To ask the Prime Minister how much was spent by his office on external public relations consultants in each of the last four years. [27404]

No expenditure has been made by my office on external public relations consultants in each of the last four years.

To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has for special envoys to represent him on visits to (a) Latin America and (b) Asia. [31685]

I have no plans to send special envoys to Latin America or Asia at the moment.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement defining the duties of the Deputy Prime Minister. [31846]

As First Secretary of State the Deputy Prime Minister continues to deputise for me as required, drawing on the resources of other parts of the Cabinet Office as necessary. He oversees the work of the Social Exclusion Unit, which reports to me through him. He is also responsible for the Regional Co-ordination Unit and the nine Government Offices for the Regions. I have also asked him to be responsible for a White Paper on Regional Governance, in close liaison with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and in co-operation with other Cabinet colleagues.On international matters the Deputy Prime Minister supports me. He continues to play a role in international climate change discussions and negotiations on my behalf. More recently, I have also asked the Deputy Prime Minister to take on a similar role in preparation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to be held in Johannesburg in September 2002. In addition he sees visiting dignitaries and undertakes overseas visits on my behalf; and oversees the work of the International Public Service Group. He also carries ministerial responsibility for the British-Irish Council and will deputise for me as necessary at meetings of the Council.The Deputy Prime Minister chairs Cabinet Committees on domestic affairs and on the nations and regions; and Sub-Committees on social exclusion and regeneration and on energy policy. He also chairs the newly established Ministerial Group (MISC18) on WSSD and continues to chair the Committee on the environment.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's relationship with the RMT union. [32062]

The relevant Ministers and officials meet stakeholders in the railway industry, including the RMT, as appropriate. All such contacts are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Code.

To ask the Prime Minister what criteria he uses to appoint (a) lords-lieutenant and (b) deputy lords-lieutenant; if he will list the names of deputy lords-lieutenant for each county; and what his estimate is of the average number of official engagements per week of (i) lords-lieutenant and (ii) deputy lords-lieutenant undertaken for each county. [32581]

In England, consultations which help to inform the appointment area are carried out by the Prime Minister's Secretary for Appointments. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland consultations are carried out by the relevant Administration or Department. Those appointed as lords-lieutenant are people of standing in their local communities, most frequently on account of their record of voluntary activity for the good of the community.Deputy lieutenants are appointed by the lord-lieutenant at his or her discretion, subject only to Her Majesty not disapproving of the grant of the commission. As of July 2001 there were approximately 2,720 deputy lieutenantsIt is not possible to estimate the number of official engagements for each lord-lieutenant or deputy lieutenant, which will reflect such matters as the size and population of the county or area concerned, the demand for such engagements, and the views and judgment of the lords-lieutenant themselves.

To ask the Prime Minister how many lords-lieutenant he has appointed for each county since assuming this responsibility. [32575]

Lords-lieutenant are appointed under current legislation by Her Majesty the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister of the day. In the case of Scotland and Wales the Prime Minister is himself advised by the relevant First Minister and in Northern Ireland by the Secretary of State. Since 2 May 1997 31 lords-lieutenant have been appointed.

To ask the Prime Minister whether the Commissioner for Public Appointments is to be reappointed at the end of her term. [33651]

I am pleased to be able to announce that Dame Rennie Fritchie has been reappointed for a further term of three years when her current appointment comes to an end on 28 February. Dame Rennie has fulfilled her role as regulator of the public appointments system in a resolute and distinguished manner over the last three years. She has made a major contribution to raising standards in this area and I am sure that this will continue during her second term. She will continue to serve as a Civil Service Commissioner.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish the remit given to the Performance and Innovation Unit to make a study of the Government's sport strategy. [33650]

I have asked the Performance and Innovation Unit (PIU) to carry out a joint study with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport examining long-term sports policy. The project team will consider the roles and responsibilities of Government, and the private and voluntary sectors in helping sport better achieve the objectives of increased grassroots participation in sport and elite sporting excellence. The project team will clarify the roles and responsibilities and interventions of Government to help sport better achieve its own objectives. They will develop an overall strategy for guiding Government's decisions on sports policy (including major events), and review the existing institutional and financial arrangements, in the context of Government's own wider objectives. The initial scoping note for the project is available on the PIU website http:///www.piu.gov.uk/2001/sport/scope.shtml. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport will be the Sponsor Minister for the project. The unit aims to complete its study by summer 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the total external spend by his Department was on Private Finance Initiative consultants in each of the last four years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by his Department over this period; and if he will make a statement. [31034]

Since the Wales Office came into being in July 1999 it has incurred no such expenditure.In the period from April 1998 to July 1999 the former Welsh Office spent some £770,000 on consultancies relating to the PFI aspect of the A55 road in North Wales; there were also two secondees into the Welsh Office during that period advising on PFI matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of the departmental expenditure limit in 2001–02 will be accounted for by salary costs and pension contributions. [32017]

At present I estimate that some 42 per cent. of the Wales Office Departmental Expenditure Limit for 2001–02 is being spent on pay and pensions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has (a) to help promote the National Assembly for Wales, (b) to help improve communications between the National Assembly for Wales and Whitehall Departments and (c) to make the National Assembly for Wales work more effectively and efficiently; and if he will make a statement. [32412]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the Wales Office's Departmental Report (Cm 5121) in respect of parts (a) and (b) of his question; and to the Assembly's Performance Report in respect of part (c).

