To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the Animal Health Agency will spend in each of the next three years on information technology to support the modernising of working practices and save £7 million, as set out on page 86 of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' Autumn Performance Report 2009. [HL3048]

Animal Health plans to spend £14.2 million in 2010-11 on its IT Change Programme which supports the modernising of working practices. Spend in 2011-12 is planned at £12.1 million, but funding has not yet been agreed and will be subject to the Defra budgetary process. Delivery of the £7 million savings is dependent on the completion of all the modules of the IT Change Programme.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what resources are available to commanding officers to provide support for the families and dependants of Armed Forces personnel. [HL3208]

There are considerable resources available to commanding officers to enable them to support service families. These resources are usually co-ordinated by a dedicated unit welfare officer who is able to assess what sort of support is required and then make bespoke arrangements for appropriate provision, accessing relevant service, local authority or third sector specialists where necessary. The resources upon which a commanding officer can draw include:

professional social workers;

station and unit community groups including HIVE information centres;

families welfare grant money to support of families of deployed personnel confidential support lines

Families Federations; and

dedicated support groups for the bereaved (SSAFA-Forces Help).

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Royal Navy personnel deployed to Iraq are involved in the training of the Iraqi navy. [HL3210]

Under the UK-Iraq agreement on training and maritime support, up to 100 UK military personnel may be deployed to Iraq in support of Iraqi navy training. The precise number of Royal Navy personnel involved in the training of the Iraqi navy will fluctuate at any one time and on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons and the roulement of forces. We do not therefore publish actual figures.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether officer cadets at (a) Britannia Royal Naval College, (b) the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and (c) RAF Cranwell, receive language training in Dari Persian or Pashto. [HL3207]

Officer cadets do not receive language training in Dari Persian or Pashto at Britannia Royal Naval College, RMA Sandhurst or RAF Cranwell.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what civilian retraining is available for Armed Forces personnel who have been seriously wounded. [HL3209]

We take our responsibility to injured service personnel very seriously and, regardless of the amount of time served, all service personnel who are medically discharged are entitled to receive a full resettlement package through the MoD's Career Transition Partnership. This consists of time, money for training and facilitated workshops to help enable a seamless transition to civilian life. Furthermore, free lifetime job finding support is available through the Officers Association or the Regular Forces Employment Association.

Additionally, we are currently working with Skill Force, which following a grant of £30,000 from the Ministry of Defence, is delivering a pilot internship programme for personnel recovering from physical and psychological injuries and illness as part of their rehabilitation pathway.

Where an injury or condition prevents resettlement being undertaken while in service, the entitlement can be deferred for up to two years after discharge or transferred to a service-leaver's spouse or partner.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to provide assistance to address humanitarian issues in the camps for Rohingya refugees on the Bangladesh-Burma border. [HL2847]

UK support is channelled through our central contributions to the European Commission and United Nations agencies. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) manages the official camps. UNICEF, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Population Fund also work with the refugees within the camps or in the surrounding communities. The European Commission is providing financial support.

We have raised the plight of the Rohingyas and their status with the Government of Bangladesh, both bilaterally and in concert with EU partners. Officials from the British high commission in Dhaka, including the high commissioner, have visited the camps for displaced Rohingyas.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 22 February (WA 174–5), whether they will apply the common law powers permitted by the Ram doctrine to enable Treasury Ministers to repay those retail deposits in the Presbyterian Mutual Society not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme; and what is the total amount paid under the Ram doctrine to United Kingdom depositors in Icelandic banks. [HL2426]

The ministerial working group continues to explore all options in pursuit of mitigating the effects of the collapse of the Presbyterian Mutual Society on its members. Details of the financial support provided to UK banks, including support for retail depositor compensation payouts in Icelandic banks, for the years 2007-08 and 2008-09, are set out in the Treasury's Resource Accounts for 2007-08 (HC 539) and 2008-09 (HC61 1) respectively. Total support to Icelandic banks at 31 March 2009 amounted, at latest estimates subsequently to be revised, to £8.1 billion.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 6 April (HL3057), what are the reduced fees for small and medium-sized enterprises when they apply for authorisation of a critical substance under the European Union Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). [HL3239]

In order to provide assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in complying with their REACH obligations, reduced fees for authorisation applications and reduced charges for authorisation reviews apply. Currently, these are the same in both cases. The reduced fees/charges are given in Commission Regulation (EC) No 340/2008 as follows:

