To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answer of 8 July 2002, Official Report, column 702W, on Nepal, if she will make a statement on the failure of the Nepalese Government to allow journalists and aid agencies access to the western districts of Nepal. [69513]

UK funded development assistance, and that of other donor agencies too, continues throughout Nepal, including in many of the Mid-and Far-Western districts of the country where the conflict situation is worse. However, development staff based in Kathmandu do not, for security reasons, visit areas of active conflict. There are no Government restrictions per se.There has been some press coverage recently of visits made by journalists to districts in the west of the country. However, the current State of Emergency is deterring many journalists from visiting parts of the country.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 8 July 2002, Official Report, column 613W, on World Bank loans, how much the UK Government contributed to the 12th Replenishment of the International Development Association IDA-12; and how much it contributed to IDA-13. [69515]

The British Government contributed £511 m to the 12th Replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA-12), equating to a 7.3 per cent. share. This made the UK the joint fourth largest donor to IDA.The UK's contribution to the 13th Replenishment of IDA (IDA-13) has not yet been finalised. An announcement will be made shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 8 July 2002, Official Report, column 613W, on World Bank loans, what provisions are in place to ensure that the level of overall IDA resources does not decrease in future as a result of the conversion of some loans to grants; and if she will make a statement. [69514]

Around 40 per cent of the International Development Association's (IDA's) resources currently come from re-flows from previous loans being repaid. During negotiations for the 13th Replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA-13), the British Government argued consistently that if some loans were to be converted to grants under IDA-13, IDA donors should ensure that a scheme was agreed to compensate IDA for the resulting future loss in re-flows. Such a scheme would require donors to start putting aside a small amount of resources now and during future replenishments.Very regrettably, IDA donors have not yet managed to agree such a scheme, despite strong UK pressure to do so. Donors have, however, accepted the principle that extra resources do need to be put aside in advance of future shortfalls. They have agreed to make a final decision on what sort of scheme should be used during the Mid-Term Review of IDA-13, which is scheduled to begin in around six months' time. The British Government will continue to press hard to ensure a satisfactory outcome which will protect IDA's long-term financial sustainability.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of the collection of fines by the Court Service; [62600](2) what the level of arrears of fines was, and what percentage of fines had not been collected within the due time

Fines are imposed by both Magistrates' Courts and the Crown Court. The Crown Court is part of the Court Service, which is an executive agency of the Lord Chancellor's Department. The Court Service does not collect fines. Fines are collected by Magistrates' Courts and their staff, which constitute an independent local service with statutory powers for the enforcement and collection of financial penalties.The Government are committed to improving the enforcement of financial penalties. Variations in performance across the country are too wide. We have transferred lead responsibility for warrant execution from the police to Magistrates' Courts Committees, on 1 April 2001.We have established an information sharing scheme, which enables Magistrates' Courts to obtain basic information on defaulters from the Department for Work and Pensions. We have set performance targets for 2002–03 and Magistrates' Courts Committees have also been given nearly£10 million extra from April 2002, ring-fenced for enforcement purposes. We will monitor the position carefully to check that performance improves.Magistrates' Courts Committees have responsibility for the collection of a range of debts imposed through the courts, including not only fines but also fees, compensation, confiscation orders, legal aid contributions and some maintenance orders. It is not possible to separate out just the fines from the total.Arrears is described as the total of missed lump sums or missed instalments on impositions where deferred payment was allowed. The latest available figures for the level of arrears of all debt are:

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will amend the rules of the Supreme Court to ensure that a woman judge is a member of appeal courts hearing a case concerning (a) rape, (b) other sexual offences and (c) domestic violence. [65211]

The Government have no proposals to amend the Rules of the Supreme Court on the composition of courts hearing appeals.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps he is taking to ensure that judges receive equivalent training about rape offences to that recommended for police and prosecutors by the HMIC/CPSI thematic inquiry into rape. [65213]

Judicial Training is the responsibility of the Judicial Studies Board (JSB) which is an independent non-departmental public body. It is chaired by Lord Justice Waller.The Board provides specialist training to those judges authorised to hear cases of rape through its regular Serious Sexual Offences Seminars.The Criminal Committee of the JSB will be considering the comments made in the Joint Inspectors' Report over the coming months.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps he will take to ensure that the recommendations of the Sentencing Advisory Panel on rape are implemented by the judiciary. [65210]

The decision on whether or not to issue guidelines based on the Sentencing Advisory Panel's advice to the Court of Appeal is for that Court.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what proportion of fine-defaulters were in receipt of income support and income-related jobseekers allowance in each year since 1990. [65119]

It is not possible to provide proportions of fine defaulters who were in receipt of Income Support (IS) or Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA IB). The table below shows numbers of IS/JSA (IB) claimants at a point in time each year since 1994, with a deduction in force on their benefit for fines recovery. It is not possible to provide historical figures back to 1990 as fines recovery data was not collected.

