To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to review the guidelines associated with the European Capital of Culture for 2008. [3251]

Guidelines for those preparing bids for the European Capital of Culture 2008 were published in September last year, and I have no plans to review them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what will happen to moneys not used in the latest round of applications for sports and arts facilities in schools; [2870](2) what the reasons are for the length of time taken for a decision to be reached on the schools that are to be awarded money for sports and arts projects. [2869]

As announced in March 2001, around 300 schools have been invited to develop detailed applications under the Space for Sport and Arts programme, which are due by the end of October. All 65 of the local education authorities (LEAs) participating in the programme have been given an indicative funding allocation for planning purposes with a ceiling on each project of £0.5 million. LEAs are currently in the process of designing the spaces and applying for planning permission. Only once this has been done will it be possible to confirm the final allocations for each individual project. It is expected that the full £130 million allocated to this programme will be spent on those projects identified by the LEAs involved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to review how the Arts Council ensures that Lottery funding is distributed to the regions of England on an equal basis. [3203]

The Government are keen to see a fair distribution of funding throughout the country and have directed distributors to ensure that all parts of the UK have access to Lottery funds. The Arts Council of England undertook substantial consultation last year when devising the Arts Capital Programme, the first tranche of prioritised projects being announced in June 2001. Geographical inequity was one of a number of considerations in the programme, together with investment in Black, Asian and Chinese Arts associations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer of 2 July 2001, Official Report, columns 68–71W, on the Arts Council, if she will provide a breakdown of the figures per head of population in each local authority. [3131]

We have contacted West Midlands Arts Board to request the information required, and my noble Friend the Minister for the Arts will write to my hon. Friend as soon as it is available, placing copies of her letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much support the Arts Council provided for projects within each London authority in each of the last three years, broken down per head of population. [3204]

We have contacted both the Arts Council of England and London Arts to request the information required, and my noble Friend the Minister for the Arts will write to my hon. Friend as soon as it is available, placing copies of her letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to comply with the provisions of the Osborne Estate Act 1902 pending the reintroduction of legislation to amend that Act; what proposals she has for the future use of rooms at Osborne House formerly occupied by the King Edward VII Convalescent Home for Officers; and what representations she has received on the future use of those premises. [3261]

[holding answer 10 July 2001]: The parts of Osborne House used formerly as the King Edward VII Convalescent Home for Officers which closed on 31 October 2000 will not be available for alternative use until repair and refurbishment of the exterior of the accommodation is completed. This is currently estimated to be in January 2002. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be considering how to meet from that date the obligations under the Osborne Estate Act 1902 to devote part of Osborne House for the benefit of members of the armed forces and the civil service until such time as the statutory requirement is repealed. English Heritage, which is responsible for the maintenance and management of the Osborne Estate, have sent my right hon. Friend proposals for opening to the public a large part of the former convalescent home accommodation and the gardens previously restricted to convalescent home use. My right hon. Friend has not received any other representations concerning the future use of the accommodation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will publish details of the most recent awards made under the New Opportunities Fund. [3956]

A large number of awards have been announced recently by the New Opportunities Fund, including £1.6 million to facilitate access to 50,000 items of specific importance to the history and culture of Wales via the internet. I have contacted the New Opportunities Fund to request the detailed information required, and I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as it is available, placing copies of my letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) on what date a Green Minister was first appointed in her Department; when subsequent appointments were made; and if she will make a statement; [3973](2) what the terms of reference are for the Green Minister in her Department; and if she will make a statement. [3982]

[holding answer 13 July 2001]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Environment on 13 July 2001, Official Report, columns 689–90W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what dates her Department's Green Minister attended meetings of the Green Ministers Committee during the current Session of Parliament; on what dates subsequent meetings are planned to take place; and if she will make a statement. [4819]

This Parliament the Green Ministers Committee has been reconstituted as the Cabinet Sub-Committee of Green Ministers, ENV(G), under the chairmanship of the Minister for the Environment. It is established practice under exemption two of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to (a) extend free television licences and (b) introduce reduced-cost television licences for pensioners under the age of 75 years. [4388]

The Government have no plans to extend free television licences to pensioners below the age of 75 or to introduce reduced fee licences for such individuals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the arrangements under which the BBC and the ITV companies are given access to, and the right to edit, party political broadcasts. [4125]

The broadcasting of party political broadcasts is ultimately the responsibility of the broadcasters and the broadcasting regulatory authorities. It is the broadcasters' responsibility to ensure that all the material they broadcast complies with their obligations to maintain programme standards, such as those relating to taste and decency. They may reject any material submitted, including party political broadcasts, unless or until it so complies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funds have been made available for the west midlands to support (a) dancing, (b) singing and (c) acting through the regional arts board; and what plans she has to increase funding for these purposes. [3932]

[holding answer 17 July 2001]: The table shows expenditure through grant-in-aid and the Regional Arts Lottery Programme (RALP) for all artforms by West Midlands Arts which is the main funding body for the arts in the region for the last financial year, 2000–01. The Arts Council of England separately funds Birmingham Royal Ballet (£5,650,087) and the Royal Shakespeare Company (£9,160,300).Alterations to the amounts already given to dancing, singing and acting is a matter for West Midlands Arts.