The definitions of medium, small, and micro enterprise are set out in Commission Recommendation 2003/361 /EC of 6 May 2003, and are based on the number of employees together with the company turn-over ceiling or balance-sheet ceiling.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many crèches and nurseries in England and Wales have closed down as a result of increased requirements specified by Ofsted and in legislation. [HL2990]

This is a matter for Ofsted which will reply to the noble Lord as soon as possible. The position in Wales is a matter for the National Assembly.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of China about the discovery of 21 foetuses and baby bodies in the Guangfu river, Jining city; and what response they received. [HL3230]

It has not proved possible to respond to the noble Lord in the time available before Prorogation.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of China about the one-child policy there; whether their representations covered the demographic effects of the policy; and what response they received. [HL3231]

It has not proved possible to respond to the noble Lord in the time available before Prorogation.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent representations officials in the British Embassy in China have made to Chinese officials about (a) alleged forced abortion and sterilisation, and (b) birth control quotas in China; what response was received; and whether they will make representations to the Government of China about relaxing population controls. [HL3233]

It has not proved possible to respond to the noble Lord in the time available before Prorogation.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent representations they have made to the Government of China about the case of Chen Guangcheng; and what response they received. [HL3234]

It has not proved possible to respond to the noble Lord in the time available before Prorogation.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent representations they have made to the Government of China about the level of public discussion and debate in China about population control policies. [HL3235]

It has not proved possible to respond to the noble Lord in the time available before Prorogation.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the mapping of the use of cluster bombs in Iraq by British and American forces is now complete; and, if not, when it will be completed. [HL3112]

During the war-fighting phase of Op TELIC in Iraq 68 cluster bombs were dropped by the UK; no cluster bombs were used after 4 April 2003. The RAF has target data for all of the cluster bombs dropped.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is committed to the timely provision of appropriate information to aid clearance organisations in their humanitarian work. Since the conflict, the UK has cleared over 1 million items of abandoned and unexploded ordnance, with Royal Engineers also being involved in the marking and fencing of bomblet strikes. Following the conflict, the UK held weekly meetings with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and commercial de-mining organisations in Basra to share information. United Nations Office for Project Services and United Nations Childrens Fund praised the UK for its response and assistance to the local population and its co-operative approach to international organisations and NGOs on de-mining.

Following withdrawal of UK forces, under Article 4 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the responsibility for clearance and destruction of cluster munitions rests now with Iraq.

The MoD does not hold records on use of cluster bombs by American forces.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 15 March (WA 118), what were the results of the investigations into the cause of the delays in processing the 818 single payment scheme claims; how many of those delays were due to computer problems; and whether the claims have now been processed. [HL3092]

Of the 818 claims identified with possible computer problems, we have resolved 281 with such problems and these claims have now been fully processed, enabling payment to be made within the payment window.

Investigations continue into the outstanding 537 claims to identify the problems.

To ask Her Majesty's Government which external companies have been used for consultancy and advisory work by UK Financial Investments Limited; and what payments have been made to those companies. [HL3083]

UK Financial Investments (UKFI) operates at arm's length from Government and on a commercial basis. UKFI's expenditure will be set out in its financial statements, in accordance with the Companies Act and accounting rules, as part of its annual report and accounts each year.

HM Treasury agreed UKFI's overall budget for 2009-10 at £4.5 million, as set out in the UKFI business plan, available at www.ukfi.co.uk. This is a small fraction of the total investments for which UKFI is responsible.

In determining which supplier or contractor UKFI selects, it is necessary that this supplier meets the criteria set out in the business case and the request for proposal (RFP) to a level that maximises the value for money for UKFI.

Factors that UKFI consider include:

quality of goods;

experience of personnel;

price;

timetable for delivery; and

value-added services included in price over and above the RFP.

Decisions will not necessarily be based on lowest price but will be based on a combination of the factors set out above.

To ask Her Majesty's Government which external companies have been used for consultancy and advisory work by the Asset Protection Agency and its predecessor body; and what payments have been made to those companies. [HL3084]

The Asset Protection Agency has received advice from Slaughter and May, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Oliver Wyman, KPMG, Ernst & Young, BlackRock, Kreab Gavin Anderson and S. Com.