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the average annual leave entitlement of staff in his Department in each of the last four years. [31748]

Until August 2000 the leave entitlement for Welsh Office or National Assembly for Wales staff (including those seconded to my Department) was a minimum of 22 days a year rising to a maximum of 30 days. Since August 2000 it has been a minimum of 25 days rising to the same maximum of 30 days.My Department also contains a small number of secondees from other Government Departments and local government; these staff retain the leave entitlement of their parent organisation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the public service agreement target for bench marking a single unit cost measure for operational work to establish an interim figure by April 2001 was achieved. [21284]

The Public Service Agreement was launched in April 2001.The Home Office does not have a Public Service Agreement (PSA) target for benchmarking a single unit cost measure for operational work to establish an interim figure in April 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use is made of video recordings made on public transport vehicles in the prosecution of criminal offences including traffic offences by the Metropolitan police; if he plans an extension of such use; and if he will make statement. [30329]

Images from closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras on public transport vehicles are used primarily to tackle crime on the vehicles themselves. I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that CCTV is a key element of Operation Seneca which is currently targeted at reducing crime on selected bus routes. It has led to a number of arrests for crimes such as robbery, disorder, drugs possession and weapons offences, and has also resulted in a considerable decrease in reported crime on the routes concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what initiatives the Government have taken to (a) reorganise and (b) simplify access to state funded competitive grant schemes for (i) community and (ii) voluntary groups; [29930](2) whether a particular Minister has been given specific responsibility for rationalising and simplifying access to state funding for voluntary and community organisations; [29925](3) how the Government will measure the success of their initiatives to simplify access to state funding for voluntary and community organisations; and how progress will be monitored and reported; [29924](4) what research the Government have conducted into the administrative requirements on voluntary and community organisations making applications to the system of state funded competitive grant schemes. [29926]

[holding answer 24 January 2002]: In drawing up the Compact on Relations between Government and the voluntary and community sector in England, Funding Code, the Home Office took note of the report of the Commission on the future of the voluntary sector, published in June 1996, entitled "Meeting the challenge of change: voluntary action into the 21^st Century", and provided funding to the National Council for Voluntary Organisations to conduct an extensive consultation with the voluntary and community sector and Government Departments.The study currently being undertaken by the Regional Co-ordination Unit (RCU) into improving access to regeneration and community funding consulted over 100 bodies and individuals, examined examples of differing administrative requirements imposed on funded bodies; and considered relevant previous research.The recommendations arising from the RCU's study of regeneration funding are designed directly to simplify access to state funded competitive grant schemes for voluntary and community groups. In addition, my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office, is also currently reviewing the scope for improving the co-ordination and delivery of state funded grant schemes for the community and voluntary sectors.The success of these various initiatives will be measured by the numbers and quality of applications received for individual programmes, a reduction in the number of ineligible applications, success in reaching targeted groups, such as marginalised and minority ethnic groups, and in the use made of the website. Monitoring will be undertaken by the departments managing individual programmes. The Active Community Unit is currently devising a common evaluation framework by which the success of simplification of small grants will be measured.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in each London borough in each three month period since their introduction. [29364]

Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) are community-based civil orders, which can be applied for by the police or local authority, in consultation with each other against an individual or several individuals whose behaviour is antisocial. Applications are to the magistrates court acting in its civil capacity.Information held centrally on the number of Antisocial Behaviour Orders issued up to 31 May 2000 is by police force area. Up to that date there were nine ASBOs issued within the Metropolitan Police area (including City of London).From 1 June 2000 official statistics on the number of ASBOs issued are based on quarterly returns from Magistrates Courts Committees(MCCs) and are presently designed not to give figures below MCC level. A review of these statistics identified an undercount and my Department therefore undertook an exercise with the police to obtain more reliable figures. As a result of this reconciliation exercise the total number of ASBOs issued within England and Wales up to the end of September this year was 466, 184 more than previously reported. Within this total the quarterly figures for the Greater London Magistrates' Courts Authority are:

Period	Total
June 2000	0
Quarter ending September 2000	10
Quarter ending December 2000	9
Quarter ending March 2001	4
Quarter ending June 2001	4
Quarter ending September 2001	4
Total	31

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will compel mobile telephony companies to register the user's home address, e-mail and landline telephone number on their SIM cards. [28951]

[holding answer 21 January 2002]: The Government believe that valid registration can help combat mobile phone theft by identifying the customer with his or her phone in order to authorise the blacklisting of stolen SIM cards or, where technically possible, the disabling of the stolen handset itself. It is already the case that contract phone users are required by all mobile phone operators to register their details and that the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card inside each mobile phone identifies the user with a full name, address and landline number (if available).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the terms of reference of the Review of Police Use of Firearms being undertaken by the Police Complaints Authority will enable its members to consider (a) international norms for the use of lethal force set out by the United Nations, (b) the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights on 4 May 2001 in Shanaghan v. UK and other cases finding procedural shortcomings in police investigations and (c) experience gained by the Police Ombudsman in Northern Ireland. [29733]

To address the terms of reference of the review of recent firearms incidents, the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) will consider the key issues in the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials (1990) with particular attention to paragraphs 10, 22 and 23, and the key conclusions from the Shanaghan case. The PCA has also written to the Police Ombudsman in Northern Ireland requesting information on relevant cases and general conclusions from their experience to date.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people were charged with offences relating to the misuse of fireworks in the last six months; [30269](2) how many complaints were received by each police force in the UK relating to firework incidents during the Christmas and new year period. [30268]

The available information, from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database, relating to England and Wales for 2000 is shown in the table. These data show persons proceeded against for offences where it is possible to identify specific firework misuse. Statistics for 2001 are not yet available.Information held centrally does not enable offences involving personal injury or damage to property from fireworks to be identified, as the circumstances behind any offence are not collected.No information is collected centrally on complaints received by police forces relating to firework incidents.

