To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average rate of sickness absence was in HM Customs and Excise in (a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01 and (c) 2001–02 to the latest date for which information is available. [9177]

[holding answer 19 October 2001]: No accurate figures are available for the average rate of working days lost to sickness absence in 1999–2000 and 2000–01.The average rate of sickness from 1 April 2001 to 30 September 2001 was 4.6 working days.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide a breakdown of the expected cost to Her Majesty's Government over the current financial year of the measures to combat the financing of terrorism which he announced on 15 October 2001, Official Report, columns 940–42. [10009]

[holding answer 25 October 2001]: The costs of setting up the Terrorist Finance Unit are modest, but the benefits in terms of cutting off the resource available to the perpetrators of acts of international terrorism potentially immense.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what legal basis Customs and Excise sell the impounded vehicles of individuals who have used them to breach their personal allowances for the importation of tobacco and alcohol. [12195]

[holding answer 5 November 2001]: Where a vehicle has been used for the carriage, handling, deposit or concealment of anything liable to forfeiture, that vehicle is itself liable to forfeiture to the Crown under s141(1)(a) of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979. Any such vehicle is forfeit once a month has passed and no appeal has been received, or where there is an appeal and the Magistrates find in favour of Customs and Excise. The Commissioners of Customs and Excise will dispose of forfeit vehicles on behalf of the Crown in the most efficient and cost-effective way.People travelling to the UK from other EU countries are entitled to bring into the UK, without charge, alcohol and tobacco which they have purchased tax-paid elsewhere in the EU, if it is solely for their own use. Customs do not enforce any absolute limits on such purchases, but travellers bringing in goods in excess of the Minimum Indicative Levels, set out in EC Directive 92/12/EEC, may be required to satisfy Customs that the goods are for their own use.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was derived from selling vehicles impounded by Customs and Excise because they were used to breach personal allowances for the importation of tobacco and alcohol; and how many of such impounded vehicles have been sold, in each year for the past four years. [12218]

[holding answer 7 November 2001]: The information is available only in respect of the sale of vehicles seized for all types of Customs offences. The revenue from the sale of such vehicles for the last four years was:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many motor vehicles were seized on the grounds that they were being used for the illegal importation of spirits, wines, beer or tobacco products in 2000; and what the total proceeds of sale were. [13264]

Customs record the number of vehicles seized for all Customs offences on a financial year basis. Figures for the number of vehicles seized in 2000–2001 were published in the Government's response to the independent report by John Rogues into "The Collection of Excise Duties in HM Customs and Excise" (House of Commons command 5329, July 2001), a copy of which was placed in the Library on 19 July.The total proceeds of sale from those seized vehicles which were subsequently sold in 2000 was £523,951.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 30 October 2001, Official Report, column 642W, on departmental budgets, if he will provide a breakdown for each listed Department of the main items of intended expenditure that were not spent, comprising each of the annual underspend totals. [13201]

The allocation of budgets within Departmental Expenditure Limits is normally a matter for individual Secretaries of State. Under this Government's system of full End-Year Flexibility, unspent provision is available for use in future years. Departmental Appropriation Accounts break down outturn by section of the Vote.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he plans (a) to introduce corrective procedures for underspend of Final Department Expenditure Limit and (b) to examine the financial procedures in the (i) Department of Health, (ii) Department for Education and Skills, (iii) Ministry of Defence and (iv) Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. [13200]

Under this Government's system of full End-Year Flexibility, unspent provision can be carried forward by Departments for use in future years. This removes the incentive, which applied under previous arrangements, to use up budgets wastefully at the end of the financial year. The allocation and management of budget within Departmental Expenditure Limits are in general a matter for individual Secretaries of State.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health regarding under-spend in the Department of Health. [13204]

Treasury Ministers meet regularly with the Secretary of State for Health to discuss aspects of the Department of Health's performance and plans.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the projects in his Department which have been considered as potential public-private partnerships since 1997 which have not been undertaken because the public sector comparator had a lower net present value than the public-private partnership proposed; and if he will make a statement. [13453]

In our 1997 reforms of PFI, the Government abandoned the requirement to submit all capital projects to PFI testing. Accordingly, it will be concluded at a very early stage in the option appraisal process whether a PPP approach is likely to deliver value for money (vfm); where it is not, a public sector comparator (PSC) will not be constructed. Only when it is concluded, following careful consideration, that PPP is likely to offer vfm, will a PSC normally be developed.Against this background, and with the maturing of the PPP process and the PPP market, it is likely that a high proportion of projects which do embark on the PPP route will contract on that basis, with competition helping to secure value for money and the PSC acting as a quantitative aid to informing judgment.PPP deals continue to account for only a small proportion of the total sums invested to improve the delivery of public services. Public sector gross investment is projected to rise from £19 billion in 2000–01 to £35.2 billion in 2003–04. Over the same period, capital investment by the private sector through PFI will be about £3 billion annually.So far as the Treasury as a Department is concerned, there have been no projects within the terms of the hon. Member's question.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Government have spent on private consultancy since 1997; and what review of such expenditure has been conducted to assess its value for money. [13907]

The information requested is not held centrally.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the impact of the charging of VAT on the residential costs of nursing home care.[12123]