Artform	Treasury	RALP	Total
Crafts	134,120	25,699	159,819
Dance	672,775	261,087	933,862
Drama/Theatre/Mime	2,586,765	255,660	2,842,425
Film, Video and Broadcast	244,306	64,398	308,704
Literature	166,079	89,032	255,111
Mixed Media	138,475	—	138,475
Combined Arts	1,572,552	273,584	1,846,136
Music	1,958,030	110,231	2,068,261
Non-artform	800,849	—	800,849
Photography	113,534	—	113,534
Visual Arts	1,441,982	540,413	1,982,395
Grand Total	9,829,467	1,620,104	11,449,571

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will ask the Office of Fair Trading to investigate the market power of the BBC. [4506]

[holding answer 17 July 2001]: No. It is open to anyone with the appropriate evidence of alleged infringement of the Competition Act 1998 to raise this with the Office of Fair Trading.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from what source the BBC plans to fund the establishment and running of Network Z. [4654]

[holding answer 17 July 2001]: The BBC has applied for approval to introduce Network Z as a licence-fee funded public broadcasting service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people viewed Welsh language programmes broadcast on S4C each week in the last six months. [4448]

[holding answer 17 July 2001]: This information is not currently available in the form requested. However, I understand that S4C has recently commissioned a more detailed analysis of its viewing figures, from which it should be possible to extract the information requested. I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as this is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture. Media and Sport what plans she has to make interest free loans available to tourism businesses affected by the economic impact of foot and mouth disease. [119]

[holding answer 25 June 2001]: I have no plans to make such loans available, although my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is closely monitoring the effectiveness of the financial assistance measures made available by Government to rural businesses, including tourism businesses, which are worth over £250 million. This package includes £50 million allocated to the Rural Business Recovery Fund, an estimated £22 million

	ASSIST 961	CODA Accounts system	ASSIST 20001
Estimated cost (£ million)	2.25	2.8	3.2
Actual cost (£ million)	2.246	3	3.2
Estimated completion date	September 1996	July 1997	September 2001
Actual completion date	September 1996	February 1998	On schedule
Contractor	ELONEX	CODA	COMPAQ
1 New desk-top

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when she last travelled on the London Underground in the course of her official duties. [3684]

I rarely travel on official duties to destinations served by the London Underground. I cannot recall when I last travelled on the underground in the course of official duties. I occasionally use the underground in a personal capacity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what progress he is making in recovering the grant from the Walton Group plc in respect of Exchange Flags Liverpool; and if he will make a statement. [3689]

The civil claim for recovery of grant paid and interest thereon is proceeding and is expected to go to trial in June 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 2 July 2001, Official Report, column 10W, what the breakdown of activities is for which the qualifying expenditure made available to the Walton Group plc for claimed work on Exchange Flags was made. [3668]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the information technology contracts in excess of £500,000 let by her Department or its predecessor since April 1991, giving in each case the original estimated cost and original estimated completion date, the actual cost and actual completion date and the names of the contractors involved and consultants retained by her Department. [3501]

DFID undertakes most of its IT development work in-house, with modest specialist consultancy support.The Department has had three IT contracts above £500,000 since April 1991.

The grant was made available against the following work:

(i) the refurbishment of the semi-derelict building to provide a net area of not less than 400,000 square feet of floor space suitable for office use and not less than 350 parking spaces at basement level;

(ii) the re-paving and landscaping of an overall area of 2,025 square metres of the adjacent courtyard known as "Exchange Flags";

(iii) the refurbishment and fitting out of the former war room on the lower ground floor of the building as a museum.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the timetable for implementation of train safety systems. [3555]

Under the Railway Safety Regulations, made by the Government in 1999, the Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) must be installed and operational on the rail network by the end of 2003.In addition, the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) will be advising the Government, next year, on regulations to take forward the new European Train Control System (ETCS) on high-speed and other main lines as recommended by the Joint Inquiry Report by Lord Cullen and Professor Uff into train protection systems published on 29 March 2001. A progress report will be published by HSC in September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on how many occasions since July 1998 external radioactivity has been discovered on (a) transport flasks and (b) railroad flathaul carriages used for the transport of spent nuclear fuel to Sellafield from nuclear power plants. [3962]

Information on incidences of contamination of transport flasks and railway wagons is published annually in the report on events involving the transport of radioactive material in the UK. The reports covering events in 1998 and 1999 have been placed in the House Library. The report for events during 2000 will be published in October this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many new housing developments in Chorley have been built on brownfield sites since 1997; and how many are planned in each of the next five years. [4392]

Detailed figures are not available centrally. Under Best Value, Chorley Borough Council is required to report on the percentage of new homes built on previously developed land. The Audit Commission is currently collecting data from all authorities and the Government expect to be able to publish estimated outturn for 2000–2001 shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps he has taken to ensure disabled people can access Chorley railway station. [4393]