Persons proceeded against for offences relating to the misuse of fireworks England and Wales 20001,2
Statute/offence description	Proceeded against
Explosives Act 1875, sec. 80
Throwing, casting or firing any fireworks in or into any highway, street etc. public place	61
Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol, etc.) Act 1985, sec. 2A(1)
Being in possession of fireworks etc., in or when entering a designated sports ground	3
Total	64
1 These data are on a principal offence basis.
2 Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data these data are not robust at a detailed level and have been excluded from this table.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the proposed introduction of (a) threshold payments, (b) special priority payments and (c) bonus payments to police officers; and what representations he has received from the Police Federation about the additional payments element of the Police Reform Programme. [30112]

The Police Negotiating Board (PNB), on which both the Secretary of State and the Police Federation are represented, reached agreement in principle on 27 December 2001 on a package of changes to police pay and conditions of service. The changes are set out in the Heads of Agreement.The changes include a new competence-related payment of £1,002 at the top of each of the federated ranks' pay scales. It is expected that at least 75 per cent. of those eligible—that is, those who have spent at least a year at the top of the scale—will receive the payment.Under the new special priority payments scheme, officers could qualify for one-off payments of between £500 and £5,000 a year. Chief officers and police authorities will draw up a local scheme of payments, in consultation with local staff associations, having regard to national criteria and to guidance from the Secretary of State. The national criteria are that posts carry a significantly higher responsibility than the norm for the rank; or are particularly difficult to fill; or have specially arduous working conditions. All parties in PNB recognise that there are a number of specialist posts where long hours are a necessary and integral part of the officers' role rather than due to management failure.In addition, chief constables will be able to award bonuses of between £50 and £500 for occasional work of an outstandingly demanding, unpleasant or important nature, such as hostage negotiation, or fingerprinting and searching badly decomposed bodies.The Police Federation was party to the negotiations in PNB when it had the opportunity to make representations on all the proposed new payments.The Heads of Agreement have to be ratified by the end of February.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total sum obtained from speeding fines in the last year for which figures are available was; and what the figures were in each of the previous 10 years. [27010]

[holding answer 14 January 2002]: Information on the revenue raised from speeding fines is not available.However, the table shows the total number and amount (£) of fines ordered to be paid following conviction for speeding offences within England and Wales from 1991

Fines and fixed penalties data for speeding offences, England and Wales, 1990–2000
	Court proceedings			Fixed penalties
	Number of fines	Total amount of fine (£)	Average fine (£)	Number of tickets	Estimated revenue (£)1
1991	155,300	13,198,000	85	449,200	14,374,000
1992	146,800	12,697,000	87	460,100	17,485,000
1993	98,200	12,475,000	127	394,800	15,790,000
1994	103,100	11,676,000	113	472,500	18,899,000
1995	117,000	12,512,000	107	530,200	21,207,000
1996	127,900	12,904,000	101	595,100	23,802,000
1997	130,600	15,523,000	119	712,800	28,510,000
1998	151,400	20,369,000	135	781,000	31,240,000
1999	151,200	19,978,000	132	825,300	33,011,000
2000	139,200	18,098,000	130	1,023,500	44,351,000
1'Estimate' based on the following fixed penalty charges—£32 up to 31 March 1992, £40 up to 31 October 2000 and £60 as from 1 November 2000

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has received on the treatment of Zimbabwean citizen, Mr. Gerald Mutketiwa, subsequent to his deportation of 16 December; and if he will make a statement. [26120]

I have written to my hon. Friend today.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many CCTV schemes are operating in the Uxbridge constituency. [28489]

The Home Office only holds information about schemes we fund. To date the Home Office has not funded any closed circuit television (CCTV) schemes in the Uxbridge area.However, the Hillingdon Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership have been allocated funding under the Communities Against Drugs (CAD) Initiative, in order to tackle drugs markets and drugs related crime and disorder. CAD money can be used to fund a variety of interventions including CCTV where appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many answers to parliamentary questions have not been answered by her to 2000. As the majority of such offences are dealt with by the issue of a fixed penalty, the table also shows the total amount of fixed penalties ordered to be paid.Not all fines and fixed penalties will have been paid.All fixed penalty fine revenue is passed to Her Majesty's Treasury. However, in April 2000, eight partnership areas, comprising local police forces, local authorities, highways authorities and magistrates courts, piloted a new 'netting-off scheme. This allows a proportion of the fixed penalty fine revenue from speed and red-light cameras to be re-invested to fund camera enforcement. Fine revenue is used to meet each of the partners' costs in relation to the administration, purchase, installation, operation and maintenance of the cameras.Department under exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information in each year since 1994. [29415]

[holding answer 22 January 2002]: Questions that have not been answered under exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information are detailed in the Reports on Ministerial Accountability and Parliamentary Questions published by the Select Committee on Public Administration (formerly the Public Service Select Committee). The most recent report covers the parliamentary Session 2000–01.I understand that copies of these reports are available in the Library of the House and on the House of Commons website at www.publication.parliament.uk/pa.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff in her Department have been seconded to jobs in the (a) private and (b) public sector in each of the last four years. [31781]

The information is shown in the table.

