To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the outcome of the Competitiveness Council on 30 September. [74945]

I represented the UK at the Competitiveness Council of Ministers in Brussels on 30 September. This was the first meeting of the new Competitiveness Council, which is an amalgamation of the Internal Market, Industry and Research formations.The five specific programmes of the sixth R&D Framework programme were adopted and there was political agreement on legislative dossiers covering public procurement (the utilities directive) and fertilisers (fertilisers regulation). In addition, there was political agreement on two company law dossiers: the updating of the First Company Law Directive on filing and disclosure of company documents in the light of new technology; and the modernisation of the EU Accounting Directives to take account of the adoption of International Accounting Standards as the reporting regime for the EU's listed companies.Council Conclusions were adopted endorsing the Commission's Action Plan on Better Regulation and its rapid implementation.There was a Presidency report on the proposed discussions at the Nyborg informal, of the methods of working of the new CC formation and a progress report on the proposed 25 amendment (including some overlap with the 23 amendment) to the marketing and use of dangerous substances directive to include controls on further carcinogens, mutagens and substances toxic to reproduction.There were Commission presentations on the streamlining of the annual economic and employment policy co-ordination cycles and two reports: the State of the Internal Market for Services and Second Biennial Report on Mutual Recognition in the Internal Market.The Commission also reported that bilateral talks with Korea had failed to reach agreement, and the Commission confirmed that it would now implement the decision as agreed by the Council in June—namely to launch the WTO case against Korea together with the reintroduction of the limited and temporary shipbuilding subsidies.Over lunch Professor Jaap Winter reported on the consideration by the High Level Group on Company Law of corporate governance issues in the light of large-scale corporate collapses in the US. The Group's approach was to explore ways in which to improve standards of corporate governance, where necessary, and strengthen the role of shareholders within a flexible EU framework. When the formal session resumed conclusions supporting the development of an EU Action Plan were adopted without debate.The UK voted in favour of political agreement on the public procurement directive and fertilisers regulation as well as the updating of the First Company Law Directive and the modernisation of the EU Accounting Directives. The UK was also in favour regarding the adoption of the five specific programmes of the sixth R&D Framework programme and the Council conclusions, on the Commission's Action Plan on Better Regulation and on the development of an EU Action Plan on corporate governance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the outcome of the Energy Council on 4 October. [74946]

I represented the UK at the EU Energy Council held in Luxembourg on 4 October.Discussion at this Council centred on the issue of liberalisation of the EU's electricity and gas markets. There was also a short presentation of the European Commission's proposals for directives for Community-level oil and gas stocks.The majority of Member States agreed that full legal separation of transmission and distribution system operators was essential for the creation of a genuinely competitive electricity and gas internal market. A minority maintained reserves as they had doubts about the necessity of legal unbundling, arguing that there were other ways to guarantee transparency and fair access to the networks.Supporting the majority, the UK said the current proposed exemption threshold of 100,000 customers for distribution operators was too high, because it would exclude a large part of the market in some Member States. The UK could not accept the postponement of legal unbundling for those operators until 1 January 2005, since unbundling was as essential for non-household customers as it was for household customers. The UK emphasised that the need for political agreement was particularly important in the light of the increasing consolidation across Europe. If we did not put in place the conditions needed to ensure nondiscriminatory access to networks for all market players, and this meant legal unbundling, there was a danger that incumbents might be able to use their dominant positions to thwart competition. The Commission agreed that legal separation of both transmission and distribution network operators was essential, reminding delegations that this need not imply any transfer of assets.On public service obligations, there was split between those preferring the universal service provisions to apply to all final customers and those, including the UK, wishing to limit them to household customers only.On energy labelling, most delegations agreed that any labelling system should be simple, cost-effective and accurate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps his Department has taken to simplify the application process for accessing funding from UK European Structural Funds programmes; and what discussions his Department has had with UK and European partners on the simplification of the application process for accessing funding from UK Structural Funds Programme. [74396]

The DTI, in co-ordination with other Government Departments, has been at the forefront of discussion with other Member States and the European Commission on all aspects of simplification of Structural Funds administration. The UK has drafted papers on this issue for consideration by the Structural Funds Management Committees, and as a result of this work, Commissioner Michel Barnier called a meeting of Regional Policy Ministers on 7 October during which the Commission proposals for simplification were discussed. The UK gave its support to these proposals and will be working with the Commission and other Member States on their practical implementation.