The Government are of the clear view that the care of vulnerable people provided in all residential homes should not be subject to VAT. In May. the VAT Tribunal confirmed that the care provided in residential nursing homes was exempt from VAT. However, the Tribunal also ruled that care provided by a commercial body was not exempt, and Customs and Excise are currently appealing against that ruling. Whatever the outcome of that appeal, the Government will take steps to ensure that residents of care homes and their families do not face increased costs as a result of VAT.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees of (a) mutual, (b) co-operative and (c) employee trust award companies would benefit if the present rules were changed to permit such organisations to participate in employee share ownership plans; what plans there are to expand ESOPs in this way; and if he will make a statement. [14464]

Employees of registered industrial and provident societies which are co-operatives are already able to participate in the Share Incentive Plan introduced last year. Companies such as mutual organisations and trust-owned companies that do not issue shares are not able to participate.We estimate that some 70,000 staff are employed by mutual organisations and around 60,000 are employed by trust owned businesses in the UK. We have not yet been able to devise a way in which the link between share ownership and company performance might be reflected in such corporate structures.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees in the different sectors of the economy (a) are benefiting from and (b) are entitled to receive money under the employee share ownership plans (i) in total and (ii) as a percentage of employees in that sector; what plans he has to extend ESOPs; and if he will make a statement. [14465]

Tax advantaged share plans are generally open to employees in all sectors of the economy. However, Enterprise Management Incentives are not open to companies engaged in certain trades considered to involve low financial risk. We estimate that some 2.5 million employees are benefiting from tax advantaged share and share option schemes. Up to March of this year, some 81,000 employees have benefited from the new Share Incentive Plan introduced last year. Figures are not available on a sectoral basis and the cost of obtaining the information would be disproportionate.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the female population (a) is of working age, (b) is in work or seeking work and (c) is seeking work in each county. [14133]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many (a) Protestant and (b) Roman Catholic applicants to the new Police Service of Northern Ireland were successful in being selected for the first batch of recruits; [11938](2) how many serving members of the full-time RUC Reserve have applied to joint the new Police Service of Northern Ireland and have been successful in being selected for the first batch of recruits; [11942](3) how many female applicants to the new Police Service of Northern Ireland were successful in being selected for the first batch of recruits; [11940](4) how many female applicants to the new Police Service of Northern Ireland were successful in being short listed to the final pool prior to the selection of the first batch of recruits; [11939](5) how many

Around 550 candidates have qualified for entry to the merit pool. Of these, approximately 150 have declared themselves Catholic and approximately 400 have declared themselves Protestant or are non-determined; some 180 are female; and approximately 80 are serving members of the full-time Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve. Final figures will not be available for some time as a number of candidates are subject to outstanding issues, for example, medical appeals.Of the first batch of 47 recruits, 24 have declared themselves Catholic and 23 have declared themselves protestant; 14 are female; and 10 are former full-time reserve officers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what representations he has received regarding proposed EU legislation to prohibit machinery operators from driving plant and equipment for more than two hours per day; what assessment he has made of the cost of this legislation to the British construction industry; and if he will make a statement. [12615]

There is no proposed EU legislation to prohibit machinery operators from driving plant and equipment for more then two hours per day. The proposed Physical Agents (Vibration) Directive introduces a limit value for exposure to whole body vibration. The European Parliament has proposed an amendment to the common position on the Directive reducing this limit value. This reduced limit value could, in particular circumstances, have the effect of restricting the driving time by individuals of certain equipment to two or three hours.The Government have received representations opposing this European Parliament amendment from several industry sectors, including agriculture, construction, mining and quarrying and engineering. We intend to defend the common position against the European Parliament amendment.The Government have not costed the implications of the Directive on individual industry sectors. A Regulatory Impact Assessment of the Directive covering the costs to industry as a whole and the health benefits to workers has been submitted to the European Scrutiny Committee and is available in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many consultation documents were issued by his Department and its predecessors from (a) 15 October to 14 January, (b) 15 January to 14 April, (c) 15 April to 14 July and (d) 15 July to 14 October in each year from 1996. [12876]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on Tuesday 23 October 2001, Official Report, column 198W, which is unfortunately incorrect. A more extensive search of Departmental records has revealed that the Department issued 33 consultation documents during the summer recess 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he held talks about affordable housing on the Eaves Green site; and who was involved in the talks. [13003]

The public inquiry into the Chorley Local Plan 1991–2006 concluded on 1 October. Officials at the Government Office for the north-west commented on the original and revised deposit drafts of the plan, including its policy on affordable housing but no discussions took place regarding Eaves Green.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the results were of the European new car assessment pedestrian tests based on EEVC Working Group 10 tests. [13419]

Since the European new car assessment programme was established in 1997, three cars have obtained a three-star rating for pedestrian protection using tests based on the EEVC WG10 proposals; 65 have obtained two stars and 14 have obtained one star.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) if he will publish the advice available to him from the Transport Research Laboratory on the effects of Phase One of the draft negotiated agreement on pedestrian protection of comparative (a) the bumper test on disabling knee injuries, (b) the head impact test and the proportion of the bonnet area untested or unprotected, (c) the absence of a bonnet leading edge test and femur or pelvic fractures and (d) the influence on car design and effective protection for pedestrians; [13392](2) if he will outline the scientific research concerning the 21 degree knee bending angle in the Phase 1 leg protection tests in the draft negotiated pedestrian protection agreement; and if he will publish the Transport Research Laboratory's opinion on the consequences for injury generation. [13391]

TRL has given only informal advice to my Department on these issues, other than its letter formally responding to our recent consultation exercise on pedestrian protection. A summary of this, and other responses received. has been placed in the House Library. Copies of the full responses can be seen at the DTLR Library. Our understanding of TRL's views, both formal and informal, are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if active pedestrian protection measures offered by car manufacturers are compatible with each of the choices of passive measures under consideration by COREPER and the Council of Ministers. [13387]

