asked Her Majesty's Government:With reference to Article 190(4) of the European Union's treaty on elections to the European Parliament, when the Council of Ministers received the proposals contained in the European Parliament's Resolution of 15 July 1998; and what recommendations for adoption the Council made to member states. [HL3222]

The Council has been considering the proposals for common principles for European Parliamentary Elections since the European Parliament adopted its resolution on 15 July 1998.No decisions can be made until the Council receives a formal proposal from the European Parliament following the entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam, which introduced Article 190(4).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which NATO capabilities they believe should not be duplicated within a European Strategic Defence Initiative. [HL3466]

The 4 December 1998 Franco-British St. Malo declaration made clear that, without unnecessary duplication of NATO, the European Union would need a capacity for analysis of situations, sources of intelligence and a capability for relevant strategic planning.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the European Commission has been monitoring the activities of Mr. Morningstar, the United States Secretary of State's Special Adviser on the Caspian region, who has been seeking to influence various governments concerning the legal status of the Caspian sea. [HL3517]

We understand that the European Commission is aware of Mr. Morningstar's activities and has had contacts with him in the form of exchanges of views and information.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the 107 million dollars that the United Nations purportedly owes the United States which is mentioned in a United States Senate Bill authorizing part of the back payments which the United States owes to the United Nations; and whether this debt is generally recognised. [HL3612]

The sum of 107 million dollars referred to in the draft legislation approved by the United States Senate represents reimbursements owed by the United Nations to the United States for contributions to United Nations peacekeeping operations. This sum is generally recognised.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress they have made in the development of (a) a measure and (b) a target for their objective of reducing in the long run the rate of the growth of crime. [HL3487]

A number of options for defining the measure are currently being considered and the measure and target are on course to be finalised by 31 October 1999 as noted in the Criminal Justice System Strategic and Business Plan published in March this year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What will be the baselines against which the achievement of the objectives (a) to reduce the level of disorder and (b) to reduce the fear of crime will be measured. [HL3488]

The baselines to be used in measuring achievement of the objectives to reduce the level of disorder and the fear of crime are still being considered.The

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made in the development of a measure for the objective of reducing the economic cost of crime. [HL3489]

Work on the measure to assess the economic costs of crime is on course for development by 31 March 2000, as noted in the Criminal Justice System Strategic and Business Plan published in March this year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made in the development of measures to assess the achievement of the objectives (a) to ensure just processes and outcomes in the criminal justice system and (b) to respect the rights of defendants. [HL3490]

Development of the measures is on course to be completed by 31 March 2000, as noted in the Criminal Justice System Strategic and Business Plan published in March this year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made in the development of measures to assess (a) the level of confidence in the criminal justice system and (b) the satisfaction of victims, witnesses and jurors with their treatment in the criminal justice system. [HL3491]

Work is on course for development by 31 March 2000 of the measure to assess the level of confidence in the criminal justice system.A range of questions is being considered for new surveys to measure the satisfaction of victims, witnesses and jurors. The surveys are on course for introduction by 31 March 2000.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many (a) anti-social behaviour orders; (b) sex offender orders; (c) parenting orders; (d) child safety orders; (e) drug treatment and testing orders; (f) reparation orders; (g) action plan orders; and (h) detention and training orders have been made by the courts to date under the provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. [HL3492]

At this stage, some of the information available centrally may not yet be complete. As far as I am aware the number of orders made in England and Wales up to 31 May 1999 (unless otherwise stated) is as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many local child curfew schemes have been put in place by local authorities under the provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. [HL3530]

Applying for a local child curfew is optional for local authorities, to be considered in the light of the wider crime and disorder strategies they are developing under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. No applications have yet been received.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When a draft Bill on the funding of political parties will be published. [HL3529]

It remains the Government's aim to publish a White Paper and draft Bill in response to the Neill Committee report on the funding of political parties before the Summer Recess.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in the light of the report made public on 5 July that accidents involving police vehicles in the London Metropolitan Police area have been occurring at an average rate of 16 a day, they will advise police authorities to continue to provide for effective readiness for immediate departures of their vehicles on receiving emergency calls but not to compete in times taken to reach destinations entailing excessive speed, ignoring traffic lights and disrupting other traffic. [HL3550]

