asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they are planning significant new measures to assist the Government of Afghanistan in resisting the growth of the Taliban insurgency.[HL6627]

Localised attempts by the Taliban to test the resolve of the nations deploying military assets into the south of Afghanistan, the coalition's current high tempo of activities across southern Afghanistan and the increased amount of reporting of incidents as a result of the UK presence in Helmand collectively give the impression of a growing insurgency. Overall, however, the security situation is broadly stable, if fragile, in certain areas and the insurgency, which we assess accounts for no more than about one-fifth of all incidents in Helmand, does not pose a credible strategic threat to the stability of Afghanistan.

The UK provides a variety of types of assistance to the Afghan Government's efforts to exercise their authority and to extend the rule of law. Our Armed Forces are undertaking operations in Helmand to help to create an environment in which institutional capacity can be built and development programmes put into effect. This activity forms part of an integrated strategy, involving the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development and the Ministry of Defence, designed to support Afghanistan's central and provincial institutions. We intend to accelerate this activity as the security situation improves. In addition, in Kabul, the UK supports the Afghan Government’s Taliban reconciliation programme in its attempts to draw former Taliban and other insurgents into the accountable, democratic process.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 20 June (WA 67), how many children are awaiting assessment for autistic spectrum disorder in each of the areas covered by the seven early intervention teams operating within Northern Ireland; and what is the maximum waiting time in each area.[HL6623]

The information requested is not held centrally and will take some time to collate. I will write to the noble Lord with the relevant information as soon as it becomes available and place a copy in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What proposals they intend to bring forward to optimise and sustain the work of Autism Northern Ireland.[HL6624]

The Government value the services of Autism NI in working to promote the needs of those with autistic spectrum disorders. In 2005-06, the Government, through the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, provided Autism NI with funding of £46,148 to support its administration and management costs. Similar core funding will continue in 2006-07.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 20 June (WA 68), what would be the estimated annual cost of increasing the current family premium and dependent children's allowances by amounts that would raise income support and jobseeker's allowance to the same level as 60 per cent of the 2005-06 median equivalised weekly household income after housing costs.[HL6640]

It is not possible to provide the information in the format requested. Financial support for children is now paid through the child element of the child tax credit and is administered by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC). All families with children are also entitled to claim child benefit, which is also administered by HMRC.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What plans there are for the closure of the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina.[HL6674]

At the meeting of the steering board of the Peace Implementation Council on 22 and 23 June, it was agreed that the Office of the High Representative should begin preparations to close on 30 June 2007. This decision will be subject to final review and confirmation in February 2007, to take into account the domestic and regional situations before closure goes ahead.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their assessment of the progress that Bosnia-Herzegovina has made towards signing a stabilisation and association agreement with the European Union.[HL6675]

The negotiations between the EU and Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) on a stabilisation and association agreement (SAA) have been progressing well. There has been positive feedback from Brussels on the high standard of the negotiating team from Bosnia-Herzegovina.

If the political conditions that were agreed by the General Affairs Council in November 2005 are met, negotiations could potentially be concluded by the end of 2006. However, there has been little progress towards the implementation of the agreement of police restructuring, due largely to the obstruction of politicians from the Republika Srpska. Furthermore, there has been little indication of progress towards full co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. These two issues represent the greatest obstacles that BiH must overcome in order to conclude an SAA this year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine causes environmental and pollution problems; and, if so, what are those problems.[HL6583]

Illegal manufacture of methamphetamine in so-called “illicit laboratories” carries with it risks of fire, explosion and chemical leakage. As such, implicit in the process are certain environmental hazards relating to exposure to toxic chemicals and exposure to fire or explosion. Anecdotal evidence from the USA suggests that the cost for law enforcement agencies of clearing up an illicit laboratory is high due to the requirement for protective clothing and decontamination equipment.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), which advises the Government on issues of drug misuse in the UK, has recently recommended that methamphetamine be reclassified as a class A drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. We have accepted the recommendation. Its status as a class A drug will enable law enforcement agencies to take a more proactive stance against this dangerous drug.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have plans to define further and develop policing targets relating to the trade, distribution and use of illegal drugs beyond those referred to in the National Policing Plan 2005-08.[HL6585]