Active protection measures are intended to help reduce the likelihood of accidents whereas secondary safety measures reduce the consequences. There is no fundamental incompatibility; indeed, both approaches contribute to improvements in road safety today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in what year the experimental safety vehicle of the Transport Research Laboratory demonstrated the feasibility of meeting the EEVC Working Group 10 pedestrian sub-system test requirements; and who funded this research. [13388]

The experimental safety vehicle, a Metro with modifications funded by the Department, was shown at a conference in 1985. However, this car was produced before Working Group 10 existed, and its effectiveness was tested using child and adult pedestrian dummies rather than the WG 10 sub-system tests.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in what year in-depth pedestrian accident research work started at the Transport Research Laboratory in contributing to the research EEVC pedestrian protection work; and who funded this research. [13389]

The Transport Research Laboratory has been contributing to the European pedestrian protection considerations since the 1970s. This early work was funded by the Department of Transport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when the Government first proposed to the European Commission that a directive on safer car fronts for pedestrians and cyclists should be introduced. [13418]

Formal requests to make car fronts safer for pedestrians were made in 1991 through the UK's involvement in the EEVC.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the ability of the European car industry to achieve working group 17 pedestrian tests requirements at an early date. [13421]

We have not made a specific assessment of this. However, it is clear that industry continues to see difficulty in meeting the full EEVC criteria as a universal requirement for cars at an early date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will estimate the pedestrian fatality reduction potential of the Phase I tests in the draft negotiated agreement as a percentage of the potential in the EEVC Working Group 17; and what assessment he has made of the ability of the draft negotiated agreement to meet the level of protection in the harmonisation process required by the Treaty of European Union. [13390]

It is estimated that Phase 1 would deliver a benefit of around 25 per cent. for fatal injuries and 60 per cent. for serious injuries, relative to the Phase 2 levels associated with the EEVC WG 17 requirements. The negotiated agreement is likely to start delivering two years earlier than a directive. which would itself be likely to be phased.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport. Local Government and the Regions how it is intended that the car industry will work to agreed longer-term targets for pedestrian protection if Phase 2 of the draft negotiated agreement is not specified with Phase 1. [13420]

Phase 1 and Phase 2 are both specified in the negotiated agreement.I am satisfied that the technical requirements of the first phase will be operated in a flexible manner, which will allow manufacturers to deliver cars in Phase 1 which incorporate techniques more appropriate for meeting the Phase 2 levels. This will address one of the concerns raised by TRL and others about the headform test in Phase 1.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when an announcement will be made on the future of the Dome; and what the monthly cost of the Dome is to the Exchequer. [13224]

On-going market testing is exploring all avenues, and on the basis of professional advice we are in discussion with a small number of serious contenders. To reveal details of the discussions would not be conducive to a successful conclusion and would be against the public interest. The aim is to secure a sale as quickly as possible, consistent with value for money, securing a worthwhile and sustainable future for the Dome and a deliverable outcome.From 1 July 2001, when the lease of the New Millennium Experience Company ended, English Partnerships, the Government's regeneration agency, has been incurring an average of £240,000 per month on Dome maintenance and management related costs. English Partnerships also expects to incur expenditure in the order of £9.75 million this year on decommissioning the Dome contents in preparation for a future use and about £1.7 million in relation to the current sale process. Any money spent on these will be recovered from sale proceeds so the cost will not fall to the taxpayer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (I) what advice he has received on the level of payments on debt that would (a) be required annually if the rating of the successor organisation to Railtrack were credit rated at (i) BBB and (ii) single A and (b) be required if it were able to borrow at the rate of Government gilts; and if he will make a statement; [13207](2) what advice he has received on the level of payments on debt that would be required annually if the rating of the successor organisation to Railtrack were

In relation to the proposal that the Government intend to put to the administrator for a company limited by guarantee, we will be targeting a long-term credit rating of A/A2 or higher, to reflect the financing capacity requirements of the rail infrastructure business. We are confident that this would allow the CLG to raise new debt and service existing debt on an efficient and cost-effective basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many planning inquiries there have been into applications for telecommunications masts over 15m by commercial operators that seek to replace a mast owned by Railtrack plc with one of their own. [13665]

The Department does not hold information on the number of planning inquiries in this form.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions for what reason the Highways Agency no longer takes responsibility for the surfaces of major roads in London; what sum was specifically transferred for this purpose to Transport for London; and if he will make a statement. [13538]

On 3 July 2000 the Highways Agency's responsibilities for all of its roads in London except for the stubs of the M 1, M4 and the M11 were transferred to Transport for London. The Government pay the Greater London Authority Transport Grant to support the whole range of Transport for London' s responsibilities. This grant rises from £714 million in 2001–02 to over £1 billion in 2003–04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many council houses were sold in (a) Doncaster and (b) Barnsley in each of the last 10 years. [13659]

The number of council dwellings (both houses and flats) sold in each of the last 10 years, as reported by Doncaster and Barnsley metropolitan councils, is in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many new social rented houses were built in (a) Doncaster and (b) Barnsley in each of the last 10 years. [13660]

The numbers of new social dwellings, both houses and flats, built in Doncaster metropolitan borough council area and Barnsley metropolitan borough council area in each of the last 10 years are given in the table. Social dwellings include those built for registered social landlords as well as those built for the councils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions at what date the 1 per cent. rise in levels above the rate of inflation will commence under his restructuring proposals for local authority rent levels; if it will apply equally to all local authorities; and whether mitigation will be introduced to dampen the effect where high-level rents are instituted in high-value areas. [13791]

