To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received concerning eligibility for the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal; what criteria will be used for allocating them; to which categories they will be awarded; and if she will make a statement. [37633]

The medal is being issued to serving members of the Armed Forces and Royal Fleet Auxiliary and to the "999" emergency services. Eligibility is restricted to those who completed a

Serial Number	Formal Title	Purpose of Order
S.I./2001/223	The Broadcasting (Limit on the Holding of Licences to Provide Television Multiplex Services) Order 2001	Order changed the limit on the number of licences to provide television multiplex services that a person could hold so as to remove the existing restrictions. The purpose was to remove an unnecessary impediment to developments in the digital terrestrial television industry.
S.I./2001/411	The European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production (Amendment) Order 2001*	Order added more European countries to the list of countries from which film producers would be eligible to co-produce cinema films with British film producers under the Council of Europe's European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production in order to obtain the fiscal benefits available in the UK for British films.
S.I./2001/772	The Wireless Telegraphy (Television Licences Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2001	Regulations brought into effect certain increases in television licence fees and made amendments to the various easy payment schemes, and also made amendments relating to free television licences for people aged 75 or over.
S.I.2001/1404	The New Opportunities Fund (Specification of Initiatives) Order 2001	Order specified new initiatives for the New Opportunities Fund, a Lottery distributor, to support in areas concerned or connected with health, education and the environment.
S.I./2001/2378	The Broadcasting (Subtitling) Order 2001	Order amended Section 20(3)(a) of the Broadcasting Act 1996 to increase from 50 to 80 the specified percentage in relation to subtitling for the deaf on digital programme services. This means that the relevant code published by the Independent Television Commission must require that, as of the tenth anniversary of the date of commencement of the provision of any digital programme service, at least 80 per cent, of that service's non-excluded programmes in each week must be accompanied by such subtitling.
S.I./2001/2372	The Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) Order 2001	Under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 the Secretary of State may designate sports grounds with accommodation for more than 10,000 spectators, and football grounds occupied by Football League or FA Premier League clubs with accommodation for more than 5,000 spectators, as requiring a safety certificate from a local authority. Safety certificates contain such terms and conditions as local authorities consider necessary or expedient to secure reasonable safety at the ground. This Order designates the new City of Manchester Stadium, three football grounds occupied by new members of the Football League and one ground newly occupied by a Premier League club for these purposes.
S.I./2001/2373	The Football Spectators (Seating) Order 2001	Under the Football Spectators Act 1989, the Football Licensing Authority grants licences to allow spectators to be admitted to premises at which designated football matches are held, which include football matches played at the home ground of Football League and FA Premier League clubs. The Secretary of State may direct the FLA to include seating requirements in any licence. The Secretary of State's policy is that all football clubs in the top two divisions are required to have all-seater

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the statutory instruments issued by her Department in the last 12 months, indicating (a) the purpose of each and (b) the cost of each to (i) public funds,(ii) businesses and (iii) individuals. [36226]

The Statutory Instruments issued by my Department during 2001 and their respective purpose Over the last 12 months are detailed in the table. Also included are Instruments which have been originated in this Department but eventually made by the Privy Council. The information sought under (b) (i), (ii) and (iii) is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make available to hon. Members, peers and the Library the Golden Jubilee Celebrations Toolkit sent to all councils and a wide range of organisations in England, Scotland and Wales in November 2001. [42604]

Yes. I have arranged for all Members of both Houses to receive a copy of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations Toolkit together with an information leaflet and map giving the date and location of The Queen's United Kingdom Jubilee visits taking place from 29 April to 7 August 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people were employed in a press or public relations function in her Department on 1 January in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and (f) 2002. [39935]

[pursuant to his reply, 5 March 2002, column 264]: Due to a typographical error the table contained in my original answer was incorrect. The following table gives the correct information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the development of the prototype remote illness and symptom monitor (PRISM). [39198]

The prototype remote illness and symptom monitor (PRISM) is a system designed to be a simple and practical tool for collecting medical signs and symptoms relating to individuals by identifying unusual health trends. The concept has been developed into a handheld device consisting of a computer and Global Positioning System. Bespoke Software records time and location data, and analyses the output of the handheld devices to record unusual levels of signs and symptoms. Prototype devices have been built and tested in laboratory and field-based trials. Most recently, PRISM has been successfully tested during exercise Saif Sareea in Oman. PRISM has therefore been a successful research programme resulting in the demonstration of a concept. We are currently considering the extent to which further research and development work is desirable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on consultants and other fees relating to the privatisation of QinetiQ. [40082]

Since the DERA PPP was announced in July 1998 as part of the Strategic Defence Review, the Ministry of Defence has spent some £7.2 million on advice from consultants and other fees. This figure covers the cost of advice and fees relating to all stages of the DERA PPP including the detailed options study in 1998–99, vesting of QinetiQ as a company in July 2001 and recent work preparing the company for a transaction. These costs have been subject to scrutiny to ensure that they offer value for money.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the extent of job sharing in his Department. [41043]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 688W, to the hon. Member for Twickenham, (Dr. Cable).

