To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (a) how much and (b) what forms of aid have been provided by her Department to help refugees and displaced persons in (i) Armenia,(ii) Azerbaijan and (iii) Georgia. [66353]

The table sets out, by country and by purpose, the support my Department has provided to help refugees in the south Caucasus since 1999 (the first year in which direct assistance with the refugee problem was provided).

£
	Humanitarian	Naturalisation Community development	Conflict prevention
Armenia
2000	—	660,000	—
2001	—	—	18,150
Azerbaijan
1999	208,500	—	—
2000	240,000	70,000
2001	—	—	18,150
Georgia
1999	97,850	—	250,620
2000	100,000	100,000	124,145
2001	—	—	180,000

My Department also provided block funding to UNHCR totalling £9.46 million in 2000–01 (the latest year for which figures are available). It is not possible to make a direct attribution, but a proportion of this funding will have supported the UNHCR refugee programmes in the south Caucasus.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with (a) UN, (b) Russian and (c) EU representatives regarding the refugee situation in (i) Armenia, (ii) Azerbaijan and (iii) Georgia. [66355]

Regular discussions are held with UNDP, UNHCR and UNFPA about the progress of south Caucasus refugee programmes to which my Department has contributed. My Department also responds to appeals made by those agencies on a case-by-case basis.There has been no discussion of the issue with representatives from the Russian Federation, nor any substantive discussion with the European Union.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with (a) Armenian, (b) Azeri and (c) Georgian authorities regarding (i) the refugee situation, (ii) the return of people to their homes and (iii) improving living conditions in the refugee camps. [66354]

My Department's assistance towards alleviating the refugee problem in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia is directed through the Red Cross, UN agencies and non-governmental organisations.Discussions with the Governments of the region are therefore wholly concerned with reviewing the progress of those programmes to which my Department has contributed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if she will place in the Library a copy of correspondence between Ministers and officials in her Department and Mr. Ken Bates on the subject of (a) Wembley National Stadium Ltd. and (b) an English national stadium since 1 May 1997; [58115](2) if she will place in the Library a copy of correspondence between Ministers and officials in her Department and the

[holding answer 21 May 2002]: No. Such correspondence is covered by the exemptions set out in Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information which cover third party commercial confidences and information given in confidence. This is in line with the practice observed by previous Governments. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has already placed in the Library of the House an exchange of correspondence between herself and Sir Rodney Walker, the then chairman of Wembley National Stadium Ltd., in answer to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Brentford and Isleworth (Ann Keen) on 14 February 2002, Official Report, columns 597–98W. This exchange contained an explanation of the Government's commitment to the project for the benefit of WNSL's then bankers and others who were or might become involved in the Football Association's project. Given it was essentially a public commitment, my right hon. Friend considered it important that Parliament should see its contents. This was done with the consent of Wembley National Stadium Ltd.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what action the Government are taking to link receipt of funding to improve buildings of historical interest to increased access for members of the public; and if she will make a statement; [63938](2) which properties in London have received funding from

[holding answer 24 June 2002]: Over the last 10 years English Heritage has grant-aided 295 properties in London. Of these 166 were administered under the Historic Buildings and Monuments Act 1953. These grants are conditional on the provision of public access. The level of access depends on the circumstances of the case and the size of the grant. Opening arrangements for the properties which receive grants are available on English Heritage's website at www.english-heritage.org.uk and in "Hudson's Historic Houses and Gardens" directory.Grants to the remaining 129 properties were administered under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the Local Government Act 1985 for exterior work and essential structural repairs. These grants were to Grade II listed buildings or buildings in conservation areas. There is no automatic access requirement, although some of these properties are open to the public.Since 1994 the Heritage lottery fund has made 238 awards to historic buildings in London. Public access is an important consideration in awarding grants. The Heritage lottery fund recognises the central role of access in achieving its overall aim to use heritage funding to improve people's quality of life. The organisation is committed to developing the widest possible constituency for heritage, and to promoting access, equality of opportunity and inclusion in all activities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the EU directives relating to her Department which have been (a) amended and (b) repealed in 2002. [64944]

Council directive 93/7/EEC on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a member state was amended by directive 2001/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council.Council Regulation (EEC) No. 3911–92 on the export of cultural goods was amended by Council Regulation (EC) No. 974–2001.No EU directives relating specifically to my Department have been repealed in 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the EU directives and regulations that have been implemented through her Department in 2002; and what was the cost of each to public funds. [64994]

Directive 2001/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, which amended Council directive 93/7/EEC on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a member state, was implemented by SI 3972–2001 which came into force on 1 January 2002. There was no cost to public funds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many ice rinks have (a) closed and (b) opened since 1995. [65528]

Three ice rinks have closed since 1995, one each in Sunderland, Stevenage and Richmond. The ice rink in Altrincham is due to close in April 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will make a statement on the review of procedures for the allocation of the operating licence for the National Lottery provider. [65742]

We published last week a consultation document setting out a number of possible changes to the future licensing and regulation of the Lottery which is available on the DCMS website at www.culture.gov.uk Copies may also be obtained, free of charge, from the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many tourists visited Lancashire in the last year. [65609]

Provisional figures from the Office for National Statistics show that in 2001 210,000 visits were made to Lancashire. Overnight stays in the county are shown as 1.4 million and visitor spend is £56 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make an assessment of the benefits to the consumer of a digital terrestrial television service being (a) wholly free to air and (b) partly free to air and partly pay. [65463]

[holding answer 1 July 2002]: The licences surrendered by ITV digital have been re-advertised by the Independent Television Commission. I understand that the ITC have received six applications. Some of the applicants propose a wholly free to air service, other a mix of free to air and pay channels. Decisions on the licence awards are not a matter for the government but for the ITC which aims to announce the new licensees by 4 July.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the projected cost is to public funds of the refurbishment of Clarence House; on what works public funds will be spent; and if she will make a statement. [65652]