Rents for local authority properties are set by the responsible authorities and depend upon decisions taken locally. The proposed 1 per cent. real terms increase in rents is the assumption for the purposes of calculating housing subsidy in England for 2002–03 which was announced at the end of the 2000 spending review. It is independent of our policy on rent restructuring. Ministers are considering how it will apply to each local authority in the light of responses to the consultation on proposals for subsidy changes and will make an announcement soon. We expect rent changes as a result of rent restructuring to be limited to a maximum of £2 per week in any year above normal inflation-related increases. We are considering whether there should also be a cap on the rents of high-value properties which would otherwise attract high rents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what his estimate is in relation to his proposals for the restructuring of local authority rent levels, of average rents for (a) London and (b) Inner London on the former Inner London education authority boundaries (i) at April levels, (ii) for the initial restructured levels and (iii) in subsequent years; [13790](2) to what extent the average figures he has circulated in relation to his proposals for the restructuring of local authority rent levels reflect

The information is not available in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions under his proposals for the restructuring of local authority rent levels, what account the restructured levels will take of the (a) nature and condition of an estate on which the property is located and (b) broad property values of the overall area. [13788]

Under restructuring, social rents will be based on a formula that includes local earnings, property size and relative property value. The property value will reflect the size, location and condition of the property.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to improve road access to Morecambe and Heysham Port from the M6 Motorway. [13741]

Access from Morecambe and Heysham Port to the M6 is the responsibility of Lancashire county council. They have recently conducted a public consultation on the two proposed routes for a Heysham to M6 link road. When the position on the Lancaster district local plan is resolved, it is a matter for the council whether to submit a bid for funding from central Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what guidance he will issue regarding the level of fire and civil defence authority precepts for 2001–02. [13599]

None. These are matters for fire and civil defence authorities to decide in consultation with local taxpayers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the progress achieved by fire and civil defence authorities in metropolitan areas towards reducing (a) fire-related deaths and (b) malicious false alarm calls. 13600]

In 2000, an estimated 133 accidental fire related deaths in dwellings were recorded for the seven metropolitan brigades, out of a national total of 326. The number of accidental house fire deaths in metropolitan brigade areas had fallen in recent years from 167 in 1996 to the current estimated figure of 133 for 2000. The downward trend in dwelling fire deaths is reflected nationally for England and Wales. There were 588 dwelling fire deaths in 1996, compared with 516 for 2000.Malicious false alarms, both for the metropolitan areas and nationally, have been falling steadily over recent years. In 1996 there were 57,100 malicious false alarm calls recorded by the metropolitan areas. In 2000, metropolitan brigades attended a total of 33,800 malicious false alarm calls—a fall of 41 per cent. against the 1996 figures.These encouraging statistics reflect the merits of the integrated approach adopted by Government, the fire service and fire authorities over the past four years to implement strategies designed to drive down the number of preventable dwelling fire deaths and to educate the public about the dangers of malicious false alarm calls.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what representations have been received on the reform of the business rate system. [13734]

The Green Paper "Modernising Local Government Finance", published 19 September 2000, invited comments on a range of issues relating to reform of business rates. In response to that consultation we received 1,107 non-campaign responses of which the overwhelming majority included responses on business rates. A summary is available on the DTLR website at www.dtlr.gov.uk. We will set out our response to the consultation in the Local Government White Paper later this year.On 16 February 2001 we issued a further consultation paper on extending the agricultural exemption from rates to machinery rings and share farming enterprises on which we received 34 responses. Again, we will set out next steps in the forthcoming Local Government White Paper.My Department continuously receives correspondence on the business rates system, which includes representations on reforms to various parts of the rating system.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will review the resources and the priority being deployed by DVLA to answer telephone inquiries from members of the public. [14046]

The level of resources deployed on telephone inquiries by DVLA is under continuous review in order to meet the level of demand at any given time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the costs have been of operations undertaken by his Department in connection with events following the 11 September terrorist attacks; and if he will list the costs relating to (a) the British Transport police, (b) the aviation industry, (c) emergency planning and (d) other areas; and if these costs will be met from his Department's budget. [13845]

[holding answer 9 November 2001]: To date my Department has not incurred any costs in connection with events following the 11 September terrorist attacks relating to the British Transport police, the aviation industry or emergency planning. Along with other Government Departments we have reviewed security at our buildings and have incurred extra costs of around £31,000 which will be met from within existing budgets.We will give due consideration to any requests for financial assistance from those areas for which my Department is responsible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to promote the regeneration of deprived areas in the west midlands. [13534]

[holding answer 12 October 2001): There are a number of initiatives across the west midlands, which are promoting regeneration of deprived areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the cost was of the planning inquiry into the application to build a fifth terminal at Heathrow Airport. [14021]

[holding answer 12 November 2001.1: The total costs of the Terminal 5 inquiry to all participants is estimated at over £83 million of which the private sector is estimated to have spent some £64 million with the rest borne by central and local Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on job losses at Heathrow Airport as a result of the events of 11 September. [14020]

[holding answer 12 November 2001 J: BAA plc, as owners of Heathrow Airport, advise they have not cut any jobs at the airport following the events of 11 September. However, their organisation only represents around 5.5 per cent. of the workforce at the airport. We do not yet have firm information about the extent of job losses at Heathrow in other areas of the aviation industry.I understand that the Job Transition Service is engaging with employers to ensure that those employees adversely affected have access to the fullest possible range of help and advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions who (a) was invited to meet and (b) met the Minister of State during his visit to Heathrow Airport on 5 November. [14019]