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence of he will make it his policy that the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal should be awarded to serving members of the Ministry of Defence Fire Service. [41456]

The criteria for eligibility of members of the emergency services working within Government departments to receive the medal are still being drawn up by the Cabinet Office, but I expect members of the Defence Fire Service to be among those who are eligible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to answer the question of 13 February from the hon. Member for Buckingham regarding staff involvement in union duties. [41811]

I replied to the hon. Member on 6 March 2002, Official Report, column 316W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on what criteria Paradigm was selected as the preferred bidder for the Skynet 5 project; [41769](2) pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2002 to the hon. Member for Bedford (Mr. Hall)

The decision to select the preferred bidder for the Skynet 5 programme was taken on value for money grounds.On current plans we expect the majority of the jobs created or sustained by Skynet 5 to be located in the parliamentary constituencies of Stevenage, Portsmouth North, North Wiltshire, Macclesfield and Newport (South Wales).

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the job advertisements placed by his Department in the last 12 months specifying where the advertisements were placed and the cost in each case. [39060]

In the last 12 months my Department has advertised over 400 posts externally to recruit staff. The total cost is over £400,000. The details requested have been placed in the libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many press releases were issued by the Lord Chancellor's Department in the periods (a) between 1 May and 31 December 1997 and (b) in each year from 1998 to 2001 inclusive. [40028]

The number of press releases that were issued by the Lord Chancellor's Department on behalf of LCDHQ, the Court Service, the Official Solicitor and members of the judiciary are:

		Number
(a)	1 May–31 December 1997	219
(b)	1998	386
	1999	387
	2000	452
	2002	463
Public Record Office (excluding releases of official documents):
(a)	1 May–31 December 1997	3
(b)	1998	5
	2000	5
	2000	11
	2001	17
Land Registry:
(a)	1 May–December 1997	13
(b)	1998	26
	2002	28
	2003	28
	2004	36
Northern Ireland Court Service:
(a)	1 May–31 December 1997	11
(b)	1998	21
	2002	25
	2003	14
	2004	27
Public Guardianship Office:
	With effect from 1 April 2001	1

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many people were employed in a press or public relations function in the Lord Chancellor's Department on 1 January in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and (f) 2002. [39924]

The number of people who were employed in press or publicity work (excluding internal communications, web site developers and administrative support) was as follows:

Number
(a) 1997
LCD Headquarters	5
Public Record Office	2
Land Registry	1
Law Commission	1
Northern Ireland Court Service	2

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the occasions on which he has received hospitality in his ministerial capacity from (a) Balfour Beatty plc, (b) Bombardier Transportation (formerly Adtranz), (c) WS Atkins plc, (d) Amey/Amec, (e) Bechtel-Halcrow, (f) Jarvis, (g) SEEBOARD Group plc, (h) Thames Water plc and (i) AEA Technology. [38987]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what financial arrangements are in place for NATs to collect income generated from aircraft overflying the UK (a) from flights originating with the European Union, (b) from North America and (c) from the rest of the world to be collected from the CAA or the Government; whether all the income accrues to NATs; and if these arrangements can be changed by the UK unilaterally. [40608]

The UK is a member of the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation ("Eurocontrol"). The Central Route Charges Office of Eurocontrol provides a centralised system for billing and collecting air traffic control charges. All aircraft flying in UK airspace, whatever their place of origin, pay their charges to the Central Route Charges Office, which reimburses direct to NATs En route Ltd the moneys owing to it.The Central Route Charges Office also collects moneys on behalf of my Department and the Civil Aviation Authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the total costs were of the New En Route Centre at