Guidance on when it is appropriate to use rapid response by police vehicles is an operational issue for chief officers of police The Metropolitan Police's new safe driving policy demonstrates how the force is working to reduce the number of accidents which arise during responses to emergency calls and in pursuits.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many applications were made to the police forces in England and Wales for permission to transport an abnormal load in each of the last five calendar years; how many were granted; and at what cost to the police forces involved. [HL3552]

Notifications to move abnormal loads of up to 150 tonnes are made to the chief officer of police for the force area concerned. The information requested is not available centrally.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What medical factors were cited as the grounds for the transfer from prison to special hospital of Marwan Al Banna; who carried out the medical assessment; and what were their qualifications. [HL3362]

Mr. Al Banna was assessed as suffering from mental illness under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983. Two doctors carried out the medical assessment. One doctor held a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery and was a member of the Royal College of Psychiatry. The other doctor was a member of the Royal College of Psychiatry and a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners. This doctor was approved under the statutory requirements in Section 12 of the Mental Health Act 1983.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many personnel will be required to administer the voucher system envisaged in the Immigration and Asylum Bill; and how many asylum applications could these personnel process in the course of an average year if they were deployed for that purpose. [HL3601]

It is not certain at present how many personnel will be required solely to administer the voucher system. It is intended that the administration of the voucher scheme will be contracted out and contractual negotiations will take place during the Autumn. A small number of staff in the Asylum Support Directorate will be responsible for administering that contract.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What prior briefing was given to members of the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police who were on duty on 18 June at the riot in the City of London and elsewhere in London about subsection (4A) recently added to Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. [HL3504]

City of London police officers received full instructions in respect of Section 60(4) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 during briefings given by the force training centre in the run-up to the event.Within the Metropolitan Police Service, officers receive training on legislation on an ongoing basis. In this case it was identified that members of the forward intelligence teams were those most likely to use these powers and an additional briefing sheet covering Section 60(4A) powers was provided to those officers.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In respect of the riot which occurred in the City of London on 18 June and spilled over to other parts of London, how many persons were required by police officers, pursuant to Section 60(4A) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, to remove any item which the officer believed was being worn wholly or mainly to conceal the wearer's identity; and how many such items were seized pursuant to that subsection. [HL3505]

During the disturbances, the number of items seized under the provision of Section 60 was seven. None of the seven persons concerned was arrested as a result of this provision.A total of 16 items were retained by the police. Apart from the seven already mentioned, a further seven were found in various locations and two were seized as prisoners' property.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many persons were arrested pursuant to Section 24(2) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 during the recent riot in the City of London and elsewhere in London for failure to comply with a requirement by a police constable to remove a mask. [HL3506]

I understand that no arrests were made under this provision.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether there is a real need to renew a passport; and whether they would consider making a passport into a lifelong document. [HL3480]

United Kingdom passports are normally limited to a maximum validity of 10 years in accordance with international practice, in particular the International Standards and Recommended Practice of the International Civil Aviation Organisation Convention on International Civil Aviation, first issued in 1949, to which the British Government are a signatory. One of the main reasons most countries issue passports with a maximum validity of 10 years is to ensure that the photograph in the passport, which links the person to the document, does not get too far out of date and can no longer be accepted as a true likeness of the holder. There would be problems in identifying the holder if a passport was made into a lifetime document. There is therefore a real need to renew a passport and issuing a lifelong passport document would not be appropriate.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect Kosovar Albanians who came to the United Kingdom under the Humanitarian Evacuation Programme to return to Kosovo. [HL3627]

Kosovar Albanians who came to the United Kingdom under the Humanitarian Evacuation Programme (HEP) were granted leave to enter in line with close family members already settled in the United Kingdom or granted exceptional leave to enter for 12 months to provide them with temporary shelter as requested by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). My right honourable friend the Home Secretary, in his announcement about the change of policy to the HEP and the consideration of asylum applications from citizens of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) on 15 June, stated that no Kosovar Albanian would have their stay curtailed, nor would they be required to leave the United Kingdom until it was safe to do so.It is our intention to facilitate the return of any Kosovar Albanians who wish to return to Kosovo as soon as possible. In co-operation with the voluntary organisations in the refugee sector, the British Red Cross, UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration, we will be providing a voluntary return programme. We expect the first flight to take place in the week commencing 19 July. For those without passports, the necessary travel documentation will be provided for those on the return programme. The programme will be available to those FRY citizens from Kosovo who arrived on the HEP as well as those who arrived in the United Kingdom independently.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish for each police authority in England and Wales (a) validated figures showing the number of officers in each force as at 31 March, (b) the changes since March 1998, (c) the percentage changes in their budget and in the numbers of officers between 1 April 1998 and 31 March 1999 and (d) the overall number of police officers and civilian support staff at the latest available date. [HL3717]