[holding answer 12 November 2001]: I visited Heathrow Airport on 5 November at the request of my hon. Friend the. Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell), who also arranged the other attendance. The meeting was attended by local MPs and numerous representatives of the air transport industry, trades unions and local communities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what was the average length of the contractual working week for London Underground (a) drivers and (b) station staff in each year since 1991. [14604]

London Underground has provided the following information:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what proportion of the annual service charges to be paid by Transport for London for the London Underground public-private partnership contracts will be underwritten by central Government payments made to Transport for London; and for what period such payments will be guaranteed. [14612]

Subject to its representing value for money, London Underground intends to enter into long-term contracts to deliver a publicly run, privately built tube. These contracts will be between London Underground and the private sector Infrastructure Companies and will not be guaranteed by central Government. However, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will allow for the resulting contract payments when setting GLA Transport Grant.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what was the annual average leave entitlement of London Underground (a) drivers and (b) station staff in each year since 1991. [14602]

London Underground has provided the following information:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what arrangements have been put in place to take account of the change in the length of the working week of the managing director of London Underground Ltd. [14585]

Paul Godier succeeded Derek Smith as full time managing director on Monday 8 October 2001. Derek Smith remains as Chairman of London Underground. London Underground issued a press release on 10 September http://www.thetube/com/content/ pressreleases/0109/l0.asp setting out details of the new arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will ask the National Audit Office to examine the value for money aspects of the London Underground public-private partnership in advance of the contracts being signed; and if he will place in the Library his correspondence with the NAO on London Underground. [14615]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) on 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 503W. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not corresponded with the NAO on the subject of the London Underground.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when, for each line of London Underground, new trains will be introduced under the terms of the public-private partnership. [14588]

The public-private partnership is designed to achieve a comprehensive modernisation of the entire underground network. London Underground is currently negotiating the detailed requirements and will publish details once they have been completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what capacity increase, for each line of London Underground, will be achieved under the terms of the public-private partnership; and in which year this change will occur. [14587]

The public-private partnership is designed to achieve a comprehensive modernisation of the entire underground network. This is necessarily a long-term programme and there is a limit on the amount of work that can be done simultaneously without causing excessive disruption to the service to the public. The overall requirements have therefore been specified by London Underground to upgrade every line over time, prioritised to deliver the greatest benefits as quickly as possible. The capability of most lines is expected to be increased by around 10–25 per cent. The detailed requirements are currently being negotiated and London Underground will publish details once the negotiations have been completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will publish the names of (a) companies in each of the consortia selected as preferred bidders for each London Underground PPP contract and (b) the board members of each of those companies. [14613]

Metronet is the preferred bidder for the BCV and SSL competitions. The Metronet consortium consists of Bombardier Transportation (formerly Adtranz), WS Atkins, Balfour Beatty, Seeboard and Thames Water.Tubelines is the preferred bidder for the JNP competition. The Tubelines consortium consists of Amey, Bechtel and Jarvis.The board membership of each company will be contained in the companies' annual accounts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how, under the terms of the proposed public-private partnership for London Underground, companies will be incentivised to improve the performance of the underground; what new performance measures will be used; and what financial (a) incentives and (b) disincentives will be employed. [14586]

The Government's plans for a publicly run, privately built London Underground are designed to deliver at least £13 billion of investment over the next 15 years. The private sector will be incentivised to deliver this investment by contracts that are principally output-based, with payments to the private sector infrastructure companies increasing as they improve capacity, reliability and the quality of the travelling environment on the tube network. The private sector will be similarly financially penalised for poor performance. These penalties will reflect the impact of any delay or disruption to passengers and not be limited by a cap.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if, under the proposed contracts for the public-private partnership for London Underground, senior managers of Transport for London and London Underground who have been involved in PPP negotiations will be exempt from any subsequent legal challenge other than for fraud or impropriety, as regards the (a) content and (b) operation of PPP contracts.[14608]

I understand that London Underground does not intend for the PPP contract to exempt London Underground senior managers from legal action by London Transport or London Underground. There will be a waiver in relation to legal action by infrastructure companies or bidders.The position of Transport for London senior managers is a matter for the board of TfL.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what is the cost to London Transport of the recent London Underground advertising campaign to promote the public-private partnership for London Underground. [14609]

This is a matter for London Underground.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he expects to sign the final contracts for the London Underground public-private partnership; and when control of LU will pass to the Mayor of London. [14611]

The Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions will not sign contracts for the London Underground public-private partnership, which is the responsibility of London Underground. I understand that London Underground expects to sign contracts early next year.London Underground will transfer to Transport for London once the competitions for the modernisation of the Underground have been completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if (a) his Department, (b) Transport for London and (c) London Underground intend to undertake further advertising to promote the public-private partnership for London Underground; and when it is envisaged that it will commence. [14610]

The Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions has no plans to undertake advertising to promote the public-private partnership for London Underground.Advertising by Transport for London and London Underground is a matter for each of those organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much was spent by (a) his Department and its predecessors, (b) London Transport, (c) London Underground and (d) any other institution (i) controlled and (ii) funded by his Department or its predecessors on all work concerned with the (A) preparations, (B) contracts and (C) other aspects of the London Underground public-private partnership in each year since 1997–98. [14614]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 16 October 2001, Official Report, column 1169W. It is not practicable to provide a breakdown in the form requested by the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many London Underground (a) drivers and (b) station staff there were in each year since 1991. [14603]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Member for Streatham (Keith Hill) to the hon. Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin) on 9 April 2001, Official Report, column 386W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions who are the members of the boards of (a) Transport for London and (b) London Underground, and what are their (i) annual emoluments and (ii) monthly time commitment to LU; when they joined the board; and what are the particular responsibilities of each member as regards the public-private partnership for the underground. [14590]