Detailed surveys are currently taking place to ascertain the extent of the Clarence House refurbishment works, which include work on fire compartmentation, automatic fire detection, upgrade of electrical and mechanical services and some redecoration. It is not possible to provide a firm estimate of the cost of the refurbishment until the completion of these surveys. The refurbishment will be funded from the current level of grant in aid for the maintenance of the Occupied Royal Palaces.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to publicise the benefits of access to broadband services. [61804]

I have been asked to reply.I am convinced that broadband services have an important role to play in increasing the competitiveness of the UK economy. I have therefore taken several opportunities to promote the benefits of broadband including by supporting the 'Demand: Broadband' campaign run by the Communications Workers Union.The UK Online Annual Report 2001 sets out the Government's broadband strategy. To stimulate demand for current broadband content and applications the Government will:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual cost was of ministerial salaries in his Department in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 2001–02. [60937]

The level of ministerial salaries are recommended by the Senior Salaries Review Body. From May 1997, in the Ministry of Defence there was one

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the latest estimate is of the cost of the Trident Acquisition Programme; and if he will make a statement. [67206]

The current estimate of the total acquisition cost of the Trident programme, with payments already made expressed at the prices and exchange rates actually incurred and future spend at the current financial year rate (the hybrid) estimate, is now £9,800 million. Since the 2001 estimate and leaving aside the effects of price inflation and exchange rate variation (+£11 million), there has been a real cost increase of £25 million. This increase derives principally from additional costs associated with dockyard projects and with missiles and related equipment, offset by a reduced acquisition cost for the four submarines. Expenditure on the Trident acquisition programme to 30 September 2001 represented over 98 per cent. of the total estimate. If all expenditure, past and projected, is brought up to this current year's economic conditions (the non-hybrid estimate) the estimate is £14,376 million.The programme continues to show an overall reduction in real terms on its original 1982 estimate. This reduction, including the savings resulting from the decision to process missiles at the United States facility at Kings Bay, Georgia, now stands at over £3.7 billion at current prices.The proportion of the estimate for work undertaken in the United Kingdom continues to be around 70 per cent.Three in-service Vanguard class submarines are successfully maintained for continuous at-sea deterrence, with the fourth, HMS Vanguard, now undergoing a planned major overhaul.Cabinet Minister, at an annual salary of £43,991; two Ministers of State, at a total annual salary of £82,963; and one Parliamentary Under-Secretary, at an annual salary of £23,623. From June 2001, there was one Cabinet Minister, at an annual salary of £68,157; one Minister of State, at an annual salary of £35,356; and two Parliamentary Under-Secretaries, at a total annual salary of £87,796.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the performance of the SA80A2 rifle in Afghanistan; and what faults have been reported. [66017]

The SA80-A2 is operating in a very difficult environment in Afghanistan with both dusty conditions and extremes of temperature. To date, three formal equipment failure reports have been filed from Afghanistan; this under a 100 per cent. fault reporting regime. In an operational environment any concerns are treated very seriously and a specialist team on the ground in Afghanistan is investigating these reports as a matter of urgency.

	1997		1998		1999		2000		2001
Unit	F wing	R wing	F wing	R wing	F wing	R wing	F wing	R wing	F wing	R wing
Barkston Heath	158.4	0.2	173.3	0.1	161.3	0.1	151.3	0.3	129.8	0.1
Benson	103.4	11.7	106.3	28.5	112.9	31.0	74.8	28.1	70.6	35.0
Brize Norton	102.4	4.6	95.1	5.0	93.5	4.7	87.5	4.0	81.7	4.5
Chetwynd	0.1	53.0	0.0	79.0	0.0	82.2	0.0	74.4	0.0	77.8
Church Fenton	75.0	3.0	128.6	1.9	139.6	2.1	150.2	1.7	156.8	1.0
Coltishall	50.2	2.2	67.4	1.3	64.4	1.1	57.1	1.2	75.0	1.3
Coningsby	128.0	0.4	122.5	1.0	101.4	0.3	83.6	0.3	80.3	0.5
Cosford	77.5	4.9	58.6	5.0	64.7	6.4	69.2	7.2	61.2	7.1
Cottesmore	87.1	1.3	107.7	0.7	50.7	0.8	56.7	0.8	69.1	0.7
Cranwell	145.2	0.7	181.8	0.7	164.8	0.8	168.2	0.8	173.2	0.5
Culdrose	25.9	111.5	24.4	73.0	24.9	83.8	21.4	42.2	24.5	68.3
Fairford	—	—	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.0
Kinloss	94.6	3.1	95.1	3.4	92.5	3.3	102.0	3.2	100.0	2.5
Lakenheath	97.6	0.5	96.2	0.3	81.5	0.4	85.1	0.0	86.3	0.0
Leeming	118.9	4.7	117.7	5.0	129.8	4.0	114.3	4.1	108.1	3.4
Leuchars	98.3	4.7	93.9	6.1	92.9	6.7	89.5	6.1	85.6	6.2
Linton-on-Ouse	125.0	2.1	122.8	2.4	157.8	2.5	139.6	1.8	145.5	1.6
Lossiemouth	89.1	5.2	88.2	5.6	92.2	4.8	83.3	4.6	78.2	5.2
Lyneham	122.8	4.8	131.4	5.6	134.1	4.1	107.1	3.8	95.0	4.2
Manston	111.0	5.2	100.8	4.1	16.1	1.4	—	—	1.6	7.6
Marham	47.9	1.3	49.2	1.2	46.3	1.0	45.5	1.0	46.9	0.8
Mildenhall	—	—	—	—	—	—	62.8	7.7	60.2	8.7
Mona	58.0	0.8	74.2	0.9	89.4	0.3	100.4	3.3	89.0	0.2
Northolt	33.5	5.9	32.6	5.4	32.2	5.0	31.7	5.0	31.1	5.0
Odiham	1.6	50.3	2.1	40.7	1.0	38.2	2.9	41.8	3.2	49.4
Scampton	0.4	0.0	0.8	0.0	1.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	28.6	0.1
Shawbury	3.7	108.0	4.1	154.2	3.8	176.4	3.8	154.0	4.3	152.7
St. Athan	39.6	0.6	5.1	0.8	59.3	0.5	54.5	0.7	49.9	0.8
St. Mawgan	42.6	30.9	41.1	26.4	44.2	27.4	44.9	28.2	45.4	31.6
Ternhill	0.0	72.6	0.0	105.0	0.0	95.4	0.0	80.8	0.0	77.8
Topcliffe	60.5	0.4	71.6	0.7	104.4	1.4	92.9	1.1	89.0	1.0
Valley	138.1	9.9	143.7	15.2	162.7	17.4	143.1	14.4	170.7	18.5
Waddington	60.0	3.2	58.6	4.3	58.5	4.8	63.0	3.9	59.2	5.4
Wittering	72.3	0.7	83.8	0.5	73.2	0.7	62.9	0.6	63.4	0.5
Woodvale	89.8	0.2	75.9	0.6	71.6	0.5	90.2	0.6	100.7	1.8
Wyton	—	—	—	—	—	—	82.3	1.9	107.8	2.3