Work is ongoing to refine and develop the performance management framework for crime, drugs and policing. Part of this work will consider whether new or revised performance indicators relating to the trade, distribution and use of illegal drugs are needed and, if so, what if any targets should be set. The Home Office is progressing this work in consultation with partners including the Association of Chief Police Officers and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

With reference to the form set out in Part 1 of the Schedule to the Representation of the People (Form of Canvass) (England and Wales) Regulations 2006, (a) what are the details that have to be provided if the box labelled “All residents not entitled to vote due to their nationality” is ticked; (b) whether the space for providing those details is adequate; (c) whether the details that have to be provided include the names and nationality of the residents, and why that information is required; (d) why similar information is not required from persons who are not entitled to vote due to their nationality but are resident at an address where another resident is entitled to vote; and (e) whether that information will or may be made available to any person other than an electoral registration officer; if so, to whom; and for what purpose.[HL6566]

(a)/(c) The purpose of this box is to allow the electoral registration officer to be satisfied that the form has been completed correctly. For example, if the form is returned with this section reading “All residents are French”, the registration officer could return the form with an explanation that EU citizens are, in fact, entitled to vote in local and European elections. Although the exact details required in this section are not specified, there is no requirement for a person to provide the names of non-eligible people.

(b) We believe that the space provided should be adequate, although a person could use a separate sheet if they wished to do so. In addition, registration officers have some flexibility in how they use the form set in regulations and so could choose to make this box larger if they felt that this was necessary.

(d) The purpose of section 3 of the form is to ensure that a person may comply with their legal duty to respond to a request for information from a registration officer in circumstances in which no eligible electors are to be added to the form. For this reason, similar information is not required when at least one member of a household is entitled to register.

In previous years, the section did not include tick-boxes, but had the text, “No one eligible”: “If no one (including yourself) in your household should be included in part 2 above, please write ‘no one’ in part 2 above and give the reason”.

(e) In line with data protection principles, information provided will not be passed on to any other person or organisation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Triesman on 26 June (WA 124-5) and in light of the reported statement by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 8 June that, “We want to be close to citizens, but we can't end up with less efficiency because decisions are not being taken”, what factors led to the withdrawal of their opposition to the opening of European Council meetings to the public.[HL6647]

We believe it is important to ensure greater transparency in practice in the Council of Ministers, not just in theory, and that the right balance needs to be struck between efficiency and openness. We made real progress on transparency during the UK presidency of the EU. The European Council in June agreed both to increase the number of debates and deliberations open to the public, and to review the new practice in six months. We support that agreement and look forward to the outcome of the review.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

On how many occasions Ministers or government departments, on receiving a draft decision notice from the Office of the Information Commissioner on a complaint under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, have asked to make representations on points of substance; in how many of those cases the Information Commissioner agreed to make alterations to the decision notice; and whether they have plans to review the process so as to ensure that in future complainants are made aware of draft decisions and of any alterations made at the behest of Ministers or departments.[HL6631]

This information is not collected centrally. The Information Commissioner is responsible for the content of his decision notices.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Drayson on 20 June (WA 74), which referred to the “wider interest in and importance” of the Pensions Appeal Tribunal's decisions in October and December 2005 in claims for Gulf War Syndrome, whether they will arrange for copies of the decisions to be placed in the Library of the House and to be sent to ex-service organisations helping veterans of the conflict and the families of those who have died.[HL6576]

Arrangements will be made, subject to the agreement of the parties involved, for copies of the October and December 2005 Pensions Appeal Tribunal decisions to be placed in the Library of the House. Decisions made by the Pensions Appeal Tribunal are not routinely circulated, as they are particular to the case under appeal and should not be treated as a precedent for other appeals. However, given the wider interest in these cases, the Pensions Appeal Tribunal has agreed to arrange for the decisions to be placed on its website.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many prosecutions have been brought to date under the Hunting Act 2004.[HL6636]

The Hunting Act 2004 came into force on 18 February 2005. Data on the number of prosecutions in 2005 will be available in the autumn.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How much has each of the priority countries been allocated from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Global Opportunities Fund in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 budget; and which of the six themes received a budget line in each country.[HL6415]

In 2005-06, there were six programmes within the Global Opportunities Fund (GOF), each with its own priority countries. These are listed below, together with the amount spent in each of the priority countries. This does not include regional and multilateral initiatives that operated across a number of priority countries.