The Asset Protection Agency's annual accounts will include a robust, audited number for consultancy and advisory costs and will be available in the summer. The cost to the Asset Protection Agency of these advisory services will be fully met by RBS.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what costs the Department of Health has incurred to date in the case of March v Secretary of State for Health; and what is their estimate of the likely total cost the department will incur. [HL3238]

Legal advice and services in relation to the case of March v Secretary of State for Health were provided to the department by Department of Health (DH) Legal Services which is part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Legal Group. DH Legal Services provides a full range of legal services to the department including arranging representation in court. No external consultants were employed in the case. No consultants or law firms were instructed in relation to this cases, although DH Legal Services did instruct counsel. As legal services were provided in-house, additional costs were therefore incurred only in relation to the instruction of counsel. Details of counsel's fees are personal data relating to counsel and so, having regard to the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998, will not released.

As the judicial review brought by Mr March has now been heard by the Administrative Court, the department does not expect to incur any further legal costs in connection with the claim. However, the Administrative Court is yet to determine costs of the claim and will do this giving its judgment in the case.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with One North East about the effect of power lines across the River Tees on attracting foreign direct investment to Teesside. [HL3120]

No conversations have taken place between Government and One North East on this matter.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proportionality of the requirement that customers who have not accessed their individual savings account for a year visit a branch to have a declaration read to them before using that account; and to what extent it is compatible with their policy to encourage online transactions. [HL3097]

There is no regulatory requirement for providers to require customers to visit a branch in these circumstances.

If an investor does not subscribe to an individual savings account (ISA) for a whole tax year, they must make a fresh application before they can make further subscriptions. This acts as a reminder that they can only subscribe to one ISA of each type per tax year. However, ISA managers are able to accept these applications over the telephone or online, rather than in a branch, should they wish to do so.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how much will be saved by each department as a result of the commitment in the Pre-Budget Report 2009 to save 50 per cent of the bill for consultancy and advisory work. [HL3081]

To ask Her Majesty's Government how much will be saved by each department as a result of the commitment in the Pre-Budget Report 2009 to save 50 per cent of the Government's advertising bill. [HL3082]

Budget 2010 announced that over £11 billion of savings have been identified department-by-department for the years from 2012-13, including over £650 million by reducing consultancy spend by 50 per cent and marketing and communications by 25 per cent. Reductions will be calculated from 2008-09 spending levels, as set out in Public Sector Procurement Expenditure Survey 2009, published alongside Budget.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many illegal immigrants have been found to be working for the Ministry of Defence and its agencies in each of the past five years. [HL2287]

Two employees of the Ministry of Defence have been convicted of being illegal immigrants over the past five years.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 8 March (WA 12), which departments and ministers were involved in the 16 written instructions provided by ministers to accounting officers since 2005; and what were the matters requiring such instructions. [HL3225]

The information sought is set out below.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the breakdown of the £5 billion of savings from targeting and prioritising spending announced in the 2009 Pre-Budget Report to be achieved by 2012–13, detailing each item forecast to save more than £25 million. [HL3182]

The 2009 Pre-Budget Report announced £5 billion of savings by 2012-13, informed by the early findings of the Public Value Programme. These savings will be delivered through cutting lower value or lower priority spend. Budget 2010 announced further details of these savings, including:

reforming the criminal justice system and legal aid, saving £360 million in total: a rigorous process of setting benchmarks and costed service specifications for prisons and probation will save £40 million, with inefficient prisons put out to competition. Five competitions were launched in November. Further savings will be made by improving the management of cases through the system and making better use of the court estate. Twenty magistrates' courts will be closed in the first phase of this work. Reforms to legal aid will include means-testing for Crown Court cases from April 2010, and proposals to restructure the criminal legal aid market by consolidating the number of providers and increasing competition, as set out in Restructuring the Delivery of Criminal Defence Services;

improved targeting of housing growth and regeneration funding, saving £340 million: including £40 million by concluding the New Deal for Communities, and a further £300 million from rationalising regional development agency regeneration spending and programmes, including the Working Neighbourhoods Fund, the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative, and the Housing and Planning Delivery Grant;

reducing a range of budgets across the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), saving £350 million: for example, £25 million from the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA), £40 million from the Training and Development Agency, £71 million from the end of extended schools start-up funding and £10.5 million from central administration and communications budgets;

