asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made by the continuing programme of development aid to rebuild Montserrat's economic infrastructure. [HL3652]

I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development in another place to my honourable friend the Member for Stevenage (Mrs. Follett) on 14 July 1999, Official Report, col. 220.In addition, we have committed £2.7 million for road repairs, with associated plant and equipment costing a further £600,000. We have also improved the electricity and water supplies in the north of the island. We have funded the construction of business premises, costing £700,000, and are also supporting a project to encourage the revival of the private sector through the provision of loans, training and retail space for small enterprises. External transport links to Antigua have been maintained and a project to upgrade the heliport to basic International Civil Aviation Organisation standards is currently under way. Consultants will be appointed shortly to begin the design work required to rehabilitate WH Bramble airport. Since 1997 we have financed a number of improvements to the Little Bay Jetty to lengthen its economic life. Work will start soon on the improvement of landside facilities to enable the efficient and safe handling of Montserrat's goods trade over the next five years.These measures are being taken forward as part of a programme of priority actions for the rebuilding of Montserrat agreed in the Montserrat Country Policy Plan by Her Majesty's Government and the Government of Montserrat.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to bring forward policies to support the Secretary of State for International Development's contention that the Catholic church is playing a "deeply obstructive role" in the development of women's reproductive health, as reported in the

We recognise the contribution of the Catholic Church to development. However, we do not agree with its position concerning reproductive health and contraception.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the statement by the Baroness Hollis of Heigham on 1 July (H.L. Deb., cols. 437–442), whether there is a conflict in Scotland between the proposed formula for child support payments in Great Britain and the duty to maintain contact with estranged children, as laid down in Sections 1 and 2 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1996. [HL3576]

There is no conflict.Sections 1 and 2 of the Children (Scotland) 1995 Act set out the responsibilities of parents and include their right to maintain personal relations and direct contact with children if they are not living with each other.The proposals for reform set out in the White Paper

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the price range within which the National Health Service purchases the basic wheelchair. [HL3661]

There are three main suppliers of basic wheelchairs to the National Health Service: Remploy Healthcare, R & B Lomax Ltd and Invacare (UK) Ltd. They all supply both user-propelled and attendant controlled chairs. Prices range from a "one chair only" price to a "commitment of 500 to 749 chairs" as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Good Friday Agreement prohibits the exclusion of Sinn Fein from the Northern Ireland Executive if the IRA fail to decommission their arms and ammunition by May 2000. [HL3558]

Under the Good Friday Agreement, decisions on exclusion from ministerial office are for the Assembly to take on a cross-community basis. Paragraph 25 of Strand One and paragraphs 1–6 of the decommissioning section are the relevant provisions. The exclusion provisions are given effect by Section 30 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why it is not possible to exclude those who default on a commitment to decommissioning, or on actual decommissioning, from the Northern Ireland Assembly. [HL3524]

There is no provision in the Good Friday Agreement for exclusion in any circumstances from the Assembly. Paragraph 25 of Strand One of the agreement provides for exclusion from ministerial office by decision of the Assembly taken on a cross-community basis. This is given effect by Section 30 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. To take the decision away from the Assembly and provide for automatic exclusion in defined circumstances would go beyond the Good Friday Agreement.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in the event of a default on the requirement to decommission arms by Sinn Féin/IRA the Northern Ireland Assembly were suspended, further legislation would be required to establish a new assembly which excluded the defaulting parties; and, if not, under what power such an Assembly would be set up. [HL3525]

These matters are relevant to the Northern Ireland Bill, debated in the House on 14 July. Under that Bill as presented, a suspension period would be brought to an end, and devolved power restored, by order of the Secretary of State in accordance with Clause 2. Clause 4(6) deals with the consequences of the exclusion of a party from ministerial office. There is no provision, under existing or proposed legislation, for exclusion from the Assembly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the timetable or time limits over which General de Chastelain is to preside will be included in the Northern Ireland legislation which is to establish an Assembly. [HL3526]

