Libya; and whether they will make a statement. [HL2847]

The Government have decided to lift the controls on the export of aircraft, aircraft parts and flight simulators to Libya under the provisions of Dual-Use and Related Goods (Export Control) Regulations 1996, as amended. Legislation will be laid before the House shortly. This decision follows the suspension on 5 April of UN sanctions, which included a prohibition on the supply of any aircraft or aircraft components to Libya.The Foreign Office will issue a press release later today. The

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their policy on the export of arms to Iran. [HL2845]

There has been no change to current policy, as set out in the Answer I gave to the noble Lord, Lord Carmichael of Kelvingrove, on 28 January 1998.Further to the Answer I gave to the noble Lord, Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede, on 25 March 1999, my department and the Ministry of Defence have approved the issue of a licence by the Department of Trade and Industry, as an exception to our embargo on Iran, for the export of 1,020 bullet proof vests to the United Nations Drug Control Programme to equip Iranian frontier personnel. The bullet proof vests will enhance the capacity of Iran's frontier personnel to combat drug trafficking and reduce the sad toll of casualties which they have borne in the past 20 years.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What legislative steps have been taken to provide for a visit and search regime in respect of ships suspected of carrying fuel to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in breach of the EU-led embargo; and whether they will make a statement. [HL2846]

The North Atlantic Council agreed a visit and search regime for ships suspected of carrying fuel to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on 25 May. The regime is based on the consent of participating states. To enable the United Kingdom to participate fully in this regime legislation allowing Royal Navy vessels to visit and search British ships outside UK waters came into force on 3 June.The necessary enforcement powers in respect of United Kingdom ships are contained in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Supply, Sale and Export of Petroleum and Petroleum Products) (No. 2) Regulations 1999 which revoke the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Supply, Sale and Export of Petroleum and Petroleum Products) Regulations 1999.The Dependent Territories (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) (Supply, Sale and Export of Petroleum and Petroleum Products) Order 1999 imposes, by way of the prerogative, an oil embargo against the FRY in the overseas territories, except for Bermuda and Gibraltar, with similar enforcement powers in respect of ships registered in the territories concerned to those in the regulations. The UK does not have powers under the prerogative to legislate for Bermuda, which has been asked to legislate in similar terms. The EC regulation is directly applicable in Gibraltar which will be legislating locally.The EC regulation is not directly applicable to the Crown dependencies. The Channel Islands have already legislated locally and the Isle of Man will do so shortly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many outstanding parking and other minor traffic violation fines were incurred by diplomatic missions and international organisations in London during 1998. [HL2849]

At the end of 1998 there were 4,259 unpaid fines in respect of parking and other minor traffic violations incurred by members of diplomatic missions and international organisations in London. In April this year the Foreign and Commonwealth Office wrote to all diplomatic missions and international organisations in London offering them an opportunity either to pay their outstanding fines or to appeal against them if they considered that they had been incorrectly issued. As a result payments totalling £66,200.00 were received and a number of fines were cancelled, leaving a total of 2,667 unpaid fines for 1998. The attached table details diplomatic missions and international organisations which have more than 10 fines outstanding.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the UK will submit its 1999 return to the UN Register of Conventional Arms and whether copies of the return will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. [HL2848]

We submitted our 1999 return to the UN register covering conventional arms transfers in calendar year 1998 on 27 May. Copies have been placed in Libraries of both Houses.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations they have made to the Government of Turkey about the confirmation by the General Penal Board of the Turkish Supreme Court of the prison sentence passed on 12 March 1997 on Muzaffer Ilhan Erdost on charges of "disseminating separatist propaganda which questions the indivisible integrity of the Turkish state". [HL2656]

We have repeatedly made clear to the Turkish Government our condemnation of the prosecution of individuals for the non-violent expression of their views.We understand that the Turkish Court of Appeals confirmed the 12-month prison sentence imposed on Mr. Erdost at its hearing on 21 April 1999. We have made no representations to the Turkish Government on this issue to date but will do so when a suitable opportunity arises.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations they have made to the Government of Turkey about the sentence of 13 months' imprisonment passed by a Turkish court on Mr. Oral Calislar, a columnist for the newspaper

We have repeatedly made clear to the Turkish Government our condemnation of the prosecution of individuals, and particularly journalists, for the non-violent expression of their views, but we have not raised the specific case of Mr. Calislar with the Turkish authorities.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will raise with the Turkish Government the sentence of one years imprisonment passed on Mr. Akin Birdal, President of the Human Rights Association; and whether they will ask the British Embassy in Ankara to seek permission to visit Mr. Birdal in prison, notwithstanding the absence of a right of access under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. [HL2447]

We raised the issue of Mr. Akin Birdal's prison sentence with the Turkish Government both in Ankara and in London, most recently on 7 June. We are concerned that he was sent to prison on 3 June. We understand that he may be released on medical grounds.We have made clear to the Turkish authorities the considerable interest in this case in the United Kingdom.It is not our practice to make prison visits to Turkish citizens, but we will nevertheless keep his case under review.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress they have made to secure agreement among United Nations Security Council members for a resolution to translate the conclusions of the United Nations panels into action. [HL2637]