Vacant Residential Dwellings on 1 April
	1997		1998		1999		2000		2001
	Total	of which vacant for more than 6 months	Total	of which vacant for more than 6 months	Total	of which vacant for more than 6 months	Total	of which vacant for more than 6 months	Total	of which vacant for more than 6 months
Gateshead
Local Authority	600	198	363	72	447	48	601	100	463	76
RSL	83	n/a	112	n/a	111	n/a	151	n/a	117	n/a
Other public service	5	n/a	7	n/a	9	n/a	5	n/a	7	n/a
Other private sector	2,626	n/a	2,827	n/a	2,041	n/a	2,627	1,940	2,611	1,975
Total Residential stock	3,314	n/a	3,309	n/a	2,608	n/a	3,384	n/a	3,198	n/a
Newcastle upon Tyne
Local Authority	1,674	768	1,565	580	1,633	649	1,542	590	1,778	761
RSL	494	n/a	653	n/a	480	n/a	522	n/a	470	n/a
Other public sector	287	n/a	333	n/a	390	n/a	487	n/a	184	n/a
Private sector	4,385	n/a	4,455	n/a	5,402	n/a	5,471	n/a	1,323	921
Total	6,840	n/a	7,006	n/a	7,905	n/a	8,022	n/a	3,755	n/a
North Tyneside
Local Authority	1,437	820	1,604	1,009	1,170	683	1,119	561	1,057	607
RSL	116	n/a	197	n/a	114	n/a	147	n/a	116	n/a
Other public sector	0	n/a	1	n/a	0	n/a	3	n/a	0	n/a
Other private sector	2,619	n/a	2791	n/a	3,724	n/a	2,675	1,211	2,657	1,113
Total Residential stock	4,172	n/a	4,593	n/a	5,008	n/a	3,944	n/a	3,830	n/a
South Tyneside
Local Authority	371	44	426	49	368	30	495	68	518	119
RSL	46	n/a	120	n/a	132	n/a	32	n/a	86	n/a
Other public sector	0	n/a	0	n/a	0	n/a	0	n/a	0	n/a
Other private sector	766	n/a	1,223	n/a	1,841	n/a	870	450	1,973	661
Total Residential stock	1,183	n/a	1,769	n/a	2,341	n/a	1,397	n/a	2,577	n/a
Sunderland
Local Authority	663	207	968	381	1,085	644	1,102	686	0	0
RSL	100	n/a	72	n/a	94	n/a	85	n/a	1,009	n/a
Other public sector	2	n/a	0	n/a	0	n/a	0	n/a	0	n/a
Other private sector	1,933	n/a	2,360	n/a	3,119	n/a	2,562	1,062	3,925	3,000
Total Residential stock	2,698	n/a	3,400	n/a	4,298	n/a	3,749	n/a	4,934	n/a

I refer the hon. Member to my answer of Tuesday 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 177W, given to the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr Clifton-Brown).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many vacant residential dwellings there were in each year since 1997 in each local authority in Tyne and Wear, distinguishing between (a) local authority, (b) RSL, (c) public and (d) private sectors; and how many such vacancies were of more than six months duration. [40571]

The number of residential dwellings reported as being vacant in each year since 1997 in the five local authorities in Tyne and Wear by tenure is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what instructions his Department has issued to Railtrack since 1 September 2001 in relation to the work priorities of signalling engineers, with particular reference to the priority given to work on train protection and warning systems over other work. [40424]

This is a matter for Railtrack. TPWS is to be completed by the end of 2003. Railtrack are on schedule to meet this deadline.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 26 February 2002 ref. 37227, on 10 year plan funding, to which years the future controls periods refer. [40523]

To all future five-year regulatory control periods from 1 April 2006 onwards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the trunk road schemes in which the shadow South West Regional Assembly has intervened. [41136]

The shadow South West Regional Assembly has not intervened in any "trunk road schemes".

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent research his Department has carried out into the effect of cannabis smoking on the competence of road vehicle drivers. [40842]

Research undertaken by TRL Ltd on behalf of the Department, and published in December 2000, concluded that the effects of cannabis on driver performance were different from those of alcohol, but they were unpredictable and as such could be a hazard. The complete TRL Report 477 "The Influence of cannabis on driving" is available directly from TRL Ltd or is free via the Department's website at "www.roads.dtlr.gov.uk/roadsafety/index.htm" under "DTLR Reports published by TRL". Alternatively, the summary of the report is available at "www.roads.dtlr.gov.uk/roadsafety/research16/index.htm".

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what additional funding he will make available to county councils to accommodate their additional responsibilities under the detrunking programme. [41192]

We are committed to supporting the detrunking programme with a fair transfer of resources, discussed and agreed with the Local Government Association. Until the new system of local government finance comes into effect, resources for routine maintenance will be provided by special grant. In the year of detrunking and the following year if detrunking takes place on or after 1 July, resources for capital maintenance will be provided through 2-year supplementary credit approvals. Amounts will be determined with the new highway authority on the basis of an engineering assessment. After this capital resources will be provided via the local transport settlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what additional funding he plans to make available to the county councils as highway authorities to accommodate those additional responsibilities under the de-trunking programme. [41674]