Appointments to the Board of Transport for London are a matter for the Mayor of London.The board members of London Underground Ltd., who are appointed by the Board of London Regional Transport are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) if he will place in the Library all (a) guidance and (b) other documentation

The purpose of the local government modernisation team is to help to communicate and explain to council members and employees the Government's agenda for the modernisation of local government, and to feed back council's views and experiences to Ministers and Departments.The role of the members of the team is therefore to contribute their operational knowledge to guidance or other publications prepared by the Department. Examples include contributing to Government Guidance on New Council Constitutions and on Referendums under the Local Government Act 2000 and working with the Improvement and Development Agency in developing their ethical governance audit for local authorities. The remit of the local government modernisation team is primarily in relation to the modernisation of local government and not specifically on environmental issues.Copies of such Government guidance and documentation are placed in the Library in the usual manner.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what are the criteria by which members of the local government modernisation team were selected. [14554]

To ensure members of the local government modernisation team were recruited on an open basis, consistent with guidelines from the Civil Service Commissioners, advertisements for posts were placed in both the national and local government press. Applications were sought from people with:

Senior local government experience;

the ability to command credibility and respect of members and senior officers;

knowledge of the (local government) modernisation agenda, with experience or expertise in one or more key areas;

excellent communication and presentation skills, and

good team players.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions who are the members of the local government modernisation team; and what are their relevant (a) experience and (b) qualifications. [14550]

Current members of the local government modernisation team are:

Avril Atkinson, former Director of Pupils and Services Division, East Sussex CC

Chris Haynes, former Head of Information Age Government, Knowsley

Richard 0llin. former Chief Executive, Stroud DC

Guy Ware, former Director of Finance and Information Services, LB Enfield

Janice Morphet, former Chief Executive, Rutland

Julian Bowrey, former Head of Policy and Review, Cambridgeshire CC

John Haward, former Head of Corporate Strategy, Southwark LB

Mike Reardon, former Council Secretary, Trafford MBC

Pam Fox, former Assistant Chief Executive, Portsmouth City

Peter Murphy, former Chief Executive, Melton BC

Rita Petty, former Executive Director, Kirklees MBC.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what is the cost of (a) the establishment of the local government modernisation team and (b) its continuing operating costs. [14555]

The local government modernisation team was set up with an annual budget of £1 million which included the cost of establishing the team in the autumn of 1999. This was increased to £1.5 million in 2000–01 to cover new roles, in particular local government on-line.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what remuneration and superannuation is paid to members of the local government modernisation team. [14556]

Members of the local government modernisation team have been appointed on a mixture of short-term secondments or fixed-term contracts, usually of one to two years (full and part-time). Most members are senior civil service equivalents. Remuneration is based on salary before joining the team, and is currently in the range from £45,000 to £80,000 per annum. Members have the option of remaining in the local government pension scheme or joining the principle civil service pension scheme when they join the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what action he has taken to improve the quality of bus services with respect to (a) reliability of service and (b) the quality of information provided at bus stops since the publication of the bus quality indicators bulletin in September. [14546]

The Government want to see more regular and reliable bus services that will attract increasing numbers of passengers. Since the publication of the most recent bus quality indicators bulletin in September, we have commenced powers under the Transport Act 2000 with regard to statutory Quality Partnerships and Quality Contracts. This means that local authorities now have a wider range of powers at their disposal to help them to take steps to improve local bus services.The Transport Act 2000 also requires all local transport authorities to develop arrangements for ensuring that appropriate bus passenger information is made available, and enables them to step in to provide proper passenger information, at operators' expense, if existing arrangements are inadequate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which are the 12 most deprived wards in the Lancaster City district, with reference to the Index of Local Deprivation. [13767]

Table 1 lists the 12 most deprived wards in the Lancaster district, as measured on the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000. This is one of the main components of the Indices of Deprivation 2000, which is the current measure of deprivation in England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what funding he has provided (a) to encourage employment opportunities and (b) to regenerate industrial estates in the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency. [13768]

The constituency of Morecambe and Lunesdale has benefited from the following funding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had with (a) the Government Office for the North West and (b) NWDA about improving access to the Luneside industrial estate. [13770]

Ministers have not had discussions with the North West Development Agency about improving access to Luneside industrial estate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which wards in the Lancaster City Council District are eligible for Objective 2 priority 3 strategic regional investment funding. [13772]

Eligible wards are:

• Alexandra
• Bulk
• Castle
• Caton
• Heysham central
• Heysham north
• Heysham south
• Overton.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on his proposed timetable for the renewal of the Wessex Rail Franchise. [14295]

The Strategic Rail Authority has submitted proposals for a revised franchise replacement/ extension programme to the Secretary of State for consideration. An announcement will be made in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to divest QinetiQ; and when the funds derived from the sale will be credited to his Department's budget. [14626]