An aircraft movement can be a landing or a take-off and an aircraft may record a number of movements in any one sortie.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations he has received from Governments of the partner countries regarding the Meteor missile programme. [66022]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has not recently received any formal representations from the Governments of the partner

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the daily average number of RAF aircraft movements was for each RAF base in the United Kingdom over the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [65200]

The information in the format requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The table details the daily average number of fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft movements over the last five years at current RAF stations. A number of the movements may have been aircraft belonging to the other services. At RAF Brize Norton, RAF Lyneham, RAF Northolt and RAF St. Mawgan, commercial aircraft movements are also included.countries regarding the Meteor missile programme. He has, however, taken every opportunity to discuss the project with his counterparts in the partner countries as the occasion has arisen.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions the German Government have made representations to the British Government regarding the Meteor missile project. [66023]

The German Government have made no formal representations to the UK Government since the United Kingdom selection of Meteor in May 2000, to salsify the requirement for a Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile for Eurofighter. There has, however, been regular dialogue between UK Ministers and officials and their German counterparts regarding the Meteor missile project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when he expects the Meteor missile programme to move into its development phase; [66021](2) if he will make a statement on the future of the Meteor missile programme; [66020](3) if he will make a statement on the Meteor missile programme; and if he expects them to be in service on time. [66040]

A draft contract for the development and production of the Meteor missile was sent to our partner nations at the end of April following the conclusion of negotiations with the prime contractor MBDA. A revised and final draft contract was passed to our partners earlier this month. We very much hope that all partner nations will confirm within the next few weeks that they are content for the contract to be signed. Germany will need also to sign the Meteor Memorandum of Understanding, which has already been signed by the other five partner nations.Although negotiation of the Meteor contract has taken longer than expected, we assess that Meteor can achieve its planned in-service date with the RAF if the contract is awarded in the near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many trained infantry there were in the Army in each year since 1997. [66028]

The number of trained infantry in the Army in each year since 1997 are detailed in the table:

Date of strength	Officer	Soldier	Total
1 January 1997	2,673	22,683	25,356
1 January 1998	2,726	22,741	25,467
1 January 1999	2,748	22,232	24,980
1 January 2000	2,753	22,385	25,138
1 January 2001	2,783	22,606	25,389
1 January 2002	2,837	22,619	25,456

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the spare parts for Eurofighter will be stored; and if he will make a statement. [66018]

Spare parts for the Royal Air Force Eurofighter fleet are essential to operations and many are classified as RESTRICTED and above and disclosure of their location could be prejudicial to national security. Therefore, I am withholding this information in accordance with Exemption I of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, which relates to defence, security and international relations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which armoured regiments have been at (a) high readiness, (b) training year and (c) other tasks in each of the past three years. [66027]

It is assumed that reference to armoured regiments refers to Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) tank regiments and not Armoured Infantry (IA) Battalions. Those regiments that have been at (a) high readiness, (b) training year and (c) other tasks in each of the past three years are shown in the tables:

Formation readiness cycle(FRC)	Armoured tank regiment
2002
High readiness	The Royal Dragoon Guards (RDG)King's Royal Hussars (KRH)
Training	Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (SCOTS DG) Queen's Royal Lancers (QRL)
Other tasks	The Queen's Royal Hussars (QRH) 2 Royal Tank Regiment(2 RTR)
2001
High Rediness	The Queen's Royal Hussars (QRH) 2 Royal Tank Regiment (2 RTR)
Training	The Royal Dragoon Guards (RDG)King's Royal Hussars (KRH)
Other tasks	Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (SCOTS DG) Queen's Royal Lancers (QRL)
20011
High Readiness	Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (SCOTS DG)
Training	The Queen's Royal Hussars (QRH)
1 The Formation Readiness Cycle (FRC) as a mechanism to deliver these units at readiness was in its infancy in 2000, hence the declaration of just two armoured regiments, rather than the full six.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the Royal Armoured Corps is at establishment strength in personnel. [66026]

The establishment and strength of the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) and the Household Cavalry (HCAV) as at 1 May 2002 is detailed in the table:

Trained strength against liability for HCAV/RAC as at 1 May 2002
	Officer	Soldier	Total
Liability	855	5,023	5,878
Strength	835	4,940	5,775
Difference	–20	–83	–103
Difference (percentage)	–2.3	–1.7	–1.8