Access to railway stations for disabled people is covered by Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Since October 1999, service providers have been required to take reasonable steps to change practices, policies or procedures which make it impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled people to use a service. From 2004, service providers will have to take reasonable steps to remove, alter or provide reasonable means of avoiding physical features that make it impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled people to use a service.In addition, the Strategic Rail Authority is currently revising its Code of Practice, "Meeting the needs of Disabled Passengers", which is aimed at helping protect the interests of disabled users of railway passenger services and station services.Railtrack are also committed to ensuring that disabled people have access to the railway network. I understand they are currently exploring a framework for achieving accessibility so that a detailed programme can be developed in consultation with train operators and other interested parties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he will announce changes to the road building programme. [4115]

My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced a package of transport measures on 28 March 2001, Official Report, column 639W, which included the addition of eight schemes to the targeted programme of trunk road improvements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what central Government support has been made available to (a) Hyndburn borough council and (b) Rossendale borough council, to tackle private sector housing disrepair in each of the last four years. [4267]

There is no longer a separate ring-fenced element for private sector renewal within the support provided for local authorities' housing capital programmes; this was merged into the general support for housing investment from 2001 —02 to provide authorities with greater flexibility and reduce administrative burdens. The overall resources allocated to Hyndburn and Rossendale for housing investment in the last four years were as follows:

	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
Hyndburn borough council1
Total	2,223	2,331	2,704	23.607
of which:
Ring-fenced for private sector renewal	769	759	3—	3—
Rossendale borough council
Total	1,838	1,780	2,117	23,337
of which:
Ring-fenced for private sector renewal	483	483	3—	3—
1 In addition, Hyndburn borough council is receiving £646,000 this year through the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund
2 The 2001–02 allocations include amounts (£2,030 for Hyndbum and £2,410 for Rossendale) ring-fenced for expenditure on council housing through the new Major Repairs Allowance
3 Not applicable

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 10 July 2001, Official Report, column 439W, on landlords, in how many cases the original decision was upheld. [4138]

I assume that my hon. Friend wishes to know how often, under paragraph 8 of the Schedule to the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Leasehold Valuation Tribunals (LVTs) have decided that the insurance available from an insurer was unsatisfactory or that the premiums payable were excessive.The majority of applications made under these provisions were later withdrawn, were deemed to be outside the jurisdiction of the LVTs, or still await a decision. At the end of May 2001, only 10 cases had been determined. Of these, the insurance arrangements were deemed to be satisfactory in six cases. In the other four cases, the premiums were deemed to be excessive, or the arrangements unsatisfactory in other ways, or both.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions she has had since 15 February with Mr. Robert Bourne or associated parties regarding the future of the Dome. [4152]

[holding answer 16 July 2001]: None, but my noble and learned Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning met Robert Bourne and his colleagues on 28 February 2001, at Mr. Bourne's request, following the Government's decision to end Legacy plc's preferred bidder status and the existing competition as announced on 15 February 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he next intends to review the arrangements for supporting shared ownership housing options. [4622]

My Department, in conjunction with the National Assembly for Wales, has commissioned a research project to evaluate the current low cost home ownership programmes in England and Wales, and to identify and assess possible measures to improve their effectiveness. The scope of the research includes shared ownership schemes offered by registered social landlords. The study is expected to report in April 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what percentage of households in each local authority in London was on the housing register in April 2000. [4624]

The latest available information is presented in the table:

England 1997–98 to 1999–2000
Percentage
	(a)	(b)			(c)
Tenure and Government office region	At least 1.5 rooms per person	At bedroom standard	Above bedroom standard	All at or above bedroom standard	Below bedroom standard
(i) Owner occupiers
North East	88	17	82	99	1
North West	88	17	82	98	2
Yorkshire and the Humber	88	16	83	99	1
East Midlands	90	14	85	99	1
West Midlands	88	16	83	98	2
East	89	16	82	99	1
London	86	24	74	97	3

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will estimate, for each region in England the percentage of households (a) with at least 1.5 rooms per person, (b) occupying properties consistent with the bedroom standard and (c) occupying properties at least one room below the bedroom standard (i) as owner occupiers, (ii) as council tenants and (iii) as RSL tenants. [4625]

The information requested is shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment of the relative priority in respect of the London underground he has made of (a) refurbishing stations to incorporate shopping malls and (b) maintenance of rolling stock, track and signals; to what extent Transport for London's chosen priority in this regard will apply and how the infrastructure companies will influence such decisions; and if he will make a statement. [4722]

The plans for the modernisation of the underground will deliver around £13 billion to improve the underground's infrastructure over the next 15 years. The relative priorities for rolling stock, track, signals and stations have been set by the public sector, not the infrastructure companies. The requirements have been designed to improve the capacity, reliability and quality of the underground as quickly and efficiently as possible, while maintaining high safety standards.Within this balanced programme, expenditure on stations will account for less than a quarter of the total investment over the next 15 years. The priority at stations will not be to incorporate shopping malls, but to address those other issues passengers consider important: making sure the lifts and escalators work; installing CCTV to improve passenger security; tackling congestion at the busiest stations; providing step-free access; and improving the quality and cleanliness of stations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list penalty clauses and similar liability arrangements in

Contracts for the modernisation of the tube have been developed by London Underground Limited. I understand that London Underground has set the priorities to ensure the private companies provide improved infrastructure so that London Underground can operate a safe and reliable service for passengers. Infrastructure companies will be rewarded for improving the capacity, reliability and quality of the underground infrastructure, and penalised for poor performance. Penalties in the contract will reflect the full impact of any delay or disruption to passengers and not be limited by a cap. I understand that London Underground intends to publish the contracts once negotiations have been completed and will make available information on performance