The Assembly has already been established by the Northern Ireland (Elections) Act 1998 and will assume devolved powers under the provisions of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. The Northern Ireland Bill, currently before the House, provides for suspension of the devolved powers of the Assembly if, among other matters, the Decommissioning Commission reports that there has been a failure to take, in accordance with the Joint Statement, a step specified by the Commission. Paragraph 3 of the Joint Statement provides for the process of decommissioning to begin within the period specified by the Commission. Paragraph 4 provides for the Commission to specify that actual decommissioning is to start within a specified time.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to phase in the increases in business rates payable in London following the non-domestic rating revaluation due to take effect in April 2000. [HL3738]

We fully understand concerns about the revaluation and the need of those likely to be affected to know, as early as possible, how they will be affected. They need time to plan ahead. However, we do not yet have complete information about the detailed effects of the revaluation, and will not do so for a while.We therefore aim to publish in late September a consultation paper outlining options for handling the impact of revaluation in England. We recognise the need in formulating the proposals for this consultation paper, to take account of the views of those likely to be affected. We are therefore convening a consultative forum of representative national bodies to consider the issue and I expect the first meeting to be later this summer.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to set absolute traffic reduction targets (a) for the country as a whole; and (b) for London; and, if so, when and what steps will be put in place to achieve such targets. [HL3739]

We are making good progress in implementing the package of measures set out in last year's Integrated Transport White Paper needed to tackle traffic growth. We intend to publish our first report on the issue of whether to set a national traffic reduction target, under the Road Traffic Reduction (National Targets) Act 1998, by the end of this year. As regards London, it must be for the Mayor to take a view on the part that traffic reduction measures should play in an integrated transport strategy for the capital.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Traffic Commissioner in the Western area who recently attended the opening of the new bus depot at Filwood, Bristol was able to satisfy himself that there would be no increase in the incidence of respiratory disease, especially in young children, in the residential area around the new bus depot; what inquiries the Traffic Commissioner made about the monitoring of air quality; and what assurances he was given by the FirstGroup Company on this matter. [HL3694]

Traffic Commissioners have no powers over the siting of new bus depots. Consideration of any such developments which require planning permission would be a matter for the local planning authority. Local authorities are able to take account of air quality considerations in undertaking their land use planning responsibilities.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the outcome of the talks to discuss implementation of the Washington Accord held in Washington between the Kurdish parties of northern Iraq, attended by representatives of the United Kingdom Government; and what they will do to promote the establishment of an interim assembly, joint administration and revenue pooling in the area controlled by the two groups. [HL3410]

Senior delegations of the Kurdish Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan met in Washington 16–25 June to discuss implementation of the September 1998 Washington Agreement. Representatives of the UK and Turkey attended four plenary sessions. The talks focused on: ending negative press statements; efforts against the PKK; opening reciprocal party offices; the return of internally displaced persons; revenue sharing; setting up an interim assembly and preparing voter lists for regional elections. We will continue to work with both parties, and the US and Turkey, to promote progress on these and other matters within the framework of the Ankara Peace Process, while remaining fully committed to the territorial integrity of Iraq.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether there is any difference in the taxes levied upon a passenger vehicle modified for the use of disabled persons before being imported and those levied upon similar vehicles first imported and then modified in the United Kingdom. [HL3630]

Motor vehicles which have been designed, or substantially and permanently adapted, to carry a disabled person in a wheelchair or on a stretcher may be imported without customs duty and import VAT by a disabled person for his or her personal or domestic use. Charities which make such vehicles available to disabled people may also import them free of customs duty and import VAT, subject to Department of Trade and Industry approval.Unadapted imported motor vehicles are liable to customs duty and import VAT at the standard rate. Subsequent adaptations to suit the condition of a disabled person may be zero rated for VAT purposes.There is more information in Customs Notice 371,

asked the Leader of the House:Whether Parliament need not be inhibited by the

As was made clear in the reply given by the Home Secretary on 15 April to a question in another place (col. 314), in coming to the decision required of him by the Extradition Act and the European Convention on Extradition, my right honourable friend had regard to what was alleged in the request for Senator Pinochet's extradition to have happened before 8 December 1988, when the Senator lost immunity, but only in so far as it was relevant to the criminality of what was alleged to have happened after that date. He had regard to the question whether acts of torture after that date were done in the course of a conspiracy begun before, such as to amount to an accusation of a conspiracy to torture continuing after that date for the purposes of section 7(5) of the Act. Accordingly, Parliament is inhibited by the sub judice rule when debating the case of Senator Pinochet from referring to events in Chile relevant to the extradition proceedings both before and after that date.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether in the light of the recently received Rogers Report,