QinetiQ will be floated as soon as its potential is judged to be suitably developed, subject to value for money considerations and provided the organisation has achieved appropriate performance targets. Since vesting of the company on 1 July 2001 work has mainly focused on preparing the company for a future transaction and assessing market conditions. It also remains possible that a strategic partner will be brought in to assist with the commercial development of the company prior to a flotation. The Ministry of Defence is likely to retain an interest in QinetiQ as a means to ensuring that taxpayers receive full value for the investment in past Government funded research. An announcement, hopefully early in the new year, will be made once a decision has been taken on the transaction route, and the proposed timetable.It has been agreed with HM Treasury that the MOD will receive a credit of at least £250 million in FY 2001–02 in anticipation of a successful PPP. This receipt is not dependent on the actual timing of the final PPP transaction, nor is the figure an indication of the potential value of the transaction.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the Veterans task force meeting held on 7 November. [13766]

At the first meeting of the task force on 6 November, my ministerial colleagues from other Departments with an interest in veterans issues, representatives from the veterans' community and I agreed terms of reference committing us to making our policy development and services responsive to the reasonable needs and concerns of veterans. We agreed a vision focusing on the key themes of partnership, identity, recognition, education and care, and agreed a cross-government action plan to take these themes forward. This work is being undertaken in partnership with experts from veterans organisations and will include reviews of resettlement for the most vulnerable of those discharged from the armed forces, of the educational material on veterans and their achievements provided for Key Stage 3 of the national curriculum and of ways in which we might improve the effectiveness of our communications with veterans. Ministers also agreed to review their relevant public service agreements to identify those in which there was a significant and discrete veterans problem that merited action in its own right. Particular areas to be considered were focused on the most vulnerable and included the levels of service-related problems among the prison population, among marital breakdowns and among the unemployed. Deadlines have been set for action plan work items, and overall progress with the initiative will be considered at the next meeting of the task force in May 2002.I consider that the task force agreements represent substantial progress towards achieving our objective of raising the profile of veterans' issues in Government and more widely across the nation, and of improving the delivery of benefits to veterans, particularly the most vulnerable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are for the inclusion of the Territorial Army in the operations against Afghanistan; and (a) how many will be deployed and (b) how they will be deployed. [13128]

There are no plans to include formed units of the Territorial Army in the operations in Afghanistan. However, a call-out order has been made under section 54 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 to permit up to 150 individual reservists from all three services to be called out for service in support of the current operation. They are needed to augment headquarters, and provide operational support to the Royal Air Force. Most will be based in the UK. Augmentation of this nature is a routine task for the reserves.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has to disarm unexploded cluster bomblets used by Allied coalition forces in the conflict in Afghanistan. [14266]

The Prime Minister has made it clear that the United Kingdom will not turn her back on Afghanistan and that any political settlement will be supported and sustained through rehabilitation and reconstruction, of which the clearance of unexploded ordnance may form a part.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions and in what circumstances planes have been scrambled to deal with perceived emergencies at nuclear or other installations since 11 September. [13720]

Aircraft have been scrambled once to deal with perceived emergencies at nuclear or other installations since 11 September 2001. On 27 October two F3 Tornado aircraft conducted air policing in the vicinity of Sellafield in response to what proved to be a hoax threat telephone call to civilian police.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many instances there have been in each year since 1991 of military aircraft accidentally breaching no-fly zones over (a) nuclear power plants, (b) nuclear reprocessing plants and (c) military nuclear plants. [14261]

I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations his Department has received in respect of the security of nuclear installations since 11 September. [14684]

The security of nuclear installations is a matter for the Department of Trade and Industry. We are in close contact with the DTI and other Government Departments concerning any contribution the armed forces could make in this area, in response to the events of 11 September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of Exercise Saif Sareea 2 in Oman; and how successful it has been in developing the United Kingdom's Joint Rapid Reaction Force. [13512]

The exercise activity of Exercise Saif Sareea 2 ended on 29 October and the recovery of our forces and their equipment is under way.The objectives of the exercise were to deploy and sustain a major joint force across strategic distances, and conduct realistic coalition war fighting training in a testing desert environment. As such it was a major test of some of the equipment and personnel that are part of the Joint Rapid Reaction Force.It will take some weeks to analyse all the results of the exercise and the lessons identified. But it is already clear that the exercise did indeed provide very valuable training and many very useful lessons have already been identified. Overall, our initial judgment is that the exercise has met its aims most successfully. It has demonstrated the ability of the United Kingdom to project forces over a strategic distance, and in doing so reaffirmed UK commitment to the stability and security of the middle east region at an important time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many spare gearboxes for Chinook helicopters are kept in stock; and where the Chinook gearboxes are supplied from. [14352]

There were 30 serviceable gearboxes for Chinook helicopters in stock as at 9 November 2001. These gearboxes were supplied by Boeing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Chinook helicopters (a) are in operation, (b) were deployed in Exercise Saif Sareea 2 and (c) are grounded because of a shortage of spare parts. [14630]

As at 9 November, 27 Chinook helicopters were in operation and four were deployed on Exercise Saif Sareea 2. No Chinook helicopters were grounded because of a shortage of spares but a total of 13 aircraft were undergoing scheduled maintenance, repair or modification.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Apache helicopters there are in the United Kingdom; and how many he plans to buy. [14381]

The Ministry of Defence is contracted to purchase a total of 67 Apache aircraft. Currently we own 17, which are based in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Apache operating manuals there are in the UK; if Apache operating manuals may be consulted by nonmilitary personnel in the UK; and if DERA personnel are authorised to use Apache operating manuals. [14351]

