To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the economic circumstances of Palestinians living in the occupied territories. [30495]

The on-going violence and Israel's response to the second intifada—above all its policy of closures—has caused an enormous drop in incomes and living standards and a sharp drop in economic activity in the occupied territories. Levels of poverty have increased considerably from 21 per cent. at the start of the intifada, to at least 35 per cent. This means that about 1 million people exist on less than $2 per day. Unemployment is very high. Many people are just getting by thanks to savings and humanitarian aid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Archbishop of Canterbury about his meetings with other faith leaders and their implications for the middle east peace process. [30514]

We warmly welcome the inter-faith meetings convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace and in Alexandria between 17 and 21 January. Dialogue and debate between the faiths is an essential part of mutual understanding. We particularly welcome the First Alexandria Declaration on the situation in the middle east, with its condemnation of the killing of innocents, and its call for a religiously sanctioned ceasefire and a return to negotiations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current situation in the middle east. [30515]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier in the House today to the hon. Member for Bridgwater (Mr. Liddell-Grainger) at column 718W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what efforts are being made to ensure the safe return of Serbs who were forced to flee (a) Krajina and (b) Kosovo. [30496]

The Croatian Government have committed themselves to ensuring the safe return of Serbs to their former homes in Croatia by the end of 2002. We are continuing to remind the Government of the importance of honouring this commitment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent action he has taken to support the peace process in Colombia. [30497]

The UK strongly supports the Colombian peace process, as I made clear in a press release on 23 January. We are particularly active in the EU. We have invited the Colombian presidential candidates to the UK to exchange views on the situation in Colombia, including prospects for the peace process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what diplomatic steps he is taking to secure the safe transportation of food and the essential supplies throughout Afghanistan. [30498]

The continuing provision of emergency humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people remains a key priority for the international community. To support this aim we continue to have an open dialogue with Afghanistan's neighbours, especially Pakistan, Iran and Uzbekistan, on keeping open the most important land corridors for the delivery of aid.We are also working with the Interim Administration, the UN and other members of the international community to ensure that the security situation in Afghanistan continues to improve so that supplies can be delivered to the most vulnerable people.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the capacity remaining for a base for international terrorism in Afghanistan. [30501]

Prior to 11 September, al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan trained an estimated 10,000 extremists a year, some of whom went on to carry out international terrorist attacks. As a part of the highly successful coalition military campaign in Afghanistan, all these camps have been closed. While pockets of resistance remain, these have little opportunity to train and develop networks of terrorists.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions the Government have had with Afghan women's organisations on women's rights. [30505]

During her visit to London on 31 January, Dr. Sima Sumar, the Vice Chair of the Afghan Interim Administration and Minister for Women, met my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of State for International Development, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the Secretary of State for Defence and myself. We discussed her priorities for improving the lives of women in Afghanistan and emphasised the Government's support for her work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK Government are taking to ensure the protection of women from violence in Afghanistan, with particular reference to sexual violence. [30421]

The UK Government condemn all violence against women. The restoration of security and stability in Afghanistan will be an essential step towards ensuring their protection. The UK-led International Security Assistance Force is working with Afghans to establish security in and around Kabul. The establishment of trained police services will also be key. We welcome the offer by the German Government to train police in Afghanistan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK Government are taking to (a) recognise and (b) act on the demands of Afghan women addressed to the international community, as set out in the Brussels Proclamation of the Afghan Women's Summit in December of last year. [30422]

The Government believe that it is extremely important that the international community consults the women of Afghanistan themselves about their priorities. The UNIFEM Afghan Women's Summit, held in Brussels last December, marked a positive start.The summit was the largest global gathering of Afghan women leaders to focus on the role of women in the new post-Taliban Afghanistan. It addressed the crucial needs of all the people of Afghanistan, focusing on health care, education, refugees and human rights. We hope that the international community will support the aims of the summit declaration, calling for a greater role for women in the future decision-making process in Afghanistan.We welcome the pledge made by the Chair of the Afghan Interim Administration, Hamid Karzai, at the Tokyo Donors' Conference on 21 January to ensure that the needs of women are a priority in the reconstruction process. We welcome his commitment to ensure that girls get back to school.We also welcome the establishment of the Women's Ministry and fully support the work of Dr. Sima Samar, Vice Chair of the Interim Administration and Minister for Women. We have long said that, while the form of the Government and constitution is for the Afghan people to determine, the future Government must be broadly based and representative of all Afghans. We have encouraged the involvement of women in the Afghan Interim Administration and the Special Commission for the Convening of the Loya Jirga, established under the Bonn Agreement, and expect that women will be involved in any future Government of Afghanistan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK Government and the international community are taking to ensure that the interests and role of women are being acted on during the initial phase of peace-building in Afghanistan. [30424]