improving the concessionary travel scheme, saving £180 million: legislation has been laid to move responsibility for administering the scheme to county councils from April 2011 and to re-establish the link between eligibility for concessionary fares and the state pension from April 2010;

reforming or eliminating allowances that are no longer relevant for staff posted overseas: for example by ending the use of business class air travel for journeys lasting less than five hours, saving a total of £13 million; and

reducing unlawful occupation of social housing, saving at least £35 million in housing benefit costs; ending smaller Communities and Local Government (CLG) funded time-limited communities programmes, saving £25 million; and rationalising other smaller CLG programmes, saving a total of £160 million.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in preparing a programme of action for the long-term recovery and development of Haiti; and what contribution they are making towards it. [HL2951]

International agencies in Haiti continue to provide humanitarian relief. The UK has significantly supported this, including sending a UK search and rescue team and a Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship which has delivered equipment, vehicles and other food and non-food items. The UK has provided £20 million for humanitarian support and a UK team remains in Port-au-Prince to oversee delivery of this aid, which has already helped support more than 380,000 people.

In anticipation of the reconstruction of Haiti, the UK: provided a humanitarian expert for the team which has produced a draft post-disaster needs assessment; has earmarked a further £2 million for future disaster risk reduction interventions; and, through the Stabilisation Unit, is assisting the Haitian Ministry of Justice to reconstruct three prisons. Several multilateral organisations have already announced support to Haiti's reconstruction. This includes €200 million from the European Commission, $100 million from the World Bank, and $120 million from the Inter-American Development Bank. The UK's share of the reconstruction funding announced by these organisations amounts to approximately $50 million.

To ask Her Majesty's Government why, if, as stated by the Department of Health to the BBC Newsnight programme on 19 March, legislation is not in their view required to implement the recommendations of the Independent Public Inquiry headed by Lord Archer of Sandwell into the consequences for haemophilia patients of the use of contaminated NHS blood and blood products in their treatment, none has been implemented in the way intended; and what consultation they had with Lord Archer before issuing their statement. [HL3099]

The Government carefully considered Lord Archer of Sandwell's recommendations before issuing their response, Government’s response to Lord Archer's Independent report on NHS supplied contaminated blood and blood products, in May 2009 (a copy of which has already been placed in the Library). The majority of the recommendations were either already in place or will be put in place in one form or another. The actions we set out in that response have now been taken forward.

The then Secretary of State for Health (Alan Johnson) and Minister of State for Public Health (Dawn Primarolo) met Lord Archer on 11 March 2009 to discuss his report.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will increase spending on services provided to stroke victims. [HL3220]

In the last spending review, we successfully secured additional funding in primary care trust allocations and central funding to implement the National Stroke Strategy, aimed at improving stroke services across the country. Further funding for implementation of the strategy is a matter for the next spending review and it is not possible at this stage to comment on its conclusions.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how they plan to increase the proportion of stroke patients admitted to a dedicated stroke unit within four hours. [HL3221]

NHS 2010-2015: from good to great, a copy of which has been placed in the Library, makes clear that the department is committed to ensuring that all patients get the best treatment and one of these commitments is to further improve access to a dedicated stroke unit for stroke patients. Stroke, therefore, continues to be a high priority for the National Health Service as demonstrated by its tier 1 status in the vital signs in the NHS Operating Framework for 2010-11. This requires that 80 per cent of patients spend 90 per cent or more of their time on a stroke unit by 2011. Primary care trusts' performance in improving stroke services will be measured against this. The Stroke Improvement Programme provides support to the NHS in improving stroke services. Over the next year, it will work with the NHS to go further and faster in achieving improvements in stroke services, including ensuring the timely admission of stroke patients to a dedicated stroke unit, that the strategy seeks to achieve.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have measures planned to reduce the incidence of strokes. [HL3222]

The stroke strategy set out a 10-year plan to improve and deliver world-class stroke services from prevention through to life long support. It encourages the effective assessment and management of vascular risk factors, and improvements in the information and advice given to people on lifestyle so that they have a better understanding of how to reduce their own risk of having a stroke. The NHS Health Check programme is a systematic programme for everyone between the ages of 40 and 74 to assess their risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease and will support people to reduce or manage their risk through individually tailored advice. Phased implementation of the programme began in April 2009. It has the potential to prevent at least 1,600 heart attacks and strokes each year when fully implemented.

