To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the work of English Heritage in relation to listed buildings. [53966]

English Heritage's statutory duty is to secure the preservation of buildings of historical importance. They advise the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport about historic buildings meriting statutory protection and advise Government and planning authorities about requests for permission to demolish or alter protected buildings. They also give grant aid for the repair of listed buildings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when a decision will be made regarding the national stadium project. [53973]

As I explained to the House in my statement on 7 May I have agreed to the Football Association's request to delay the Government's final decision on support for the national stadium until the current commercial negotiations between the FA and their bankers are concluded. Those discussions continue to make good progress.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions about conducting a national audit of sport and leisure facilities; and if she will make a statement. [53974]

I discussed the proposed database of sports facilities in England with a number of my ministerial colleagues, including those from the DfES and the DTLR, at the last meeting of the Inter-departmental Group on Sport in February.I have also written to my ministerial colleagues at the DfES and the DTLR, along with those from the Department of Health, Home Office and the Ministry of Defence, seeking their views on the scope and content of the proposed database of sports facilities in England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress her Department has made in the use of sports, arts and culture in tackling social deprivation in the poorest communities. [53976]

Tackling social deprivation is at the heart of the Department's activity. Our work is focusing on four strategic priorities: promoting lifelong learning and social cohesion by opening up institutions to the wider community; enhancing access to a fuller cultural and sporting life for children and young people; maximising the contribution which creative and leisure industries can make to the economy; and modernising delivery, ensuring that our sponsored bodies put the needs of the customer first.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the efforts being made at the grassroots level to increase ethnic minority participation and representation in sport. [53977]

The Government are anxious to ensure that sport is accessible to all members of society, irrespective of age, ability, gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality or socioeconomic status, and remain committed to improving opportunities for those groups which are under-represented in sport, whether as participants, competitors, coaches or administrators.There are a number of schemes and programmes aimed at those traditionally under-represented in sport; these include Sport England's Active Communities Programme, which targets ethnic minorities as one of its priority groups, and the Sporting Equals Programme, which receives £180,000 a year from the Government and the Commission for Racial Equality towards promoting sporting opportunities for ethnic minorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the impact of the Budget on the film industry. [53978]

It was announced in the Budget that the film tax relief will be restricted to films intended for the commercial cinema only, and that television production will no longer be able to access the relief. The relief was originally intended to help build a sustainable film industry and there has been a general acceptance that this is a necessary refocussing of the relief.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure choice of access for digital broadcasting services. [53979]

The draft Communications Bill and associated documents (Cm 5508, published on 7 May), set out a proposed framework for the regulation of communications, which is intended to broaden choice of and access to modern communications technologies, and to make markets work better.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what definitions of (a) access, (b) availability and (c) affordability the Government will use to determine when analogue switch-off will take place; and if she will make a statement. [54620]

One of the key tasks of the Digital Television Action Plan is for Government to conduct a comprehensive review of progress towards digital switchover with particular reference to the accessibility, availability and affordability tests announced in September 1999. The Review will refine the tests and report on how progress towards meeting them is to be measured.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many digital television sets were sold in the last financial year; and if she will make a statement. [53982]

Industry figures indicate that 120,000 integrated digital television sets were sold in the 12 months until the end of March. As part of the Digital Action Plan, the Government will be comprehensively investigating with industry and the European Union the issues surrounding the transition to exclusive sales of integrated digital television sets. Because of our international agreements, the UK alone could not mandate the sale of integrated digital television sets.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact of digital switchover on the BBC licence fee. [53987]

The Government increased the BBC licence fee in 2000 in recognition of the BBC's role in the development of digital broadcasting services. The annual increase is set until 2006 when the charter is due for renewal. The effect of changing media markets on the licence fee will be one of the issues we consider as part of the charter review process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the recommendations on gaming machines in the Budd report. [53981]

We published a safe bet for success on 26 March. This sets out the Government's decisions on the recommendations for reform of the law on gambling which were made by the Gambling Review Body last summer. We took careful account of all the points made in public consultation on the report before reaching our conclusions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her support for museums in the north-east of England. [53983]

My Department directly provides support to the Tyne and Wear Museums to the sum of £1 million per year. Resource, the Council for Museums, Libraries and Archives will provide funding to the North East Museum, Libraries and Archives Council to the tune of £745,000 in 2002–03.Resource has now received bids from each English region, including the North East, to be considered for selection as regional hubs in accordance with the recommendations of the Regional Museums task force as set out in the report Renaissance in the Regions: a new vision for England's museums which was published last October. My Department are currently working with Resource to start implementing the task force recommendations with £10 million per annum which was given to Resource in the last spending review.We will take the task force's recommendations into account in the current spending review alongside other priorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures she is taking to promote tourism in the west midlands region. [53984]

My Department is currently considering options on how to provide stronger co-ordination of the promotion and marketing of England, including a strong regional dimension and we hope to announce our plans shortly.Tourism in the west midlands region has recently benefited from £2 million funding from Advantage West Midlands (AWM) regional development agency (RDA). £1.1 million was spent on a recent national marketing campaign "Head to the Heart", promoted by the Heart of England Tourist Board (HETB), which principle aim is to attract more visitors to the region.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she last met representatives from the English Tourism Council to discuss tourism in the south-east. [53991]

I have been in close contact with the chairman of the English Tourism Council about the proposed merger between the south east and southern tourist boards. They also hold regular meetings to discuss issues of national and regional significance, the most recent being on 29 April. The Minister also met Joan Patten, chair of the south east tourist board, on 11 April.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of Government funding provided to each region is for tourism marketing. [56023]