For 2006-07, the GOF has expanded to 10 programmes with the addition of the Afghanistan counter-narcotics programme, the overseas territories programme, the drugs and crime programme and the migration programme.

In many cases, there is no fixed allocation to priority countries at the beginning of the financial year. Decisions on allocation of programme funds are made by project selection boards, on the basis of project bids, which are assessed against programme strategies. Furthermore, initial allocations to projects within priority countries may change throughout the year for a range of reasons, such as activities being less expensive than anticipated. It is therefore not possible to give figures for allocations to priority countries at this stage in the financial year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What training programmes in native Iraqi languages are currently available to troops prior to deployment in Iraq; what levels of proficiency are taught; and how many personnel have taken each of the courses available in the years 2003, 2004 and 2005.[HL6691]

There are three courses specialising in Iraqi language training available for troops prior to deployment to Iraq, each with a different proficiency level. The numbers undertaking this training over the past three training years are shown in the table below.

In addition to these three courses Cascade Training takes place at unit level during pre-deployment training over anything up to six months. The training is undertaken by those who have completed the Basic Patrol Arabic Course augmented by specially appointed and trained Operational Unit Education Officers. Once deployed, training is continued by the same staff augmented by the Theatre Education Centre. Every soldier is also issued with a language card which is taught during pre-deployment training and is practised regularly by all in theatre. Other courses are available but not routinely undertaken by those deploying to Iraq.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps they are taking to reassure the Muslim community in the United Kingdom regarding its future security, following recent terrorist incidents in the Middle East and elsewhere.[HL6628]

The Government brought forward measures in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (as amended by the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001) and the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 to provide protection to people who are victimised because of their religious beliefs.

In addition, the Government are continuing the process of engagement with Muslim communities and are working with them on issues such as security, protecting the communities from radicalisation, and combating Islamophobia. One of the recommendations from the “Preventing Extremism Together” working groups’ report was the creation of local forums. These forums will allow for a diverse range of members of the British Muslim community, local law enforcement agencies and public service agencies to come together to discuss issues relating to tackling Islamophobia and extremism. They will also provide a safe space for discussion and sharing views, and allow for the channelling of ideas and new thinking in dealing with extremism. Three of these have now taken place.

The new Commission on Integration and Cohesion, which was announced on 28 June 2006, will examine how different communities can live together, respecting differences but with a shared sense of belonging and purpose. It will also examine the issues that raise tensions between different groups in different areas and which lead to segregation and conflict. Lastly, the Government are supporting a number of projects addressing Islamophobia and providing opportunities for Muslims to share their concerns.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What representations they propose to make to the Government of Nepal with regard to compliance with Security Council Resolution 1325 by inviting women to participate at the peace negotiations; by ensuring that they have representation on the draft constitution committee; and by developing their own national plan on implementation of 1325, in line with the United Nations action plan.[HL6579]

While the peace negotiations and the interim constitution drafting committee are matters for the Nepalis, we support and encourage representation of all groups in the current peace process and the future constituent assembly.

My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, Ian McCartney, met the Nepalese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 20 June. We will continue our dialogue with the Government of Nepal on human rights and other issues, including women's inclusion in the democratic process.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 6 June (WA 184), when was the last occasion when the chair of the Parole Board was a full-time appointment; and why they decided to make it a part-time appointment.[HL6260]

The chair of the Parole Board was a full-time position until 2000. The change to three days a week reflected the assessment of the requirements of this post at that time. We currently see no reason for changing that assessment, although it will be reviewed again when we make a new appointment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How much Peace II funding has been available for allocation in Northern Ireland; and how much has been allocated.[HL6536]

The table below details the amount of funding available and the amount allocated under Peace II (2000-2004) and the Peace II extension (2005-06) in Northern Ireland. These figures exclude priority 6, which provides technical assistance for Peace II management, monitoring, evaluation, research and publicity. An exchange rate of £1=€1.55 has been used for 2000-2004 and £1=€1.45 for 2005-06.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many applications West Tyrone Voice has made for Peace II funding; whether any of these applications were unsuccessful; if so, for what reasons; and whether they will place in the Library of the House all documentation relating to the applications.[HL6554]

West Tyrone Voice has made 18 applications for Peace II funding. Ten of these applications have been successful, three have been withdrawn and three other applications are currently awaiting a final decision. Two applications were unsuccessful, as they failed to meet the minimum threshold score in the reconciliation criteria. All relevant documentation on applications will be placed in Library as requested.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What would be the cost, both gross and net, in 2015 and 2020 of retaining the adult dependency allowance for partners aged 60 to 65.[HL6731]