We welcome the pledge made by the Chair of the Interim Administration, Hamid Karzai, at the Tokyo Donors' Conference that the needs of women should be a high priority in the reconstruction process. The people of Afghanistan are beginning to see real improvements in their lives. Girls are returning to school and university. Access to television and to international media will allow women to be better informed about the situation both inside their country and the wider world. Better access to health care and to education will afford women an improved standard of living.As women return to work, their financial situation will improve. This is especially important for all the female heads of household who were destitute when deprived of their livelihoods by the Taliban restrictions on female working. Afghanistan has more than a million war widows. NGO and UN-run projects to get women back to work will have a huge impact on the lives of many Afghan women and children. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has also agreed to fund a project by a local Afghan women's NGO to help establish a quilt weaving co-operative as a means to providing a trade and an income for destitute women.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what training is funded by the UK Government for staff involved in projects working with women in Afghanistan. [30426]

We have given an allocation of $1 million to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) for a programme to support Afghan women's leadership through awareness raising, capacity building and gender mainstreaming as well as local level, quick impact recovery projects supporting women. We are also in discussion with the Ministry for Women on how we can provide other support activities.Our funding for UNIFEM will include support for gender mainstreaming within the reconstruction and peacebuilding strategies of the UN, inter-governmental bodies and regional organisations. This will involve awareness building and training initiatives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK Government and the international community are taking to ensure that the monitoring of the reconstruction work within Afghanistan takes into account its impact on women. [30428]

We strongly support the common programming approach under the United Nations-led Strategic Framework for Afghanistan, which is intended to provide a principled, co-ordinated and coherent approach to programming. One of its key themes is the protection and advancement of human rights, with particular emphasis on gender issues.We recognise the need to build the capacity of Afghanistan's women to enable them to take full part in the reconstruction of their society, including the new Interim Administration, and to ensure that legal, constitutional and other provisions are not discriminatory against women. Our funding for support of Afghan women during the recovery and reconstruction of Afghanistan is being channelled through United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations, who will work closely with the Interim Administration and who have expressed a commitment to involving Afghan women in the design, implementation and monitoring of their strategies and programmes.To date this includes an allocation of $1 million to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) for a programme to support Afghan women's leadership through awareness raising, capacity building and gender mainstreaming as well as local level, quick impact recovery projects supporting women. We are also in discussion with the Ministry for Women on how we can provide other support to its activities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the island of St. Helena. [30499]

I know that there are a number of special events planned on St. Helena to commemorate this historic event and a successful year. We are in touch with the St. Helena Government representative in London over plans to mark the occasion in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the President of Iran on bilateral relations. [30500]

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary had a meeting with President Khatami on 25 September, when he first visited Iran. They discussed the international fight against terrorism, the situation in the region and bilateral relations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on preparations for the Geneva conference on human rights in March. [30502]

Promotion of human rights is at the heart of our foreign policy. Britain is an active and committed member of the Commission on Human Rights. We are making preparations within Whitehall, with EU partners and with NGOs. I will go to Geneva myself in March to deliver the UK speech.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to help ensure that elections in Zimbabwe will be fair. [30503]

On 28 January the EU decided to impose targeted sanctions on senior members of the Government of Zimbabwe if the election is assessed as not being free and fair. On 30 January the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) called on the Government of Zimbabwe to ensure that all parties in the election be allowed to campaign freely. It called for the immediate deployment of Commonwealth election observers and the Government's full co-operation in facilitating the operation of all international observers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the role the United States will play in finding a political solution in Zimbabwe. [30504]