Over half of the £3.8 million obtained last year from the reserve to assist the domestic recovery of tourism from foot and mouth disease was passed via the English Tourism Council (ETC) to the 10 regional tourist boards (RTBs). Much of that money was used for promotional and PR activities.Other central Government funding provided to the RTBs via the ETC is for the delivery of the national tourism strategy at regional level—that does not include money for domestic marketing. The RTBs are mainly private companies and use some of their membership fee and commercial income for regional marketing initiatives. In some regions, the Regional Development Agencies have also supported tourism marketing with Government funds and a substantial part of over £90 million spent by local authorities on tourism is also used for promotional activities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the football authorities on the financial position of Nationwide League football clubs. [53985]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have remained in close touch with the Nationwide League and the Football Association since it was announced that ITV Digital was to go into administration, and met the league's management on 17 April. The Government will now work with the working group appointed by the FA's chief executive to consider how affected football clubs might be helped to secure their futures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department is giving to football-based schemes levels in the coalfields. [53980]

Funding from public sources for football is channelled through the Football Foundation. The Foundation's grass roots, community and education, and stadium safety funding programmes are not geographically targeted. They are designed to address lack of provision in England wherever it exists. However, the Foundation has indicated that it considers local levels of economic deprivation, among other issues, in assessing applications for funding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Government are taking to support theatre in the regions. [53986]

This is a matter for the Arts Council of England and the Regional Arts Boards. From 1 April this year the Arts Council is investing an additional £12 million in theatre increasing to £25 million a year from 2003–04, as a result of its extensive review of the needs of regional theatre. Funding for the New Wolsey in Ipswich will increase from £322,750 last year to £492,750 in 2003–04, an increase over two years of 53 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the role public libraries play within the Government's culture plan. [53988]

Two of the key strategic priorities I have set for my Department are developing children and young people and building stronger communities through participation in the arts and culture. Public libraries have a major role to play in both of these and I intend to publish a policy document in the autumn setting out how they will contribute.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what studies her Department has undertaken to ensure the continuation of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. [53989]

I met representatives of Octagon Motorsports, Sir Jackie Stewart, the Motor Sports Association, the British Racing Drivers' Club and other interested parties on 11 December 2001 and 24 January 2002 to discuss proposals for improving arrangements for the 2002 British Grand Prix, as well as wider proposals for the long term development of Silverstone. New access roads are under construction to improve access to and from the Silverstone circuit for future years. My officials are working closely with the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, the Government Office of the East Midlands and the Highways Agency. I am receiving monthly reports on the progress of access improvements to Silverstone.I also met Max Mosley, President of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, on 12 December 2001 to inform him of the Government's commitment to motor sport and the British Grand Prix.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the performance of sports action zones in west Cumbria. [53990]

A Sport Action Zone manager was appointed in September 2000 and a Needs Assessment and Action Plan was compiled in the first year of the Zone's operation, covering the period 2001–2006. This plan was approved at the Sport Lottery panel in October 2001. Approximately £230,000 per annum was ring-fencing over the five year period across the Allerdale, Barrow and Copeland districts. The projects in the Year One action plan have received ring-fenced funding and are in various stages of development, depending on match-funding sources and lead organisations' time scales.The Sport Action Zone is being overseen by the six strategic partners including Allerdale Borough Council and Copeland Borough Council.The Sport Action Zone partnership is looking into marketing and evaluation reports, which will be publicly available when they are produced.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make funding available for marketing the English hotel industry. [53975]

The marketing of hotels is a matter for the industry itself but the announcement today will have a beneficial impacts on all sectors of the industry in England. The English Tourism Council has made considerable progress in extending its quality assurance schemes to all types of accommodation. Hotels and others that commit to the national quality standards benefit since the quality assurance fee entitles them to a free entry in the ETC's 'Where to Stay' guidebooks and entry on the BTA's VisitBritain website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if it is intended to place on sale copies of Pride of Place; [54998](2) pursuant to the answers of 18 April 2002,

4,000 copies of Pride of Place will be available for sale through the Arts Council at £12 each.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many indemnity undertakings were given under section 16 of the National Heritage Act 1980 for the six-month period ended 31 March; and what the value was of (a) contingent liabilities in respect of such undertakings given at any time under that section which remained outstanding as at 31 March, (b) non-statutory Government indemnities in respect of loans handled by the Government Art Collection which remained outstanding as at 31 March and (c) non-statutory undertakings of Her Majesty in respect of loans from the Royal Collection which remained outstanding at 31 March. [55027]

[holding answer 9 May 2002]: The provision for the Government Indemnity Scheme is made by the National Heritage Act 1980. The scheme facilitates public access to loans of works of art and other objects for public display made to museums, galleries and other such institutions by private owners and non-national institutions. It does this by indemnifying lenders against loss or damage to their loan. Loans covered by the scheme must be for public benefit. The scheme also covers loans of such objects for study purposes within borrowing institutions where this would contribute materially to the public's understanding or appreciation of the loan. Examples of this are enhancing interpretation or explanation to the public of objects or bringing into the public domain, the conclusions of any study.In the six-month period ended 31 March, the following undertakings to indemnify were given under section 16 by the relevant Departments for objects on loan to national and non-national institutions:

	Number
Department for Culture, Media and Sport	629
Scottish Executive Education Department	258
The National Assembly for Wales	114

The value of contingent liabilities in respect of undertakings given at any time under section 16 and which remained outstanding as at 31 March is:

£
Department for Culture, Media and Sport	2,466,655,792
Scottish Executive Education Department	467,275,161
The National Assembly for Wales	45,990,729

The value of non-statutory Government indemnities to cover loans handled by the Government Art Collection and which remained outstanding as at 31 March is:Value: £5,500,000.