The UK and the Netherlands have circulated a draft Security Council resolution which, if adopted, would implement the vast majority of the recommendations made by the three panels. Russia has also proposed a draft resolution which in our view does not offer a realistic basis For agreement in the Council. Discussions on both drafts are continuing.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they and the United Nations Security Council intend to maintain the oil export ban against Iraq until they are satisfied that Iraq has disarmed in accordance with United Nations resolutions; and what guarantees they will seek that oil revenues are not used for the purposes of re-arming. [HL2640]

Our position remains that sanctions cannot be lifted until Iraq has complied with its obligations under Security Council resolutions, including its disarmament obligations. At present, under the UN oil-for-food programme, Iraq is allowed to export 5.2 billion dollars worth of oil every six months to purchase humanitarian supplies. The UN sanctions committee controls the revenue from those oil sales via an escrow account. We remain determined to enforce the sanctions regime and to limit as far as possible Iraq's ability to sell oil illegally to fund military procurement. British naval assets are deployed to the multinational Maritime Interdiction Force to prevent illegal oil trade through the Gulf. And our draft Security Council resolution calls for measures to ensure that any illegal trade in oil comes under the oil-for-food programme, so that the revenue can be controlled and used for humanitarian purposes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether a more intrusive system is needed to monitor weapons development in Iraq; and, if so, what action they are taking to ensure that the proposed United Nations Commission on Investigation, Inspection and Monitoring will provide such a system; and whether this is supported by other members of the Security Council; and [HL2638]Whether Iraq is fulfilling its United Nations obligations to disarm; whether a more intrusive system is needed to monitor disarmament in Iraq; and, if so, what action they are taking to ensure that such a system is implemented; and whether this is supported by other members of the Security Council. [HL2639]

The report of the panel established by the UN to consider disarmament issues explicitly recognised that Iraq had not met its disarmament obligations and that important questions remained unanswered. It also specifically endorsed the intrusive inspection regime provided for in earlier Security Council resolutions. It advocated a reinforced monitoring regime, integrating the disarmament and monitoring functions, and recognised that this would need in some ways to be more, not less, intrusive than before. To implement these recommendations, the UK/Dutch draft Security Council resolution creates a new body, the UN Commission on Inspection and Monitoring. UNCIM would have all UNSCOM's powers, rights and responsibilities and would be a larger and better-resourced organisation. Discussion on our draft continue in the Security Council.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What estimate they make of the civilian casualties, which have taken place and may be expected to occur consequent on the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, including estimates of the proportion of injuries to deaths, the nature of the injuries, the causes of death and the ages and sex of the victims. [HL2675]

We have no information on which to base an estimate of the number and nature of civilian casualties. The only information available is that which the Serb media broadcast which is clearly not reliable. But NATO goes to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they expect that Turkey, Norway, Iceland, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic will participate in the European Union's Common, Foreign and Security Policy formulation, presentation and enactment, as apparently proposed by the United States. [HL2643]

It is for the member states of the European Union to determine the direction and objectives of its Common Foreign and Security Policy. Certain associate countries of the European Union, including Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, are already invited to align their foreign policies with those of the European Union.The Treaty of Amsterdam provides for the EU to avail itself of the WEU to elaborate and implement decisions and actions of the Union which have defence implications. Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Norway and Iceland are all associate members of the WEU. It is the Government's policy that any changes to defence arrangements in Europe, including in the WEU, must take account of the interests and existing rights of WEU associates.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 12 May

We have made a number of approaches both formal and informal with a range of contacts in Syria, Jordan and Turkey. It would be disproportionately costly to research the dates and exact substance of these contacts.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will seek to harmonise the treatment of ethnic minorities in race relations legislation in all jurisdictions of the United Kingdom; and, in particular, whether they will ensure the travelling people who cross from Northern Ireland into the mainland of Britain are treated the same on both sides of the Irish Sea. [HL2755]

The Race Relations Act 1976 prohibits racial discrimination in the areas of employment, training and related matters, education, the provision of goods, facilities and services and in the disposal and management of premises in Great Britain. The Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 follows the lines of the Race Relations Act.Irish travellers are specifically described as a racial group in Article 5 of the Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 and receive protection from racial discrimination under the order. While the Race Relations Act 1976 does not include specific reference to Irish travellers, Irish people in general on the mainland are protected by the Act if they are discriminated against on the grounds of their nationality or ethnicity.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress is being made with trials of the improved police car siren known as White Noise Localiser and referred to in the House on 25 March (H.L. Deb., col. 1527). [HL2757]

Trials conducted by Leeds University have been concluded and I understand that it has provided the noble Lord with the findings. The emergency services, including some police forces, are assessing the suitability of the product.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many fatal accidents involving police cars have occurred in Great Britain since 1 March. [HL2759]