Manning statistics for the RAC are currently grouped with the HCAV. Work is in progress to provide separate totals for the HCAV and the RAC. I will write to the hon. Member when these figures are available and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) MBTs and (b) AFVs are held in reserve. [66025]

There are no Challenger 2 main battle tanks nor other armoured fighting vehicles specifically designated as reserve stock. The greater proportion of the vehicles that make up the fleets are held on the war-fighting establishment. The remainder are either held for training and trials or are undergoing planned maintenance programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the recommended establishment number of main battle tanks is for an armoured regiment. [66024]

The establishment of main battle tanks in an armoured regiment is 58, although the number allocated to each regiment at any given time is dictated by its role in any one year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what agreements his Department has with DEFRA in relation to the number of days per year Royal Navy fishery protection vessels must be on patrol; and if he will make a statement; [66037](2) how many days on fishery patrol naval vessels have undertaken for MAFF/DEFRA in each of the past five years; [66038](3) when HMS Shetland completed her last fishery protection patrol; and when she will be paid off; [66036](4) when HMS Tyne will carry out her first operational fishery patrol. [66039]

The Royal Navy carry out fishery protection duties under an agreement with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The current arrangements run from April 2002 until March 2008. For the current year the Royal Navy has agreed to provide a total of 950 days of fishery protection. This figure is reviewed and agreed annually.In each of the last five years the Royal Navy carried out the following number of patrol days:

	Number
2001–02	957
2000–01	977
1999–2000	979
1998–99	1,104
1997–98	1,130

HMS Shetland completed her final fishery protection patrol on 28 June 2002. She will be paid off at the end of July. On current plans, HMS Tyne will carry out her first operational fishery protection patrol in January or February 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Lynx Mk 8 are operational. [66034]

As of 2 July 2002, there are 24 operational Lynx Mk 8 helicopters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what evaluation his Department has made of the Harrier II plus programme; and for what reasons he has proceeded with an upgrade of the Harrier GR7 to GR9 specification rather than capabilities offered by Harrier II plus. [66031]

As I made clear in my answer on 28 February 2002, Official Report, columns 1451–52W to the hon. Member for Broxtowe (Dr. Palmer), the Harrier GR7 is being upgraded to GR9 standard as this best meets our capability requirements. The Ministry of Defence has not conducted a formal evaluation of the capabilities offered by the Harrier II plus programme, but understands that the main capability difference between the Harrier GR9 and the Harrier II plus is in the latter's nose-mounted radar.While it would, in theory, be possible to mount a radar in the nose of the GR9, we currently have no requirement to do so. Therefore, no detailed work has been undertaken by the MOD into the practicality and cost-effectiveness of such a modification.Such a programme would be at least as complex, lengthy and costly as the Sea Harrier Blue Vixen/ AMRAAM update in the mid-90s. Given the likely considerable cost, time scale and technical risk involved, and the planned entry into service of the Future Joint Combat Aircraft in 2012, the benefits of integrating a radar on to the GR9 Harrier would be of limited duration and utility. Such a programme would also delay the integration of the smart weapons on to the Harrier GR9 required to enable it to continue to conduct its primary role of the delivery of offensive air power from land and sea.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the anticipated remediation costs will be, including munitions and chemical retrieval, prior to the market sale of Dean Hill munitions depot; and when he expects to put it on the market. [65734]

Defence Munition (DM) Dean Hill's primary task is (and has been) the storage of munitions. The limited (compared to other Defence Munitions sites) processing facilities at the Dean Hill site have primarily been used for maintenance of munitions and associated stores. There has been no explosives manufacturing on site and hence little anticipated contamination to remediate. This has been confirmed by Land Quality Assessment action and a sum of £216,000 has been included in the Investment Appraisal to cover any "industrial site" remediation identified as necessary during run down and closure activities.It is anticipated that Defence Estates will market the sale of the Dean Hill site in 2004–05 once all closure activities have been completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Ministry of Defence police are employed at West Dean Munitions Depot; and how they will be deployed following the closure of the depot. [65706]

There are currently 21 MDP officers stationed at Defence Munitions (DM) Dean Hill. DM Dean Hill is scheduled for closure by 1 April 2004 and the MDP officers stationed there will be subject to redeployment procedures. We do not envisage any compulsory redundancies of MDP officers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the employees at the West Dean Munitions Depot are (a) under 25, (b) under 45, (c) under 60 and (d) over 60 in each category, broken down by sex. [65707]

The age profile and gender of the bearing of 57 Defence Munitions civilian staff currently employed at DM Dean Hill near West Dean village in south Wiltshire is as follows:

Age	Male	Female	Total
Under 25	4	1	5
26 to 45	119	4	23
46 to 60	18	6	24
Over 60	5	—	5
Total	46	11	57
1Includes two members of civilian staff on long term detached duty due to return to DM Dean Hill.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost is of the tri-service Jubilee celebrations held on 27 June. [66164]

In accordance with the wishes of Buckingham Palace and the direction of the Government it was agreed that there would be no undue expenditure from public funds. The sum of £1.5 million was allocated from the budget of the Royal Naval Base Commander, Portsmouth, towards core project costs and any additional costs will lie where they fell. It will be some months before an accurate assessment of this expenditure could be made, but it will consist primarily of additional travel and subsistence costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which countries received expenditure under the (a) defence military assistance fund and (b) the defence assistance fund in (i) 1997–98, (ii) 1998–99, (iii) 1999–2000, (iv) 2000–01 and (v) 2001–02; how much each country received in each year from (A) the defence military assistance fund and (B) the defence assistance fund; how much was used to support defence sales in each case; and if he will make a statement. [66553]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel his Department has contributed to monitoring the Nuba ceasefire in Sudan. (65659]