Year	IS Claiments(1000s)	JSA (IB) Claiments (1000s)
May 1994	7	—
May 1995	9	—
May 1996	16	—
May 1997	14	8
May 1998	13	7
May 1999	13	6
May 2000	12	5
May 2001	13	4
Feb 2002	14	4

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what proportion of fines imposed by Sussex magistrates were (a) paid, (b) written off, (c) cancelled and (d) in arrears in each year since 1990. [65120]

Magistrates' Courts Committees have responsibility for the collection of a range of debts imposed through the courts, including not only fines but also fees, compensation, confiscation orders, legal aid contributions and some maintenance orders. It is not possible to separate out just fines from the total.Sussex Magistrates' Courts Committee IT system includes cancellations in the write off figures. The figures available for Sussex Magistrates' Courts Committee are as follows:

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on (a) the (i) timing and (ii) structure of the proposed review of the new voting systems in the devolved administrations and (b) the report of the Jenkins Commission. [65572]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on Tuesday 3 July 2001 by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, Official Report, column 93W.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the total level of fines imposed by Liverpool Magistrates' Court was in each year since 1998–99. [66689]

Magistrates' Courts have responsibility for the collection of a range of debts imposed through the courts, including not only fines but also fees, compensation, confiscation orders, legal aid contributions and some maintenance orders. It is not possible to separate out just fines from the total.Liverpool Magistrates' Court has imposed the following amount of debt:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) for how long the Strategic Rail Authority has been in negotiation with South West Trains for its franchise renewal; [67427](2) when he intends to announce the South West Trains franchise renewal. [67425]

The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) signed heads of terms with Stagecoach in April 2001. Negotiation of a new franchise agreement is continuing. On 1 July the SRA announced that, while negotiations for a long-term franchise continue, the existing South West Trains franchise has been amended to provide a £29 million package of improvements for passengers including new Desiro trains.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason a tall fence is being erected adjacent to the hard shoulder on the southbound carriageway of the Ml motorway south of junction 25; what the total cost is of the works; who authorised the same; and who is bearing the cost. [67764]

The Highways Agency has received numerous complaints from local residents living adjacent to the M1 south of junction 25 about the high level of traffic noise. As part of the Government's "New Deal for Trunk Roads in England". revised criteria and a ring fenced annual budget have been established to help the Agency to deal with some of the most serious and pressing cases of noise from the motorway and trunk road network.Following an initial assessment of sites on the network, the M1 junction 25 was identified as an area with a particular noise problem and was subsequently included in the list of locations to be prioritised for treatment published in

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the EU Committee on application of the legislation on access to the ground-handling market at Community airports is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if he will make a statement. [68596]

The mandate of the ground handling committee is to advise the Commission when member states apply for exemptions from the ground handling directive. There are no cases currently being considered by the committee and so there is no date set for its next meeting. Officials from my Department represent the UK on the Committee as policy responsibility on access to the groundhandling market is a reserved matter. However, my officials consult the Scottish Executive on agenda items in which it might have an interest in accordance with our Concordat with the Devolved Administrations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vessels with hazardous cargoes have been allowed to transit a compulsory pilotage district since 12 December 2001 (a) in total and (b) without an authorised pilot on board. [68763]

The Department does not hold this information nationally. The new arrangements for pilotage on the Humber began on 12 December 2001: it is understood that no vessels with bulk hazardous cargoes have been allowed to transit that pilotage district since that date without an authorised pilot on board.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on the countries of origin of the pilots' certificates of the Humber Pilots employed by ABP; and if he will make a statement. [69544]

None. The criteria for pilot applicants is a matter for the competent harbour authority, in accordance with the Pilotage Act 1987.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those schemes supported by the Rural Bus Challenge competition identified by his Department as providing best practice examples. [69352]

Research commissioned by my Department on the impact of the rural bus grant schemes introduced in 1998–99 is currently on-going. This work includes consideration of examples of good practice supported under the Rural Bus Challenge. The research report is expected by the end of this year and will be published.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) fatal motor vehicle accidents, (b) fatalities, (c) motor vehicle accidents resulting in serious injury and (d) motor vehicle accidents requiring the attendance of an ambulance there were on the (i) A47 between Uppingham and Leicester and (ii) A52 between Barrowby and Bingham in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [69516]

The number of fatal accidents, fatalities and serious road accidents for the stretches of road requested are shown in the tables below. Information is not available on the number of accidents requiring the attendance of an ambulance.