The information requested is set out in the tables.The total number of police officers in England and Wales at 31 March 1999, taking account of officers seconded outside of their forces, was 126,096. This represents a reduction of 677 officers (0.5 per cent.) since March 1998.Between March 1992 and March 1999, the number of civilian support staff increased by 5,695 to 53,031.

asked Her Majesty's Government:On average what percentage of the income of those in the bottom 10 percentile of earnings is spent on:

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics who has been asked to reply.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What meetings have been held between Ministers at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Press Complaints Commission since 1 January 1999 to discuss (a) the extension of the Press Complaints Commission's power to investigate complaints of its own volition; or (b) other matters; and which Ministers attended such meetings. [HL3371]

None.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether English Heritage was within its rights in (a) intervening for research purposes and (b) moving "Seahenge" (the Bronze Age wooden structure discovered on the North Norfolk foreshore); and, if so, whether the law is sufficiently precise about newly discovered antiquities offshore other than wrecks. [HL3518]

The timber circle at Holme-Next-The-Sea is owned privately by the Le Strange Estate. English Heritage is acting within the terms of Sections 24(2) and (3A) of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 and with the full endorsement of the Le Strange Estate in excavating and removing the Timber Circle. As the site is not offshore but between the low and high water marks, the legislation which covers other monuments on land is applicable in this case.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to review the arrangements for the movement of nuclear weapons in the United Kingdom now that the RAF has relinquished its nuclear capability. [HL3718]

On 1 April 1999 the Chief of Defence Logistics assumed overall responsibility for the movement of nuclear weapons in the United Kingdom. The responsibility for the day-to-day movement of nuclear weapons is being moved, in phases, from RAF personnel to the Ministry of Defence Police, with support from AWE civilians and the Royal Marines. We have established an implementation team to manage the transfer, which will be completed by 31 March 2002. The process will occur gradually in recognition of the importance and complexity of the task. The MoD will continue to maintain the highest levels of safety and security during the convoy operations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will announce a firm date for the demolition of the former headquarters of the Department of the Environment at Number 2 Marsham Street; and, if not, why not. [HL3503]

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated under the terms of the Framework Document for Property Advisers to the Civil Estate. I have asked its Chief Executive, Mr. John Locke, to write to the noble Baroness.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What hygiene benefits accrue, in the continued absence of any evidence of pest infestation in a slaughterhouse, from requiring owners and operators to provide numbered bait points and a plan showing the location of those bait points. [HL3108]

All licensed slaughterhouses are required by law to have "adequate protection against the entry of insects, vermin and birds". The use by slaughterhouse operators and occupiers of a documented, verifiable system for the identification and elimination of insects and pests, which includes, among other things, the use of numbered bait points and bait plans, is considered best practice and is not in itself a statutory requirement. The use of such systems identifies emerging pest problems thereby keeping any risk to the hygienic operation of the premises to the minimum.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What recent action has been taken to enforce the Import of Live Fish (England and Wales) Act 1980. [HL3614]

The Prohibition of Keeping or Release of Live Fish (Specified Species) Order 1998, made under the Import of Live Fish (England and Wales) Act 1980, introduced new measures to protect native flora and fauna in England and Wales. Under the terms of the order a licence is required to keep or release certain non-native fish species. Since the new licensing arrangements were brought into effect on 1 November 1998, over 550 licences have been issued in England and Wales. Enforcement of the order is being carried out jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture's Fish Health Inspectorate and the Environment Agency. The first case under the new arrangements involving the unlicensed introduction of non-native fish was successfully prosecuted by the Environment Agency on 2 July.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made towards the establishment of the Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs. [HL3646]