The information is not available centrally in the precise form requested. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary collects information on fatalities in those accidents involving police pursuits and immediate responses to emergency calls. The latest available data for forces in England and Wales relate to the financial year 1997–98 when there were 15 fatal accidents. I understand that there have been no fatal accidents in Scotland involving police cars for the period 1 March to 3 June 1999.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proportion of emergency calls requiring a police car to attend a scene speedily in the last six months for which figures are available have proved to be false alarms:

Some 703,000 calls to the Metropolitan Police required immediate response during 1997–98, and some 1,978,000 in the rest of England and Wales; but information on the proportion of false alarms, which would be difficult to define with precision, is not available centrally for England and Wales. The information requested is not collected in Scotland. In Scottish forces emergency calls are prioritised on their receipt but the police do not differentiate between calls answered by vehicle or by officers on foot.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they plan to publish the Commission for Racial Equality's 1998 annual report. [HL2856]

We have arranged for copies of the Commission for Racial Equality's 1998 report, which is being published today, to be placed in the Library.The report demonstrates the commission' s commitment to making racial equality a reality in Britain and shows how it is playing a positive role to promote the importance of equal opportunities.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have received the annual report for 1998 of the Complaints Audit Committee of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. [HL2857]

A copy of the report has been placed in the Library. It is a useful and informative document and we are grateful to the committee for its comments and its recommendations which will all be followed up. The report also includes details of the broadening of the committee's terms of reference to encompass quality of service issues.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to reduce VAT on renovations to dwellings, particularly in urban and city areas. [HL2728]

No. This is not possible under EC law; but tax is only one factor in meeting housing policy objectives and it may riot be the most effective. Land use planning clearly has a key role. The Government keep the use of economic instruments in helping to achieve environmental aims under continuous review.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will explain in ordinary English the meaning of the advertisement from the project manager of the Royal Parks Agency for proposals to develop a "playground dedicated to Diana, Princess of Wales, viz the design for the playground is required to create an outstanding, innovative play environment which caters not just for children's physical development but also provide opportunities for a wider range of play types (for example, symbolic, socio-dramatic, social creative, communication, exploratory, fantasy, imaginative, locomotor, mastery, object, role and dramatic play". [HL2611]

Responsibility for the subject of this Question has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency under its Chief Executive, David Welch, and I have therefore asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

asked the Leader of the House:Whether Lords who are in receipt of a pension from a former employment should declare that fact when promoting the interest of their former employers in the House of Lords. [HL2748]

Any Lord who takes part in a debate in the House should do so in the light of the resolution of the House of 7 November 1995 and the guidance set out in the Companion to the Standing Orders.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect the tri-national common new generation frigate to enter service; and how much later this date will be than that originally envisaged.[HL2701]

The common new generation frigate, CNGF, programme comprised two separate but linked collaborative UK/France/Italy projects; the principal anti-air missile system, PAAMS, and Project HORIZON which embraced the warship itself and all other weapon, command and communications systems. During the debate on defence equipment on 26 April 1999 in another place, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence announced (Official Report, cols. 50–1) that the three partners had concluded that, while collaboration on the PAAMS project would continue, it would not be cost-effective to continue to seek a single prime contractor for the HORIZON warship. We are now pursuing a national programme for the warship, which is to be known as the type 45 anti-air warfare destroyer.The original estimated in-service date, ISD, for CNGF was December 2002. This slipped, largely owing to the need to synchronise the warship and combat systems programmes, and the tri-nationally agreed ISD was amended to June 2004. The last offer from HORIZON industry in April 1999 pointed to a UK first of class being further delayed until 2007. We are confident that a national programme can be delivered within a similar timescale.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to ensure the integrity of the UK's nuclear weapon stockpile in the absence of underground weapon testing. [HL2855]

To underwrite the safety and reliability of our nuclear weapons in the absence of underground testing, we have recently approved plans to invest in the US National Ignition Facility. This will be a joint venture under the auspices of the 1958 UK/US Mutual Defence Agreement. It will guarantee the UK access to a high powered laser, which is a key element of our stewardship programme.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many health trusts have not established assertive outreach teams to help mentally ill people in the community to persist in required medication; and whether the 13 new teams authorised in the Budget have been set up. [HL2703]

Data are not yet available for the number of assertive outreach services to be provided in 1999–2000. Preliminary figures indicate that overall the health authorities intend to double the number of assertive outreach teams by March 2000.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will make available the latest information about the private and occupational pension entitlement of those entitled to state incapacity benefit, distinguishing between those transferred from the former invalidity benefit and those receiving respectively the higher rate and the lower rate of incapacity benefit awarded since 1995. [HL2694]

Information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.The table shows levels of occupational and personal pensions for all current incapacity benefit recipients. It is not possible to provide separate figures for former invalidity benefit recipients and people on different rates of incapacity benefit. No existing incapacity benefit recipient will be affected at the point of change by the proposal to take some account of occupational and personal pensions over £50 a week.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the likely timetable for parliamentary consideration of the Food Standards Bill. [HL2724]

We are intent on legislating in this Session if sufficient time is available.