One British colonel was deployed to Sudan in May of this year to act as deputy vice chairman of the joint military mission monitoring the Nuba mountain ceasefire.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2002, Official Report, column 597W, on medical treatment, on what date the Army Training and Recruitment Agency secondary health care initiative commenced and with what budget; by what criteria personnel are treated under the scheme; how many personnel in (a) the Army, (b) the Navy and (c) the RAF have been treated under the initiative and at what cost to his Department in each month since commencement; which health care providers have been used under the scheme; and if he will make a statement. [65569]

The Army Training and Recruiting Agency's (ATRA) secondary health care initiative was formally introduced on 1 April 2001 and the Budgetary sum allocated for the financial year 2001–02 was £1.3 million. Personnel eligible for treatment under the scheme are ATRA trainers or trainees who are referred by their unit general practitioner for investigation, opinion and/or treatment for a condition which is preventing them from continuing with their employment/training. Personnel are referred only when waiting lists at the local Ministry of Defence hospital unit or NHS hospital are deemed excessive. The vast majority of these are Army personnel; a small number of RN and RAF personnel might have been included who were posted to ATRA units, either as trainers or trainees, but these cannot be readily identified. Records held do not allow for numbers treated per month to be easily identified, as an individual may well be treated over a period and therefore feature in more than one month's figures. The costs per month since inception are as follows:

Month	Numbers treated	Cost (£)
April 2001	—	35,035
May 2001	—	61,201
June 2001	—	88,289
July 2001	—	77,286
August 2001	—	97,995
September 2001	—	93,581
October 2001	—	129,601
November 2001	—	79,544
December 2001	—	100,397
January 2002	—	136,503
February 2002	—	159,605
March 2002	—	150,262
Total financial year 2001–02	1,351	1,209,299
April 2002	—	169,047
May 2002	—	129,788
June 20021	—	42,701
Total financial year 2002–031	435	341,435
1To 15 June

The healthcare providers utilised under this scheme have been:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what new agreements have been reached regarding the Ballistic Missile Early Warning Station at RAF Fylingdales following the end of the 1972 ABM Treaty. [66684]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what support is given to the widows and families of servicemen who have died. [66362]

The Ministry of Defence operates a comprehensive Casualty and Compassionate Reporting Policy that extends from the moment of casualty notification all the way through to making arrangements for stress counselling for partners, offering advice on eligibility for pensions, compensation or other financial support and helping with relocation arrangements for surviving dependants.The MOD also provides an annual Grant-in-Aid to the Remembrance Travel Department of The Royal British Legion in respect of the War Widows Pilgrimage Scheme. The scheme provides financial assistance to any Service widow, whose husband died and was buried overseas between 1914 and 1967, to visit her husband's grave. The Grant contributes 7/8ths of the cost of a pilgrimage organised by Remembrance Travel and to date has benefited over 4,000 widows. The scheme has recently been extended to 31 March 2005.Support to the bereaved partners and family of ex-service personnel also comes from the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association—Forces Help (SSAFA-FH) and the Armed ForceBenevolent organisations for whom the MOD has the utmost appreciation. We are very conscious of the tireless and highly professional way these organisations assist their former colleagues and know how greatly their efforts are valued both by the present Service community and by ex-Servicemen and women.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what support the Government are giving to voluntary organisations that help ex-servicemen. [66363]

In keeping with the practice that central Government do not provide funding in direct support of charities' core activities, the Ministry of Defence does not provide any direct financial support to the ex-Service voluntary organisations as they are independent ofgovernment and responsible for raising their own funding through private donations.Nevertheless, the MOD does provide annual Grants-in-Aid to The Royal British Legion's Benevolent Department to assist with the welfare they provide to distressed Polish ex-Servicemen and also to Remembrance Travel, the Pilgrimage Department of The Royal British Legion. This money is used to fund the War Widows Pilgrimage Scheme which enables Service widows to visit the graves of their husbands who were buried overseas between 1914 and 1967. Finally, a Grant-in-Aid is given to the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association every two years to assist with the travel costs associated with their biennial reunion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from the US Administration concerning the International Criminal Court and the continued deployment of US forces in the Balkans. [64814]

I have been asked to reply.I have been and continue to be in close touch with my US counterpart on this issue, and in particular in respect of draft UN Security Council resolutions renewing the UNMIBH/SFOR mandate for UN peacekeeping forces in Bosnia. My hon. Friend the Member for Rotherham (Mr. MacShane) also discussed the issue with representatives of the State Department and the National Security Council in Washington last week.The Government are committed to an effective International Criminal Court. We understand US concerns for their peacekeepers but do not share them. We believe that the Rome statute contains effective safeguards which make it inconceivable that peacekeepers will be, investigated or prosecuted by the Court when national investigations or procedures are being carried out. We are working hard with the US and other members of the Security Council to achieve a mutually acceptable solution.

To ask the Solicitor-General how many (a) lawyers, (b) caseworkers and (c) administrative staff were recruited in (i) 1999–2000, (ii) 2000–01 and (iii) 2001–02; and how many (A) lawyers, (b) caseworkers and (C) administrative staff were employed in the same period in each CPS region. [59656]

The information requested is in tables, copies of which have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Solicitor-General if she will make a statement on the inappropriate attribution of agents' costs to the CPS non-cash limited vote. [60214]The Solicitor-General: The CPS is responsible for the payment of fees to counsel agents engaged to prosecute in magistrates courts. Counsel agents attend magistrates courts to undertake routine prosecution work to supplement advocacy by CPS prosecutors. This work is paid for from the cash limited administrative costs budget. In some cases, where specialist advocacy is required, or exceptional preparation time is needed or a case is likely to be lengthy, a special fee is negotiated with counsel and paid from the non-cash limited prosecution costs provision.In their quarterly report to the Law Officers for July to September 2001, HM CPS Inspectorate commented on the inappropriate attribution of costs to the non-cash limited prosecution costs provision by some areas. Following receipt of that report, further guidance was issued to area business managers in December 2001.