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how he expects new investment in the London Underground to be spent. [4721]

The plans for the modernisation of the tube provide a comprehensive package to renew the whole of the underground's infrastructure and are designed to ensure that the money is spent efficiently, with improvements specified by the public sector delivered on time and on budget. Around £13 billion of investment will be made over the next 15 years, with some £8.7 billion spent on enhancements and £4.3 billion on maintenance—a higher level of sustained investment than ever before. As a result of this investment, services will be faster and more frequent with, for example, a 20 per cent. increase in capacity on the Victoria line. Fewer breakdowns and delays will result in a more reliable service. Every train on the underground will be replaced or refurbished over the lifetime of the contracts, and every station will be upgraded in the first seven and a half years.

Service disruptions due to failures in signals/points
	1999–45	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01
Non LT	21	26	20	41	26	26	16
Bakerloo	343	263	264	292	249	355	248
Central	518	542	644	880	308	335	490
District	334	385	303	269	278	394	525
Jubilee and East LL	140	79	79	110	197	338	444
Metropolitan and Circle (c and h)	180	212	129	131	125	238	407
Metropolitan and Circle (main)	247	256	209	266	194	290	522
Northern	245	324	298	323	216	317	358
Picadilly	222	287	261	241	213	202	326
Victoria	99	120	115	166	149	131	186
Total	2,349	2,494	2,322	2,719	1,955	2,626	3,522

Service disruptions due to failures in other track
	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01
Non LT	6	38	26	10	14	12	5
Bakerloo	53	99	193	201	176	168	171
Central	100	147	203	92	65	50	62
District	74	101	74	51	69	83	179
Jubilee and East LL	54	74	45	38	77	146	136
Metropolitan and Circle (c and h)	61	78	75	61	57	62	98
Metropolitan and Circle (main)	88	118	105	73	83	82	136
Northern	95	123	141	165	109	105	208
Picadilly	86	125	92	110	109	135	165
Victoria	42	56	54	80	66	66	58
Total	659	959	1,008	881	825	909	1,218

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will publish the financial assessment of the methods of funding future capital investment in the London Underground over a similar period favoured by (a) Her Majesty's Government and (b) Transport for London. [4726]

We have made clear that our plans for the London Underground will go ahead only if they represent value for money. We will make this judgment guided by the results of the robust public sector comparator that London Underground has constructed. This explicitly allows for the possibility of public sector bond financing, in line with the scheme suggested by Transport for London.A note outlining the methodology used to develop the comparator was placed in the Libraries of the House in March 2000. The results of the comparator will also be published once negotiations with bidders have been completed. To release the comparator any earlier would risk undermining London Underground's negotiating position and jeopardise its ability to achieve value for money for the taxpayer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what are the principal reasons for the cost overrun for the extension of

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the annual number of breakdowns on each line of London Underground involving signal, points and track failures has been since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [4611]

This is an operational issue for London Underground which has provided the following information:the Jubilee Line from Green Park to Stratford; what his estimate of the total of that cost overrun is; what percentage of the original estimate that represents; what is the estimated cost; which parties overran in each case; what circumstances were responsible for the cost overrun; how much was paid to consultants in relation to the line extension; what assessment has been made of how inaccurate cost assessments contributed to cost overruns; what contractual mistakes were made and extra cost incurred from them; and if he will make a statement. [4728]

The Jubilee Line Extension (JLE) was a vast and complex undertaking, managed by London Transport/London Underground Limited. It was one of the largest engineering projects in this country for many years. This Government inherited a project already under way, and poorly planned. Various studies of the JLE have been carried out and others are still under way. The current forecast total cost is £3.5 billion, including commissioning costs. Actual final cost will not be known until all contracts and claims are settled. When it was given the go-ahead, the JLE was expected to cost £2.1 billion (at 1993 cash prices, excluding commissioning costs).The causes of JLE cost overruns included the omission from the original figure of estimates for commissioning the line and turning it into a working railway; amendments to the programme and opening strategy which had associated acceleration and prolongation costs; changes to specifications such as the addition of CCTV, not originally specified but later required in line with improvements elsewhere on the Tube; 'descoping' of systems such as signalling and communications; and other factors entirely outside the control of the project or its contractors, such as the new Austrian tunnelling method collapse on the Heathrow Express Project which caused all NATM JLE tunnelling to be suspended causing delays of around six months. Industrial action and vandalism contributed to increased costs.I will write to my hon. Friend about expenditure on consultants.Various studies of the JLE have been undertaken. Some have already produced outcomes; others are still under way. The end of commission report by the Secretary of State's Agent, Ove Arup, made recommendations, and following the review of this report by Peter Gershon of the Office of Government Commerce, specific OGC recommendations on the whole process of major project approval and management are being implemented.It is clear that project management and contractual arrangements contributed significantly to JLE overruns: this indicates the need for better measures for the future. Improved arrangements have been included in the contracts offered to bidders who will be London Underground's partners in the programme for the modernisation of the Tube. In particular, the private contractors will bear responsibility for projects that come in over time and beyond budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many alternatives for the future funding of the London Underground were put to (a) him and (b) Transport for London; and if he will make a statement. [4727]

