:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers and civilian staff there are (a) in total and (b) in each police force in England and Wales on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [1459]

:The tables show, for March 1997, March 2000, September 2000 and March 2001, total numbers of police officers and civilians for each police authority area in England and Wales, together with changes in numbers since March 1997 and March 2000.On 31 March 2001 total police numbers, including secondments, in England and Wales were 125,519, an increase of 1,349 or 1.1 per cent., compared with the end of March 2000. This is the largest annual increase in police numbers since 1988–89Between 31 March 2000 and 31 March 2001 the number of civilian support staff increased by 1,361, or 2.6 per cent., to 54,588.In total, there were 180,107 police officers and civilian support staff compared with 180,169 in March 1997.The substantial investment we are putting into the police service is delivering the improvements that we promised. The increase in police numbers since March 2000 is a direct result of the extra funding available to forces via the Crime Fighting Fund since April 2000

:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has for changes to the Departmental Expenditure Limit and administration costs limit within his responsibility. [1794]

Supplementary to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, the Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL), which covers Request for Resources 1 (Building a safe, just and tolerant society) and Request for Resources 2 (Protecting the public by holding prisoners in decent conditions and reducing re-offending after release), will be increased by £72,762,000 from £9,714,633,000 to £9,787,395,000. The administration costs limit will be reduced by £1,391,000 from £2,599,850,000 to £2,598,459,000.The changes are the net effect of the following transfers: £297,000 from the Invest to Save Budget to deliver web orientated modular substance misuse training for communities and professionals; £700,000 from the Capital Modernisation Fund to extend the existing chipping of goods scheme to a further three demonstrator projects; £8,900,000 from the DEL Reserve to combat organized crime involving trafficking of Class A drugs and people trafficking; £3,600,000 from the Capital Modernisation Fund to purchase scanning equipment for the detection of people seeking to enter the United Kingdom illegally by clandestine means; £3,200,000 from the DEL Reserve to meet the costs of publicity for the 2001 parliamentary election; £5,000,000 to the Department for Education and Skills for the provision of education to young offenders in custody; £1,391,000 to the Department for Education and Skills for the provision of education to young offenders in custody; £1,391,000 to the Department for Education and Skills for the transfer of education services' staff and other changes to the Prisoners Learning and Skills Partnership; the reclassification of £15,656,000 receipts from the Youth Justice Board as Annually Managed Expenditure; and £46,800,000 from the DEL Reserve for non-Voted expenditure on the 2001 parliamentary election.The reduction of the Department's administration costs limit is the effect of the transfer of £1,391,000 to the Department for Education and Skills for the transfer of education services' staff and other changes to the Prisoners Learning and Skills partnership.These changes will be offset by transfers or a charge to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deaths were recorded (a) in prison, (b) in young offender establishments and (c) in other places of custody in each of the last 10 years; how many in each category were suicides; and how many deaths in custody in each of the last 10 years have resulted in disciplinary proceedings being brought against custodial officers. [1585]

:I shall write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of the letter in the Library.

:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will grant permission for Mr. Satpal Ram, of HMP Wellingborough, to visit his mother in hospital each day. [1172]

All applications for temporary release or escorted absences for prisoners to visit sick relatives are carefully and sympathetically considered. Mr. Satpal Ram—a life sentence prisoner now at Littlehey prison—has been allowed escorted visits to his mother on a number of occasions. The Governor of Littlehey will keep this under review and allow visits as appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the situation of asylum seekers Mr. and Mrs. Eric Moussavou, placed in the Palace Hotel, Southend on 16 May 2000 by the London Borough of Barnet; and for what reason letters from their solicitors to his Department on 6 February and 23 May have not been replied to. [1095]