To ask the Solicitor-General what action is being taken in each CPS region to develop qualitative and quantitative performance indicators. [60215]The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service maintains qualitative performance indicators, both locally and nationally, consisting of records of case outcomes and a measure of attrition within the CPS case load. Procedures are under development to provide local area managers with a standard to measure the quality of case work against which will mirror, to an extent, those used by HM CPS Inspectorate. The CPS also maintains a range of quantitative performance indicators showing the timeliness of key functions such as the delivery of briefs to counsel, the service of committal papers, witness expense payments, the payment of invoices, replies to complaints, and replies to MPs' correspondence.The implementation of the Compass Case Management system from December 2003 will enable an important expansion of the Department's range of information.

To ask the Solicitor-General what externally approved quality standards have been gained by each CPS region, with specific reference to BS5750 ISO 9000. [60206]

ISO 9000 is not one of the `Quality Schemes' used by the Crown Prosecution Service to measure the quality of its processes in meeting the needs and expectations of its customers. The Crown Prosecution Service is using the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model. This is a comprehensive framework used by a large number of organisations from across Europe both in the public and private sector to assess the strengths and areas of improvement across all its business activities.

To ask the Prime Minister when he next plans to visit Belfast, South. [64197]

I have no plans to visit the hon. Gentleman's particular constituency in the near future.

To ask the Prime Minister what expenditure was incurred by (a) the No 10 Press Office, (b) the Strategic Communications Unit and (c) the Research and Information Unit (i) in the latest available year and (ii) in 1997. [63583]

For the No. 10 Press Office, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for West Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) on 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 11W.For the Strategic Communications Unit (SCU), I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 23 October 2001,

To ask the Prime Minister how many staff (full-time equivalents) were employed by (a) the No. 10 Press Office, (b) the Strategic Communications Unit, (c) the Research and Information Unit, (d) the GICS Development Centre, (e) the Media Monitoring Unit and (f) the News Co-ordination Centre (i) in the latest available year and (ii) in 1996–97. [63581]

For information on the No. 10 Press Office, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for West Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) on 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 11W.As at 1 April 2002, there were eight members of staff in the Strategic Communications Unit. The unit did not exist in 1996–97.As at 1 April 2002, there were eight members of staff in the Research and Information Unit. The unit did not exist in 1996–97.Staff numbers in the GICS Development Centre have fluctuated. As at 1 April 2002, there were 16 members of staff. On 1 April 1996 there were 16 members of staff; by 1 April 1997, following cutbacks in its marketing activities and the training and development support it provided to GICS members, the unit had been reduced to eight members of staff.Following the Mountfield review of the GICS in 1997, which stressed the importance of high quality staffing, training and development and the exchange of best practice across the service,the unit has gradually returned to its previous staffing level as it has expanded its services to meet this wider remit.As at 1 April 2002, there were 12 members of staff in the Media Monitoring Unit. The unit did not exist in 1996–97.The News Co-ordination Centre has members of staff drawn from the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in the Cabinet Office. It is activated in an emergency or crisis, to provide a support and co-ordination role for the lead Government Department, when it is augmented by staff from other Departments. The NCC did not exist in 1996–97.

To ask the Prime Minister what the average annual leave entitlement is for staff in his Office in 2002. [64647]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office today, Official Report, column 388W.

To ask the Prime Minister how many people attended the G8 meeting in Calgary in June from UK Government Departments; and what the total cost of the visit was. [66225]

I was accompanied by my noble Friend Baroness Amos and 25 officials. It was one of the smallest delegations.

To ask the Prime Minister how many people attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in March from UK Government Departments; and what the total cost of the visit was. [66226]

Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all overseas visits undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The list for the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002, including the information requested, will be published as soon as possible.

To ask the Prime Minister what further official histories are planned. [67112]

I have appointed Professor Rodney Lowe of Bristol University as the official historian to write the official history of the Civil Service since Fulton. I have also agreed to a list of topics for future official histories, as follows:

• Privatisation
• The Criminal Justice System
• Chevaline
• Devolution
• Policy towards the former Yugoslavia
• The D Notice System
• A Biography of Desmond Morton.

To ask the Prime Minister who will exercise day-to-day ministerial responsibility for the work to be designated to Sir David Omand in the fields of propriety, ethics and constitutional affairs; and whether he will report to (a) the Cabinet Secretary and (b) other Ministers on these matters. [65568]

On Sir Richard Wilson's retirement, Sir David Omand will lead on propriety, ethics and constitutional issues for which he will be responsible to the next Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service, Sir Andrew Turnbull, who will report to the Prime Minister.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what Government sources of funding can be used for local government services. [64161]

There are several sources of funding which Government provide for local government services. Revenue grants fund day-to-day running costs other than housing. The Government have increased such Government grants by some 20 per cent. in real terms since taking office. Housing is funded through Housing Revenue Account Subsidy and housing grants. Capital expenditure for both housing and other needs is supported through borrowing and credit arrangements and through capital grants provided by central Government.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what progress is being made on a replacement formula for funding of local government; and if he will make a statement. [64166]

As announced by my right hon. Friend the Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr. Raynsford) to Parliament earlier this month, we intend to consult on detailed options for a new system by mid July. We will then implement the new system in time for financial year 2003–04.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what plans he has to introduce proposals to increase the powers and responsibilities of local authorities. [64175]

The Local Government Act 2000 already empowers local authorities to do anything likely to promote or improve the economic, social or environmental well-being of their area. Proposals from the local government White Paper are included in the draft Local Government Bill which my right hon. Friend the Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr. Raynsford) launched for consultation earlier this month. For example, it includes powers to trade and to charge for discretionary services.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what assessment he has made of the reasonableness of limits on the prices of houses that can be bought by local authorities for use for social housing in high house price areas. [64162]