	Private sector	Public sector
1998	4	14
1999	3	16
2000	3	14
2001	2	22

In answering this we have quoted the number of secondments which commenced, were continuing or completed in the given year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of the departmental expenditure limit in 2001–02 will be accounted for by salary costs and pension contributions. [32011]

On the basis of the Department's current expenditure limit for 2001–02, salary costs and pension contributions are forecast to account for 1.26 per cent. of the Department's departmental expenditure limit in 2001–02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to review (a) disability living allowance and (b) carer's allowance for sufferers of autism and their families. [31883]

:We keep the operation of disability living allowance (DLA) and invalid care allowance (ICA), like other social security benefits, under review. Last autumn we announced a package, worth £500 million over three years, to enhance the current social security provision for carers and improve their financial security. For DLA, we have recently made significant improvements to the claim form, we are currently revising all the forms used to obtain relevant information from doctors, health care professionals and others involved in the care of claimants, and in consultation with organisations representing disabled people, are testing an alternative system for extra-costs disability benefits based on activities for managing life. There are no plans to carry out a review of these benefits specifically directed towards people with autism and their families.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will allow all pensioners and benefit recipients automatic entitlement to a post office card account on conversion to automated credit transfer, with an opt-out for those who choose a bank account. [32730]

No. As my hon. Friend the Minister for E-Commerce and Competitiveness explained in his reply on 17 December 2001, Official Report, columns 119–20W, the emphasis of the automated credit transfer migration and marketing strategy will be to ensure that each customer has the best account for his or her circumstances.If customers do not have a bank account, we will provide them with information on the types of accounts available, including standard and basic bank accounts and post office card accounts, and help them make the best choice for their circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will estimate the number of individuals in her (a) Department, (b) related agencies and (c) related non-departmental public bodies whose annual remuneration including benefits in kind exceeded (i) £100,000 and (ii) £200,000 in each of the last four years. [26320]

For the four years in question the figures are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps her Department has taken to promote the convention on the prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines. [31281]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office leads on promoting the Ottawa Convention. It does so by playing a full role in the follow-up process, including taking suitable opportunities to lobby States non-party to the convention about the desirability of ratification or accession.DFID helps developing countries implement their obligations under the Ottawa Convention. We do this by undertaking programmes of humanitarian mine action, in particular mine clearance, stockpile destruction, raising mines awareness and strengthening indigenous capacity.My Department also works to strengthen the international community's capacity, particularly that of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)— to provide a more coherent, timely and cost-effective response.In the current financial year DFID expects to spend approximately £10 million in pursuit of these objectives.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what work her Department is undertaking to help improve the standard of school facilities in Tanzania. [31671]

DFID funded a pilot project to help the Government of Tanzania trial a decentralised system for primary classroom construction. This system has now been adapted and is being used as the mechanism for the major construction programme now being undertaken in Tanzania (15,000 new classrooms a year).DFID is now providing support to the education sector in Tanzania directly through the budget. This means that we are assisting the Government of Tanzania to provide additional resources into the education sector, which is then spent on priority activities designed to improve the quality of education in Tanzania. The first success is evident in the dramatic increases in enrolment to the first grade of primary school in January this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the departmental expenditure limit in 2001–02 will be accounted for by salary costs and pension contributions. [32016]

Our current forecasts show that salary costs and pension contributions will account for approximately 1.4 per cent. of DFID's departmental expenditure limit for 2001–

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether there are United Kingdom-sponsored aid workers operating in areas of Afghanistan subject to recent attacks with cluster bombs; and what guidance has been issued by her Department to aid workers on safety in relation to unexploded sub-munitions. [31637]

There are agencies receiving DFID support that are working in areas of Afghanistan where cluster bombs have been dropped. We are aware of the particular dangers that threaten the security of aid workers in Afghanistan, including the threat posed by unexploded ordnance. We are actively supporting our partner agencies in joint efforts to improve the security of their programmes and safety of their staff. This is being done through sharing information available on particular threats—including the location of areas where cluster bombs have been dropped—and by supporting field security training and practical security arrangements.In addition, we are supporting the Office of the UN's Security Co-ordinator (UNSECOORD) to enhance the security framework for aid personnel in the region. We are also supporting the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) programme in Afghanistan. This includes both the clearance of mines and unexploded ordnance, and an expanded programme of mine awareness initiatives in collaboration with UNICEF and NGOs.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what has been the average annual leave entitlement of staff in her Department in each of the last four years. [31749]

It would involve disproportionate cost to the Department to calculate the average leave entitlement of staff for the last four years. The list sets out the leave allowances of staff by grade:

Grade	Annual leave
Senior civil service	30 working days
Band A	30 working days
Band B	22 working days rising to 25 days after one year and 30 days after 10 years total service
Band C	22 working days rising to 25 days after one year and 30 days after 10 years total service

These allowances have not changed over the last four years.

To ask the President of the Council whether the Government intend to improve the explanatory material supplied with statutory instruments. [32387]

I am pleased to announce that, with effect from 1 March, all affirmative statutory instruments laid before the House will be accompanied by an explanatory memorandum, which will be a fuller document than the existing explanatory note. This is intended to assist Parliament in considering the instrument. The new memoranda will be in addition to the explanatory notes, which will continue to be printed with statutory instruments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on progress in the replacement of slam-door rolling stock on the railways. [26310]

Orders have already been placed for a total of 1,235 new vehicles to replace Mark 1 slam door stock. We expect a further order to be placed shortly. All these vehicles are due to enter service before 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many proposals for new train routes have been presented to his officials from London local authorities in the last five years. [27705]

Ministers have received a wide range of representations, especially in relation to Crossrail extensions to the East London line and rail links to London airports. Precise information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what investment in new train lines is planned in each of the next five years within London. [27703]

The Strategic Rail Authority's Strategic Plan sets out for the first time the committed projects which are being taken forward network-wide over the next 10 years. Copies of the plan have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) how much new money has been allocated to the rail passenger partnership in the SRA strategic plan; [28539](2) what proportion of the money announced for the rail passenger partnership scheme has been allocated; [28575]

At December 2001, £45 million had been committed. The rail passenger partnership has now been enlarged with an increased budget of £430 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much investment took place in the railways in each year between 1991 and 1997; and how much was met by public funds. [28736]