A local education authority that wishes to close a school must first publish proposals, following local consultation. The proposals provide for a period of two months during which objections may be made to them. If there are objections, the proposals fall to the Secretary of State to decide. I cannot make any comment on the proposals for Merrywood and Pen Park Schools as it might be seen as prejudging any decision which my right honourable friend the Secretary of State is called upon to make on these schools. He will of course consider each case carefully on its merits taking account of any objections, the comments of Bristol local education authority and all other factors that appear to him to be relevant.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they plan to announce their strategy to combat the threat posed by biological and chemical weapons. [HL3809]

I have today placed in the Library of the House a paper setting out the conclusions of our review into the necessary defence response to the threat posed by biological and chemical weapons. The paper, entitled Defending Against the Threat from Biological and Chemical Weapons, explains our policy and the ways in which we plan to develop our capabilities further.We will continue to pursue, through international agreement, the verifiable elimination of biological and chemical weapons. Valuable progress has been made in recent years as a result of this country's efforts, but there is a long way to go before our objectives are met in full. In the meantime, we recognise that the use, or threatened use, of these weapons remains one of the challenges we must face.We place a high priority on ensuring that our Armed' Forces are protected, with the training and equipment they need to deal with the risks such weapons continue to pose. We are enhancing our capabilities with a range of equipment programmes—for example, by bringing into service additional Prototype Biological Detection Systems. We are also establishing the Joint Nuclear, Biological and Chemical, NBC, Regiment, and an NBC Defence Headquarters.We have also set up a new Directorate in the Ministry of Defence to co-ordinate and take forward work: on NBC defence issues. The Directorate will maintain a rolling plan of action and report progress to the Secretary of State on a regular basis. In total we plan to spend over £270 million in this area over the next three years.No one should believe that the use, or threatened use, of biological or chemical weapons would determine the outcome of a conflict involving this country or deter this Government from taking action it believes is right.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have compared the results of research into the causes of illness suffered by farm workers who have come into contact with organophosphate sheep dips with the results of research into the causes of undiagnosed Gulf War illnesses; and, if so, what conclusions they have drawn. [HL3625]

:The independent scientific Veterinary Products Committee (VPC) advises Ministers on veterinary medicines, including organophosphorus (OP) sheep dips. A sub-committee of the VPC, the Medical and Scientific Panel (MSP), considers and advises on the results of research into the effects on humans of OPs. Information on OPs research is exchanged between the departments concerned through a liaison group of which the Ministry of Defence is a member.I am advised the Ministry of Defence has noted the publication of the Institute of Occupational Medicine report into the effects of exposure to organophosphate sheep dips and is studying the report carefully to assess whether its findings have any bearing on the MOD's own considerations of organophosphates in the context of Gulf veterans' illnesses

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of all contracts entered into by the Prison Service with Kairos; how much they have paid to Kairos since the inception of its operations; and whether they consider that the trustees have conformed with the Charities Acts. [HL3639]

I refer the noble Lord to the reply I gave him on 16 June (WA 33–34). The Prison Service has no formal contracts with the Kairos-APAC Trust but there were some "Partnership Agreements". Copies of these were placed in the Library on 7 June. Payments for services provided by the Kairos-APAC Trust as at 15 July amount to £87,643 and further payments of approximately £13,000 are anticipated. No further payments will be made either to Kairos or its successor body for services provided after 30 June. Whether the trustees have conformed with the Charities Act is a matter for the Charity Commission. However, I understand that the Commission has undertaken an investigation into the management of the Kairos-APAC Trust and has decided, particularly as the trust is now being dissolved, that no further action on its part is required.