:Mr. Eric Moussavou applied for asylum "in country" in May 2000 and will therefore be supported by his local authority under the Asylum Support (Interim Provisions) Regulations 1999. Local authorities providing support to asylum seekers may choose to disperse the asylum seeker under the voluntary dispersal arrangements which came into effect on 6 December 1999.The delay in the consideration of Mr. Moussavou's asylum application and in replying to his solicitors' letters of 6 February 2001 and 23 May 2001 are regrettable. Unfortunately, the applicant's papers were incorrectly filed. In view of the consequent delay in processing his asylum claim, arrangements will be made to invite the applicant to attend an interview at the earliest opportunity

:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department tow many staff from each directorate in his Department are to be transferred to other Departments as a result of the transfer of responsibilities to other Departments. [240]

[holding answer 25 June 2001]: The responsibilities and numbers of staff transferred are set out in the table. Some minor adjustments to the staffing numbers may arise as a result of the final arrangements agreed between my Department and the other departments involved.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the areas of responsibility that have (a) been transferred from his Department to other Departments and (b) been transferred to his Department from other Departments since 8 June. [246]

[holding answer 25 June 2001]: The responsibilities and numbers of staff transferred are set out in the table. Some minor adjustments to the staffing numbers may arise as a result of the final arrangements agreed between my Department and the other Departments involved.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions were brought (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully under (i) the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and (ii) the Dogs Act 1871, broken down by police authority, in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [57]

I have been asked to reply.

To ask the secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the private-public partnership for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. [1701]

I refer my hon. Friend to the announcement I made in the House on 24 July 2000.Official Report, columns 778–79, about our decision to implement the Core Competence model for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) public-private partnership. Under Core Competence, around three quarters of the current DERA organisation will be turned into a company with the registered name of QinetiQ plc. For strategic reasons, the remainder, known as the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), will be retained within the Ministry of Defence to carry out functions that could not appropriately be transferred to the private sector.Since the announcement in July, work has focused on achieving the legal separation of DERA into the two entities: QinetiQ and Dstl. This work has included the enactment of secondary legislation as outlined in Statutory Instrument 1246/2001 (made on 28 March 2001). This instrument will result in DERA being renamed Dstl and net assets attributable to QinetiQ being removed from the Trading Fund and transferred to the new company.Subject to final legal drafting and contractual negotiations, I intend to vest QinetiQ plc with its assets and liabilities with effect from 1 July 2001. At that point, QinetiQ will remain a wholly Government-owned plc. Thereafter work will continue on preparation for its eventual sale.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the change of specification was that led to the decision not to publish the October 1999 report of the Defence Scientific Advisory Council on the injury potential of the L21A1 plastic baton round at the 1-metre minimum range of engagement. [1097]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by the then Minister of State for the Armed Forces, my hon. Friend the Member for Warley (Mr. Spellar), on 11 May 2001, Official Report, column 417W, and to paragraphs 10 and 11 of the Statement of Defence Scientific Advisory Council placed in the Library of the House on 2 April 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason war pensions assessors were issued with guidance to discuss cases with political sensitivities with an executive case worker. [364]

War pension is awarded for disablement causally linked to service. The intent of the guidance issued to assessors is to explain that some contended service links are relatively straightforward but that others are more complex, requiring careful consideration and perhaps some discussion with an expert caseworker who is a particularly experienced medical adviser. It is accepted that the wording of this guidance was open to misunderstanding and it has now been amended.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the outcome was of the investigation into the shooting of Leslie John Douglas on 13 June 2000; and what actions he has taken subsequently. [1038]

The investigation into the shooting of Leslie John Douglas is not yet complete. The Special Investigations Branch (SIB) of the Royal Military Police are, however, nearing completion of their inquiries although they still have to carry out a number of interviews and produce their final report. It is in everyone's interests that the investigations are completed and that they are thorough. The Ministry of Defence will continue to keep the Douglas family informed of developments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's officials are employed to conduct the comprehensive survey of the service volunteer programme at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down announced on 1 May; from which branches of his Department these officials are drawn; and what the total budget is for the survey. [990]