I refer the hon. Member to Table 4.2 of the strategic rail authority's quarterly national rail trends bulletin for an historic series of investment in the rail industry. Government support to the rail industry is shown in Table 4.1 of the same bulletin.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what is the total spending on the railways each year between 2001–02 to 2010–11 as (a) allocated in the 10-year transport plan of July 2000 and (b) allocated in the Strategic Rail Authority's plan of January 2002, at (i) outturn prices and (ii) 2000–01 prices. [31202]

I refer the hon. Member to Table A3 of the 10 year plan for transport and to the written answers to my hon. Friend the Member for Amber Valley (Judy Mallaber) on 29 January 2002, Official Report, columns 177–78W

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what is the total spending on the railways each year between 2001–02 to 2010–11 as (a) allocated in the 10-year transport plan of July 2000 and (b) allocated in the Strategic Rail Authority's plan of January 2002, at (i) outturn prices and (ii) 2000–01 prices. [31201]

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones) on 23 January 2002, Official Report, columns 871–72W, and to my hon. Friend the Member for Amber Valley (Judy Mallaber) on 29 January 2002, Official Report, columns 177–78W

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many freight services used the channel tunnel in each month since January 2000. [29584]

The figures for the number of trains are in the following table provided by EWSI, the UK operator of these services:

	2000	2001
January	522	615
February	632	621
March	688	657
April	616	395
May	633	672
June	656	676
July	671	637
August	464	503
September	595	586
October	618	594
November	661	291
December	551	255

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps his Department has taken to ensure that money received in payments from train operating companies is reinvested directly into the railways; and if he will make a statement. [30346]

All additional receipts received so far from performance regimes will be used to contribute to expenditure within the SRA budget, allowing greater activity to be undertaken than would otherwise be the case.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether he has received representations from parties other than Railtrack about the funding provision for Control Period 2. [30252]

Rail funding provision for the first two years of Control Period 2 (CP2) was set in Spending Review 2000 and in the 2 April 2001 agreement between the Government and Railtrack. That for the last three years of CP2 will be set in Spending Review 2002, for which I have received representations from the Strategic Rail Authority who have, in turn, received representations from various rail industry interests.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 11 December 2001, Official Report, column 784W, on minimum track standards, what proportion of track did not meet the minimum required standard for the (a) 35mm rail top profile and (b) 70mm rail top profile (i) in each year since 1994 and (ii) predicted for each year up to 2011, as illustrated in Figure 26 of the Railtrack Network Management Statement 2000. [31595]

Railtrack's progress in improving track geometry is measured against the target agreed with the Rail Regulator as part of the periodic review for the second control period, which came into effect on 1 April 2001. The measured values reported at the end of the last financial year to enable comparison with the agreed target improvement programme are given in Table 3.2 of Railtrack's 2001 Network Management Statement Part One.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many drivers were employed on the railways (a) immediately before privatisation and (b) at the most recent date for which figures are available. [30244]

	Legislation allowing prosecution of:
	Railtrack	Train operators	Drivers
Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974	Yes	Yes	Yes
Railways (Safety Case) Regulations 2000	Yes	Yes	No
Railways (Safety Critical Work) Regulations 1994	Yes	Yes	No
Railway Safety (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1997	Yes	Yes	No
Railway Safety Regulations 1999	Yes	Yes	No

In addition the Crown Prosecution Service can prosecute drivers and employers of drivers for

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster) on 28 January 2002, Official Report, column 54W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what parts of Crossrail he estimates can be implemented while Railtrack is in administration. [31026]

The Crossrail project definition work currently being undertaken jointly by the Strategic Rail Authority and Transport for London will continue on the same basis as before Railtrack administration. It has always been expected that a special purpose vehicle would be set up to take forward any scheme which might be developed as a result of the project definition work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list those projects in the SRA 10-year plan that he estimates can be implemented while Railtrack is in administration. [31025]

There is no reason in principle why any proposal contained in the Strategic Plan should not be capable of being implemented while Railtrack is in administration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he plans to install disabled access to the southbound platform at Leominster station. [30976]

While the northbound platform at Leominister station is accessible I am not aware of any current plans to make the southbound platform accessible to those with disabilities. The SRA makes available funding to ensure train operating companies are resourced, where necessary, to implement the requirement of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 on access to stations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the legislation which allows the prosecution of (a) train operating companies, (b) train drivers and (c) Railtrack in relation to passing signals at danger. [31196]

The Health and Safety law allowing prosecution following a signal passed at danger (SPAD) is as follows:manslaughter, and drivers for being under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the (a) date, (b) location and (c) level of penalty of all incidents of signals passed at danger that have resulted in prosecution of (i) train operating companies and Railtrack in each year since 1995–96. [31200]

Great Western Train Co Ltd. was fined £1.5 million at the Old Bailey on 27 July 1999 following a collision due to a signal passed at danger at Southall on 19 September 1997.There have been no prosecutions of Railtrack.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 10 December 2001, Official Report, column 586W, on rail safety, whether the supervision of rail signal boxes will be monitored by the Health and Safety Executive. [31589]

The supervision of rail signal boxes is a matter for Railtrack.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps (a) his Department and (b) the Health and Safety Executive have taken to reduce the total number of signals passed at danger within categories three to eight in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [31199]

Details of actions being taken by the rail industry to reduce the total number of SPADs, including serious SPADs, are reported in the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE's) monthly SPAD reports which are held in the House of Commons Library and are published on the HSE website http://www.house.gov.uk/railway/spad/index.htm.On 23 January HSE also published three reports which set out the steps being taken to reduce SPADs:Report on the assessment of Railtrack's response to an Improvement Notice covering the "Top 22" signals passed most often at danger (for the period 1990–98); Report on the assessment of Railtrack's management of multi-SPAD signals; and HMRI's inspection of driver management in train operating companies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the roles are of each member of staff within his Department with (a) total or (b) partial responsibility for policy on the railways, (i) as of June 1997, (ii) as of May 2001 and as of January 2002. [31524]