Personal Injury Road Accidents and Casualties on the A47 Uppingham1to Leicester2
Year of Accident	Fatal accidents	Fatalities	Serious accidents
1997	2	3	1
1998	0	0	6
1999	2	3	8
2000	2	3	5
2001(P)	4	5	7
1 Uppingham is taken as OS reference {48639,30066}.
2 Leicester is taken as OS reference {46145,30540}.
(P) Figures for 2001 are provisional.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) factors and (b) criteria were used by Defence Estates Organisation in their table-top evaluation of the likely sale value of Dean Hill Munitions Depot. [68912]

In June 2001 Defence Estates SW provided an outline desktop valuation of the Dean Hill Munitions Site to advise the Defence Munitions Rationalisation Study 2 Investment Appraisal.The valuation was based on the estimated realisation price, assuming that the sites had been subject to a Phase 2 Land Quality Assessment. It had been proposed that the eventual value for the site would be abated by the cost of the remedial work once known. Site inspections were permitted. However, in view of the sensitivity of the issues and as the purpose was to inform an investment appraisal, no approach was made to the local planning authority at that stage.Due to the absence of clear planning guidance, with the exception of the residential property and agricultural land, the possible future uses of the remainder of the site were limited, The value was established by assuming disposal of the residential and agricultural property, and based on the limited redevelopment and re-use of the remaining area for potential employment uses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many copies of Defence Munitions Rationalisation Study 2 Consultative Document (D/DM/72/46/1) dated 24 June were printed; and if he will list the locations to which they were distributed. [69422]

131 hard copies of the Defence Munitions Rationalisation Study 2 Consultative Document were printed. These were distributed to:46 to National Trades Union officials at various locations nationwide, 57 to civilian employees at Defence Munitions (DM) Dean Hill, 21 to the Ministry of Defence Police Officers stationed at DM Dean Hill. One copy each to the DM Whitley, Vice Chair and Vice Secretaries at DM Longtown (Cumbria), DM Beith (Ayrshire), DM Kineton (Warwickshire) and London.Three copies for internal MOD distribution (one Bath, one Andover, one Wethersfield (Essex).In the interests of openness, efficiency and better use of resources, the Consultative Document itself has been posted on the Defence Munitions Web Site where it can be viewed by MOD staff as required. It was also sent electronically to each Defence Munitions establishment at Beith, Crombie, Glen Douglas, Gosport, Kineton, Longtown and Plymouth. Each DM Depot reproduced sufficient hard copies from this for their local needs as appropriate. Main MOD customers and stakeholders were advised of the existence of the Consultative Document on the DM Web Site.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the Director of Military Operations participated in Defence Munitions Rationalisation Study 2. [68908]

Director of Military Operations did not participate in the Defence Munitions Rationalisation Study 2. The study drew its knowledge of anticipated Tri Service munitions requirements from both the current and future munitions equipment owners who were asked to take into account the latest output from the Ministry of Defence's Stockpile Planning Group.Other MOD customers and internal stakeholders (particularly Strike Command given the nature of the RAF tasks currently undertaken at Defence Munitions Dean Hill) have been made aware of the proposal to close DM Dean Hill.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of whether the recommendations of Defence Munitions Rationalisation Study 2 will achieve a 20 per cent reduction in operating costs by March 2004. [68914]

Defence Munitions is part of the DG Defence Supply Chain (DG Def SC) that, in turn, is part of the Defence Logistics Organisation. Defence Munitions Rationalisation Study 2 identified a number of potential efficiency initiatives pertinent to the Defence Munitions environment, including the proposal to close Defence Munitions Dean Hill. Taken together as a package these initiatives will, if implemented, contribute towards the DG Def SC Strategic Plan which is designed to deliver a 20 per cent reduction in operating costs by Financial Year 2005–06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what modifications were made to the terms of reference for Defence Munitions Rationalisation Study 2 after 11 September 2001. [68913]

There were no modifications made to the Terms of Reference for the Defence Munitions Rationalisation Study 2 after 11 September 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the team responsible for Defence Munitions Rationalisation Study 2 presented their final report. [68910]