Payments by scheme for five years—England
£000
	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Countryside stewardship	15,708	19,896	23,359	28,890	47,326
Arable stewardship	—	—	470	863	1,500
Energy crops scheme	—	—	—	—	234
Environmentally sensitive areas	28,600	37,600	39,500	40,900	48,300
Farm woodland premium	4,700	5,400	5,900	6,000	7,500
Hill farm allowance	—	—	—	—	42,346

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department has spent organising events at (a) the Labour party's, (b) the Conservative party's and (c) the Liberal Democrat party's (i) autumn and (ii) spring conference in each of the past five years; what the purpose of events organised at party conferences is; what form these events took; and if she will make a statement. [55750]

No events have been organised by this Department at party conferences.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2002, Official Report, column 1064W, what the timetable is for negotiations with Indonesia to tackle illegal logging and associated trade; and when agreement will be reached. [53757]

The Governments of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Indonesia signed on 18 April 2002 a Memorandum of Understanding on co-operation to improve Forest Law Enforcement and Governance and to combat illegal logging and the international trade in illegally logged timber and timber products. We are placing a copy of the Memorandum in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what payments were made in each of the last five years broken down by (a) scheme, (b) county and (c) farm size, for (i) the countryside stewardship scheme, (ii) arable stewardship (up to 2000), (iii) the energy crops scheme, (iv) the environmentally sensitive areas, (v) the farm woodland premium scheme, (vi) the hill farm allowance scheme, (vii) the organic farming scheme, (viii) the woodland grant scheme, (ix) the processing and marketing grant, (x) the rural enterprise scheme and (xi) the vocational training scheme. [54476]

The following table shows expenditure on the England Rural Development Programme schemes for the last five years. A further breakdown by county or farm size is not readily available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total area of genetically modified crops to be grown in the farm scale evaluations in England in 2002 is; and how many trials there are for (a) spring oilseed rape, (b) winter oilseed rape, (c) fodder beet, (d) sugar beet and (e) fodder maize. [54477]

The total area to be grown with GM crops in the farm scale evaluations in England to date is approximately 400 hectares. In autumn 2001, 30 oilseed rape sites were sown. This year, there are 22 spring oilseed rape sites, 33 maize sites, six fodder beet sites and 12 sugar beet sites. The proposed site locations for the 2002 round of winter oilseed rape will be announced later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the data from the farm-scale evaluations of GM crops will be available for the advisers in ACRE and ACP; and when she will publish the data. [54986]

Data from the farm-scale evaluations will be available to this Department, to advisers on the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment and the Advisory Committee on Pesticides, and the wider public generally, once we have received the advice of the scientific steering committee overseeing the progress and publication of the ecological studies and the results are published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. This is anticipated to be in the summer of 2003 for {spring-sown crops (spring-sown oilseed rape, maize and beet) and in summer 2004 for winter-sown oilseed rape.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will announce her decision on the proposals put forward by the Agriculture, Environment and Biotechnology Commission for public debate on the possible commercialisation of GM Crops. [54984]

Recovery and Recycling 1998–2001
	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Paper	1n/a	1,894,086	1,820,732	1,880,414	2,030,944
Glass	—	503,800	582,577	715,037	735,594
Aluminium	—	14,517	15,402	16,299	29,030
Steel	—	182,409	225,216	238,668	278,079
Plastic	—	125,539	198,461	204,430	269,962
Wood	—	170,000(1)	94,000(1)	296,437	573,951
Alt. evidence	—	—	—	—	30,741
Total recycling	—	2,890,351	3,084,296(2)	3,351,285	3,917,560
Percentage	227	28	33·5	36·5	42
EfW	—	448,354	496,269	500,047	513,939
Total recovery		3,338,705	3,506,611	3,851,332	4,462,240
Percentage	230	33	38	42	48
Tonnes in waste stream	—	10,240.000	9,189,981	9,179,981	9,313,900
1Breakdown by material not available for 1997
2Approximate

The Government welcome the AEBC's advice on the proposal for a public debate on the possible commercialisation of GM crops. AEBC has provided an important contribution which the Government are considering. We will announce our response as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has made to HM Treasury in advance of the Comprehensive Spending Review on funding to assist the transition from direct subsidies to sustainable environmental schemes; and if she will make a statement. [54488]

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has submitted advice and proposals to my right hon. Friend, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Andrew Smith), as he is in charge of other spending Departments. The proposals are consistent with the Government's policy of promoting a sustainable, diverse, modern and adaptable farming industry. The outcome of the Spending Review will be announced in Parliament in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what levels of (a) business packaging waste recovery and (b) business packaging recycling in the United Kingdom were in each year since 1997; what assessment has been made of how the United Kingdom compares with Europe; and if she will make a statement. [54828]

Packaging waste recovery and recycling achieved by businesses obligated under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 (as amended) from 1997 to 2001 was as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps her Department is taking to review the notice period on annual targets under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997; and if she will make a statement; [54802](2) for what reason the targets for packaging and packaging waste for 2002 did not appear until 19 March; when she expects to publish targets for 2003; and if she will make a statement. [54843]

We make every effort to publish the annual targets for recovery and recycling of packaging waste as early in the year as possible. Businesses have an opportunity to plan on the basis of the proposals and analysis in the consultation exercise carried out in the previous year. However, where the Government do not have the latest relevant packaging data until the end of a year, this means that it is not always possible to decide on the final targets for the following year to our intended timing.It is too early to say when we might publish targets for 2003. However, it is the Government's intention to consult this year on targets for 2003 and 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations her Department has received (a) between September and December 2001 and (b) since 1 January regarding the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997; and if she will make a statement. [54841]

We liaise regularly with industry and receive a good deal of correspondence relating to the packaging Regulations. The period in question covers the consultation exercise undertaken on proposed packaging waste targets for 2002. The consultation document was issued in September 2001 and 66 responses were received to this alone. Since January 2002, we have received about 70 letters relating to packaging waste matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many nitrate-sensitive areas have been designated. [54859]

There are 66 nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs) in England, which were designated in 1996.In December 2001, in response to a European Court of Justice judgment, we consulted on options for completing implementation of the nitrates directive in England. These would involve either designating additional nitrate vulnerable zones, or applying measures to prevent and control nitrate pollution throughout England.We are still considering the responses to this consultation, and will announce a decision in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action the Government are taking to ensure that sustainable urban drainage systems are adopted and maintained by water companies. [54638]