It is neither customary nor practicable to publish individual civil servants' job descriptions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what changes (1) have taken place since June 2001 in the (a) role, (b) organisation, (c) structures and (d) staff numbers and roles of the Railway Directorate within his Department; and if he will make a statement; [31526](2) in the

In October 2001, the Department's Railways Directorate was divided into two units: the Rail Delivery Directorate and the Railways Restructuring Directorate. The division reflected the increase and refocusing of work following the placing of Railtrack plc into administration on 7 October. There was no public consultation on the change.In June 2001, 57 people worked in the Railways Directorate. Seventy-nine people now work in the two directorates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many trains were fitted with automatic train protection systems in (a) January 2001, (b) July 2001 and (c) January 2002. [31354]

Although figures are not available for the precise months requested, the Health and Safety Executive advises that the Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) has been retro-fitted to existing stock on the following basis: 427 trains by May 2001, 1,117 trains by August 2001, 1,993 trains by November 2001 and 2,259 trains by January 2002. All new trains are being delivered with TPWS fitted. British Rail Automatic Train Protection (BR-ATP) is fitted on all First Great Western, Chiltern Line and Heathrow Express trains.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many meetings he had with London Underground in December 2001. [31369]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions meets bodies with an interest in London Underground on a regular basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when Transport for London is expected to take over the running of London Underground. [31495]

The Government's intention is that London Underground Ltd. will be transferred to Transport for London after the competitions to modernise the underground's infrastructure have been completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what transport infrastructure projects have been given formal approval since 1997 which affect the Uxbridge constituency; and if he will estimate the cost of each project. [31371]

Comprehensive information is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the following information may be helpful.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many speed restrictions were in place on the rail network in each week since 23 October 2000 in (a) Great Britain and (b) each Railtrack operating zone (i) in total and (ii) caused by gauge corner cracking. [31585]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 12 December 2001, Official Report, columns 869–70W. At the end of December 2001 there were 644 temporary speed restrictions on the network.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many households were without central heating by region expressed as an (a) percentage and (b) total number, ranked in descending order according to percentage figures in the latest year for which figures are available. [30585]

[holding answer 30 January 2002]: The information requested is provided in the following table.

Whether household has central heating: 2000–01
Thousand
Region	In all living rooms and bedrooms	In some rooms but not all	No	Total
Yorkshire and the Humber	1,701	134	320	2,154
North-west	2,229	163	400	2,792
South-west	1,637	182	259	2,078
West midlands	1,692	153	260	2,106
London	2,612	135	288	3,035
South-east	2,874	217	271	3,362
East midlands	1,531	116	121	1,768
East	1,940	177	137	2,255
North-east	1,013	54	41	1,107
England	17,229	1,330	2,098	20,658

Whether household has central heating: 2000–01
Percentage
Region	In all living rooms and bedrooms	In some rooms but not all	No	Total
Yorkshire and the Humber	79	6	15	100
North-west	80	6	14	100
South-west	79	9	12	100
West midlands	80	7	12	100
London	86	4	9	100
South-east	85	6	8	100
East midlands	87	7	7	100
East	86	8	6	100
North-east	91	5	4	100
England	83	6	10	100

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 29 January 2002, Official Report, column 181W, if he will list the occasions he used the railway service in connection with his official duties prior to 16 November 2001; what station he left from and what the destination was; and when he next expects to use the railway in his official capacity. [32605]

My arrangements for official travel are made in line with guidance set out in Chapter 7 of the Ministerial Code and the accompanying guidance document travel by Ministers, using the most efficient and cost effective mode of transport, and bearing in mind security considerations. Future travel arrangements will be in accordance with the Ministerial Code.The occasions I travelled by train on official duties since my appointment as Secretary of State are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his reply of 24 January 2002, Official Report, column 1046W, on Widford Bridge, if he will increase the width to make it easier for larger cars and vehicles of under three tonnes weight to travel over the bridge. [31694]

The 6ft 6in width restriction imposed on Widford Bridge is required for safety reasons to prevent vehicles of over three tonnes in weight from using the bridge. The Highways Agency would not wish to see any increase in the width of the restriction, as it would increase the likelihood of over weight vehicles attempting to use the bridge.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received from the Iranian Government in relation to the UK's proposed new appointment for ambassador to Iran. [32140]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave on 14 January 2002, Official Report, column 4W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 28 January 2002, Official Report, column 37W, on the Brussels Process, if he will place the minutes of meetings under the Brussels Process in the Library. [32729]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, North-East (Mr. Crausby) on 31 January (UIN 30671).Talks under the Brussels Process are confidential. We have made clear the aims and timetable of the Brussels Process. We placed the communiquée from the last Brussels Process ministerial in the Library of the House. We have kept the House fully informed at every stage, most recently in the Government Adjournment debate on 31 January, and we will continue to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the responsibilities of Ministers in his Department. [33647]

Following the appointment of the Minister for Europe, my right hon. Friend the Member for Neath (Mr. Hain) as the Government Representative on the Convention on the Future of Europe, I have reallocated responsibilities as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times Spanish fishing vessels have infringed upon Gibraltar's fishing waters; how many times action has been taken against Spanish fishermen in each of the last five years for infringing upon Gibraltar's fishing waters; what action has been taken; and what discussions have taken place regarding fishing rights in Gibraltar under the Brussels Process. [31534]

The Government resumed talks with Spain under the Brussels Process in July 2001: these talks continue. In accordance with the terms of the Brussels Communiqué of November 1984, the talks are aimed at overcoming all the differences between the UK and Spain over Gibraltar and at promoting co-operation on a mutually beneficial basis. The numbers of incursions into Gibraltar's waters by Spanish fishing vessels over the last five years were as follows:

• 1997: 54
• 1998: 520
• 1999: 440, of which 195 were breaches of the 1999 Fishing Agreement between the Government of Gibraltar and the Spanish Fisherman's Association, which permits small numbers of Spanish fishing boats to fish in Gibraltar's waters.
• 2000: 196, of which 92 were breaches.
• 2001: 196, of which 118 breaches.