The United States Government have expressed strong concern at the situation in Zimbabwe over a number of months. In addition, the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act invites the US Administration to consult and co-ordinate with international partners on action against Zimbabwe. The US Administration are yet to impose sanctions but are urgently considering their next steps.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the EU concerning imposing smart sanctions upon Zimbabwe. [30508]

On 28 January EU Ministers agreed to impose targeted sanctions on senior Members of the Government of Zimbabwe if:

they prevent the deployment of an EU observation mission starting by 3 February 2002, or if they prevent the mission from operating effectively;

they prevent the international media from having free access to cover the election;

there is a serious deterioration on the ground, in terms of a worsening of the human right situation or attacks on the opposition;

the election is assessed as not being free and fair.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress in the Lusaka accord and moves to bring peace to the countries of central Africa. [30506]

We welcome the continued ceasefire, the withdrawal of some foreign troops from the DRC and the progress which has been made in the disarmament, demobilisation, repatriation, resettlement and reintegration process in the last six months. But further progress is necessary. During my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's recent visit to the Great Lakes with his French counterpart, Hubert Vedrine, he stressed the need for further progress and expressed our joint commitment to achieve this.His visit demonstrates clearly this Government's determination to help resolve conflict within central Africa and to bring peace and prosperity to the region. We are committed to this goal. We will continue to work closely with the EU and the UN in order to achieve it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US Administration about the future of the ABM treaty. [30507]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given earlier in the House today by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) at column 715W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations between the Governments of Spain and Gibraltar. [30509]

At the Brussels process meeting held in London yesterday my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and the Spanish Foreign Minister, Mr. Pique, reiterated their invitation for the Chief Minister of Gibraltar to attend talks under the Brussels process. Building on the climate of confidence established by the Brussels process we have encouraged the Governments of Spain and Gibraltar to talk and meet.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking within the UN to promote human rights in Sierra Leone. [30510]

The formal ending of the conflict in Sierra Leone on 18 January 2002 marked the beginning of the restoration of human rights for the long-suffering Sierra Leonean people. An important element in this process is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in which the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights is leading the way. We have funded preparatory work for the UN, to facilitate the commission, and will continue to strongly support its establishment. We have also led in the UN Security Council to secure the special court for Sierra Leone, which will bring to justice those responsible for the worst of the atrocities committed in Sierra Leone during the last few years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to establish a special court for human rights abuses in Sierra Leone. [30512]

The UK has been at the forefront in supporting UN Security Council resolution 1315 (2000) for a special court for Sierra Leone. This institution will bring to justice those most responsible for gross human rights abuses committed during the conflict, and send a strong signal to others, wherever they are, that they will be brought to account for their actions. The agreement establishing the court was signed in Freetown on 16 January. We are contributing £6.6 million over three years towards the court's estimated budget of £40 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the recent peace agreement in the Sudan. [30511]

There has been no recent peace agreement in Sudan. However, we were delighted to hear last month that as a result of the efforts of the US special envoy, with whom we have been working closely, the parties agreed on 19 January to a limited ceasefire in the Nuba mountains. Under the terms of the agreement civilians will be allowed to move freely within the region currently held by the SPLA. There will be two demilitarised zones to allow the Nuba people to access fertile land, and humanitarian assistance will be allowed to enter the region by air. An external military commission will supervise the ceasefire, which is one small but encouraging step towards peace.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the political situation in the Republic of Georgia. [30513]

Georgia continues to need help to build capacity to tackle problems it faces. Both bilaterally and multilaterally we will continue to provide appropriate assistance. HMG continue strongly to support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia. We encourage a constructive relationship between Georgia and Russia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the statement of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of 21 January 2002, Official Report, column 623, what action he is taking to ensure that the suspected al-Qaeda prisoners being held by the United States are being treated humanely and in accordance with international law. [30516]

We are in close contact with the US as the detaining power. During my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's visit to Washington on 31 January and 1 February, he again made it clear that detainees should be treated humanely and in accordance with international norms.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will request that the report of the ICRC into conditions at Camp X-Ray be made available to the British Government. [33763]

In order to preserve the impartiality and neutrality which enable it to pursue its humanitarian work, the ICRC never releases its reports to third parties. Its report on conditions at Camp X-Ray will accordingly be made confidentially to the United States as detaining power.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the International Committee of the Red Cross has had access to detainees held at centres other than Bagram and Kabul. [33606]