A Working Group chaired by the Environment Agency and comprising representatives of this Department and other interested parties has been set up to consider all aspects of the use of sustainable urban drainage systems. Among other things, it will be considering future responsibilities for installation and maintenance of such systems, including the extent of water and sewerage companies' responsibilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if her Department plans to allow local authorities to count domestic composting towards their recycling targets; and if she will make a statement. [54599]

We have no plans to allow local authorities to count domestic composting towards their recycling targets.Local authorities benefit in two main ways from home composting. First, they save on the costs associated with collecting, transporting and composting this waste. Secondly, it increases their recycling rate because the home composted waste is not included in the calculation for the total amount of waste collected. This has the effect of increasing the percentage of household waste sent for recycling.There are also real difficulties with the measurement of home composting. Accurate reporting against the statutory performance standards is essential if we are to ensure real efforts are made by local authorities to increase recycling and composting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what part a reduction in HFC emissions in the UK will play in the United Kingdom's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto agreement. [54626]

The UK is on course to meet, and go beyond, its target under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2008–12. This target covers a basket of six greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride); the UK does not have targets under the Kyoto Protocol for the individual gases.UK emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in 1995—the base year chosen for measuring emissions of these gases for the Kyoto Protocol—were equivalent to 4.1 MtC, contributing about 2 per cent. of the total greenhouse gas emissions in that year.Action to reduce fugitive emissions of HFC-23 from HCFC-22 manufacturing plants have meant that total emissions of HFCs have fallen significantly since then. This will be partly offset by an increase in emissions from end use markets such as aerosols, refrigeration and foam blowing as consumption of HFCs increases in response to the phase out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) under the Montreal Protocol. However, reduced levels of leakage and increased use of alternative fluids are expected to limit the increase in emissions.Overall, annual emissions of HFCs are projected to be equivalent to 2.9 MtC in 2010, a fall of 29 per cent. from 1995 levels. The expected reductions in emissions of the other five greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol mean that the relative contribution of HFCs emissions in 2010 is projected to be the same as in 1995, at about 2 per cent. of the total UK greenhouse gas emissions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 272W, on timber, if she will place in the Library the confirmation given by the Brazilian Government that the mahogany shipments in question did not breach CITES regulations. [54644]

A copy of the translation of the document issued by the Brazilian Management Authority confirming that the CITES permits for the shipment in question were authentic has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the time scale was set out in the voluntary agreement with SCIMAC in November 1999 for the Scientific Steering Committee to review the data and provide recommendations on the farm-scale biodiversity evaluations. [54985]

The voluntary agreement between SCIMAC and Government made in November 1999 states that:

"The final year of crop plantings within the Farm-Scale Biodiversity Evaluations is 2002. Following the Scientific Steering Committee's final year review and recommendations, the work programme of the Committee relating to the current objectives set and agreed will be concluded. No extension to this agreement will take place without further negotiation between Government and SCIMAC."

"The Government will ask and expect the Scientific Steering Committee to review data and provide recommendations/advice on or before end-October in 2002 of the Farm-Scale Biodiversity Evaluations."

"The Government will ask and expect the Scientific Steering Committee to complete final year analysis and reporting of results for winter oilseed rape in time for autumn 2003 plantings to take place should the null hypothesis be confirmed."

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the money allocated to help local authorities deal with the storage and disposal of refrigerators has been distributed. [55077]

The £6 million allocated to local authorities for the extra costs they faced from 1 January to end March this year was added to local authorities' general grant for the current financial year. General grant is distributed to councils through standard spending assessments (SSA). The provision for waste disposal is included within the upper tier of the Environmental, Protection and Cultural Services (EPCS) SSA.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what new funds her Department will provide to the statutory nature conservation agencies and Sea Fisheries Committee to allow them to meet their responsibilities to manage, protect and monitor the marine environment and its natural resources. [55768]

Officials are currently discussing with English Nature their corporate plan for 2002–05. These discussions will focus on the need for resources to cover important areas of work such as the marine environment and in turn help inform the process for the Departments allocation of funds as part of spending review 2002.Sea fisheries committees are committees of local authorities and are funded by local government. The Government have made it clear that no decisions will be taken on funding of sea fisheries committees until the Common Fisheries Policy review is complete. At that stage we will be better placed to assess any changes in our obligations for inshore management, including any additional environmental responsibilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government's Review of Marine Nature Conservation will report on its findings. [55769]

The regional seas pilot scheme in the Irish sea recently announced by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is due to report its findings to Government in the early part of 2004. The pilot scheme's findings will inform the review's final recommendations to Government which we hope to receive by the end of 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what actions BNFI has taken to stop the leaks from the sludge storage tanks in Building B24L at Sellafield; and when this work will be complete. [53662]

I have been asked to reply.BNFL has undertaken a number of projects aimed at improving the integrity of the B241 tanks, reducing the potential for material to leak from the plant and enabling the removal of the inventory from the tanks. This work has been ongoing since 1993. BNFL expects that the work to remove the majority of the active inventory will be completed in approximately 11 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action the Government have taken to reduce the logging of rainforests and to discuss these matters with mining companies. [53653]

I have been asked to reply.Logging of rainforests is not necessarily a bad thing. It can bring income and jobs to poor people. If done carefully logging need not threaten the long-term sustainability of these forests or the environmental services they provide.Logging should not take place in protected areas or in contravention of other laws and regulations. My Department is working with a number of countries to help improve forest law enforcement and governance and tackle illegal logging and associated trade.The Government have not discussed logging of rainforests with mining companies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what estimate she has made of the amounts of moist co-product feeds and liquids used as feed materials by livestock farmers in conjunction with home-produced feeds or as complements to bought-in feeds in the last year for which figures are available; and what assessment she has made of the importance of co-product feeds to the UK livestock industry; [42247](2) if she will make a statement on her Department's policy on co-products as feed materials; and what representations she has made to the European Commission to include co-product feeds on the EU's proposed positive list of approved feed materials. [42248]

I have been asked to reply.I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that industry estimates nearly two million tonnes of moist feed and over one million tonnes of liquid feed is fed annually to British livestock. Many materials derived during the manufacture of food and drink are fed by livestock farmers, or used by manufacturers for feed sold to farmers. These co-products have a nutritional value and are considered an important range of feed materials for the UK livestock industry.The European Commission has commissioned a feasibility study on the possibility of having a positive list of approved feed materials for use in animal feed. If any such list is to be compiled it is likely that it will include co-products.