The information requested is set out in the table below. The Government's proposal in the White Paper Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system, published in May 2006, to abolish the adult dependency increase would not affect those entitled to it prior to the change; they would remain entitled to it until 2020. We are reinvesting the savings to provide better state pensions, particularly for women.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When the new policing college near Cookstown, County Tyrone, will be completed; and at what cost.[HL6236]

The original outline business case for the new police college estimated a cost of £74.6 million for construction. With professional fees and land costs, this gave a total projected cost in the 2002 outline business case of £102.9 million. A revised outline business case has since been submitted to the department, which estimates the cost, on the basis of prices at the fourth quarter of 2006, at £134.15 million.

The Government have advised the Northern Ireland Policing Board and PSNI that it will make up to £90 million available for the new college and work is ongoing to explore a number of options to take this project forward. Construction of the college will begin as soon as that work is complete, but it is too early to say at this stage when the college will be completed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether progress has been made towards the implementation of Patten recommendation 131 relating to the proposed Police Service of Northern Ireland training college at Desertcreat near Cookstown; and whether they remain committed to providing adequate funding for the project.[HL6656]

The Government have advised the Northern Ireland Policing Board and PSNI that it will make up to £90 million available for the new college and work is ongoing to explore a number of options to take this project forward. Construction of the college will begin as soon as that work is complete, but it is too early to say at this stage when the college will be completed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why figures on the estimated set-up costs relating to each police force merger in England and Wales were published in the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 25 April (WA 16) when a further Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 17 May (WA 47) indicated that such information was still under review by Ministers.[HL5879]

The estimated cost of restructuring set out in my written reply of 25 April (WA 16) was an accurate current assessment of costs and savings. These are being refined as part of a process of negotiation currently taking place and will be taken into account as part of the process referred to in my reply of 17 May (WA 47).

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 19 June (WA 64), how the Department for Work and Pensions will provide help and support for customers unable to open a bank account because of disability, old age or illness and who are ineligible for assistance of the sort provided by sub-postmasters and mistresses in opening a Post Office card account.[HL6668]

This will depend on the needs and circumstances of the customers concerned and the range of account options that are available as customers move from Post Office card accounts to having their benefit or pension paid into a bank account or a new Post Office product. Our priority will be to ensure that this is a straightforward process for the customer. Customers who have managed to open and operate a Post Office card account should be able to do the same with at least a basic bank account. As we have done in the past, supportcould, where appropriate, include helping customers complete an application form to open a bank account and obtaining the required documents to prove their identity.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the evaluation report on the pilot schemes for the migration of Post Office card account holders to banking facilities has been published.[HL6670]

My honourable friend James Plaskitt will make a Written Ministerial Statement and place a summary report of our findings in the Library in due course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How much they have spent in each of the last five years on grants to voluntary organisations for the provision of housing, aftercare and training for ex-prisoners; and what sums they propose to spend for these purposes in each of the next five years.[HL6246]

It is not possible to identify grants made specifically to support ex-prisoners, as in many cases the organisations funded are working across several purposes and with ex-prisoners, prisoners and those on community sentences. Grants made centrally by the Home Office to voluntary sector organisations working in this area in the past two years were: in 2004-05, £7.6 million; and, in 2005-06, £8.7 million. In 2006-07, they are planned to be £8.9 million. In addition, grants of £7.5 million, £8 million, and £8.1 million respectively were made/are planned for the provision of voluntary sector approved premises that house people under supervision in the community. For future years, spending plans have not been finalised to this level of detail. These figures do not include grants made by local probation boards, as these figures are not held centrally.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What contingency plans they have made for when the prison population exceeds 80,000.[HL6461]

We have developed long-term strategic plans and, in support of this, we are reviewing contingency plans, which include a range of options to deal with short-term population pressures. We will ensure that places are available for those prisoners committed by the courts. We continue to actively investigate options for providing further increases in capacity.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are the salary and time requirements for the chairmen of public bodies appointed by the Secretary of State for Transport.[HL6591]