The historical survey is currently being undertaken by a Principal (Grade B2) working for the Gulf Veterans Illness Unit. The historical survey is financed through the Gulf Veterans Illnesses Unit and has no fixed budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what aspect of the comprehensive survey of the service volunteer programme at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down, announced on 1 May will be conducted in public. [1002]

The historical survey of the Porton Down volunteer programme will gather information from available documentary source material and recollections from former volunteers. The survey is expected to report in the summer of 2002 and the findings will be published.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of the correspondence from the Medical Research Council confirming that the Council is looking at the feasibility of carrying out an independent epidemiological study of Porton Down volunteers. [988]

The Medical Research Council has agreed that an epidemiological study of Porton Down Veterans is feasible. Confirmation of this can be found in the advertisements placed by the Medical Research Council in the scientific press on 21 and 23 June 2001, inviting expressions of interest from the research community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel who took part in experiments at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down, have been referred to the Medical Assessment Programme since 21 November 2000; and how many of these have been seen by the Medical Assessment Programme. [999]

During the period 21 November 2000 to 27 June 2001, 78 former Porton Down volunteers have been referred to the Medical Assessment Programme. Of this number, 49 have been seen.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what dates officials from his Department and the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down, held meetings with the Medical Research Council since 5 April, regarding its advice on an independent epidemiological study for Porton Down volunteers. [1005]

A working meeting took place on 30 May 2001 between one member of Ministry of Defence staff and one member of the Medical Research Council staff at which practical details relating to an independent epidemiological study of Porton Down Volunteers were discussed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he hopes to make available the annual report for 2000–01 of the Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. [1795]

Copies of the Chief Constable's annual report for 2000–01 will be placed in the Library tomorrow. It is a general report on the carrying out by the RUC of their functions during 2000–01 financial year which is submitted to the Police Authority for Northern Ireland and also to me for laying before Parliament in accordance with sections 48 and 49 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers were employed in (a) Essex and (b) the Boroughs of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea in each year from 1995 to 2000 inclusive. [1071]

The full-time equivalents of regular teachers (excluding short-term supply) employed in the maintained schools sector were as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what is the total allocation of funds for the Finsbury Park Single Regeneration Budget for its lifetime; and how much has been spent to date. [1047]

The Finsbury Park Single Regeneration Budget scheme was approved on 1 December 1999. Total Government expenditure over the seven year life of the scheme is estimated at ƒ25 million. The projected Government expenditure for the financial year 2001–02 is ƒ4,986,000. Government expenditure on this scheme to the end of 2000–01 was ƒ2,846,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what studies his Department is undertaking as to the accountability of registered social landlords; and if he will make a statement. [1080]

None. Registered social landlords are regulated by the Housing Corporation, an Executive NDPB of my Department, through published performance standards covering, governance, finance, lettings, tenant involvement, development and management. Registered social landlords are expected to meet these standards. Where they do not, the Housing Corporation has regulatory powers to enforce compliance.The Housing Corporation is currently implementing a programme of changes to revise its regulatory framework for registered social landlords. Through this programme, the Housing Corporation is reviewing performance standards, encouraging a best value approach by registered social landlords and introducing a new inspection service to examine the services landlords provide. The new framework will be in place by April 2002.Registered social landlords are also accountable to their governing bodies, whose members act on a voluntary basis and who are drawn from a broad range of backgrounds. For example, the governing bodies of those registered social landlords which are set up as local housing companies (the most popular choice in recent years of registered social landlord for large scale voluntary transfers of properties from local councils)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local government and the. Regions how many (a) dwellings were completed, (b) new council properties there were, (c) new housing association properties there were and (d) new co-operative properties there were in each London borough for each of the last five years. [1050]

The available figures are given in the table. The data collected by the Department do not distinguish completions for co-operative properties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the expenditure from central Government sources was on (a) repairs to council properties and (b) capital improvements to council properties in each of the last five years and for the current year. [1048]