We are delighted to announce the appointment of 13 members to the new Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs. This committee will provide valuable independent advice to the future food standards agency and agriculture Ministers. By examining the safety and use of animal feedingstuffs, which are an integral part of the food chain, the committee will play a key role in promoting food safety in the UK. Reviewing the implications of new developments, particularly the use of genetically modified materials, will be especially important.The 13 members and their main area of expertise are Dr. Ian Brown (occupational health), Mr. John Cheetham (local authority enforcement), Dr. Andrew Chesson (animal nutrition), Mrs. Gilli Davies (consumer), Mr. Paul Foxcroft (animal by-products), Dr. John Heritage (novel technology), Mrs. Fiona Hodgson (lay member), Mr. Robert Moore (veterinary practice), Mr. Andrew Peddie (farming), Dr. Helen Raine (feed compounding), Dr. Desmond Rice (feed compounding and veterinary background), Professor Ian Shaw (toxicology) and Dr. Michael Stringer (microbiology), Professor Phillip Thomas was appointed chairman on 12 April.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the regular increase in tubercular lesions in cattle between 1995 and 1998, revealed in the Written Answer by Lord Donoughue on 1 July (

In August 1998, the Government announced a five-point strategy of research and controls to deal with bovine tuberculosis, taking forward the recommendations of Professors Krebs and Bourne. This strategy was recently endorsed by the House of Commons Agriculture Select Committee as representing the best way forward. The Government's response to the committee's report was published on 5 July and sets out the steps being taken to control this disease.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ban the use of lindane for seed treatment. [HL3581]

We have now banned the use of lindane to treat seeds in England, Scotland and Wales. We have considered carefully the representations received as a result of our announcement of 18 June that we planned to implement in full the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides. We understand that the decision will cause real difficulties to some companies and farmers, but we have not received any further evidence to suggest that the risk to operators from treating seed with lindane was significantly less than that assessed by the committee. We have therefore acted, with my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, Scottish Ministers and the Welsh Assembly to revoke the approvals for the use of lindane to treat seed as of 7 July. Similar steps are being taken in Northern Ireland.The committee has advised that the risk to farmers from using lindane-treated seed is acceptably low. Farmers may also adopt other strategies to combat pests including other cereal seed treatments or crop sprays.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the proposed housing density at the Millennium Village development in Greenwich; and how it compares with the housing density in the Hampstead Garden Suburb or another comparable area. [HL3528]

The Greenwich Millennium Village occupies a site of 14.6 hectares. The proposals are for the eventual construction of 1,377 dwellings. This results in a housing density of just over 94 dwellings per hectare. I understand that when Hampstead Garden Suburb was laid out the density ranged from eight to 12 houses per acre, depending on the type of housing involved. This corresponds to approximately 20 to 30 houses per hectare.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action is being taken to prevent the importation of musk into the United Kingdom and the European Union. [HL3565]

The United Kingdom strictly implements the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) which prohibits the import of products (including perfume) from the most endangered species of Musk deer (Moschus spp).There is no recorded United Kingdom trade in wild musk pods during the last five years. Her Majesty's Customs and Excise report 29 seizures (comprising 50,000 items) of illegally imported musk products since 1994. All were ingredients in traditional medicine products.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether there will be more than one level of precision available for the Galileo global positioning system. [HL3593]

The European Commission's communication Galileo—involving Europe in a new generation of satellite navigation services envisages three levels of service but no final decision has been taken on this proposal. The number of levels of service which could be provided for Galileo will be determined during the definition phase of the project, which has recently started.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the basic level of precision for the Galileo global positioning system will be freely available, as is currently the case with the United Stales global positioning system. [HL3594]

The European Commission's communication Galileo—involving Europe in a new generation of satellite navigation services envisages that the basic level of service would be freely available. However, no final decision has been taken on this proposal. Work during the definition phase will help determine how the system might be funded and its costs recovered.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the basic level of precision for the Galileo global positioning system will be of use as part of the guidance system of a missile. [HL3595]

The security aspects of the basic level of precision for the Galileo global positioning system are yet to be determined.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What arrangements are envisaged for the Galileo global positioning system so that appropriate and immediate action can be taken in the event of a hostile missile or unmanned aircraft attack being detected. [HL3596]

Work during the definition phase of Galileo will clarify and help to establish the exact details of the control, management and operation of any system. This work will also clarify what type of security controls might need to be incorporated into the system.