The Government impose no limit on the prices of houses that can be bought by local authorities for social housing purposes. The hon. Gentleman may be referring to a system of total cost indicators, which the Housing Corporation operates as a benchmark for assessing the value for money of social housing development schemes funded through social housing grant.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what plans he has to establish a single equality commission. [64163]

I recently announced the start of a project to consider the feasibility of, and options for, a single equality body in Great Britain. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, East (Jean Corston) on 14 May 2002, Official Report, column 566W.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on the planning process in relation to the establishment of asylum accommodation centres. [64164]

The Deputy Prime Minister's policy is to adhere to the procedures set out in part IV of the memorandum to DoE circular 18/84. These require the developing Department to serve a notice of proposed development on the local planning authority.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what representations he has received from local government leaders on his White Paper on regional governance. [64165]

I have received a number of representations from local government, many of them welcoming our White Paper, "Your Region, Your Choice".

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State if he will make a statement on the role counties will have in regional government. [64167]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer in response to the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid-Kent (Hugh Robertson).

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State when he will bring forward legislation to allow for referendums on the Government's proposals for regional government in England. [64174]

I cannot pre-empt future Queen's Speeches. But we intend to introduce a Bill to provide for referendums when parliamentary time allows, so that the first assembly referendum(s) can be held during this Parliament.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State if he will make a statement on his plans to create regional assemblies. [64178]

I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made on 9 May 2002, Official Report, columns 275–78. The full detail of our plans to create elected regional assemblies can be found in the White Paper "Your Region, Your Choice", which is in the Library of the House. We are now working to take these plans forward.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State if he will make a statement on the future of county councils in the Government's plans for regional government in England. [64179]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to my earlier answer in response to the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Hugh Robertson).

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State if he will make a statement on his Department's proposals for regional government affecting Hertfordshire. [64180]

Our proposals for regional government and how this will affect all areas of England are set out in the White Paper "Your Region, Your Choice". Copies are in the Library of the House.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what proposals he has for a west midlands regional assembly. [64182]The Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State: Our proposals for elected assemblies in all the regions of England are set out in the White Paper "Your Region, Your Choice". Copies are in the Library of the House.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what steps he is taking to implement business improvement districts. [64168]

In the White Paper, "Strong Local Leadership—Quality Public Services", published in December, we detailed our scheme for enabling those places which want to introduce business improvement district arrangements to do so. Implementation requires legislation and the draft Local Government Bill, published on 12 June, contains the necessary primary legislation.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State if he will make a statement on corporate governance inspection reports. [64169]

Corporate governance inspection is a powerful diagnostic tool in determining the corporate and managerial capabilities of a council. A total of 15 corporate governance inspections have taken place since April 2000, and their findings reported to the authorities. These inspections have helped inform the corporate assessment model introduced as part of the comprehensive performance assessment.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what progress has been made in setting up a housing market renewal fund. [64170]

The idea of a housing market renewal fund was proposed last autumn by the National Housing Federation, Key Cities Housing Group and the Northern Housing Forums, against a backdrop of severe housing market failure in parts of the country. We are considering the proposal in the context of the current spending review.However, we are in no doubt that we must address the problem of low demand housing, which underlies the fund proposal. That is why we have invited nine areas, where the problems are most acute, to work with Government establishing pathfinder projects to tackle low demand. We are making available £25 million from the Capital Modernisation Fund to assist the pathfinder projects in vital preparatory work.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what role his Department has in tackling urban poverty. [64171]

The Government are committed to tackling poverty wherever it is found. Within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Social Exclusion Unit, the Urban Policy Unit, the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit and Government Offices play a crucial role in the Government's work to tackle poverty, both in urban areas and elsewhere. The Department's work on local government, regional policy and housing and planning also makes a critical contribution in this area.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State how many new affordable homes were built in the UK in the past 12 months. [641721

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Tyneside, North (Mr. Byers) to the hon. Member for Newbury (Mr. Rendel) on 21 May 2002, Official Report, column 137.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what discussions he has had with local authorities and registered social landlords regarding the Government's future plans for rent restructuring implementation; and if he will make a statement. [64173]

The Government have consulted fully with local authorities and housing associations at all stages in the development of rent restructuring and will continue to do so.In particular, we have recently issued a consultation paper on further changes to the Housing Revenue Account subsidy system to support rent restructuring.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State Minister if he will make a statement on the future role of county councils in planning decisions. [64176]

In our consultation paper 'Planning: delivering a fundamental change', published last December, we set out proposals for abolishing structure plans as an unnecessary tier of planning. We invited views on the future role that the counties might play in the planning system in addition to their transport, minerals and waste responsibilities. We are considering the responses made and hope to make a statement this summer. These proposals do not alter the role of the county councils in determining county matter planning applications.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State if he will make a statement on the operation of the planned local planning advisory service. [64181]

The idea of a local planning advisory service was mooted in the Planning Green Paper—"Planning: delivering a fundamental change". We will be making a statement on progress with implementing the Planning Green Paper in due course.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State if he will make a statement on responses to the Government's proposals for planning. [64183]

The Government have received over 16,000 responses to the consultation on the Green Paper "Planning—delivering a fundamental change". We will be making a statement on the outcome of the consultation in due course.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what steps he is taking to alleviate homelessness; and if he will make a statement. [64177]

We have adopted a new approach which focuses as much on the problems homeless people face as the places they live. Our specific measures include £125 million investment this year to tackle homelessness, and new legislation to strengthen the assistance to people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what his plans are for reducing the voting age to 16; and if he will make a statement. [62690]

I have been asked to reply.We have no plans to propose legislation to lower the voting age. We would, however, welcome a public debate on the issue. It is also open to the Electoral Commission to consider it and make recommendations for future policy.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what progress has been made on achieving the Government's objective that no child should be living in bed-and-breakfast accommodation by 2004; and if he will make a statement. [65993]