We are committed to supporting the detrunking programme with a fair transfer of resources, discussed and agreed with the Local Government Association. Until the new system of local government finance comes into effect, resources for routine maintenance will be provided by special grant. In the year of detrunking and the following year if detrunking takes place on or after 1 July, resources for capital maintenance will be provided through 2-year supplementary credit approvals. Amounts will be determined with the new highway authority on the basis of an engineering assessment. After this capital resources will be provided via the local transport settlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, (1) pursuant to the letter sent by (Mr. Chope) Under-secretary of State to the hon. Member for Christchurch on 23 October 2001 whether (a) the technological elements of the refurbishment of the air conditioning chillers at the QE2 Centre have been finalised and (b) whether these are to contain not-in-kind or HFC refrigerants; [41158](2) whether an installer capable of installing not-in-kind air conditioning is being invited to quote for the refurbishment contract for the QE2 building; and if he will make a statement; [41162](3) which consultant is being used to advise on the installation of replacement air conditioning at the QE2 building. [41184](4) what measures are being taken by his Department to ensure that the consultant advising on the installation of replacement air conditioning at the QE2 building is aware of the Government's policy on the use of hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants in air-conditioning; and if he will make a statement on the measures taken by the consultant to source practical and safe alternatives to hydrofluorocarbon-based air-conditioning. [41157]

We have been working on this project with a team which includes project managers Project Management International, engineers Cundall Johnson Partnership, architects Gollins Melvin Ward Partnership and cost consultants Dearle and Henderson. This team has experience of various, including not-in-kind, air-conditioning projects. We have engaged experts from AEA Technology to provide health and safety risk assessment. We also have engaged as client advisers a specialist team of refrigeration experts headed by BRE.Our project team has been evaluating the whole life costs and benefits of all options including not-in-kind air-conditioning. The project team and our advisers are fully aware of Government and Departmental policy on refrigerants and their work reflects this.We expect to make a decision in the spring on a choice of replacement air-conditioning which fully reflects this policy. We will have a project team, including installers, with expertise appropriate to the option selected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what budgetary provision has been made for the introduction of low noise road surfaces during the period of the 10-year plan. [41654]

The amount is not identified Separately. On local roads the choice is a matter for local authorities. On the strategic road network, operated by the Highways Agency, the 10-year plan allows for:

the resurfacing of 60 per cent of the network with lower noise surfaces during the normal maintenance cycle including the resurfacing of all concrete roads, and for all new construction to use lower noise surfaces as a matter of course.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee who provided or is providing the (a) windows and (b) doors for the refurbishment of the Norman Shaw South building. [41344]

[holding answer 8 March 2002]: Wallis Joinery, Broadmead Works, Maidstone, Kent is providing the new timber windows, doors and joinery used in the refurbishment of Norman Shaw South.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what organisation provided the certification for the doors and windows for the refurbishment of the Norman Shaw South building to show that they were produced from sustainably managed sources; and if he will place a copy of these certificates in the Library. [41343]

[holding answer 8 March 2002]: Wallis Joinery, the manufacturer of the new timber windows, doors and joinery for the Norman Shaw South refurbishment project, operates a Quality Assurance system. This requires its timber suppliers to provide evidence (in the form of import licences and certificates) to show that timber supplied has been legally obtained and is from sustainably managed sources. The contractor is required to provide these licences and certificates to the House. When they are received I will ensure that copies are sent to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many members of his staff in each of the past two years have been granted a day's paid leave to work as a volunteer; and if he will make a statement. [39739]

The figure requested is not readily available.Staff in my department are subject to the terms and conditions of service of the National Assembly for Wales. These allow individuals to apply for paid special leave, of up to three days per year, to participate in voluntary work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make arrangements under the End of Life Vehicles Directive to enable owners of classic cars who dismantle them in order to re-use their parts in other vehicles to obtain a certificate of destruction and have the vehicle removed from the register. [39717]

[holding answer 7 March 2002]: The Directive requires the setting up of a system under which the issue of a Certificate of Destruction is a necessary condition of the deregistration of an end of life vehicle. We are exploring arrangements which will accommodate classic and other cars whose owners dismantle them in order to re-use their parts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the proportion of UK vehicle dismantlers who are likely to obtain registration as approved treatment centres under the End of Life Vehicles Directive. [39718]

[holding answer 7 March 2002]: Our intention is to ensure that an adequate collection and treatment network is maintained, operating to the improved environmental standards required by the Directive, and capable of dealing properly with all end of life vehicles. Having consulted industry, we believe that there will be a sufficient number of approved facilities to achieve this. The interpretation of the minimum technical standards which will apply to treatment facilities is still being discussed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Environment Agency and industry, and we cannot at this stage assess precisely the proportion which will be approved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the likely costs to vehicle-owners of dismantling of vehicles under the End of Life Vehicles Directive. [39719]

[holding answer 7 March 2002]: Depollution and dismantling costs will be variable, and will depend on a number of factors, including the marque, model, age and condition of the vehicle being treated. Having consulted widely with industry, we estimate that the additional treatment costs required by the Directive might average around £50 per vehicle.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact on low income car owners of the costs of disposal under the End of Life Vehicles Directive. [39720]