The Defence Munitions Rationalisation Study 2 presented their final report to the Defence Munitions Management Board in February 2002. There then followed an internal Departmental approvals procedure which culminated in a submission to Minister (Armed Forces) in June 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Defence Munitions Rationalisation Study 2 included a strategic analysis. [68909]

Defence Munitions Rationalisation Study 2 was in itself a strategic analysis of the Defence Munitions business. Among those elements addressed were:

• Capacity versus long-term liability
• Risk to outputs
• Uniqueness of facilities
• Transferability of tasks
• Proximity to customers
• Health and safety and explosives safety regulations
• Scale and quality of facilities
• Cost of transferring tasks
• Remediation
• Potential savings to operating costs
• Potential site realisable value

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if private sector commercial advice was sought by (a) Defence Estates Organisation and (b) the Defence Munitions Rationalisation Study 2 team in their assessment of the likely sale value of Dean Hill Munitions Depot. [68911]

In June 2001 Defence Estates South West were requested to provide an outline desktop valuation of the Dean Hill Munitions Site to inform the Defence Munitions Rationalisation Study 2 Investment Appraisal. Given the nature of the valuation requested no external advice was sought.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the last refit of HMS Nottingham was; how long she has been deployed on her current deployment; what task she is carrying out; and if he will make a statement. [68771]

HMS Nottingham's last refit began in August 1999 and she returned to the Fleet in February 2001 following sea trials.HMS Nottingham deployed from Portsmouth on 18 March 2002 and was scheduled to return to the United Kingdom on 6 December 2002. She deployed for duties as the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) ship but was subsequently assigned to Operation ORACLE in support of the fight against terrorism and was being held at notice for this purpose while deployed to the Asia Pacific to honour our commitments to the FPDA. The main focus of this deployment was to have been participation in the FPDA Exercise STARDEX in September with other FPDA partners (Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore). HMS Nottingham was also scheduled to undertake a series of visits in support of Defence Diplomacy, wider security objectives, and Defence Export Services and United Kingdom industry initiatives. Her immediate programme will no longer proceed. The impact on Fleet programming is being assessed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it is his policy to treat POWs and captured unlawful combatants in the same manner. [69008]

It is the Government's policy to treat both POWs and unlawful combatants in accordance with their rights under the Geneva Convention.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it is the intention of his Department to cease the allocation of surface ship refits to Rosyth Dockyard in 2005; and what plans he has to allocate further refits to Rosyth Dockyard. [69402]

The last refit in the programme of surface ship work allocated to Rosyth Dockyard is due to be completed in 2005. There are no plans to allocate further refit work to the Dockyard, as the Department is opening up the wider ship refit and repair programme to competition. Rosyth Dockyard is expected to bid for that work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what representations she has received from the UK pig industry about overseas restrictions on the export of British pigs; [64463](2) what representations she has made, and to which countries, to remove restrictions on the export of pigs from the United Kingdom. [64462]

I have received a number of letters from the UK pig industry, which is naturally anxious that overseas restrictions on the import of British pigs are removed as soon as possible. The Chief Veterinary Officer wrote to his opposite numbers in other countries on 25 January this year asking them to recognise the UK's foot and mouth disease free status and requesting import certification requirements for livestock and genetic material. Officials in my Department are working closely with representatives from the livestock industry to identify the priority markets and to pursuade those countries to lift any remaining restrictions. The priority countries for pigs and porcine genetic material include Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovak Republic, South Africa, Thailand, USA. This is being pursued by a variety of methods such as lobbying officials at trade shows, bringing them in on inward missions, getting British Embassies to make representations and through further correspondence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which interested parties received an invitation to contribute to the consultation on the future of fox hunting; which of those bodies she (a) has met and (b) plans to meet before the consultation finishes; and if she will make a statement. [64362]

My right hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Rural Affairs (Alun Michael) continues to meet with representatives of the three main interest organisations on a regular basis. They are the Countryside Alliance, the Middle Way Group and the Campaign for the Protection of the Hunted Animal. In addition to these regular meetings, he is holding a number of meetings with a wide range of groups with more specific interestsFollowing my right hon. Friend's statement to the House on 21 March, he has written to all Members of both Houses of Parliament, Welsh Assembly members, interested individuals and interested organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she is taking to implement the NAO recommendation on the pursuit of cases where the Department believes it was overcharged for goods and services and the investigation and resolution of irregularities in contractors' claims. [65188]