To ask the Solicitor-General if she will make a statement about her Department's handling of the case of Christopher Reeves, Oxford Crown court T2000/022. [51371]

Dr. Alfred Christopher Reeves was tried at Oxford Crown court, on a number of allegations of indecent assault. On 22 May 2000, he was acquitted on all charges, part way through the defence case, at the direction of the trial judge, Her Honour Judge Mowatt.Following the conclusion of the case, Dr. Reeves and the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) wrote to the Director of Public Prosecutions complaining about the CPS handling of the case. These complaints have been investigated thoroughly and the Crown Prosecution Service and the Attorney-General have provided comprehensive responses to both the hon. Member and Dr. Reeves' solicitors.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on what subjects and on which dates his Department has recently consulted organisations representing young people; and if he will list such organisations. [52508]

The Cabinet Office does not hold this information centrally and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.The Cabinet Office is committed to the new core principles for the involvement of children and young people published by the Minister for Young People in November 2001. The Cabinet Office will shortly be publishing an action plan setting out for the first time how it will implement these principles to extend the participation of children and young people in the design, provision and evaluation of policies and services that affect them.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated level of losses to fraud and corruption was in (a) his Department's Vote 1 budget and (b) his Department's Vote 2 budget for (i) 1999–2000 and (ii) 2000–01. [54700]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Buckingham on 29 January 2002, Official Report, column 252W.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library certificates showing that timber used for the doors, doorframes and window frames in the refurbishment of Norman Shaw South came from a certified sustainable source. [55261]

I have been asked to reply.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 their 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 placed in the Library.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what contracts the Government have with Balfour Beatty; which ones are under way; and what the start dates are of ones on which work has not started. [55293]

I have been asked to reply.This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he plans to withdraw the Sea King AEW force from service. [49767]

On current plans the Sea King Airborne Early Warning force is projected to remain in service until at least 2012.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 858W, on deployments, if he will reconcile his figure for the number of service personnel serving in the Balkans with the answer given on 16 April 2002, Official Report, column 825W. [53823]

The answer I gave on 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 858W, showed only UK regular forces deployed on military tasks overseas, including operations. Personnel on NATO commitments and Mobilised Reservists were not included.Reconciliation of this answer with the answer given on 16 April 2002,

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what British service personnel are deployed in the Republic of Cyprus. [54732]

The United Kingdom contributes 414 service personnel to UNFICYP. British forces in the sovereign base areas on Cyprus, and therefore on British territory and not in the Republic of Cyprus, number approximately 3,230.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) men and (b) women from ethnic communities were serving in the British forces on 1 May. [54640]

Figures for 1 May 2002 are not yet available. A re-survey of the ethnic origin of armed forces personnel is currently being undertaken using the categories contained in the national census of 2001. The last available figures using the previous ethnic categories are those of 1 October 2001 and are as follows:

Ethnic minority (EM)	Number	EM as a percentage of EM plus non-EM
Male	3,173	1·73
Female	314	1·92
Total	3,487	1·75

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many women are serving in each of the armed forces. [54634]

As at 1 April 2002, the number of women serving in the UK regular forces is as follows:

Number of women serving
Naval Service	3,521
Army	7,901
RAF	5,616
Total	17,038

These figures are taken from TSP1 'UK Regular Forces Strengths and Changes', a monthly publication, a copy of which can be found in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British service personnel are involved in land mine destruction; and in which countries such personnel are working. [54632]

British Service personnel provide technical expertise, management and specialist skills to support mine action programmes worldwide. As at 1 May 2002, personnel were deployed as follows:

Senior Technical Adviser to the UN Mine Action Centre in Bosnia.

Staff Officer within the Humanitarian Demining Training Centre at the US Army's Engineer School.

Head of Technical Unit at the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining.

In Bosnia, as part of the Stabilisation Force (SFOR), UK military personnel are involved in the co-ordination and monitoring of mine clearance; emergency disposal of mines and unexploded ordnance as required; and mine awareness training. We also maintain an Explosive Ordnance Disposal detachment in the Falkland Islands. Additionally, UK personnel have provided technical information to the United Nations and to non-governmental organisations on mines that could be found in Afghanistan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Gurkha troops are serving in Gurkha regiments based in the United Kingdom. [54635]

The total number of trained Gurkhas serving in the United Kingdom as at 1 April 2002 is 2,291. There is only one Gurkha Infantry Battalion based in the United Kingdom; however, Gurkha Reinforcement Companies are currently serving with the 2^nd Battalion Parachute Regiment, 1 Royal Irish and 1 Highlanders. There are also formed Gurkha units serving with 10 Transport Regiment, 30 Signal Regiment, 36 Engineer Regiment and in training establishments at Sandhurst and Brecon. In addition, there are small numbers of Gurkha servicemen serving as "Attached Arms" within numerous other establishments across the British Army.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for New Forest, West (Mr. Swayne) of 22 November 2001, Official Report, column 373W, what savings accrued from the cancellation of the exercises. [54901]

Information on the savings which might have accrued from the cancellation of the 84 exercises listed in the answer given on 22 November 2001 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Savings might have accrued, for example, from the cancellation of chartered transport or from a reduction in fuel consumption. However, other costs such as personnel, equipment and infrastructure costs are fixed and would not have been saved when an exercise was cancelled.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the oldest ship in commission in the Royal Navy is. [54641]