Yes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Pakistani Government about terrorism in Kashmir. [30517]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs visited Pakistan on 22–23 November when he had extensive discussions with President Musharraf and other interlocutors on a range of issues including terrorism. Since then, he has spoken to his Pakistani counterpart about terrorism and other issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Indian Government about human rights in Kashmir. [30519]

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary recently discussed the issue of human rights in Kashmir with Mr. Jaswant Singh, the Indian Foreign Minister, during his meeting on 29 January. We will continue to raise our concerns over human rights in Kashmir with the Government of India.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with European Union Ministers on introducing a new constitutional settlement for the European Union. [30518]

The Laeken European Council in December 2001, at which the Secretary of State was present, agreed to set up a Convention on the Future of Europe to prepare the next intergovernmental conference in 2004. The convention will hold its inaugural meeting on 28 February 2002 and will include in its membership the representatives of the Heads of State or Government of the member states. The Minister for Europe has been appointed to represent the Government. The convention will produce options to the Heads of Government or State.The convention will consider the issues laid out in the Laeken Declaration. One of the headings is: Towards a Constitution for European Citizens.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of refusals for overseas visitors visas have been overturned by appeal by post since October 2000. [30834]

We do not maintain information centrally on the number of family visit applications refused entry clearance, which are subsequently overturned on appeal.We do record the number of family visit appeals dispatched for those posts which complete a monthly statistical return. These posts generate 98 per cent. of total applications (110 posts in 2001).Between October 2000 and December 2001 4,564 family visit appeals were dispatched by entry clearance managers.The Lord Chancellor's Department has provided the following details of appeals upheld in cases for which they hold data.From 1 October 2000 to 31 December 2001, the number of successful visit visa appeals decided on the papers alone was:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many complaints have been received regarding applications for student visas by students from (a) China, (b) Russia,(c) Turkey, (d) Korea and (e) Latin American countries since 1997; how many applications from these countries have been turned down in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [31613]

I regret that the information requested by the hon. Member is not available; complaints are not recorded by subject matter.The statistics for the number of student applications refused are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many persons from (a) the Czech Republic and (b) Turkey have been refused entry to the United Kingdom at ports of entry in each month since 1 January 2000. [31578]

I have been asked to reply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what power HM Government retain to make orders under section 3(1)(b)(i) of the Southern Rhodesia Act 1979. [27750]

The power to make orders still appears in the Southern Rhodesia Act 1979. Other powers were later repealed but the section 3 powers were not. It would technically be possible to make an order, but it would have to relate to unconstitutional action that had taken place in Southern Rhodesia before independence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the supplementary report of the monitoring mechanism on Sanctions against UNITA appointed, pursuant to Security Council resolution 1295 (2001), paragraph 3, in relation to the situation in Angola. [31193]

We welcome the supplementary report of the monitoring mechanism. We believe the report accurately highlights the continuing destabilising impact of UNITA in Angola. It describes the problem of the ongoing flow of arms to UNITA, albeit at a reduced level and contains detailed evidence of the role of sanctions buster, Victor Bout, in supplying arms to UNITA.We are working in the UN Angola Sanctions Committee to ensure that all breaches of sanctions detailed in the report are appropriately followed up. We believe the monitoring mechanism has an important role to play in ensuring the targeted sanctions against UNITA are fully implemented and enforced and fully support Security Council resolution 1374 (2001) of 19 October 2001, extending the mechanism's mandate for a further six months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 21 January 2002, Official Report, column 581W, which senior management structure positions are held by non-career civil servants; when the terms of their appointment end; and whether either has been promoted during their current employment in his Department. [31590]

Two senior management structure positions are held by non-career civil servants: The Chief Economist and High Commissioner Canberra.The Chief Economist contract runs from 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2002. The appointment carries the possibility of extension or permanency. The High Commissioner Canberra contract runs from 1 October 1999 to 31 October 2001, with an option for extension by one year to 31 October 2002 and a further option after that for a final extension to 31 October 2003.Neither has been promoted during their time with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many new business ambassadors he has appointed since 7 June 2001; and if he will list them. [31591]

No appointments to the Ambassadors for British Business scheme have been made since that date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit Argentina. [31678]