The accounts of the principal contractors used by DEFRA during the FMD outbreak have been the subject of detailed examination. This has been an extensive exercise as the contractors concerned carried out work to the value of hundreds of millions of pounds involving the generation of tens of thousands of invoices. This work is on-going.It has necessitated DEFRA obtaining legal advice from a number of external law firms as well as the establishment of invoicing panels and commercial teams staffed by forensic accountants and quantity surveyors, all of whom come from external professional firms.It is on the recommendation of these panels and teams following examination of the accounts that further payments have been made by DEFRA to contractors and/or deductions have been sought from the contractors' invoiced sums. In many cases, the deductions have been substantial. The process is on-going.Wide-ranging issues have arisen on the accounts. These include legal issues such as matters of contractual interpretation, forensic accountancy issues and evidential issues involving the assessment of both a large amount of documentation and proofing of witnesses.Some of these disputes will inevitably result in court proceedings although DEFRA remains committed to resolving matters by mediation where appropriate. We will have no hesitation in taking whatever action is required to protect taxpayer interest in the light of forensic examination of the accounts of contractors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the EU Management Committee of the common organisations of agricultural markets for poultrymeat and eggs is next due to meet; whether experts nominated by the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [64889]

The next meeting of the EU Poultrymeat and Eggs Management Committee will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2002. UK representation depends on the agenda items under discussion. Officials from the Scottish Executive and other devolved Administrations attend as necessary in accordance with their interests. However, there have been no occasions in the last 12 months where the Scottish Executive have sought to have an official form part of the delegation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the EU Committee for the implementation of the Directive relating to the availability of consumer information on fuel economy and CO₂ emissions in respect of the marketing of new passenger cars is next due to meet; whether experts nominated by the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [66460]

I have been asked to reply.At present there are no meetings of the Committee of Directive 99/94/EC scheduled. Fuel consumption and CO

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the EU Committee for the implementation of the Community framework for co-operation in the field of accidental or deliberate marine pollution is next due to meet; whether experts nominated by the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [66450]

I have been asked to reply.The Management Committee on Marine Pollution is scheduled to meet on 4 October 2002 in Brussels. Officials from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), part of my Department, represents the UK on the Committee. However, my officials consult the Scottish Executive on agenda items in which it might have an interest in accordance with our Concordat with the Devolved Administrations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average time taken is (a) in the territory of each of her Department's regional offices, and (b) in England, between an animal reacting positive to a test for Bovine TB and that animal being taken for slaughter. [65472]

The information requested is given in the table below.

The average length of time taken to remove TB-infected reactors from farms in each State Veterinary Service region with a breakdown between 21 June 2001 and 20 June 2002
SVS Region	Number of observations	Average no. days between date of reading the tuberculin test and date of slaughter
West	968	30.4
East	21	13.1
North	92	9.7
England total	1081	17.7

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff have contributed to her Department's input to the Spending Review. [68680]

A small team of six staff reporting to the Director of Finance has co-ordinated input to the Spending Review, drawing on material contributed by staff across the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the report of the Review of National Park Authorities will be published. [70288]

The report will be published tomorrow. Copies will be available in the House libraries and the vote office. The report will also be available on the Department's website: www:efra.gsi.gov.uk/ countryside-wildlife. The responses to the public consultation will be deposited in the Department's library.

To ask the Solicitor-General what category of offences require the appointment of (a) a senior Treasury counsel, (b) a leading junior counsel and (c) a disclosure counsel by the CPS. [68084]

There are no categories of offence which require the appointment of a particular type of counsel but guidance is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place a copy of Dr. Richard Johnson's report on drugs administration in the UK commissioned by the UK Sports Council in the Library.[69508]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the member for Vauxhall (Kate Hoey) on 9 July 2002, Official Report, column 865W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many tourist offices the UK has overseas; where they are located; and what plans she has to extend the UK tourist offices overseas. [66084]

[pursuant to his reply, 4 July 2002, c. 515W]: The British Tourist Authority is active in Austria, Finland and Saudi Arabia but does not have physical offices in these countries. These markets are operated from the BTA's offices in Zurich, Stockholm and Dubai respectively.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list those targets which apply across Government and which are not contained in individual Departments' public service agreements. [64608]

The Cabinet Office is responsible for the following such targets.Targets which apply across government have been incorporated into its own Public Service Agreement (PSA) and across Departments through the guidance on Service Delivery Agreements (SDAs) which underpin PSAs. Examples include targets on:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set aside funds in the comprehensive spending review to invest in waste minimisation. [68670]