The Government ruled out privatisation of the Underground, but carefully considered all other options for modernising the Underground, including the use of bond financing, a public trust, joint ventures, vertically integrated business and the status quo. We firmly believe that our plans are the best way to achieve a 21st Century Tube, and to ensure safety and value for money. The Underground will remain publicly owned and run, and the massive programme of investment will be carried out in partnership with the private sector as quickly and efficiently as possible.Transport for London submitted to the Mayor its outline of a programme for the rehabilitation and management of the Underground in December 2000 and a Proposed Management Plan for the London Underground in April 2001. It is a matter for Transport for London whether they considered any alternatives to the ideas put forward in those reports.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much (a) public capital investment and (b) private sector investment is proposed to be made in each of the next 15 years into the London Underground; what will be the return on capital for the private sector investors; who will pay it; and if he will make a statement. [4725]

The plans for the modernisation of the Underground will deliver around £13 billion of investment to improve the underground's infrastructure over the next 15 years. It is estimated that some 20 per cent. of finance for these plans will be provided by the private sector, with the remainder coming from London Underground fares and Government grant.The rate of the return for the private sector will be determined by the outcome of London Underground's negotiations with bidders. The agreed rate of return will be achieved only if the private companies meet their obligations to provide track, trains, signals and stations with increased capacity, better reliability and higher quality.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 11 July 2001, Official Report, column 527W, under what circumstances British Gas (Lattice Properties plc) would receive 7.5 per cent of the open market value of the land on the Greenwich peninsula. [4410]

[holding answer 17 July 2001]: This is a matter to be agreed by British Gas (Lattice Properties plc) and English Partnerships, taking account of the Sale and Purchase Agreement between both these parties, dated 7 February 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 11 July 2001, Official Report, column 527W, what previous estimates have been made of the open market value of the British Gas (Lattice Properties plc) interest in land on the Greenwich peninsula; and what its estimated current value is. [4411]

[holding answer 17 July 2001]: Various (public and private) estimates have been made of the value of the land on the Greenwich peninsula which English Partnerships acquired from British Gas (Lattice Properties plc) in 1997, and consequently of the British Gas interest in such land. However, any valuations are confidential and it would be against the public interest to reveal these figures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 11 July 2001, Official Report, column 527W, who will be responsible for establishing the open market value of the British Gas (Lattice Properties plc) interest on the Greenwich peninsula. [4412]

[holding answer 17 July 2001]: This is a matter to be agreed by English Partnerships and British Gas (Lattice Properties plc), in accordance with the Sale and Purchase agreement between both these parties, dated 7 February 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many speed restrictions were in place on the rail network at the end of each month since October 2000 in (a) Great Britain and (b) the area covered by each franchise; and how many are anticipated to be in place at the end of (i) July, (ii) August, (iii) September and (iv) October. [4652]

[holding answer 17 July 2001]: Railtrack reports that the number of temporary speed restrictions in place across its network in Great Britain at the end of each month was:

	Number
October 2000	504
November	626
December	1,100
January 2001	1,045
February	964
March	1,188
April	908
May	779
June	773

These national figures cannot meaningfully be broken down into the areas covered by each franchise because the services of many franchisees overlap. Individual speed restrictions will often affect the trains of several operators all using that line. Railtrack does however ensure close dialogue on outstanding speed restrictions with each operator in order to maintain safety and service reliability.Railtrack is working with train operators and contractors to return to a sustainable level of speed restrictions across the network as soon as possible, but the precise number of restrictions which will be in place over the coming months cannot be accurately predicted.At any one time there is always a large number, typically 300 to 500, of speed restrictions in force on the network; these are needed to maintain safe operation in adverse operating conditions and to enable normal maintenance activities to be completed. Allowances are made for such speed restrictions within timetables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many programme trouble reports there are in the air system controls at the new En Route Centre at Swanwick; and in each case, what the details and severity of the programme trouble reports are. [4616]

There are currently 136 Programme Trouble Reports (PTRs) or "bugs" on the Swanwick systems that are required to be fixed before the unit enters operational service on 27 January 2002. Of these PTRs, fixes for 51 are scheduled for deployment on to the Swanwick software this week. Fixes for the remainder will be delivered in the software build which will be deployed to the operational system in November 2001. Listing the details and severity of each PTR would be extremely time-consuming and could be provided only at disproportionate expense.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in what circumstances a programme trouble report can cause an aircraft not to be shown on a controller's screen. [4618]

NATS have informed us that no programme trouble reports logged in the development of the Swanwick systems have caused aircraft not to be shown on a controller's screen.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much extra traffic will be accommodated by the new air traffic control systems at the new En Route Centre at Swanwick in the first year of operation. [4617]

When the Swanwick Centre enters operational service in January next year, the capacity of the unit will be constrained while ATC staff gain confidence and familiarity with the new equipment and procedures. As this confidence and competence improves, capacity will be slowly increased to match the capacity of the equivalent LATCC sectors. NATS anticipate that, by the end of summer 2002, capacity will increase by around 5 per cent.; and by a further 5 per cent. the following year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many workarounds relating to air system control there are at the new En Route Centre at Swanwick. [4619]