The oldest ship in commission in the Royal Navy is HMS Victory which was commissioned in 1778. Although HMS Victory is the oldest ship in commission in the Royal Navy, she is no longer floating but is set in a dry dock in Portsmouth naval base. The oldest commissioned ship which is still afloat is HMS Fearless which was brought into service in November 1965 and is due to be de-commissioned on 31 October 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the complement is of (a) HMS Cardiff, (b) HMS Edinburgh, (c) HMS York, (d) HMS Nottingham, (e) HMS Glasgow, (f) HMS Exeter, (g) HMS Southampton and (h) HMS Newcastle.[54884]

The respective complements are set out in the table:

Ship	Complement
Cardiff	252
Edinburgh	244
York	255
Nottingham	242
Glasgow	251
Exeter	241
Southampton	243
Newcastle	249

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to put into reserve HMS Cornwall, HMS Campbeltown, HMS Chatham and HMS Cumberland in Portsmouth naval base. [55433]

There are no current plans to put any of the Type 22 (Batch 3) frigates into reserve.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the operating costs were of the Defence Logistics Organisation in (a) 2002–03 and (b) each year since it was established. [54900]

The Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO) was formed on 3 April 2000. The first year of operation (2000–01) was managed under a cash regime. 2001–02 was managed under the new resource accounting system for the first time but the final outturn will not be available until the end of October 2002 which is when the National Audit Office is expected to have completed the audit of the departmental accounts. Operating costs have therefore been provided on a cash basis for consistency as follows:

Financial year 2000–01 final outturn: £5·798 billion

Financial year 2001–02 AP 12: £6·371 billion.

Under a cash accounting regime, operating costs include expenditure on capital projects and running costs. The outturn for 2000–01 included a transfer of some £600 million from the Defence Procurement Agency to the DLO following the transfer of responsibility for the management of in-service support costs. Financial year 2001–02 included a transfer of an additional £400 million for in-service support, taking the annual total transfer of in-service support costs into the DLO to around £1 billion.Financial year 2002–03 has only just started and under the new resource accounting regime the DLO has not been given a cash control total equivalent target.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to his Department was for the use of the Split North Port by British forces between September 1992 and January 2002.[54835]

The cost to the Ministry of Defence for the use of Split North Port between September 1992 and January 2002 was £10.14 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated level of losses to fraud and corruption was in (a) his Department's Vote 1 budget and (b) his Department's Vote 2 budget for (i) 1999–2000 and (ii) 2000–01. [54703]

The reported estimated losses arising from suspected fraud (including theft and corruption) are as follows:

Year	£
1999–2000	2,037,406
2000–01	881,350

No abatement is made for subsequent recoveries. The figures, which relate entirely to the resource estimates formerly ascribed as Vote 1 attribution, are a combination of suspected and proven frauds and theft with estimated values refined from time to time as investigations, sometimes lasting a year or more, reach a conclusion. A significant element of estimated cost or value can relate to 'at risk' estimates applied to suspected procurement cases, the majority of which have a proven value lower than original estimates with a significant number of cases resolved as 'no crime'.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the (a) standard of treatment (b) in-patient waiting time, (c) out-patient waiting time and (d) cost of the current medical treatment of armed forces personnel in (i) the private sector and (ii) the NHS. [54135]

[holding answer 7 May 2002]: We consider that a satisfactory standard of treatment is provided to Service personnel by the NHS and private healthcare providers. The majority of Service patients treated in NHS hospitals are admitted to Ministry of Defence Hospital Units whose host NHS trusts are set targets by the Defence Secondary Care Agency, reflecting its own Key Targets for both in-patient and out-patient waiting times. Overall performance against the key targets is published in the Agency's Annual Report, which is laid before Parliament. The contracts with the NHS trusts are monitored for cost effectiveness. Some Service personnel receive treatment at other NHS hospital trusts with whom we have no contractual agreements, where this is more appropriate for them. As entitled patients, they receive such treatment free of charge. Limited use is made of private healthcare providers to enable Service personnel to be treated and returned to deployability more quickly, where this is considered cost effective.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average length of service has been for (a) British nationals, (b) Gurkhas and (c) foreign nationals, broken down by country serving in the British Army. [55453]

The tables show officer and soldier mean length of service. Nationality at birth before 1997 is not available on strength data so only the last six years have been shown. Totals shown are for untrained and trained personnel, ie officer designates are included in the officer table.Calculations have been made using the mean length of service totals as at April 2001 of each year for those personnel on current strength at that date. Figures on mean length of service have only been calculated for populations of 10 or more.

Average length of service in years—as at April
Officers	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
(a) British	11·71	11·60	11·75	11·57	11·52	11·36
(b) Gurkhas	n/a	22·99	22·56	22·38	22·18	22·40
(c) Foreign1
Nationality (at birth)
Australia	7·69	8·24	8·73	8·12	7·17	7·38
Canada	10·00	9·26	9·35	10·29	10·12	10·95
India	9·41	9·67	10·36	10·50	10·35	10·57
Malta GC	18·22	17·44	15·93	15·04	16·70	—
Nepal	—	—	—	—	—	12·90
New Zealand	6·88	7·21	7·36	7·50	7·23	7·30
Republic of Ireland	10·36	10·29	10·98	11·74	11·44	10·33
Rhodesia	6·38	6·38	7·37	8·07	8·31	8·82
South Africa	8·80	8·82	9·24	6·54	6·81	5·50
Zimbabwe	—	—	3·00	1·95	2·83	3·67
1Those nationalities with a current strength more than 9 as at April 2001