Spending Review 2002 is still under way, and until its completion it would be premature to comment on specific elements.Waste growth is part of the broader challenge of reforming waste management in the UK. The Performance and Innovation Unit is currently undertaking a thorough review of waste policy, and waste minimisation is one of the issues that the Performance and Innovation Unit will address in their forthcoming report.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times since December 1998 he has met Ministers from other Government Departments to review progress in achieving public service agreements; and if he will make a statement. [69299]

The Cabinet Committee on Public Services and Public Expenditure, chaired by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, meets regularly to discuss progress by departments against their PSA targets.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the calculations relating to the provision for Scotland under the Barnett formula are based upon spend per head of population on (a) health and (b) education. [69400]

The Barnett formula provides the devolved Administrations with a population based share of comparable increases in spending of UK Government departments, including the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list contingent liabilities incurred by Government departments since May 1997 with the permission of the Treasury; and if he will make a statement. [69349]

I refer the hon. Member to the Consolidated Fund and National Loans Fund Accounts Supplementary Statements. Those for 2000–01 were published on 19 December 2001 (HC 381 of 2000–01) and follow the reporting pattern in the Supplementary Statements for each of the financial years from 1997–98 to 1999–2000. They list all non-statutory contingent liabilities which are reportable to Parliament under the guidance in chapter 26 of Government Accounting. The guidance requires a department, when reporting a contingent liability to state that the Treasury has approved it in principle. The Supplementary Statements also list all statutory contingent liabilities incurred where they are above £100,000.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he is taking to review the regulation of the selling of travel insurance. [69512]

The Treasury will issue a consultation document on the proposed new regulatory regime for the sale of general insurance following the adoption of the Insurance Mediation Directive.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his plans are for the future of the Treasury's silver items formerly associated with the Privy Council. [70452]

The Treasury has agreed to transfer the items concerned to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. This will ensure that the cost of holding them is borne by the Department whose objectives include broadening access for all to a rich and varied cultural life. That Department will lend them to the Victoria and Albert Museum, on condition that they are shared with appropriate regional institutions. The transfer will ensure that the items are available to public view for the first time in many years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many arms export licences have been granted in the last 12 months; how many have been rejected; and if she will make a statement. [66750]

Between 1 July 2001 and 1 July 2002 the Department of Trade and Industry's Export Control Organisation issued 6,449 Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) and 312 Open Individual Export Licences (OIELs) for items on the military list. During that same period the ECO refused 137 SIEL and 4 OIEL applications in full, for items on the military list.Details of all relevant export licences issued and refused are published in the Government's Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls; copies of which are placed in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when a decision will be made in relation to individual export licence applications numbered 35307, 35313, 35315 and 35316. [68051]

Licences to export arms and other items whose export is controlled for strategic reasons are issued by me as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry acting through the Export Control Organisation (ECO).

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consideration is given during the deliberation of export licence applications to the recent human rights record of the country to which the items in question are being exported; and if she will make a statement. [68510]

I have been asked to reply.All relevant export licence applications are rigorously assessed on a case by case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at the time and taking account of other relevant factors. The consolidated criteria were announced by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe in a written reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Crawley (Laura Moffatt) on 26 October 2000,

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of (a) paper and (b) other goods purchased by her 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. [65764]

The proportion and cost of recycled paper purchased is as follows:

Year	Proportion of recycled per cent	Annual Cost (£)
1997–98	18	55,333
1998–99	11	36,999
1999–2000	44	104,817
2000–01	61	137,985
2001–02	68	141,540

Information on the proportion of recycled paper in other goods purchased is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Cash terms	14,172	14,470	14,781	15,582	16,663
Real terms	15.827	15,656	15,551	15,940	16,663
(base year = 1999)

The percentage funded privately (businesses and private non-profit organisations) and publicly

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets she has set her Department's National Weights and Measures Laboratory. [70222]

I have set the National Weights and Measures Laboratory the following quality of service and efficiency targets for 2002–03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the total amount spent on scientific research that has taken place in the UK in each of the last five years; and what her estimate is of the proportions that were funded (a) privately and (b) publicly. [61092]

The total amount spent on research and development in the UK in £ billion is as follows:(government departments, Research Councils and Funding Councils) is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many special advisers in her Department (a) have had experience of the nuclear industry and (b) of advising the nuclear industry. [69399]