NATS have informed us that the Swanwick systems contain no "workarounds", i.e. sub-optimal solutions to achieve system modifications.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what action he has taken to improve the system of compulsory purchase and compensation; and if he will introduce reforming legislation at an early date; [4595](2) when he will publish the Government's response to the consultation on the 'Fundamental Review of the Laws and Procedures Relating to Compulsory Purchase and Compensation' conducted by the former DETR last year. [4594]

In response to the consultation on the Fundamental Review, to which my hon. Friend refers, we are currently preparing a Policy Statement setting out the Government's proposals for making the system of compulsory purchase and compensation more efficient, more effective and fairer to all parties. This will be published as soon as possible, and will include an assessment of the need for reforming legislation. The Fundamental Review also pointed out that the operation of the compulsory purchase system is suffering from a loss of expertise and experience in acquiring authorities. We have therefore commissioned a Guidance Manual to help authorities make more effective use of the current system. This is due to be published in the autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many empty homes there were in England broken down by region for the most recent year for which statistics are available. [4631]

The available information on empty residential property in England at the beginning of 2000–01 is given in the table:

	Total vacant dwellings
North East	49,000
Yorkshire and the Humber	99,700
East Midlands	68,000
Eastern	70,200
London	1105,200
South East	87,500
South West	64,100
West Midlands	79,800
North West	1138,300
England	763,900
1 Denotes that local authority (LA) vacants exclude any such dwellings situated in another authority district. England totals reflect all LA-owned vacants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he expects the study funded by the Civil Aviation Authority into research into deep vein thrombosis and air travel to be completed; and if he will make a statement. [4587]

The study, which is being funded by the Civil Aviation Authority to look into the link between aircraft seat dimension and passenger size, is being carried out on behalf of the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA). Publication of the study, which will include a review of recent work on deep vein thrombosis, will follow its approval by the JAA member states. In addition, my Department and the Department of Health, together with the Civil Aviation Authority and the Health and Safety Executive, are supporting a study to look into the research that has been done to date on all aviation health matters. This study will cover a number of health issues associated with air travel—including deep vein thrombosis—and will make suggestions for further research. This report will be published during July.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many penalty points have been accumulated for each PFI road scheme in his Department; for which reason each of these points was awarded; what penalties were invoked; and if he will make a statement. [4459]

The overall performance of our PFI contracts is good. There have however been instances when it has been necessary to award penalty points for failure to achieve the required level of performance. The use of the penalty point system has been successful in improving poor performance as contractors have been anxious to avoid contractual warning letters and to face the risk of termination. The contracts are subject to confidentiality agreements and so the information cannot be given for individual contracts. Most points have been awarded during the construction phase of the contracts. During operations it has been necessary to award fewer points.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when the draft revision of Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 will be implemented. [4645]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Winchester (Mr. Oaten) on 2 July 2001, Official Report, column 17W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what research his Department has undertaken into the potential for using powers under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to establish a Planning Inquiry Commission; and if he will publish the results. [4635]

The Department has considered the potential for establishing a Planning Inquiry Commission in the context of handling decisions on major infrastructure projects, but has undertaken no research.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) if he will set out the terms of reference for the role of the Green Minister in his Department; and if he will make a statement; [4829](2) on what dates a Green Minister was

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment on 13 July 2001, Official Report. columns 689–90W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on what date the public inquiry into the appeal by the Secretary of State for Health in respect of the site at St. Leonard's hospital, Dorset is to be heard. [4757]

Although this appeal was received in the Planning Inspectorate on 1 June 2000, work on it has been suspended following a direction to the appellant by the then Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions to submit an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). This has now been received and the Inspectorate will shortly make arrangements for the inquiry, once the appellant has carried out the necessary publicity for the EIA.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to reduce the cost of bus travel. [4907]

Outside London, the setting of bus fares is a matter for individual bus operators and they have a commercial incentive to keep fares at an affordable level, in order to attract passengers. In general, bus fares have tended to rise in line with the growth in average earnings. Local authorities have powers to arrange travel concessions for specified groups. But as part of our commitment to ensuring that elderly and disabled people have access to affordable transport, we have guaranteed them half fares on local bus services under the Transport Act 2000. The Travel Concessions (Eligibility) Bill, which is currently being debated in the other place, will go further and equalise at 60 the age at which both men and women become entitled to concessionary travel.Buses have a vital role to play in our transport system. We have brought forward a range of policies to make bus travel more reliable and attractive for the passenger, and are supporting this with substantially increased capital funding. We are confident that this will lead to increased patronage, which in turn should help to keep fares down.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list for each week from Monday 23 July to Monday 8 October which departmental Ministers will be on duty (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) in London. [4894]

As is the case throughout the year there will be a Minister on duty at all times over the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will examine the practice of purchasing leases in order to demand from householders that they insure the houses as directed by the new leaseholders or buy the right to choose their own insurer. [4576]