[holding answer 7 March 2002]: The impact upon all car owners is being taken into account as we consider the best means of implementing the Directive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by her Department in each of the last four years; and what the cost to public funds in each case is. [38939]

Information on the hire of DTI's IT equipment and office machinery is not centrally available for the first two years and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. For the two most recent years, central records indicate nearly 500 transactions with the following suppliers, by total value:

Supplier	Jan–Dec 2000	Jan–Dec 2001
Hire of IT Equipment1
Bull Finanservices PLC (BT)		£5,980
Cable & Wireless Communications		£416
International Computers Ltd (ICL)	£25,272	£56,571
Pipex Internet Ltd		£700
PNE Consulting		£201
Sierra Nova Consulting		£10,179
Thomas Telford Ltd		£2,500
Hire of Office Machinery
Action Computer Supplies	£668
AFS		£849
Anglo Financial Services	£3,164	£4,629
Aqua Cool	£426
Astron		£280
Astron Document Services Ltd		£227
Banner Business Supplies Ltd		£670
British Telecommunications plc (BT)		£2,003
BT Business Accounts	£156
BT UK Business Accounts		£539
Business Plus	£2,031	£618
Cable & Wireless Communications	£108
Canford Audio plc		£106
Canon (UK) Ltd	£5,517	£15,982
Danka UK plc	£121,956	£67,303
Danwood Finance Ltd	£10,292	£15,781
Danwood Financial Services Ltd	£36,294	£17,958
GBC UK	£649
GE Capital Equipment Finance Ltd	£3,219	£19,042
Hugo International Ltd		£1,444
Ikon Capital plc		£2,880
Ikon Office Solutions plc		£2,994
International Computers Ltd (ICL)	£2,100	£10,000
Ionics (UK) Ltd		£2,000
LMS Professions Ltd		£2,145
Minolta Rentals Ltd	£718	£859
Minolta UK Ltd	£3,650	£113
Muirhead Systems Ltd	£ 552
Newcourt Credit		£3,006
Repro Link	£644
Servus Facilities Management Ltd	£100
Sharp Electronics (UK) Ltd		£743
Sharp Rentals Ltd	£40,021	£16,841
SMS Imaging		£480
The Danwood Group Ltd	£ 28,152	£13,766
Vodaphone Corporate Limited	125
Xerox (UK) Ltd	£228,653	£275,818
Xerox Finance Ltd	£12,748	£19,431
1 The bulk of the Department's IT equipment is not hired directly but is supplied as part of a service contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff in her Department's press office have received (a) termination and (b) redundancy payments in each of the last four years. [41085]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the UK exporters who have registered with the Applicant Services and Compliance Unit (DTI) to export dual use goods under the authority of the Community General Export Authorisation. [32275]

UK exporters provide registration details for the CGEA in confidence. Information given in confidence is exempt from disclosure under Exemption 13 the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what expenditure, and in which states, her Department has incurred on the decommissioning of nuclear installations and equipment, both defence or civil-related, in the former Soviet Union in each year since 1996; and how much she plans to spend in 2001–02. [40573]

In July 2000, the Government announced an inter-Departmental £84 million Former Soviet Union Programme of expenditure in the period 2000 to 2004 on nuclear problems in the Former Soviet Union. This Programme is being managed by the Department. Its budget bought together both existing commitments and proposed new areas of work. We are in the early stages of establishing a comprehensive project portfolio, which includes defence-related spend in relation to plutonium disposition, submarine spent-nuclear fuel in NW Russia and the physical protection of proliferation on sensitive nuclear materials. Forecast outturn for the Programme in 2001–02 is estimated at £16,000,000.The following programme funds have assisted the decommissioning of nuclear power plants in the Former Soviet Union. These form part of the bilateral Nuclear Safety Programme—one of the Former Soviet Union programmes:

Year	Expenditure under the Nuclear Safety Programme (£)
1996–97	—
1997–98	111,000
1998–99	—
1999–2000	53,000
2000–01	209,000

Planned expenditure in this area during 2001–02 is £313,000 for the Nuclear Safety Programme in Lithuania and Ukraine, and 1,500,000 Euro for the International Decommissioning Support fund for Ignalina.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Government accepted the recommendation put forward by the Small Business Council to use litmus tests. [36975]

The Small Business Council recommended that the Government use focus groups of small businesses as well as throughout the Regulatory Impact Assessment process in considering regulations. The SBS now uses litmus tests through focus groups.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the restrictions are on the number of loans to one company that can be guaranteed under the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme; and if she will make a statement. [39812]

Under the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme a business can borrow up to an overall limit of £100,000 if it has been trading for less than two years, rising to £250,000 if it has been trading for two years or more. Loans to other businesses where the same individual is involved will count towards the overall limit. There is no restriction on the number of loans provided the total borrowed is within these limits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average response time was for responding to departmental correspondence; what percentage of letters took longer than one month for a response; and what percentage took longer than three months for a response in each of the last five years. [37446]

Figures broken down in percentages of replies within each of the specified timescales are unavailable. However my department monitors its performance annually by sample for all correspondence (excluding Ministerial) against the Whitehall standard

"to answer all correspondence within 15 working days".