No special adviser in the department has, or ever has had, a commercial relationship with a company in the nuclear industry. However they have experience of working with representatives of the nuclear industry and will consult with them from time to time as part of their current job, just as they consult routinely with other companies, organisations and interest groups.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) date, (b) location and (c) purpose was of visits by Ministers in her Department to Wales since 1997; and when she next intends to visit Wales. [62071]

Since 1999 this Government have published an annual list of all visits undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. This Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Information in respect of UK travel is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.All travel is undertaken fully in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.DTI Ministers have plans to undertake engagements in Wales before the end of the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the EU Committee on Projects of Common Interest in the Field of trans-European Telecommunications Networks (TEN-telecom) is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [68572]

The Committee on the trans-European telecommunications networks (TEN-Telecom) pro-gramme is next due to meet on 29 October 2002. One official from the Department of Trade and Industry normally represents all of the UK. Officials from the devolved Administrations are consulted as appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many oral questions she has transferred to other departments in each of the last 18 months. [67048]

The information is as follows:

	Number
January 2001	0
February	0
March	3
May	3
July	3
November (2 oral sessions)	8
January 2002	2
February	2
March	2
May	3
June	6

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the Government's negotiating position with regard to (a) TRIPS and (b) GATS with the WTO framework. [66867]

On TRIPS, we are strong advocates of the need to find a solution by the end of 2002 to the problem of the difficulties which some WTO Members could face in making effective use of compulsory licensing under the TRIPS Agreement as a result of having insufficient or no manufacturing capacities in the pharmaceutical sector.Beyond that, we support continued discussions in the TRIPS Council on the relationship between TRIPS and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and how TRIPS and the CBD can be implemented in a mutually supportive manner.We also support the EC position in the TRIPS Council on considering the possible extension of protection for Geographical Indications.On GATS, the Government strongly support the current negotiations. The UK is the second largest exporter of services in the world. Our aim is to achieve further steps in the progressive liberalisation of trade in services, which we believe will have a positive impact not only on our own economic interests but also on the development of developing countries. That said, the EC has made clear in its liberalisation requests that it is not seeking the dismantling of public services nor the privatisation of state owned companies. Under GATS, countries cannot be forced to privatise services where it is not in their interest to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses by introducing regulations that would lapse after a certain time period. [69077]

The Government's policy is always to consider whether sunset clauses ought to be included in legislation it brings forward.These are appropriate particularly where technology in a given sector is changing rapidly, where a given piece of legislation deals with a situation which is itself expected to last only for a given period of time (e.g., a road closure), or where an issue is so sensitive that it is considered appropriate that it should be regularly debated and reviewed.

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, how many Church Commission properties are let on assured shorthold tenancies; and how many tenants holding assured shorthold tenancies have not had these renewed on request in the last three years. [68246]

The Church Commissioners have 781 Assured Shorthold Tenancies. No records are kept as to how many tenants do not have their tenancies renewed upon request but it is estimated that there have been approximately 25 such cases in the last three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time has been between initial decisions in asylum cases and the hearing of appeals arising from them in the last 12 months. [68637]

The requested information is not available and could only be obtained by examination of individual cases files thereby incurring a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers from Zimbabwe have been turned back at point of entry since 15 January. [49967]

The Government are committed to ensuring that this country adheres to its obligations under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and that those who are fleeing persecution are given the protection they need. It is not Home Office policy to turn asylum seekers back at ports of entry to the United Kingdom at any time before their claims are fully considered, unless there is an alternative safe country which should he responsible for considering the claim.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken was from first application to initial decison in asylum cases in each of the last six months. [68647]

The data requested are given in the table.

Average time from date of application to initial decision for initial decisions made between October 2001 and March 20021,2,3,4
Month of initial decision	Average time (months) to initial decision
October 2001	12
November 2001	11
December 2001	8
January 2002	8
February 2002	7
March 2002	7
1Excluding dependants.
2Figures are estimates based on cases for which information is recorded.
3The average length of time (in months) is calculated from date application is lodged to the date of initial decision, and relates to the month in which the decisions were made.
4Provisional data. These data are still subject to revision following quality checking.

The corresponding figure for April 1997 was 20 months.The latest provisional data indicate that 53 per cent. of applications' received in the period April to December 2001, inclusive, had initial decisions reached and served within two months'. The data are subject to revision following the results of further data cleansing. Data for 2001–2002 will be published on the Home Office RDS website on 30 August, subject to data quality.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many ASBOs have been made in Surrey in each of the last 12 months. [68624]

Anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) were introduced from 1 April 1999. The data given in the table show the number of ASBOs reported to the Home Office up to the end of December 2001 (latest available).Number of anti-social behaviour orders issued within Surrey from 1 April 1999 to 31 December 2001.