On most occasions when Spanish vessels are advised that they are in breach of the Fishing Agreement and requested to leave, they do so. However, the Gibraltar authorities have taken court action against the crews of Spanish fishing vessels on four occasions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the proportion of (a) non-pensionable specialist pay and (b) basic pay is as a proportion of total remuneration for all service men and women. [29236]

The cost of these types of pay shown as a proportion of the total remuneration for all regular and reserve service men and women is as follows:

(a) non-pensionable specialist pay: 1.6 per cent.

(b) basic pay: 82.5 per cent.

The remaining 15.9 per cent. of the total remuneration is attributable to other forms of non-specialist pay and compensatory allowances. These figures are based on estimates for financial year 2001–02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the (a) annual cost and (b) total value of the empty properties owned by (i) his Department, (ii) his agencies and (iii) other public bodies for which he has had responsibility in each of the last four years. [30068]

The following figures relate to surplus property on the Defence Estate earmarked for disposal in each of the last three years; (figures for 1997–98 are not available).

£ million
Year	Value	Cost
1998–99	1—	21.4
1999–2000	214	21.9
2000–01	273	21.4
1Not available

The costs identified include the cost of works undertaken to prepare empty sites for sale and the marketing costs in addition to the routine upkeep of the empty property awaiting disposal.The cost and values of other empty property, including that in the course of refurbishment or redevelopment, are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of (a) the Army, (b) the Royal Air Force and (c) the Royal Navy have changed from Maristat One in (i) 1999–2000, (ii) 2000–01 and (iii) 2001–02 into marital category (1) decree absolute, (2) separated and (3) annulled; what proportion of each service strength this represents in each year; what proportion of each service married strength this represents in each year; and if he will make a statement. [27675]

[holding answer 23 January 2002]: Information on marital status is held on a different system for each service. It is not possible to answer the question exactly as phrased, as the categories specified cannot be isolated in every case. The available information is as follows.

Table 1: Total strength of Army and the numbers who have changed from "married" to other marital status in financial years
	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–021
Strength as at 1 April	109,722	110,052	109,531
Married strength as at 1 April	53,473	51,983	50,786
Decree absolute	947	905	634
Annulment	3	2	3
Widow/er	22	17	10
Total	972	924	647
Proportion change from strength (%)	0.9	0.8	0.6
Proportion change from married strength (%)	1.8	1.8	1.3
1 Data for 2001–02 are to 1 December 2001

Table 2: Total strength of RAF and the numbers who have changed from "married" to other marital status in financial years
	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–021
Strength as at 1 April	55,213	54,715	53,699
Married strength as at 1 April	33,318	31,915	30,670
Divorced absolute	3	11	6
Divorced nisi	1	10	5
Widow/er	16	26	10
Separated	1,153	1,036	717
Annulled	0	1	0
Total	1,173	1,084	738
Proportion change from strength (%)	2.1	2.0	1.4
Proportion change from married strength (%)	3.5	3.4	2.4
1Data for 2001–02 are to 24 January 2002

Table 3: Total strength of Naval Service and the numbers who have changed from "married" to other marital status in financial years
	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–021
Strength as at 1 April	43,701	42,849	42,421
Married strength as at 1 April	21,441	19,094	18,438
Widowed, divorced or separated and providing care for children living with them	align="right"30	19	12
voluntary maintenance/child support	430	387	239
maintenance/child support by court order	2	4	1
Other	272	249	127
Total	734	659	379
Proportion change from strength (%)	1.7	1.5	0.9
Proportion change from married strength (%)	3.4	3.5	2.0
1Data for 2001–02 are to 15 January 2002

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the ability of the Royal Navy to meet its commitments when HMS Sheffield goes into reserve in 2003. [30788]

The placing of HMS Sheffield at extended readiness will not prevent the Royal Navy from meeting its commitments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to replace HMS Coventry. [30790]

The decision to withdraw the Batch 2 Type 22 frigate HMS Coventry from service on 31 December 2001 was part of the reduction in overall numbers of frigates and destroyers presaged by the Strategic Defence Review. There are no plans for a direct replacement, but HMS St. Albans, the final Type 23 frigate, which has considerably superior general purpose capabilities, has been accepted from the builders and is currently conducting sea trials as she prepares for full operational service later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the fleet has been reduced to 31 ships. [30789]

The fleet has not been reduced to 31 ships. There are currently 36 major surface ships in service with the Royal Navy. This figure excludes submarines, mine counter-measures vessels, survey ships, patrol craft and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) establishment and (b) current strength is of (i) 1 East of England Regiment, (ii) the Royal Marine Reserve, (iii) the RNR/RNVR, (iv) the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and (v) the Honourable Artillery Company. [31610]

The figures are as follows:

	Establishment	Strength
1 East of England Regiment	549	1590
Royal Marine Reserve	1,070	2921
Royal Naval Reserve	3,850	23,215
Royal Auxiliary Air Force	2,156	21,607
Honourable Artillery Company	408	1524
1 As at 28 January 2002
2 As at 1 January 2002

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many compensation claims from his Department's ex-service personnel for asbestos-related