The latest figure available is for 2000–01 when the department answered 95 per cent. of correspondence within this target. The volume of correspondence was estimated to be 81,726.Figures for previous years were:

Year	Per cent.
1997–98	95
1998–99	92
1999–2000	96

My department has a target of answering Ministerial correspondence within 10 days. Information broken down as requested is not available. Figures on departmental performance against targets in responding to Ministerial correspondence are published annually by the Cabinet Office.The figures published for the last two years for my department's performance against the target of responding to Ministerial correspondence within 10 days are as follows.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the categories were of the standard individual export licences issued for military exports to Israel between May and October 2001; and if she will make a statement. [40381]

Between 1 May and 31 October 2001 the following categories of items on the Military List were licensed for export to Israel:

• ML1
• ML2
• ML3
• ML4
• ML5
• ML6
• ML8
• ML9
• ML10
• ML11
• ML13
• ML14
• ML15
• ML16
• ML21
• PL5017
• PL5031

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of the standard individual export licences were issued for military exports to Israel from October 2001; and in what categories they were; and if she will make a statement. [40383]

Between 1 October 2001 and 18 February 2002 61 Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) were issued covering items on the Military List. Individual export licences might cover a range of items with various ratings. Where this is so, the licence is included in the totals for all of the relevant ratings. Details are set out in the table:

Rating	No. of Licences
ML2	2
ML4	5
ML5	20
ML9	8
ML10	10
ML11	9
ML13	2
ML14	1
ML15	2
ML21	2
ML22	2
PL5017	2
PL5031	1

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of the total cost of the Business Link national call centre between its inception in 2001 and its planned closure in 2002. [38773]

The DTI's programme of information and advice services for small businesses, known as the Gateway is delivered under a managed service contract with one contractor and consists of four components:

a web site

a contract centre service 0845 600 9006

a national client database; and

a range of support systems for 43 local Business Link Operators.

The Gateway cost £2.65 million pounds to set up and currently costs £3.75 million pounds in fixed annual service charges to run.The cost of the Business Link National Contact Centre cannot be disaggregated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the quality of service provided to users of the Business Link national call centre. [38774]

The Small Business Service (SBS) has continually monitored the performance of the inquiry handling service since April 2001 (when the Business Link National Contact Centre started operating). In particular the SBS has:

commissioned an independent performance survey;

received and reacted to feed back, compliments and complaints from SME customers and from the Small Business Council (SBC) and the Business Links;

listened to and quality reviewed sample calls received by the Business Link National Contact Centre; and

worked with its contractor to review and improve the quality of service delivery.

In the light of these assessments, the SBS has considered a number of options to improve the enquiry handling service. The SBS has now concluded that instead of being handled by a centre service point, calls will be routed straight to local Business Link Operators. This will improve responsiveness and service to customers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to ensure that advice will continue to be available free of charge and without pressure to purchase services via local business links following the closure of the Business Link national call centre. [38775]

We have no plans for changing the basis of Business Link charges or to pressurise any users into purchasing services from Business Link Operators.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the shortfall in the number of engineers working in UK aerospace needed to fulfil future major defence contracts, with particular reference to the JSF. [40508]

The Department is not aware of any particular problems in relation to the number of engineers available for the Joint Strike Fighter programme. UK companies including BAE SYSTEMS, Rolls-Royce, Smiths and others won their place on Lockheed Martin's JSF team on their own merits in the face of tough international competition. Part of the reason for their success was the availability of highly-skilled aerospace engineers and capabilities in the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of media advertising in each of the past five parliamentary sessions including the current session, for her Department in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland; and for the last two Parliamentary sessions and the current Parliamentary session, what the media advertising expenditure was per month in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland. [37410]

I provided information on expenditure on DTI advertising through the COI for previous financial years in the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 20 November 2001, Official Report, column 162W. Information in the format requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the expenditure was per campaign for the five most expensive media advertising campaigns her Department undertook in the past five Parliamentary sessions including the current Parliamentary session in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland; and for the last two Parliamentary sessions and the current session, when each advertising campaign (i) began and (ii) ended in (A) Scotland, (B) England, (C) Wales and (D) Northern Ireland. [37398]