1 April 1999–31 December 20001	1 January 2001–31 December 2001	Total
	2	2	4
1From 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000 information collected on the total number of ASBOs issued by police force area only.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the proportion of the rise in Government liabilities resulting from unfunded parts of the police and fire pension scheme in the last five years due to (a) wage inflation, (b) longevity, (c) extension of the rights of part-time workers and (d) other factors; and if he will make a statement. [67025]

In relation to the police pension scheme, which is unfunded, I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 1 July 2002 given by myself to the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Andrew Turner), Official Report, column 186W. There is no baseline at present by which to measure the increase in liabilities, but the main driving factors are price inflation, and real earnings growth for current employees and new pensioners.Matters relating to firefighters' pensions are for my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce ID cards; at what estimated cost; and if he will make a statement. [67203]

My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary made a statement to the House on 3 July 2002, announcing the publication of a consultation paper on Entitlement Cards and Identity Fraud. The consultation period will last until 10 January 2003. The Government have made it clear that the introduction of an entitlement card would be a major step and that it would not proceed without consulting widely and considering all the views expressed very carefully.The paper includes a number of estimates of what a scheme would cost, depending on the sophistication of the card. A reasonable estimate would be that a scheme would cost around £1.5 billion over a 13 year period covering the three years it would take to set up the necessary Information Technology systems and the 10 year period for which the first cards would be valid.This would include much more stringent identity checks than currently apply for passports and driving licences in response to increased levels of fraudulent applications.It would also include the costs of using biometric information (fingerprints or iris images) which would uniquely link the card holder with a card.This estimate does not include any savings to Government through more efficient administration and reductions in fraud. The paper also sets out how the costs might be recovered through increases in fees for driving licences and passports and charging a fee for entitlement cards issued to those who did not qualify for or who did not want to apply for a card in the form of a photocard driving licence or passport card. It would not be the Government's intention to use funds allocated for investment in public services for a card scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the objectives and criteria for success were of the Brixton experiment on policing cannabis use. [67191]

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the key objective for the Lambeth cannabis pilot study was to allow police officers to devote more time to deal with serious crimes by reducing the amount of time they spent at the police station completing the necessary paperwork associated with persons arrested for the possession of cannabis.During the initial pilot period, a total of 13:50 hours were saved.Over the period of the pilot there was a 10 per cent. increase in arrests for Class A dealings, and a 44 per cent. increase in arrests for dealing crack.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people died in police custody in 2001. [68017]

Sixty-four people died in police custody or otherwise following contact with the police during 2001. Two of these deaths occurred in police stations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the overall crime detection rate for each police force in England in each year from 1990–91 to 2001–02; if he will rank each force in order of highest to lowest detection rate for the latest year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement. [66883]

Details for the calendar years 1990 to 1997, and financial years thereafter, were published in table 2.11 of "Criminal Statistics England and Wales 2000", and are given in the table.There was a change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, which increased the total number of crimes counted in each police force area, and therefore may have affected the detection rate. Detection rates after this date are therefore not directly comparable with previous years.There was a change in the counting rules for detections on 1 April 1999, the new instructions providing more precise and rigorous criteria for securing a detection, with the underlying emphasis on the successful result of a police investigation. For example, detections obtained by the interview of a convicted prisoner were no longer included. Numbers of detections before and after this date are therefore not directly comparable.As different police forces have different crime mixes, comparing overall detection rates between forces is of limited value. This is because different types of crime tend to have different detection rates, and so a police force with which has a higher proportion of types of crime with high detection rates will tend to have a higher overall detection rate. Also, police forces may give priority to tackling particular types of crime, with the detection rate of those crimes having some effect on the force's overall detection rate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) fatalities and (b) suicides have taken place among those in police custody in each year since 1992. [68234]

Year	Total number of deaths in police custody	Deaths that occurred in police stations	Inquest verdicts of suicide	Inquest verdicts awaited
1992	48	17	6	0
1993	31	16	4	0
1994	39	17	12	0
1995–96	50	22	12	0
1996–97	57	16	5	0
1997–98	69	11	11	0
1998–99	67	16	12	1
1999–2000	70	7	10	1
2000–01	53	5	3	8