The Stroke Improvement Programme, which provides support to the National Health Service in improving stroke services, is also working on prevention projects. For example, it is working with the Heart Improvement Programme, which similarly provides support to the NHS to improve heart services, and has developed commissioning guidance for stroke prevention in primary care, focusing on the role of atrial fibrillation. We estimate that earlier detection and better management of atrial fibrillation could prevent 4,500 strokes per year.

More generally, the department has run a series of campaigns to raise both public and professional awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle in reducing the risk of a number of diseases, including stroke. These include Change4Life; Smokefree marketing to motivate people to stop smoking and direct them to NHS information and support; and a campaign on the unseen damage that drinking can cause to long-term health where the link between alcohol and stroke was one of its key messages.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to increase the £192,000 per year they spend on preventing Venous Thromboembolism (blood clots), in light of figures which show that it kills an estimated 25,000 patients in the National Health Service each year. [HL3203]

The figure of £192,000 represents the central budget held by the department to support the National Health Service to improve the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE). In addition, primary care trust (PCT) revenue allocations will total £84 billion in 2010-11. The department does not break down PCT allocations by policies, at either the national or local level. It is for PCTs to decide their priorities for investment locally, taking into account both local priorities and the NHS Operating Framework. We do not collect information centrally on expenditure by the NHS on preventing VTE.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what were their aid programmes for Aceh in 2009–10; and what are their plans for 2010–11. [HL3236]

It has not proved possible to respond to Lord Avebury in the time available before Prorogation.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Indonesia about that Government's payments to the authorities in Aceh under the oil and gas revenue sharing agreement, and about whether the payments are independently audited. [HL3237]

It has not proved possible to respond to the noble Lord in the time available before Prorogation.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have given to (a) the International Planned Parenthood Federation, and (b) the United Nations Population Fund, in each year since 1997; what restrictions they placed on that funding; and what guidance they issued to those organisations in each year since 1997. [HL3232]

It has not proved possible to respond to Lord Alton of Liverpool’s Written Question in the time available before Prorogation. However, as agreed in Oral Questions of 8 April 2010, I will send a letter to the noble Lord with a full response.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Government of Israel or their representatives in the United Kingdom about Israel's compliance with international law. [HL3147]

The UK recognises Israel's right to protect its people from attack. However we are also very clear that its actions must adhere with international law. We make frequent representations and statements where we see actions by either party that cause us concern.

I made this clear in debate on 6 April, where, in addition to confirming the representations made on illegal settlements, I confirmed “that on a range of issues—from the route of the barrier, to the operation of military courts, to the operation of the permit system which gives Palestinians the right to visit or live in Jerusalem—we are active and we are vocal”.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had in the European Union and the United Nations and with the Government of the United States about Israel's compliance with international law. [HL3148]

We are in regular dialogue with our key partners from the EU and the UN along with the US on the Middle East peace process and related issues. We support the quartet’s statement following its conference in Moscow on 19 March which, amongst other things, called “on Israel and the Palestinians to act on the basis of international law, and on their previous agreements and obligations, in particular adherence to the Roadmap, irrespective of reciprocity”.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, about the Government of the United States' recent comments regarding the construction of Israeli settlements in Palestinian occupied territory. [HL3117]

The UK is in regular dialogue with the US Administration on the Middle East peace process and related issues. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on 29 March. We and the US are both clear in our opposition to settlement-building.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel about the killing of two unarmed teenagers in the West Bank of Palestine this week. [HL3146]

The UK is extremely concerned at the recent incidents of violence in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We deeply regret the loss of life and we are given to understand that the Israeli Military Police will be carrying out an investigation into the death of the two teenagers. We will await the results of the investigation.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 9 March (WA 49), whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has asked for copies of the monthly medical reports on Abdelbaset al-Megrahi sent to East Renfrewshire Council under the terms of his release; and whether they will commence monitoring his location in Libya or ask the Scottish Government to do so. [HL3223]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not asked for copies of the monthly medical reports on Abdelbaset al-Megrahi sent to East Renfrewshire Council. It would not be appropriate for the FCO to ask the council for confidential medical reports. The FCO have no plans to monitor the location of Megrahi or to ask the Scottish Executive to do so.