We are aware of and deplore this practice. Leaseholders do already have rights which allow them to address such abuses. They are able to purchase their landlord's interests under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967, thereby removing his control over the insurance of the property. They can also apply to a leasehold valuation tribunal to challenge the landlord's choice of nominated insurer under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. Measures to improve the operation of these rights form part of our work on leasehold reform and improving the tribunals. We are also looking separately at further ways in which this practice might be addressed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had with the European Commission about an exemption from the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 to allow the import of American vehicles with small number plates; and if he will make a statement. [4756]

Officials have recently met with representatives of the European Commission and American car importers. The Government are carefully considering the representations made and will make an announcement shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will provide financial assistance to Epping Forest district council under the Bellwin scheme in respect of costs incurred for the unexploded bomb incident on 7 and 8 November 2000. [5487]

I am satisfied that financial assistance under the Bellwin scheme is justified in the case of Epping Forest district council given the exceptional nature of the incident. A scheme will therefore be established under section 155 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. Grant will be paid to cover 85 per cent. of the eligible costs above a threshold, which the authority has incurred in dealing with the unexploded bomb.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will visit South Staffordshire during the forthcoming recess. [2913]

I have no plans at present to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister on what dates the Government have published their annual report; what the total cost of producing and publishing each report has been; when the next report will be published; and if he will make a statement. [3661]

[holding answer 16 July 2001]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) on 12 July 2001, Official Report, column 638W.The publication dates, and total costs of the Government annual reports are as follows:

	Publication date	Total costs (£)
Government annual report
1997–98	30 July 1998	250,000
1998–99	26 July 1999	180,000
1999–2000	13 July 2000	125,000

To ask the Prime Minister how many letters he received on average per week from members of the public over the last six months. [4798]

During the first six months of 2001 I received 253,230 letters and cards from members of the public. The number of letters and cards I receive varies significantly from week to week.

To ask the Solicitor-General on what dates her Department's Green Minister attended meetings of the Green Ministers Committee during the current Session of Parliament; on what dates subsequent meetings are planned to take place; and if she will make a statement. [4824]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 17 July 2001, Official Report, column 165.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the key targets are for the Chief Executive of Service Children's Education for 2001–02. [5486]

The Chief Executive has been set the following key targets for 2001–02.

1. To meet the following percentage of pupils achieving Level 2 at the end of Key Stage 1 in:

• Reading—89 per cent.
• Writing—91 per cent.
• Spelling—80 per cent.
• Mathematics—93 per cent.

2. To meet the following percentage of pupils achieving Level 4 or above at the end of Key Stage 2 in:

• English—77 per cent.
• Mathematics—74 per cent.
• Science—88 per cent.

3. To meet the following percentage of pupils achieving Level 5 or above at the end of Key Stage 3 in:

• English—76 per cent.
• Mathematics—75 per cent.
• Science—71 per cent.

Deaths to UK Gulf veterans11 April 1991–30 June 2001 Causes (coded to ICD-9)2
ICD chapter	Cause of death	Gulf	Era	Mortality rate ratio
	All deaths	496	494	1.00
	All cause coded deaths	485	473	1.02
I—XVI	Disease-related causes	179	216	0.83
I	Infectious and parasitic diseases	3	2	1.49
II	Cancers	71	77	0.92
III	Endocrine and immune disorders	1	4	0.25
V	Mental disorders	9	11	0.81
VI	Diseases of the nervous system and sense organs	7	6	1.16
VII	Diseases of the circulatory system	66	86	0.76
VIII	Diseases of the respiratory system	10	5	1.99
IX	Diseases of the digestive system	9	14	0.64
IV, X—XVI	All other disease-related causes	3	11	0.27
EXVII	External causes of injury and poisoning	306	257	1.18
	Railway accidents	4	1	3.98
	Motor vehicle accidents	110	88	1.24
	Water transport accidents	4	1	3.98
	Air and space accidents	25	17	1.46
	Other vehicle accidents	0	1	0.00
	Accidental poisoning	10	13	0.77
	Accidental falls	8	6	1.33
	Accidents due to fire/flames	0	1	0.00
	Accidents due to natural environmental factors	2	2	1.00

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the latest figures are for deaths of Gulf veterans, and among the control group. [5608]

Peer reviewed scientific data comparing the mortality of UK Gulf veterans with an era group of service personnel who did not deploy to the Gulf were published for the first time in The Lancet on 1 July 2000. Updates to these figures were provided by the Ministry of Defence to the House on 20 July 2000, Official Report, columns 247–49W, and 22 January 2001, Official Report, columns 414–16W. The MOD has undertaken to continue to monitor the mortality of both Gulf veterans and the era group and will publish updated figures on a regular basis. The figures as at 30 June 2001 are shown in the table.Overall, in the period 1 April 1991 to 30 June 2001 the mortality of UK Gulf veterans was no different from that of the control group. The number of Gulf veterans dying from disease related causes is rather less than the control group, whereas the number of Gulf veterans dying of external causes is rather higher than for the control group. The MOD will conduct a more detailed analysis of accidental deaths, to establish where there are any underlying trends that might help explain this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the use of animals in defence research. [5609]