Average length of service in years—as at April
Soldiers	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
(a) British	8·21	8·19	8·14	8·16	8·23	8·26
(b) Gurkhas	n/a	9·09	8·97	9·01	9·16	9·10
(c) Foreign1
Nationality (at birth)
America	8·25	7·43	7·08	8·68	7·61	8·17
Australia	6·14	6·79	6·61	6·38	6·48	7·20
Belize	—	—	—	3·00	3·20	—
Canada	8·20	7·84	7·09	7·02	7·62	7·20
Fiji	—	—	1·64	0·60	1·13	1·37
France	—	—	—	—	—	9·60
Gambia	—	—	—	—	—	1·85
Germany	8·85	7·34	6·88	5·99	4·85	5·47
Ghana	—	—	—	—	3·45	1·32
Grenada (Windward Islands)	—	—	—	—	—	1·00
India	14·61	13·17	11·59	12·20	10·67	8·43
Jamaica	15·01	15·31	11·89	8·09	4·57	1·94
Kenya	—	—	11·50	8·50	2·67	2·31
New Zealand	7·09	6·89	5·98	6·68	6·95	8·41
New Zealand Islands	—	—	—	—	—	1·94
Nigeria	—	—	—	—	—	1·44
Pakistan	9·92	8·83	9·63	10·63	9·90	6·71
Republic of Ireland	8·24	7·66	7·84	7·79	8·30	9·20
Rhodesia	6·60	6·85	5·90	5·80	6·31	7·89
South Africa	4·88	4·32	3·81	2·79	2·48	2·17
St· Helena	—	—	0·42	0·66	1·07	2·09

Average length of service in years—as at April
Soldiers	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
St. Lucia Island	—	—	—	—	—	0·89
St. Vincent Island	—	—	—	—	0·49	1·46
Trinidad and Tobago	—	—	—	—	4·41	3·33
Zimbabwe	—	5·50	3·25	2·85	2·20	1·35
1Those nationalities with a current strength more than 9 as at April 2001

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future use of Glencorse Barracks. [55170]

[holding answer 9 May 2002]: The Ministry of Defence is currently examining the options for the future use of Glencorse Barracks, but I can confirm that the Recruit Selection Centre will remain at the site, maintaining a dedicated recruit selection facility in Scotland. In addition, it is intended that there will be a further Army presence at Glencorse, although the extent of this has not yet been decided.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) manning requirement and (b) strength is of the submarine service. [54882]

The manning requirement for the Submarine Arm of the Royal Navy is 710 officers and 3,154 ratings.The trained strength of the Submarine Arm, including personnel filling staff appointments and undergoing training, is 806 officers and 3,004 ratings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the submarine service has sufficient manpower to crew all operational submarines; and if he will make a statement. [54883]

The Submarine Arm of the Royal Navy has sufficient manpower to man the submarines currently in the normal seagoing operational cycle to 100 per cent. of their complement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the supply of arms to Israel. [54731]

I have been asked to reply.I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the right hon. and learned Member for North-East Fife (Mr. Campbell) on 15 April 2002,

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost to the Treasury will be (a) at the outset of its introduction and (b) projected in the next three years of moneys redirected from the Aggregates Levy to the Sustainability Fund in England. [53719]

I have been asked to reply.The Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund is a public expenditure programme of £29·3 million a year in England for the two years 2002–03 and 2003–04. Decisions on the size of the fund in future years have yet to be made.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the impact on VAT revenues of the 1 per cent. rise in employers' national insurance contributions from April 2003; whether this impact is included in the revenue estimates published in Table A.1 of the Red Book; what estimate he has made of the cost to the public sector of higher VAT charges resulting from the rise in employers' national insurance contributions; and whether the impact on public sector VAT bills of a higher rate of employers' national insurance has been included in his estimate of the total cost to the public sector of the increase in employers' national insurance contributions. [53627]

The net Exchequer effect of a Budget measure is generally calculated as the difference between applying the pre-Budget and post-Budget tax and benefit regimes to the levels of total income and spending at factor cost expected after the Budget. Separate estimates of the impact of individual measures on overall levels of income and spending are not available; any such effects will, however, be taken into account in the forecasts of the economy and public finances as set out in chapters B and C of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report".

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contributions to English GDP were made in 2001–02 by the (a) farming, (b) tourism and (c) manufacturing industries (i) gross and (ii) net of subsidies and compensation. [54463]

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

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the mandate of the Economic Policy Committee: Working Party and Reduced Compositions is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if he will list the items currently under its consideration; if he will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if he will make a statement. [55351]

The responsibilities of the Economic Policy Committee are set out in articles 272 and 209 of the EC treaty, and in its statute as adopted in European Council decision 2000/604 of 29 September 2000. Article 1·2 of the statute requests this committee to "contribute to the preparation of the work of the Council by providing economic analyses, opinions on methodologies and draft formulations for policy recommendations, particularly on structural policies for improving growth potential and employment in the Community".The Economic Policy Committee met 11 times over the 12 months from the beginning of May 2001, and the UK representation consists of three officials from HM Treasury and one from the Bank of England. In addition there are eight working groups dealing with specific topics, which met up to six times over the last 12 months.To disaggregate the costs of the Economic Policy Committee from the UK's total contribution to the EU budget would involve disproportionate costs.The reports of work under consideration by the Economic Policy Committee are available on the committee's website. Any reports that are subsequently considered by the ECOFIN Council are subject to normal parliamentary scrutiny.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the mandate of the Economic and Financial Committee (including alternates and working party) Working Party and Reduced Compositions is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if he will list the items currently under its consideration; if he will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if he will make a statement. [55352]