In March 2002 a £35 million programme was launched to help local authorities ensure that by March 2004 no homeless family with children is in bed-and-breakfast hotels (B&B) other than in an emergency, and even then for no more than six weeks.The 44 authorities with the highest number of families with children in B&B were required to submit bed-and-breakfast action plans showing how they will meet the March 2004 commitment. On 17 June £25 million was allocated to these authorities to help them implement their B&B plans. We will now be working with the next 40 highest using authorities to see how we can help them reduce B&B numbers. We will be monitoring closely the progress of all authorities.All local authorities will benefit from recent changes to housing benefit subsidy levels, worth up to £10 million. which provide an incentive to lease private sector homes as a better quality alternative to B&B hotels. Authorities have also been sent a 10–point check list of good practice outlining the key 'building blocks' we expect every authority to have in place to deliver reductions in B&B hotel use. Regional B&B 'Good Practice' seminars have been held and examples of good practice have been shared through a newsletter and are posted on the ODPM website.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State who is on the Working Group established to take forward and monitor the operation of the revised Code of Best Practice on Mobile Phone Masts. [66444]

The Telecommunications Working Group is chaired by the Head of the Department's Development Control Policy Division and comprises representatives of the mobile phone network industry and of central and local government.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what guidance his Department gives to participants in projects involving funding from the (a) Neighbourhood Renewal Fund. (b) New Deal for Communities and (c) Housing Market Renewal Fund relating to private renting. [63911]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister issues guidance relating to the use of grant from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund in the form of a Special Grant report, one of which is specifically drafted and laid before Parliament for debate and approval prior to each financial year throughout the lifetime of the fund. Special Grant report No. 78 specifies the purpose and allocations of funding and the conditions for use of the grant in 2001–02 and Special Grant report No. 93 sets out the corresponding purpose, allocations and conditions in 2002–03. Copies of the reports are placed in the House of Commons Library, sent to Neighbourhood Renewal Fund grant recipients and made available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website.The New Deal for Communities grant is provided under section 126 of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 and section 2 of the Employment and Training Act 1973. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister makes NDC guidance available on its website, including:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total value of private pension funds. [63398]

[holding answer 1 July 2002]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce mortgage tax relief for first-time buyers in rural areas. [66151]

The Government have no plans to reintroduce mortgage interest tax relief.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average time taken was to issue a VAT number for a new business once an application has been filed over the last 12 months. [65718]

Customs does not maintain statistics on the average time taken to issue a VAT number and it would involve disproportionate cost to produce this information.Customs work to a Charter Standard for the processing of applications for VAT registration, requiring 95 per cent. of properly completed applications to be processed within 15 working days of receipt. For 2001–02 Customs received over 180,000 applications for registration and achieved the Charter Standard.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who his Department's Green Minister is; when they (a) have attended and (b) plan to attend meetings of the Green Ministers' Committee; what the outcomes of meetings were for his Department's activities; and if he will make a statement. [65983]

I am HM Treasury's Green Minister. I was appointed to the ENV(G) committee in June this year.Following the general election in June 2001, the previously informal Green Ministers Committee was upgraded to a Cabinet Sub-Committee of ENV and it is established practice under exemption 2 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees. Therefore I cannot relate progress or outcomes by my Department to anything that has been discussed.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the incidence rates of cancers for the last five years. [66660]

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

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the buildings owned by his Department and estimate the market value of each of them. [66948]

The National Asset Register, published in July 2001 (Cm5221), lists assets owned by each Department and their valuation.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many statutory instruments have been (a) introduced, (b) removed and (c) amended by his Department since 1 January; and what the (i) cost and (ii) saving has been in each case. [64629]

HM Treasury, HM Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue have introduced 44 statutory instruments; removed none and introduced 22 amendment instruments since 1 January 2002. Many of the instruments concerned were of a routine nature, for example approving annual fee increases.The HMSO SI Registrar Siregistrar@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk can provide a list of statutory instruments which have been issued by individual Government Departments. SIs which have been originated by Departments but eventually made by the Privy Council are only listed under the Privy Council Office.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was paid in aggregate in national insurance contributions by married women paying at the reduced rate in each of the last 30 years. [65744]

Available estimates of the amount of reduced rate contributions paid by married women over the last 27 years are in the table.

	Contributions paid by women paying at the reduced rate (£ million)
1975–76	90
1976–77	100
1977–78	110
1978–79	110
1979–80	120
1980–81	130
1981–82	190
1982–83	220
1983–84	60
1984–85	260
1985–86	260
1986–87	260
1987–88	250
1988–89	250
1989–90	240
1990–91	230
1991–92	220
1992–93	200
1993–94	170
1994–95	160
1995–96	140
1996–97	120
1997–98	100
1998–99	90
1999–2000	60
2000–01	50
2001–02	25

Estimates for 1975–76 to 2000–01 are based on a 3 per cent. sample of the National Insurance Recording System and are rounded to the nearest £10 million.The estimate for 2001–02 was provided by the Government Actuary's Department and has been rounded to the nearest £5 million.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of (a) paper and (b) other goods purchased by his Department was recycled paper in each year since 1997; what the annual total cost of these purchases was; what plans there are to increase these proportions; and if he will make a statement. [65769]

The Treasury in all cases purchases on a best value for money basis. Until recently the cost and quality of recycled paper did not provide this compared to virgin paper from sustainable sources and therefore only limited amounts were purchased.Recycled paper appears to have improved in both quality and price. It is now the intention of the Department to look again at this issue. If recycled paper currently offers best value for money overall, Treasury will purchase this as the main source of its paper.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths due to asthma occurred in each primary care trust in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [66264]

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