The information requested is not available centrally and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list non-Governmental organisations operating in the South West Region that receive public funds from her Department; and what amount of annual funding they received in the most recent year for which figures are available. [39180]

The information requested is not readily available in the form requested and could only be assembled at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the annual budget for communications activities, including press, public relations, marketing and internal communications, was for her Department for each financial year from 1997–98 to 2001–02. [39910]

There is no separately identified budget for communications activities. Expenditure is authorised by the relevant programme budget holders along with other items of expenditure in those policy areas. Information on expenditure of this kind is not held centrally and could only be produced at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many representations she has received in the last 12 months from individuals concerning short beer and cider measures. [41337]

Since 1 March 2001 the Department has received 9,000 representations, either direct to the Department or through Members' correspondence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the implications of the decision in Dove v. Cornwall County Council. [40360]

The decision by the High Court confirms that the metrication legislation made in 1994 and 1995 is lawful and valid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consideration is given to the interests of local fishermen in determining applications for licences to carry out sub-sea surveys. [40965]

All applications and notifications by applicants wishing to carrying out oil and gas surveys are subject to a review process, which includes mechanisms to take account of the interests of fishing organisations.

Number of Offenders convicted for Money Laundering offences, by type of offence, England and Wales, 1989–2000p
Code	Offence	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
	Drug Money Laundering Offences
93/49	S49 Drug Trafficking Act 1994 (previously S14 Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Act 1990—Concealing or transferring the proceeds of drug trafficking	*	*	—	—	—	1	—	—	4	—	12	5
93/50	S50 Drug Trafficking Act 1994 (previously S24 Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986)—1Assisting another person to retain the benefit of drug trafficking	—	—	—	—	4	4	3	2	11	9	9	9
93/51	S51 Drug Trafficking Act 1994 (previously S23A Drug Trafficking Offences At 1986 as inserted by S18 Criminal Justice Act 1993)—Acquisition, possession of use of other proceeds of drug trafficking	*	*	*	*	*	—	—	3	13	7	9	2
93/52	S52 Drug Trafficking Act 1994—Failure to disclose knowledge or suspicion of money laundering	*	*	*	*	*	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
93/53	S53 Drug Trafficking Act 1994—Disclosure of information likely to prejudice an investigation ("Tipping off")	*	*	*	*	*	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make it a requirement for applicants for licences to carry out sub-sea surveys to consult first with representatives of local fishermen. [40966]

The current process includes mechanisms to take account of the interests of fishing organisations. My Department would welcome comments from fishing representatives on our forthcoming consultation on draft Guidance Notes relating to oil and gas surveys. Their views will be given due consideration in the preparation of the final Guidance Notes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many actions by the police (a) have been undertaken and (b) are pending against UK financial institutions alleged to have been involved in money laundering activities; and if he will make a statement. [39006]

Statistics are kept of prosecutions undertaken and convictions secured for a variety of money laundering offences under United Kingdom legislation, and are given in the tables. However, there are no details available as to whether these proceedings were against individuals or corporate bodies.Ongoing or pending investigations into money laundering offences are a matter for the police and other enforcement agencies with responsibilities in this area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment he has made of the likely availability of staff for the proposed asylum accommodation centre at Throckmorton; [36768]

The Home Office recently launched a procurement competition, under the European Commission Directives, in respect of the proposed Accommodation Centres. The information requested cannot be provided as it would prejudice the Home Office's ability to obtain best value for money from the competition as prospective bidders would become aware of our commercial expectations.Work has been undertaken on behalf of the Home Office to assess economic sustainability in respect of all the sites identified as having the potential for development as an Accommodation Centre. Those assessments will be made available to local authorities as part of the planning process.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been detained under section 23 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 specifying (a) the duration of each detainee's detention, (b) in how many cases the detention under section 23 has come to an end and (c) the reasons why such detention has come to an end. [38501]

Nine foreign nationals have so far been detained using powers in Part IV of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act. Of those detained one has left the United Kingdom voluntarily; the other eight remain in detention.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for a new police station in Newark. [39203]

Decisions on the provision of police stations are matters for the Police Authority and Chief Officer.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how long he expects (a) the derogation from Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights and (b) the derogation from Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to last; and if he will make a statement. [37680]

For as long as the United Kingdom faces a public emergency threatening the life of the nation, the limited derogation from Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) will continue to be necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 5 February 2002, Official Report, column 877W, on the Prison Service, what the additional cost will be each year of the pay review award; what proportion of the additional cost will be met from maintenance of the prison estate being re-scheduled; if he will list the maintenance projects which will be re-scheduled and the new dates; what proportion of the additional cost will be met from efficiency savings from the wider Home Office budget; if he will list the areas where efficiency savings will be made; and if he will make a statement. [37740]