The role and responsibilities of the Economic and Financial Committee are set out in Article 114(2) (ex 109c(2)) of the EU treaty and in the statutes of the Economic and Financial Committee, which were adopted by the ECOFIN Council on 31 December 1998.Since the start of May 2001, the Economic and Financial Committee has met on 12 occasions. In accordance with Article 114(2) of the EU treaty, member states each appoint two members of the committee; the UK is represented by one official from HM Treasury and one official from the Bank of England. Each of these representatives has one alternate.The information regarding the annual cost of the committee's work to public funds can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.The items currently under consideration by the Economic and Financial Committee are those to be discussed in the coming months by the ECOFIN Council. Accountability and transparency to Parliament are ensured by the regular EU scrutiny process: documents agreed by the ECOFIN Council are submitted to Parliament along with explanatory memoranda and are examined by the Scrutiny Committee.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the outcome was of the ECOFIN Council held in Brussels on 7 May; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement. [55301]

I attended the ECOFIN Council on 7 May.ECOFIN held an orientation discussion on the draft Commission proposals for the 2002 Broad Economic Policy Guidelines. After further preparatory work in the Economic and Financial Committee, the draft guidelines will be agreed at ECOFIN in June and submitted to the Seville European Council.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax revenue was raised from the bingo sector in the latest year for which figures are available; and what his projections are for such revenue in each of the next five years. [55258]

Duty receipts from bingo can be found in the HM Customs and Excise statistical bulletin "Receipts from Betting, Gaming and Lottery Duties", a copy of which can be found in the House of Commons Library. Details of the amount of VAT received from the bingo industry are not readily available.Projections for total revenue from duty on betting and gaming, including bingo, were published on 17 April in the Financial Statement and Budget Report 2002. Revenue projections for bingo are not made separately.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will increase investment in home energy efficiency to meet the improvement target proposed in the Energy Review. [55275]

The Performance and Innovation Unit's Energy Review is a report to the Government and was published in February 2002. The Government are currently considering the issues raised by the PIU, including its recommendations on energy efficiency. A consultation paper to inform the Government's response will be issued shortly. Decisions on public expenditure for home energy efficiency measures will be taken in the context of the current Spending Review.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the Treasury of extending the reduced rate of duty on beer from small breweries to those local breweries that produce between 30,000 hectolitres and 200,000 hectolitres, using the brewery rate formula published in the Finance Bill. [55599]

Extending the relief for small breweries to breweries producing up to 200,000 hectolitres would raise the cost in 2002–03 from £10 million to £15 million by bringing around 25 additional brewers with turnovers up to £25 million within the scope of the relief.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value is of orphan assets held in the life assurance sector in the UK. [55640]

A precise figure is not available. Any estimate would be subject to a wide margin of error.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans his Department has to assess the impact of the 2002 Comprehensive Spending Review on sustainable development; and if he will make a statement.[55689]

Improving quality of life and promoting sustainable development is an overarching aim of SR2002. The Treasury has for the first time in this spending review provided Departments with specific guidance on how to consider sustainable development systematically. This guidance has been made publicly available. Ministers are currently considering all aspects of departmental proposals to the Spending Review, including their implications for sustainable development. A statement on the outcome of the review will be made in due course.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the numbers of families and persons receiving (a) the working families tax credit, (b) the child care tax credit supplement to WFTC and (c) the disabled persons tax credit. [55791]

The latest figures appear in "Working Families' and Disabled Person's Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses. November 2001", a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what discussions he has had with Christian groups on alternative provision of annuities for those who are not able to purchase an annuity because of Christian conscience; [55618](2) what proposals he has considered as alternatives to a life annuity for those groups that cannot take out such a policy because of Christian conscience. [55619]

The Treasury and the Inland Revenue have had several meetings with a Christian group to discuss their concerns about annuities and alternative approaches to retirement income consistent with their beliefs.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the principles of the arrangement made between the Government and the monarchy for the payment by the royal family of (a) income tax, (b) inheritance tax and (c) capital gains tax. [56421]

The arrangements are set out in full in the Memorandum of Understanding in the Royal Trustees report (HC 464) published on 11 February 1993.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to ensure inheritance tax is paid on the estate of the Her late Majesty the Queen Mother. [55825]

Inheritance tax is payable in accordance with the normal rules and paragraph 21(b) of the 1993 Memorandum of Understanding in the Royal Trustees report (HC 464).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the (a) total passenger capacity and (b) the theoretical maximum capacity of London Underground was at peak periods in 1996–97 and 2001–02; and what changes in capacity resulted from (i) new lines, (ii) new trains, (iii) signal upgrades, (iv) speed restrictions, (v) signal failures, (vi) supply failures, (vii) line failure and (viii) structural problems. [54264]

This is an operational matter for London Underground (LU).

(a) LU advise me that they do not measure, as part of their regular monitoring, the number of passengers which they are able to carry on the tube network as a whole. Instead, they have information which shows that in 1996–97 and 2001–02, during peak hours, the busiest short sections of the underground's lines carried totals of 133,450 and 142,401 passengers per hour respectively.

(b) LU have figures for the design capacity of their rolling stock. This is the number of customers the rolling stock can physically carry and is defined by the manufacturer without taking into account the quality of the journey. An assessment can be made of the design capacity of trains scheduled per hour, at peak times on the same busiest short sections of each line. This gives figures of 308,278 for 1996–97 and 315,514 for 2001–02.

(i) to (viii) LU inform me that this information does not form part of their regular monitoring and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the application of the phrase "minimum ambiguity" to deciding who is responsible for tube assets under the PPP. [54287]

London Underground is responsible for development of the PPP plans for the modernisation of the underground's infrastructure. I understand that when London Underground was restructured into an operating company and three infrastructure companies in April 2000, that restructuring was effected by an asset transfer scheme. It is correct to say that the requirement of "minimum ambiguity" as to the responsibility for asset maintenance within the underground has been a guiding principle for the development of the PPP Service Contracts with the infrastructure companies following the asset transfer scheme. During the period of shadow running since April 2000 there has been considerable work carried out to develop detailed asset information, with clear allocation principles to be incorporated in the contract documents, the application of which will enable responsibility for maintenance and renewal of underground assets to be determined.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the results of the recent consultation regarding the proposed Private Public Partnership for the London Underground; and if he will place a full report of it in the Library. [55809]