Information is not available in the form requested. The table shows actual expenditure, as reported to the Department, by local authorities in England on repairs and capital improvements to their housing stock in each of the last five years. Support for local authority housing from central Government has not generally been earmarked for particular purposes, so it is not possible to show separately the central Government contribution to this expenditure. Spending over this period has been affected by a fall in the number of local authority dwellings so the table also shows spending in per dwelling terms. Expenditure figures for 2001–02 are not available

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent representations he has received on the question of planning controls on the conversion of public houses to fast food restaurants. [597]

In the last 12 months, my Department has received centrally three letters from Members of Parliament and eight letters from members of the public about planning controls on the conversion of public houses to fast food restaurants and takeaways.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will conduct an inquiry into the sale of Nutts Farm caravan site by Swale borough council; and if he will make a statement. [1147]

It is for the local authority to decide whether and to whom to dispose of their land. Authorities should normally dispose of property for the best obtainable consideration, which is normally its market value. If a local authority wishes to accept a bid for less than the best consideration, they must obtain the consent of the Secretary of State either through a general consent or a specific consent.I understand that Swale borough council took the decision to sell the caravan site as the result of a best value review. Under best value the authority is required to consult local people, businesses and voluntary organisations. It is, however, for the local authority to decide exactly whom to consult and how to carry out such consultations. Moreover, it will be the responsibility of elected members to weigh the different points of view revealed by consultation exercises.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what financial support his Department has given in the current financial year to community transport schemes. [11]

My Department supports the community transport sector through funding the Community Transport Association's Information and Advice Service. That Service, which will receive £100,000 in funding this financial year, provides support and advice to community transport schemes and local authorities across the country.In direct support for community transport schemes, the local transport capital settlement for 2001–02 provided £559 million (including reserves) of capital funding for local authorities in England, outside London, for use on small scale integrated transport measures. Authorities have discretion in the expenditure of such resources that may be used as capital support for community transport schemes in line with the priorities established within their local transport plans.We have also made available £10 million in the current financial year for those and other transport projects in rural areas through the Rural Transport Partnership and the Parish Transport Grant schemes administered by the Countryside Agency.Awards to be made later this year to bids successful in this year's Rural and Urban Bus Challenge schemes will also include significant new financial support for community transport services. This will be in addition to support already being given as a result of earlier rounds of the Rural Bus Challenge. Many of the existing 150 challenge awards involve community transport provision.My Department has already consulted relevant organisations on plans to extend eligibility for fuel duty rebate to a wider range of community transport services, which will be implemented in this financial year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent initiatives have been taken in order to provide affordable housing in rural areas; and if he will make a statement. [27]

Our proposals for increasing the supply of affordable housing in rural areas are set out in Chapter 5 of "Our countryside: the future—A fair deal for rural England", a White Paper (Cm 4909) published in November 2000. In summary, they are: doubling funding for the Housing Corporation between 2000 and 2003 to benefit both rural and urban areas; doubling the size of the Housing Corporation's programme in small rural settlements from 800 to 1,600 homes per year; local authorities to be able to charge the full rate of council tax on second homes and retain the extra revenue (subject to consultation); and a package of VAT reforms to encourage additional conversions of properties for residential use.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he expects to publish the results of his consultation on aviation policy. [1030]

We plan to publish a summary of the responses to the consultation document, "The Future of Aviation", later this summer. We will give careful consideration to the responses and take them into account in deciding policies for the new air transport White Paper, which we hope to publish next year. All responses (except those from respondents who requested confidentiality) can be viewed by the public, in the Department's Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans the Government have to introduce a mandatory 20 mph zone in areas close to schools. [1069]

The Government have given local authorities the power to introduce 20 mph zones. Our Road Safety Strategy encourages their use in the areas where the most vulnerable are present, like the areas around schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to review the process of awarding the contract to operate the National Lottery. [89]