East Renfrewshire was designated as the local authority responsible for monitoring Megrahi because his family lived in Newton Mearns during his imprisonment in Greenock Prison. It is for the devolved Administration in Scotland to decide how the location and health of Megrahi is monitored and it would therefore not be appropriate for the FCO to ask the Scottish Executive to monitor his location.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place copies of the rules, reports, annual accounts and lists of committee members of companies registered as mutual societies in the Library of the House when asked to do so by a member of the House. [HL3131]

Over 8,000 mutual societies are registered with the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Each of these societies is required to place copies of rules, annual accounts and lists of committee members with the FSA. These are public documents, although the FSA charges a search fee for access.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord McKenzie of Luton on 17 March (WA 193), how many of the 4,285,130 adult overseas nationals registering for national insurance numbers since 2002 made national insurance contributions in the last available year; and how many were from (a) European Union, and (b) non-European Union, countries. [HL3224]

HM Revenue and Customs estimates that 1.25 million European Union and 983,000 non- European Union adult overseas nationals who have registered since January 2002 paid national insurance contributions in the 2008-09 tax year. This is based on a 2 per cent sample of national insurance records. It does not include class 4 contributions.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the challenges facing the Northern Ireland Prison Service; whether prison officers have requested the removal of some governors; and whether that matter was considered during discussions on the devolution of policing and justice to Northern Ireland. [HL3167]

The challenges facing the Prison Service are kept under constant review by the Prisons Minister and Prison Management. The key challenge facing the Prison Service is the move away from an environment focused on security concerns to one that seeks to engage with inmates to address effectively the causes of offending behaviour. This requires a new approach by prison officers that is being developed as part of a comprehensive programme of workforce reform. Much has already been achieved with the introduction of new sentencing arrangements with the emphasis on risk assessment and the delivery of appropriate programmes.

In addition, parts of the prison estate are not fit for purpose and this is being taken forward as part of a comprehensive that strategy which includes the replacement of the prison at Magilligan.

Prison Officers have not requested the removal of any governors.

To ask the Leader of the House how many Acts since 1911 have been passed (a) under the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949, and (b) during “wash-ups” before general elections. [HL3145]

(a) A total of seven Acts have been passed under the Parliament Acts. The following Acts were passed under the Parliament Act 1911:

the Government of Ireland Act 1914;

Welsh Church Act 1914; and

Parliament Act 1949.

The following Acts have been passed since the 1949 Act was passed:

War Crimes Act 1991;

European Parliamentary Elections Act 1999;

Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000; and

Hunting Act 2004.

(b) Bills may pass through one or more stages during the “wash-up” period between the announcement of the date of a general election and the Prorogation, adjournment or dissolution of Parliament prior to the election. Some of these Bills will already have received extensive scrutiny in one or both Houses; others may be taken through all their stages during the wash-up period.

The table below shows the number of bills that received Royal Assent during wash-up before each general election since 1987, together with the stage that each Bill had reached at the beginning of wash-up. Information for general elections between 1911 and 1983 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 15 March (WA 168), for what particular purposes the £800 million funding agreed in the context of devolution of policing and justice in Northern Ireland was intended, which would not have been allocated had the devolution of policing and justice not occurred. [HL3205]

The funding was predicated on the creation of a new justice department.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements exist for the scrutiny and assessment of the integrity of those nominated to Her Majesty's Privy Council; and whether they propose any modification to those arrangements. [HL3187]

It is for the Prime Minister to recommend members of the Privy Council for the Queen's approval. The Prime Minister may want to consult accordingly before doing so.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liam Byrne, on 26 February (Official Report, Commons, col. 806W), what is the cash value of Government spending on marketing and communications in 2009–10 on which the projection of a 25 per cent cut was based. [HL2973]

Budget 2010 announced that over £11 billion of savings have now been identified by department for the years from 2012-13. This includes the consultancy, marketing and communications cuts which were identified based on 2008-09 spending levels, currently the most recent financial year that spending levels are available for. The 2008-09 spend is set out in the Public Sector Procurement Expenditure Survey 2009, published alongside Budget.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the numbers of red squirrels in Northumberland in (a) 2005, (b) 2006, (c) 2007, (d) 2008, and (e) 2009. [HL3229]

There is no reliable estimate of the red squirrel population because it is very difficult to carry out an accurate census; therefore no assessment has been made of the numbers of red squirrels in Northumberland.