The Apache operating manuals are all computer-based Interactive Electronic Technical Publications (IETPs), which may be loaded onto any computer with the appropriate current user licence. The Ministry of Defence has purchased in the region of 465 laptop computers to receive the software.Within the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC), both military and non-military personnel are currently authorised to consult the Apache IETPs. The non-military personnel are either civil servants or employees of Westland Helicopters Ltd. (WHL), who are assembling the aircraft under licence from Boeing.Prior to the vesting of part of the former DERA as QinetiQ plc on 1 July 2001, DERA personnel at the Aircraft Testing and Evaluation (AT&E) facility Boscombe Down, as part of MOD, had access to the Apache operation manuals. However, when these staff transferred to QinetiQ, they were temporarily unable to have access to such proprietary information pending the amendment of WHL's licence with Boeing. The licence amendment was submitted in July and US State Department approval was given on 1 October 2001. Once this approval is implemented, QinetiQ personnel will again be authorised to use the manuals, in support of MOD work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if DERA personnel had access to the Apache Operating Manual before DERA was privatised; and if he will make a statement on the changes that have occurred in DERA' s security classification since privatisation, with special reference to co-operation with the United States of America. [14354]

Prior to the vesting of part of the former DERA as QinetiQ plc on 1 July 2001, DERA personnel at the Aircraft Test and Evaluation facility Boscombe Down, as part of the Ministry of Defence, had access to the Apache operating manuals and other proprietary information.QinetiQ's security arrangements are in line with those of other defence contractors, who carry out work on sensitive contracts for MOD, other Government Departments and international collaborative partners, including the United States of America.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what British involvement there is in the manufacture of the cockpit frame for Eurofighter; what proportion of the parts of the Eurofighter cockpit are British made; which overseas countries are supplying components to the Eurofighter cockpit frame; which other parts of Eurofighter will be British made, and if he will make a statement. [14353]

The front fuselage of the Eurofighter aircraft, which includes the cockpit frames, is manufactured by BAE Systems Warton as part of the UK's agreed overall aircraft programme work-share of approximately 36 per cent. Eurofighter cockpit equipments are manufactured by various consortia, comprising companies from the four Eurofighter Partner Companies from UK, Germany, Italy and Spain. Work is shared as far as practicable in line with the overall programme work-share. Other parts that are British-made are the front canards, right wing leading edge slats and trailing edge flaps, various avionic equipment and a significant number of major engine parts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Naval Reserve personnel are serving on operations. [14625]

Twenty RNR personnel have volunteered to be called-out to serve on current operations. This figure excludes naval service reserves engaged on other duties in support of the regular armed forces—eg those serving on full-time reserve service teams in a wide variety of appointments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in the financial years (a) 1995–96, (b) 1996–97,(c) 1997–98, (d) 1998–99, (e) 1999–2000 and (f) 2000–01; and if she will make a statement. [12275]

The Department's spending on information literature for the period 1996–97 to 2000–01 is as set out. Figures for 1995–96 are not available in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received concerning the financial situation of the Youth Hostels Association; and if she will make a statement. [12148]

We have received over 60 representations on the financial situation of the Youth Hostels Association for England and Wales (YHA). On 30 October 2001 I had a productive meeting with representatives of the YHA to discuss their difficulties and possible sources of help. The Government are pursuing several practical options to assist the YHA. We will also respond shortly to the recommendations in the report of the Rural Task Force, "Tackling the Impact of Foot and Mouth Disease on the Rural Economy" published on 18 October 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer of 25 October 2001, Official Report, column 355W, on the occupation of flats in the royal palaces, if she will list the residents. [11798]

[holding answer 1 November 2001]: The list of persons who occupy residences in the Occupied Royal Palaces other than members of the Royal Family at 31 December 2000 is as follows:

(i) Private Secretaries and Officials in the Queen's Household: 33

(ii) Private Secretaries and Officials in other Households: 6

(iii) Domestic staff in the Queen's Household: 29

(iv) Domestic Staff in other Households: 11

(v) Stables staff looking after the Civil List carriages and carriage horses: 19

(vi) The Queen's private staff and staff who work on the Royal Farms at Windsor: 9

(vii) Chauffeurs in the Queen's Household: 4

(viii) Chauffeurs in other Households: 4

(ix) Staff in the Queen's Household responsible for the maintenance of the Occupied Palaces Estate (including the Director of Property Services): 18

(x) Gardeners in the Queen's Household: 4

(xi) Gatekeepers and security staff: 6

(xii) Firepatrolmen in the Queen's Household: 4

(xiii) Craftsmen and porters in the Queen's Household: 19

(xiv) Royal Collection staff: 4

(xv) Crown Estate gardeners: 2

(xvi) Military Knights at Windsor Castle (Pensioners): 13

(xvii) Pensioners: 43

(xviii) Commercial: 16

Total: 244.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action her Department is taking to promote digital television to consumers who do not wish to take out a pay TV subscription. [12339]

On 12 October, the Government published a draft Digital TV Action Plan which sets out the issues on which action needs to be taken to enable and encourage take up of digital television. An essential element of the Plan will be the need to raise the awareness and knowledge of consumers including those who want to receive only free-to-view channels.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Government will fulfil its commitment to establish creative partnerships linking schools with arts organisations in disadvantaged areas. [13449]

The formal launch of creative partnerships will take place as planned in April 2002, when the funds set aside for this initiative start to flow.The 16 pilot areas for creative partnerships were announced in February 2002. Since then, Peter Jenkinson, the former Director of the New Art Gallery, Walsall, has taken up the post of National Director of Creative Partnerships, and preparations in the pilot areas are now well under way.