Plans for a visit to Latin America are kept under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for further joint visits with EU foreign secretaries. [31683]

I visited the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda with Hubert Védrine on 21–23 January. There are no confirmed plans at present for further joint visits with any of my EU colleagues but I am happy to undertake such visits when opportunities arise, subject to other commitments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit other countries when he attends the CHOGM Conference in Brisbane. [31681]

I am looking at a number of options. No decisions have yet been taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the principal obstacles are to the opening of Turkey's accession negotiations to join the EU. [32983]

As with all candidates for EU membership, Turkey can only start accession negotiations once it has met the Copenhagen political criteria (relating to democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and minorities). Turkey has begun to make progress against the EU Accession Partnership which sets out priorities for reform. But it is important that Turkey picks up the pace of reform, notably with regard to human rights.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the aims and objectives of British foreign policy. [33041]

I refer the hon. Member to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's current Departmental report (Cm 5110) and website (at www.fco.gov.uk) which details the aims and objectives of British foreign policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to issue new passports once the British Overseas Territories [Lords] Bill is enacted. [30668]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Erith and Thamesmead (John Austin) on 21 January 2002, Official Report, column 583W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Resolution 1272(2002) adopted on 24 January, what recent representations the UK Government have made to the Government of Azerbaijan to secure the release or retrial of political prisoners. [33765]

Our Ambassador in Baku called on the Chairman of the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission on 25 January to discuss the issue of political prisoners. Prior to the Council of Europe resolution, the Ambassador also discussed the issue with Ilham Aliev, Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe delegation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations it has made to the Government of Azerbaijan concerning the conscription into the military of Fazil Gazanfaroglu, Deputy Chairman of the Popular Front in Azerbaijan. [33766]

No representation has been made about Fazil's military service. Neither he nor his party has approached us about this or asked us to intervene. Fazil has said he is ready to serve his country.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of Azerbaijan concerning allegations that local authority permission is needed before representatives of the Azerbaijani Institute of Peace and Democracy can meet local NGOs outwith Baku. [33770]

Our ambassador in Baku raised this issue on Monday 4 February at a meeting at the President's office. He was told that no such regulation preventing such meetings existed; that prior permission was not needed but that for security reasons local authorities should be informed; and that Lenkoran, the area involved, was a sensitive area due to previous separatist activity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many over 75-year-old pensioners in Shrewsbury and Atcham have received free television licences. [32590]

TV Licensing, which administers the free television licence scheme for the BBC as Licensing Authority, is not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, estimates based on the 1991 Census indicate that there were approximately 6,500 people aged 75 or over in the Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer of 6 December 2001, Official Report, column 501W, what advice has the Government given to the BBC and ITC in their consideration of how to improve the coverage of DTT multiplexes across the United Kingdom. [33386]

The Government have provided general guidance to the BBC and to the Independent Television Commission on priorities in planning the use of currently unused spectrum for transmitting terrestrial television

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for West Lancashire (Mr. Pickthall) of 21 January 2002, Official Report, column 620W, when she expects to announce her conclusions to her consideration of the report of the Gambling Review Body. [32545]

We hope to be able to announce our conclusions within the next few months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the members of the viewers panel established to advise the Government on the consumers' view on digital switchover who have ceased their membership of the panel, indicating the reasons for the cessation. [33328]

The information is as follows:services. This guidance was last reviewed in 1997. We published on 11 December 2001 a consultation paper inviting views on the basis on which we should plan the use of the spectrum currently used for analogue television broadcasting once analogue transmissions cease. The closing date for responses is 12 March 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for South Suffolk, of 25 January 2002, Official Report, column 1113W, on analogue switchoff, if she will list (a) the names of the individuals and the Departments and organisations they represent who are conducting the comprehensive review of progress towards digital switchover, (b) the terms of reference of the review, (c) the dates on which meetings of the individuals conducting the review have been held and (d) the date on which the first review is expected to be sent to Ministers. [33414]

The review will be taken forward by officials from my Department and from the DTI who are working on the digital television action plan project, with input from the individual task groups established under the action plan. A first report from the action plan project is due by 31 March 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) integrated digital and (b) analogue television sets have been bought by her Department in each of the last 24 months; and if she will publish the guidance given to officials making decisions on television purchases. [33242]