The additional cost of the pay review award for the present Spending Review period is:

• 2001–02: £4.6 million
• 2002–03: £21.1 million
• 2003–04: £37.2 million

Although the plan remains to re-schedule some maintenance projects, this has not been worked up in detail yet. Similarly, how best to meet the cost of the award between the Prison Service budget and that of the wider Home Office is still under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what licensing requirements are in place for air (a) rifles and (b) pistols held in the UK; and how many licences have been awarded each year since 1996; [38253](2) what restrictions there are on air

The law relating to the use and possession of air guns varies according to the muzzle energy of the gun concerned.Air guns with muzzle energies below about three quarters of a foot pound are not regarded as firearms because they are not capable of inflicting a potentially lethal injury. These are generally referred to as airsoft or BB guns and do not come under the control of the Firearms Acts excepting where it is an offence to threaten other people with an imitation firearm in such a way as to cause them to believe that unlawful violence might be used against them.Air rifles with muzzle energies between three quarters of a foot pound and 12 foot pounds and air pistols with muzzle energies between three quarters of a foot pound and six foot pounds are classed as firearms and, although they do not have to be kept on a firearm certificate, do come under the control of the Acts.It is an offence to make a gift of an air weapon to a person under 14 years of age or to sell one to a person under 17. It is also an offence for a person under 17 to have an uncovered air weapon in a public place or for anyone, of whatever age, to have a loaded air weapon in a public place. Trespass with an air weapon is also an offence whether in a building or on open land, as is having an air weapon with intent to damage property. Having an air weapon with intent to endanger life or to resist arrest both carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.Air rifles with muzzle energies greater than 12 foot pounds fall under the control of section 1 of the Firearms Act 1968 and must be kept on a police issued firearm certificate. No central record is kept of the number of air rifles kept on a firearms certificate. Air pistols with muzzle energies of greater than six foot pounds are prohibited weapons under the terms of section 5(1)(aba) of the Act and may not be possessed without the express authority of the Secretary of State for the Home Department. No authorities have been specifically issued for air pistols.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents involving the use and misuse of an airgun have been recorded each year since 1996. [38244]

General use of air weapons is not recorded. The number of recorded crimes in England and Wales involving air weapons in each year since 1996 is as follows:

Year	Number of recorded crimes involving air weapons
1996	7,813
1997	7,506
1998–991	8,665

Prison Name	Total Number of Prisoners	White %	Black %	Asian %	Chinese and Other %
Acklington	767	97	1	1	1
Albany	443	93	5	1	1
Altcourse	894	94	4	1	1
Ashfield	376	88	9	1	2
Ashwell	417	81	11	5	4
Askham Grange	119	78	16	2	4
Aylesbury	345	57	34	5	5
Bedford	436	75	14	8	3
Belmarsh	857	58	30	3	9
Birmingham	849	65	22	4	9
Blakenhurst	847	79	14	4	3
Blantyre House	117	75	17	4	3
Blundestone	417	55	39	2	4
Brinsford	439	71	21	5	3
Bristol	612	85	13	1	2
Brixton	742	48	41	2	8
Brockhill	154	77	17	1	5
Buckley Hall	135	83	10	4	3
Bullingdon	889	71	20	5	4
Bullwood Hall	152	68	24	0	8
Camp Hill	526	63	31	3	3
Canterbury	304	83	8	2	7
Cardiff	668	94	5	0	1
Castington	240	94	2	1	3
Channings Wood	581	93	5	I	1
Chelmsford	479	79	12	3	5
Coldingley	353	54	38	I	7
Cookham Wood	143	43	48	0	9
Dartmoor	604	90	7	1	1
Deerbolt	423	95	2	1	1
Doncaster	1,091	89	6	1	4
Dorchester	257	94	4	1	1
Dovegate	658	71	23	3	3
Dover	178	63	29	3	5
Downview	163	40	53	1	7
Drake Hall	256	86	11	2	I
Durham	710	95	3	1	I
East Sutton Park	96	49	36	3	11
Eastwood Park	322	77	20	0	2
Elmley	930	81	13	2	4
Erlestoke	317	91	8	2	0
Everthorpe	364	89	6	2	2
Exeter	482	97	2	0	0
Featherstone	589	75	15	4	6
Feltham	651	41	43	4	11
Ford	394	75	14	4	7
Forest Bank	917	89	6	3	2
Foston Hall	213	84	13	1	2
Frankland	639	87	8	2	3
Full Sutton	595	81	12	2	4

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of prisoners in each prison establishment in England and Wales are from minority ethnic groups. [38101]

The population breakdown for each prison establishment in England and Wales for31 January 2002 is given in the table.