In the areas where red squirrel populations remain, the densities can vary between 1 and 0.1 squirrels per hectare. Numbers are subject to significant fluctuation depending on environmental factors and breeding success.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of setting the admissions timetable for entering the reception year at primary school to end in May on the making of provision for those with special needs, including identifying, assessing, and supporting those with special needs. [HL3176]

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of setting the admissions timetable for entering the reception year at primary school to end in May on the transition process from nursery to school in (a) rural and (b) urban areas. [HL3177]

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the impact particularly in rural areas of setting the admissions timetable for entering the reception year at primary school to end in May. [HL3178]

An impact assessment on the four year-old proposals can be viewed at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/sacode/downloads/Impact%2OAssessment.doc.

A response to the Lords Merits Committee's supplementary questions on the impact on the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) sector has also been published.

The DCSF periodically reviews the admissions system to monitor the effectiveness of admissions and intervene when necessary in order to improve the system. A DCSF-led consultative group which includes all main stakeholders also meets termly to assist in the review and development of admissions policy.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Church of England day schools there are in central Liverpool; how many pupils attend each one; whether there are any vacancies for pupils; what are the staff-pupil ratios; and what are their average class sizes. [HL3140]

Information for Church of England schools in Liverpool local authority is shown in the table below.

Source: School Census and Surplus Places Survey

1. Includes primary and secondary schools.

2. Includes solely registered pupils only. Figures rounded to nearest 10.

3. Pupil:Teacher Ratios relate full-time equivalent pupil numbers in these schools to full-time equivalent qualified teacher numbers in these schools from the School Census.

4. One teacher classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will upgrade to a mandatory target the current benchmark that 50 to 90 per cent of pupils should study a language until the end of key stage 4, in line with the recommendation of the Worton Review. [HL1745]

We have no plans to do so. We are considering a range of policies for boosting take up at key stage 4. Our focus is on making learning more engaging to encourage increased take up. We made languages optional in 2004 to give young people more choice and flexibility, in particular for work-related and vocational learning. Setting a mandatory target for language learning would make the curriculum at this level less flexible.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce unemployment through full-time volunteering schemes such as those deployed by ProjectScotland.[HL3240]

People receiving jobseeker's allowance can take part in unlimited volunteering, provided they still meet the requirements for receiving jobseeker's allowance.

In addition to this, Project Scotland and Jobcentre Plus work together to help jobseekers access volunteering opportunities that would enable them to gain valuable work experience and skills.

As part of the Government's support for the unemployed, we introduced the six-month offer, which includes volunteering opportunities to jobseekers who find themselves out of work for six months or more. The lead broker in Scotland for the volunteering option of the six-month offer is Volunteer Development Scotland.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Environment Agency's rules on the use of bioaerosols take account of certain background levels of bioaerosols being naturally higher than the agency's suggested guidance levels. [HL3160]

The Environment Agency accounted for background levels of bioaerosols when it issued its 2001 position and when it revised the position in 2007. The Environment Agency will take this into account during any further review of the position.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether composting companies will be reimbursed for any development and operational costs incurred due to the Environment Agency's revised policy statement on bioaerosols. [HL3161]

It is for the operator to decide the best course of action for their business and to meet the cost of fulfilling the regulatory requirements. The Environment Agency does not reimburse operator costs associated with complying with the law. The Environment Agency is reviewing its current position and the way that bioaerosols are monitored and regulated. Should a further revision be required, the need for a financial impact assessment will be considered.

The Environment Agency has a duty to ensure that waste is recovered or disposed of without endangering human health and without using processes or methods which could harm the environment.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what efficiency gains they expect the Young People's Learning Agency to make in 2010–11. [HL3180]

Efficient operation and value for money are clear priorities for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) and the identification of opportunities to improve value for money and excellence of delivery will be an important part of the successful delivery of their remit.

The YPLA came into effect on 1 April 2010, and 2010-11 will therefore be its first year of operation. YPLA budgets will be confirmed annually in a grant letter.

The administration budget contained in the grant letter for 2010-11 will already reflect the level of efficiency at which we want the YPLA to operate in its first year and will form a baseline against which subsequent efficiencies can be determined.