The Department has not purchased any television sets in the past 24 months. We do not have any specific guidance on the purchase of television sets, but any such purchase would be subject to normal Government procurement rules. These rules are produced and published by the Office of Government Commerce.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what dates the viewers panel established to advise the Government on the consumers' view on digital switchover has met; and how many panel members attended each meeting. [33327]

The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the television without frontiers directive. [33323]

Directive 89/552/EEC as amended by 97/36/EC "the television without frontiers directive" came fully into effect in the UK with regulations made under SI 2000 No. 54 on 19 January 2000. The Commission, as required under Articles 4(4) and 25a, are in the process of reviewing the implementation of Article 4; they are also further considering, as required by Article 26, any

"further proposals to adapt the directive to developments in the field of television broadcasting, in particular in the light of recent technological developments".

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many copies of the leaflet "Digital TV Information for Landlords" have (a) been printed and (b) been distributed, stating for each distribution whether it was (i) solicited and (ii) unsolicited. [33330]

A total of 8,340 leaflets have been printed. Copies have been distributed to the organisations who were consulted over its production in the quantities agreed with them, as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how many lottery grant applications were made by organisations in Gloucestershire, broken down by parliamentary constituencies (a) since its inception and (b) since January 2001; [33305](2) how much lottery money has been applied for by organisations in Gloucestershire, broken down into parliamentary constituencies

Comprehensive information on applications for lottery grants is not centrally held at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information she has (a) received and (b) is seeking about the definition of public service broadcasting in (i) other EU states and (ii) other countries. [33317]

Officials in my Department are in regular contact with their opposite numbers in those states which are party to the Council of Europe's European convention on transfrontier television, as well as the other member states of the European Union. They also, from time to time, meet representatives from other countries to discuss issues which include public service broadcasting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she (a) has made and (b) will make of the numbers of licence fee payers who are able to access BBC online at their place of residence. [33315]

I have made no such assessment and have no plans to do so. However, we know that an estimated 97.5 per cent. of households have television and therefore have or should have a television licence. Oftel's latest estimate, which was published on 29 January, is that 45 per cent. of households in the UK are now connected to the internet. All such homes will therefore be able to access BBC online.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what assessment she (a) has made and (b) plans to make of the (i) benefits and (ii) disadvantages to licence fee payers of (A) BBC Choice, (B) BBC Knowledge, (C) BBC Parliament, and (D) BBC News 24; [33312](2) what assessment she

Any proposed new BBC public service requires approval by the holder of my office, who assesses it against criteria designed to ensure that the service is compatible with the BBC's primary public service role. A programme of reviews of such services against the approvals given, starting with BBC News 24, was announced by my predecessor as part of the licence fee settlement in February 2000. The terms of reference

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will include methods other than the licence fee to fund the BBC as part of the process leading to a decision on the renewal of the BBC charter. [33316]

Yes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she (a) has made and (b) will make of the numbers of licence fee payers who are able to (i) receive and (ii) view (A) BBC Choice, (B) BBC Knowledge, (C) BBC Parliament, and (D) BBC News 24 at their place of residence. [33314]

[holding answer 4 February 2002]: BBC digital services are broadcast free-to-view on digital terrestrial television, on digital satellite and are usually available on basic digital cable subscription packages. I provided information on digital television take up and on digital television coverage in my answer to the hon. Member for South Suffolk on 6 December 2001, Official Report, column 501W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the ventures in the Edinburgh, West constituency that have benefited from lottery money within the last 12 months. [32155]

There have been 25 lottery awards made to the Edinburgh, West constituency, amounting to £4,628,512.00 over the past 12 months. A list of these awards is set out in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) applications have been made to and (b) grants have been awarded by the lottery-funded awards for all grants programme, to help communities celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's Golden Jubilee in June. [30375]

To date 408 applications have been made. Of these 171 have been awarded grants and 196 await a decision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received on the resignation of Lord Levene from his responsibilities for co-ordinating the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations in London. [30704]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if she will publish (a) the terms of reference, (b) the instructions and (c) other guidance Lord Levene of Portsoken was given by the Government; [31076](2) when Lord Levene of Portsoken was appointed by the Government to oversee aspects of the Golden Jubilee celebrations. [31077]