The remuneration and time commitment for the chairs of the Department for Transport's non-departmental public bodies are set out in the table below. The information is correct as at 31 March 2006, except for the current chair of the Strategic Rail Authority, who was appointed on1 April 2006.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, in future train operating franchises, inter-city train operating companies will be prevented from adding substantial amounts of recovery time between the last intermediate station and the final destination in order that trains which have been consistently late at intermediate stops may arrive at the final station on time, or within the permitted number of minutes late to qualify as on time, thus avoiding penalties for lateness.[HL6602]

Responsibility for producing the national rail timetable lies with Network Rail. New passenger franchises which are let by the department include provisions for maximum journey times. Timetable changes should ensure the best balance between what time is actually required for sections of a journey, and the need to offer the shortest reliable end-to-end journey times.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many pupils will transfer from Saints and Scholars Integrated Primary School, Armagh City, for the next academic year, commencing in autumn 2006; and how many of them have selected each secondary or grammar school as their first preference.[HL6614]

There are 32 pupils transferring under the open enrolment arrangements from Saints and Scholars Integrated Primary School, Armagh City, to post-primary education in September 2006. A breakdown of the pupils’ first preference schools is set out below.

* Data relating to fewer than five pupils have been treated so as to meet the confidentiality guarantee listed in National Statistics Code of Practice (Protocol on Data Access and Confidentiality).

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What primary schools have been rebuilt by the Western Education and Library Board of Northern Ireland in the past five years; and, of these, how many were (a) controlled schools; and (b) maintained schools.[HL6641]

The Western Education and Library Board is responsible for the controlled schools estate. The information requested for controlled and maintained schools is set out below.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 21 June (WA 112) concerning St Joseph's High School in Plumbridge, County Tyrone, when the two-month period of consultation about its possible closure begins; and how many representations have been made to date.[HL6662]

The statutory two-month objection period began on 27 April 2006, the date of publication of the development proposal to allow for the closure of the school and ended on 28 June 2006. Twenty-two letters of objection have been received by the Department of Education as well as a petition in support of the retention of the school, with 3,166 signatures.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the current Police Service of Northern Ireland advice is that the security barriers at Lower Chichester Street in Belfast continue to be required; and whether they are required by the Northern Ireland Office as a permanent installation to provide a secure area around the courts complex.[HL6551]

Police have met representatives of the Northern Ireland Court Service, Northern Ireland Office and Department for Regional Development on a number of occasions throughout 2005-06 to discuss proposals to reopen Lower Chichester Street on a restricted basis to designated traffic. During those discussions, a number of options surrounding security and traffic restriction measures were tabled. A decision in relation to which measures will be accepted is likely to be taken later this year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will provide funding for the new multi-purpose stadium proposed by Belfast City Council.[HL6089]

No.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What proportion of the officials whom Turkey has appointed to participate in negotiations on accession to the European Union are of Kurdish origin; and how the views of Kurds are heard in discussions on meeting the Copenhagen criteria on human rights, minority rights and democracy.[HL6630]

We do not collect data on the ethnic origin of foreign officials taking part in EU accession negotiations, but we are aware of Turkish citizens of Kurdish origin at every level of public life in Turkey; this includes MPs and Cabinet Ministers. Delegations from the European Commission and our embassy in Ankara regularly visit the south-east of Turkey to discuss human rights with local officials, politicians and civil society representatives; the findings of these visits feed into the Commission’s report on Turkey's progress in meeting the Copenhagen criteria.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What was the total cost of the investigation into Waterways Ireland; and what amount and what percentage contribution were made by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in Northern Ireland.[HL6604]

The investigation at Waterways Ireland was jointly carried out by independent investigators appointed and paid for separately by each sponsor department. The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure as NI sponsor department contributed £9,001.90 to the cost of the investigation. The costs incurred by the sponsor department in the Republic of Ireland are a matter for that department, and therefore the issue of percentage contributions does not arise.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What type and amount of legal costs have been incurred to date as a result of tribunal claims, legal action and complaints against Waterways Ireland since the body was established.[HL6605]

To date Waterways Ireland has incurred legal costs of £5,910.25 associated with industrial tribunals. In addition, the body has incurred costs of £4,089.01 in obtaining legal advice in relation to allegations of bullying and harassment made against the chief executive.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many staff are currently employed in Waterways Ireland, both permanent full time and temporary part time in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.[HL6606]

Staff numbers in Waterways Ireland as at 28 June 2006 are as follows.