The independent Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (AWAC), chaired by Dr. Robert C. Hubrecht, has recently published its fifth annual report. The committee was set up in 1996 in response to public and parliamentary concern over the use of animals in defence research. Its purpose is to consult, inspect and make all necessary inquiries into all aspects of animal care and their use in establishments of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), part of the former Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA).The committee's report gives assurances that animals used in defence research programmes in the UK are regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and that no special exemptions apply to MOD. The committee's report emphasises the work that DERA have done to ensure the welfare of all animals used for defence research purposes. The committee was satisfied that all possible efforts were being made to ensure animal welfare and care.Animal research is essential in order to protect our troops from hazards encountered during their duties. However, the Ministry of Defence continues to place emphasis on seeking alternatives to animal use. Although the numbers of animals used have reduced from past years, the technologies which will allow further reduction are still immature. The MOD welcomes the scrutiny by the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee in this area and will continue to support AWAC's review into the care and welfare arrangements for animals used in defence research.Copies of the report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on what date a Green Minister was first appointed in his Department; when subsequent appointments were made; and if he will make a statement; [3895](2) what the terms of reference are for the Green Minister in his Department; and if he will make a statement. [3976]

[holding answer 13 July 2001]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment gave on 13 July 2001, Official Report, column 690W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what dates his Department's Green Minister attended meetings of the Green Ministers' Committee during the current Session of Parliament; on what dates subsequent meetings are planned to take place; and if he will make a statement. [4813]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment on 17 July 2001, Official Report, column 165W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish his forthcoming study into the Government's subsidisation of the military export and defence sector; when this study is expected to be completed; and when Parliament will be able to review the findings of the study. [4739]

We expect the study into the costs and economic benefits of defence exports being undertaken by the Ministry of Defence's Senior Economic Adviser, with contributions from leading, independent, academic defence economists, to be completed shortly. It will be published and made available as soon as possible for review by the House of Commons Defence Committee, which originally proposed the study.I do not expect the analysis to show that there is Government subsidisation of defence exports, but rather to reflect the fact that there is a significant net benefit to the Defence budget—and thus the taxpayer—from defence exports. These benefits include a reduction in costs for UK procurement as a result of export orders, receipts from Commercial Exploitation Levy and disposal of surplus MOD equipment. In addition to economic benefits, responsible and legitimate defence exports, together with our own defence efforts, contribute to international stability by strengthening collective defence relationships.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of apprentices trained at DERA, Aberporth were employed by his Department (a) on completion of their apprenticeship, (b) after two years and (c) after five years, for each of the last 10 years. [4537]

The number of apprentices trained at Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, Aberporth and employed by Ministry of Defence (a) on completion of

Intake year	Year of completion	Numbers completing	Employed by DERA (MOD)	Employed by wider MOD	Other	After two years (employed by DERA)1	After five years (employed by DERA)1
1988	1992	14	1	1	6	6	3
1989	1993	12	9	1	2	8	4
1990	1994	23	8	0	15	8	4
1991	1995	15	8	0	7	8	5
1992	1996	8	3	1	4	2	1
1993	1997	8	5	0	3	4	1
1994	1998	10	6	1	3	4	3—
19952	1998	10	6	0	4	4	3—
1996	1999	8	4	1	3	4	3—
1997	2000	10	6	0	4	3—	3—
1 Only the numbers of apprentices retained by DERA are available and are based on information supplied by ex-apprentices. Information is not held as to whether any ex-apprentices, upon leaving DERA, went on to be employed in the wide MOD.
2 New training introduced which reduced training period from four to three years.
3 Not yet served for two years or five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many weeks a year the British Army has had use of the range at Archer's Post and the range at Dol Dol in each of the last three years. [3218]

The British Army used each area for about six weeks in each year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions agreed liquidated damages provision has not been collected by his Department; for what reason; and what legal action has been (a) contemplated and (b) taken to enforce them. [3717]

This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he is taking to facilitate the enlargement of NATO at the Alliance's 2002 Prague summit. [4429]

As the Prime Minister has made clear, we support the further enlargement of NATO when the political and military conditions agreed at the 1997 Madrid and 1999 Washington Summits are met. The Ministry of Defence, together with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, continues to consult closely with Allies on the implications of possible further enlargement for Euro-Atlantic security. We are assisting aspirants with their preparations through the Membership Action Plan, launched at the 1999 Washington Summit. We will continue to work with the Secretary General and Allies to ensure that the Alliance has the capabilities, force and command structures, planning and decision-making processes it needs to maintain its efficiency and effectiveness.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list for each week from Monday 23 July

It is not normal practice to publish Ministerial Duty Rosters. Throughout the summer break a Minister will be on duty in line with paragraph 68 of the current Ministerial Code.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on initiatives to clarify the law concerning conflict of laws in relation to indirectly held securities. [5388]

We are today publishing a consultation document inviting views on two proposals. The first is a draft multilateral Convention, drawn up under the auspices of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, to determine the law applying to the proprietary aspects of dealing in securities held through intermediaries. The second is a proposal to amend the Financial Market and Insolvency (Settlement Finality) Regulations 1999. The purpose of the amendment is to apply a common choice of law rule in respect of securities provided as collateral. We consider these measures will produce benefits in terms of simplicity, risk reduction and enhanced efficiency in financial markets. A copy of the consultation document has been placed in the Library.