[holding answer 28 January 2002]: Lord Levene's agreement to chair a special committee responsible for directing the planning and co-ordination of the celebrations in London was announced on 17 January 2001 by the Home Secretary. The terms of reference, announced the same day, were:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when (a) she, (b) other Ministers in her Department and (c) other Government Ministers have visited the Golden Jubilee Office; and what the purpose of each visit was. [31082]

[holding answer 28 January 2002]: I visited the Golden Jubilee Office on 5 December 2001 to meet the staff and hear about their work. There have been no other ministerial visits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when information about Lord Levene of Portsoken's resignation from the role to oversee aspects of the Golden Jubilee celebrations was released to the media; on what grounds the decision to release the information was made; and who authorised the release of the information. [31079]

[holding answer 28 January 2002]: No information was released to the media by my Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff (a) work and (b) have stopped working (i) at their own request and (ii) at the request of others in the Golden Jubilee Office; when each member of staff was appointed; what the Department was from which each was seconded; what the Civil Service grade of each is; what the main responsibilities of each is; and what the reasons were for any who stopped work. [31080]

[holding answer 28 January 2002]: On 21 January 2002, 21 staff, ranging from administrative assistant (grade D) to senior civil servant or equivalent levels, were working in the Golden Jubilee Office on a wide range of policy, operational and administrative duties. They were appointed between October 2000 and October 2001, from the Home Office, Government Information Service, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Cabinet Office, and from non-government sources. One Home Office administrative officer decided to leave during 2001 because she wished to return to her previous work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when Lord Levene of Portsoken resigned from his role to oversee aspects of the Golden Jubilee celebrations. [31078]

[holding answer 28 January 2002]: 5 July 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions (a) she, (b) other Ministers in her Department and (c) officials in her Department have had with Ministers and officials in (i) the Scottish Executive, (ii) the Welsh Assembly, and (iii) the Northern Ireland Assembly about the Golden Jubilee; and for each one if she will state the nature of the discussion. [31085]

[holding answer 28 January 2002]: The ministerial group for the Queen's Golden Jubilee is responsible for supervising the programme to celebrate the Jubilee. I chair this group which includes Ministers from the devolved Administrations. We have discussed and approved various Golden Jubilee issues through correspondence. Senior officials from the devolved Administrations are members of the Official Committee for the Queen's Golden Jubilee (which has met every two months), and its Programmes sub-Committee (which met monthly until it completed its work in December). In addition, officials in the Golden Jubilee Office are in regular touch with officials in the devolved Administrations on a wide range of issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what has been the average annual leave entitlement of staff in her Department in each of the last four years. [31738]

The information is as follows.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if she will list the television programmes which (a) she and (b) other Ministers in her Department have viewed in an official capacity since 8 June 2001, stating for each occasion the date on which the viewing took place; [33224](2) if she will list the television programmes which

[holding answer 4 February 2002]: Ministers both view television programmes and listen to radio programmes as part of their official duties. They also do so in a personal capacity. However, there is no distinct boundary between the two and we do not maintain a central record.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the recordings of (a) television and (b) radio programmes which (i) she and (ii) other Ministers in her Department have attended as an invited member of the audience since 8 June 2001, stating for each occasion the (A) date on and (B) venue at which the recording took place. [33322]

[holding answer 4 February 2002]: Since 8 June 2001, DCMS Ministers have attended the following events which were broadcast on television and radio as invited members of the audience. Attendance at

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what advice she has (a) received and (b) plans to seek about when the conditions that need to be fulfilled before the analogue television signal is switched off might be fulfilled. [33331]

[holding answer 4 February 2002]: I have received no advice about a specific date though I have made clear that the target 2006–10 is challenging. I expect to seek advice in the light of the work set out in the Digital Television Action plan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the meetings which (a) she and (b) other Ministers in her Department have had with representatives of broadcasters since 8 June 2001, stating for each meeting the (i) date on which it took place,(ii) the broadcasters represented at the meeting and (iii) primary purpose. [33319]