	1997–98		1998–99		1999–2000		2000–01		2001–021
Service	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage
Royal Navy2—Wastage rates
Officers
Overall	—	19	—	19	—	16	—	13	—	—
Phase 1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	12	4.5
Phase 2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	18	10
Ratings
Overall	—	26	—	25	—	30	—	27	—	—
Phase 1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	551	23
Phase 2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	245	14
Royal Marines—Wastage rates
Officers3
phase 1	15	37	7	16	11	28	17	38	3	5
ORs4
Overall	534	57	511	49	567	53	528	48	455	49
Army—Wastage rates
Officers
Overall	—	—	117	16	57	14	99	15	59	14
Soldiers
Phase 1	—	—	—	—	—	28	2,586	21	2,111	17
Phase 2	—	—	—	—	—	4	270	3	180	3
Royal Air Force—wastage rates
Officers6
(IOT)	27	5	28	5	22	4	10	2	n/a	n/a
IST7	—	11	—	14	—	6	—	9	n/a	n/a
Airmen8
Phase 1	—	10	—	13	—	8	—	10	—	8
Phase 2	—	5	—	8	—	11	—	10	—	4

The Ministry of Defence does not hold the information requested by the hon. Member as claims for compensation from service or ex-service personnel involving asbestos related diseases have not traditionally been recorded separately. The Ministry of Defence does produce a Claims Annual Report, a copy of which is placed in the Library of the House. This document contains additional information on all aspects of common-law compensation claims against the Ministry of Defence, including asbestos-related claims.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the numbers of servicemen who have left at each stage after initial recruitment and before being added to trained strength in each of the last five years. [31483]

The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Those details which are available are set out in the following table. This shows the actual numbers who left during initial recruitment training and this number as a percentage of those who started training. The wastage rates quoted include voluntary withdrawal, medical discharge, discharge by purchase and discharge Services No Longer Required.For the Royal Air Force, the IST wastage rates in the table refer to Officers in the ground branches and do not take into account pilots, navigators and aircrew. Training for these groups can take many years and so final wastage rates for these years are not readily available. I will write to the hon. Member with full details of RAF Officer IST wastage rates and I will place a copy in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what studies have been carried out by his Department into alternatives to cluster munitions for replacement of the BL 755 when it reaches the end of its service life. [31633]

The Ministry of Defence keeps under continuous review its capability requirements in this area. To date, studies have concluded that the roles currently met by BL 755 are likely to be carried out by a range of different weapons in the future. Some of the roles will be met by existing or planned systems such as Maverick and Brimstone. This work has also concluded that cluster bombs will still retain some utility, particularly against area targets such as storage depots and concentrations of lighter armoured vehicles. No other weapon is currently available to meet the same military objectives. To fulfil the same role as cluster bombs with unitary bombs would require a far greater weight of explosives, which would risk far greater damage than using cluster bombs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether guidance on the handling of prisoners in Afghanistan is issued by each coalition member for its own armed forces; and what standardisation has taken place. [31636]

Guidance on the handling of prisoners is properly a matter for the individual detaining power. There has therefore been no standardisation of guidance within the coalition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance has been given to HM forces on the status to be given to any persons they capture and detain in Afghanistan. [32295]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave on 17 January 2002, Official Report, column 392, to my hon. Friend the Member for Leyton and Wanstead (Harry Cohen).

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the guidance on the handling of prisoners in Afghanistan issued by his Department takes into account the 1977 Additional Protocols to the 1949 Geneva Conventions. [31635]

Yes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether members of Her Majesty's armed forces are operating in areas of Afghanistan subject to recent attacks with cluster bombs; and what guidance has been issued to personnel on safety in relation to unexploded submunitions. [31632]

Years of conflict have left a wide variety of unexploded ordnance in Afghanistan. Before deployment, members of the armed forces are routinely given advice about the types of munitions they may encounter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether guidance on the handling of prisoners in Afghanistan was updated after the uprising at Qala-I-Jhangi fort. [31634]

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what extra expenditure has been incurred by his Department as a result of the failure of the advanced short-range air-to-air missile to achieve its original in-service date; and if he intends to claim back the extra expenditure from the manufacturer; [31099](2) what the new in-service date for the advanced short-range air-to-air missile is; and if he will make a statement. [31098]

[holding answer 29 January 2002]: The Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) entered service in January 2002. As a result of a delay in the In Service Date, the Ministry of Defence has incurred additional costs of approximately £7 million. These include extra intramural expenditure and costs arising from the need to maintain Sidewinder missiles in service. During the period in question we have also been without the additional capability provided by the ASRAAM missile. Liquidated damages associated with the late delivery of the missiles are being claimed from the manufacturer. Overall, the total procurement cost of ASRAAM remains less than the original approved cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the series of improved software releases to enhance MBDA's advanced short-range air-to-air missile will cost; when the final improved software releases are expected to be completed; and if he will make a statement. [32156]

The cost of the additional software releases to achieve ASRAAM's Full Operational Capability will be borne by the contractor, MBDA UK Ltd. (formerly Matra BAe Dynamics), and is a matter for them.The company's aim is to deliver the required missile performance by the end of 2003. If that is not achieved, our agreement with MBDA UK allows for a further software release.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the UK owns nuclear weapons other than the SLBMs. [31707]

No. As the 1998 Strategic Defence Review (Cm 3999) made clear, Trident is our only nuclear weapons system.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what US nuclear weapons are in the United Kingdom. [31708]

Some US nuclear weapons remain based in the UK in accordance with long-standing NATO policy. Nuclear forces based in Europe and committed to NATO provide an essential political and military link between the European and North American members of the Alliance. I am withholding any further details under Exemption 1 (Defence, Security and International Relations) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of a replacement to the Trident deterrent when it goes out of service. [31709]

We have no current plans for a replacement for Trident, and no decision on any possible successor system is yet needed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many SLBMs the UK owns; and how many warheads are contained in each missile. [31705]