[holding answer 4 February 2002]: My ministerial colleagues and I have met many representatives from the broadcasting industry in the course of our duties since 8 June 2001 as part of the process of policy development and analysis. All such contacts are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code, the Civil Service Code and Guidance for Civil Servants: Contacts with Lobbyists. Some of these discussions take place on a confidential basis and in order to preserves this confidentiality it is not the normal practice of Governments to release details of specific meetings with private individuals or companies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer of 17 December 2001, Official Report, column 37W, on digitally originated graphics, if she will make an assessment of the (a) benefits and (b) disadvantages to television viewers and television owners of the use of on-screen digitally originated graphics, other than electronic programme guides, to identify and promote (i) television channels, (ii) programme strands, (iii) internet links and (iv) other programmes. [33308]

[holding answer 4 February 2002]: I have no current plans to do so, but if the hon. Member would like to write explaining any particular issue he would like me to consider, I would be happy to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the (a) benefits and (b) disadvantages to consumers of receiving digital television by (i) digital terrestrial, (ii) digital satellite and (iii) digital cable. [33318]

[holding answer 4 February 2002]: My Department keeps all technologies under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 6 December 2001, Official Report, column 514W, on outsourcing, what the estimated size is of the reduced cost to his Department from the outsourcing of IS and IT services. [30140]

The Department first outsourced its IT data centre and mainframe operations in 1995, and subsequently outsourced the development and maintenance of its IT systems in 2000. Costs and benefits associated with the outsourcing of all of these IS/IT services were forecast on the basis of initial planning assumptions known at the time that the contract was let. A prudent approach was taken in the calculations in terms of spending on IT systems development and maintenance, and data centre and mainframe operational services.Based on these factors, a positive net present value was delivered representing a reduction of 3 per cent. in costs over the life of the contract. However, a fuller assessment of the actual financial impact of outsourcing is not available, since the contract is only in its early stages.Additionally, this contract cannot be viewed within the context of cost reduction alone. Various non-financial factors were also of considerable importance in the decision to proceed with strategic outsourcing. In particular, the transfer of high levels of risk associated with new IT development to the service provider.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what amount of rental income is disregarded from income support calculations when heating is included in the rent of a sub-tenant. [34372]

The disregard will increase from £9.25 to £9.40 from April 2002, and this will be included in the Up-rating Order which will shortly be laid before the House. I regret that the list of rates that was published in November 2000 and November 2001 gave incorrect rates for April 2001 and April 2002. The correct rates are included in the legislation and reflect movements in fuel prices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of disability living allowance benefits appeals were won by claimants after the medical examination in (a) the West Midlands and (b) the UK in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [30738]

Disability living allowance appeals cleared at hearing in Great Britain and those processed through the Appeals Service's Birmingham regional centre during the period 1 October 2000 to 30 September 2001:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of claimants for disability living allowance have been refused benefit after they have been receiving disability living allowance for (a) one year, (b) five years, (c) 10 years and (d) 20 years since medical testing was introduced. [30742]

Information is not available in the form requested. Since its inception in 1992, decisions about entitlement to DLA have been made on the basis of all the available evidence about a severely disabled person's care and/or mobility needs. In some cases, this evidence includes a report from the claimant's general practitioner or from an examining doctor, but there is no "medical test" which determines entitlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many representations he has received over the last 12 months about the Benefits Agency's use of inadequately qualified and experienced doctors to assess disabled living allowance applicants; and if he will make a statement. [30971]

Information on representations received regarding inadequately qualified and experienced doctors undertaking examinations for disability living allowance is not collected. The Department takes steps to ensure that only doctors with appropriate experience and qualifications conduct such examinations.The chief medical adviser must approve all such doctors. There are strict recruitment criteria and doctors must undertake prescribed training and demonstrate competence in these examinations. Ongoing approval is subject to satisfactory performance and attendance at an agreed programme of continued medical education. Complaints are taken into account in determining performance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what was the average time taken for a review of disability living allowance in the last 12 months. [33638]

Reviews of disability living allowance (DLA) were replaced by Reconsiderations under the system of decision making and appeals introduced from October 1999.The average clearance time for DLA Reconsiderations in the year to December 2001 was 38.9 days.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what has been the average annual leave entitlement of staff in his Department in each of the last four years. [31740]

The two main elements of DWP formed in June 2001 are the former DSS and ES. The average annual leave entitlements outside the Senior Civil Service over the last four years within those organisations have been as follows:Staff in the grades AA up to and including EO:DSS