To ask the Prime Minister if an official biography of Sir Desmond Morton is being commissioned. [75045]

Yes, I have appointed Mrs. Gill Bennett who is a visiting Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, as the official historian to write the official biography of Sir Desmond Morton.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what archaeological surveys have been conducted by (a) her Department, (b) the County Archaeological Office and (c) English Heritage in respect of the sites identified for development as asylum accommodation centres; if the Government will publish the reports; and what further plans the Government have to commission such surveys. [74520]

It is for the developing agency, not the DCMS, the County Archaeologist or English Heritage to undertake archaeological surveys to inform proposals for development.From the outset of the Accommodation Centre project, archaeology has been dealt with in accordance with government guidance as set out in PPG 16 "Archaeology and Planning". At the site option screening stage, archaeology was one of many factors used to identify sites where an Accommodation Centre might be developed without significant adverse impact to heritage interests, to preclude other sites where unacceptable impacts would occur and to identify those possible sites where desk studies, field evaluation or other archaeological measures would be necessary.Archaeological desk and field evaluation studies have been commissioned by the Home Office for the Accommodation Centres proposed at Newton, Bicester and Pershore. Field evaluation trenching has also been undertaken at Newton and Bicester, and is under consideration at Pershore.At Newton and Bicester the results of the desk and field studies have been submitted as part of the planning notification process, and documentation for Pershore will similarly form part of the planning submission. In due course, if development goes ahead any archaeological investigations in advance of development will be published in accordance with government guidance and archaeological best practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects the final report of the English National Stadium Review to be published; and if she will make a statement. [75044]

I am today publishing the final report of the English National Stadium Review led by Patrick Carter and placing copies in the Libraries of both Houses. The report reflects the detail of the agreements concluded by all principal parties on the National Stadium project on 26 September.I set out on 19 December 2001,

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what advice she has received from the Football Association about progress in concluding the financing of the proposed redevelopment of Wembley Stadium; [74298](2) what advice she has received from the Football Association about changes in costs, including legal and professional fees, of the proposed redevelopment of Wembley Stadium; [74300](3) when she expects the final contracts for the proposed redevelopment of Wembley Stadium to be concluded; and if she will make a statement. [74299]

The contracts relating to the construction of the English National Stadium at Wembley were signed on 26 September. My right hon. Friend has published today the final report of the English National Stadium Review team which included Wembley National Stadium Limited's data on changes to the costs of the project including fees. Copies of the report are available in the House libraries or from my Department's website www.culture.gov.uk.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the BBC curriculum online proposal; and when she expects to reach a decision on the proposal. [74314]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is currently considering the BBC's application for a digital curriculum service, together with the responses to the public consultation, against the criteria set out in the Department's published guidelines on proposed new BBC public services. My right hon. Friend will announce her decision on the application as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what changes she proposes to the working of the concessionary scheme so that eligibility for concessionary TV licences is not lost when someone under 60 years moves into the beneficiary's sheltered housing; [74538](2) how many representations from

The Government proposes to introduce preserved rights for beneficiaries of the Accommodation for Residential Care (ARC) concessionary television licence scheme when the social mix or the level of warden cover in their sheltered housing change, so long as the accommodation continues to be provided or managed by a local authority, a housing association or a development corporation. We intend to publish amending regulations as soon as possible, but the ARC scheme is complex and it is important that, in amending it, we avoid creating any new anomalies or unnecessary administrative burdens.Information about the number of representations received on different aspects of the concessionary television licensing arrangements is not recorded separately.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the supply of general purpose machine guns to Senegal, for use as part of a UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [74948]

Following consultations with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry recently approved a licence to export general purpose machine guns to Senegal. These arms will be used by the Senegalese Armed Forces in the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).DRC is subject to an EU arms embargo, imposed by a Declaration of 7/4/1993. The embargo was put in place mainly to ensure the safety of international troops and civilian personnel deployed in the DRC. The decision to grant an exemption does not affect HMG's continued support for the EU arms embargo on the DRC.The decision to permit export was made on the basis that the equipment is needed by bona fide UN peacekeepers and is proportionate to the humanitarian needs of the Senegalese peacekeepers.HMG fully supports the Senegalese troops deployed to the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC. The decision underlines our continued support for the work being done by peacekeepers within the country.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what goods on the Military List have recently been approved for export to Iraq. [74949]

Following consultation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry recently approved a licence to export de-mining equipment to United Nations Office for Project Services in mine clearance operations in Northern Iraq. The export included an electronic hand held exploder that appears on the Military List. The conclusion that this export does not represent a proliferation threat has been reached after careful assessment.The UN Iraq Sanctions Committee approved this export to Iraq under the Oil for Food programme (OFF). Under OFF Iraq is allowed to export unlimited quantities of oil to fund the purchase of humanitarian goods. The export is consistent with the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress to resolve the territorial dispute between Guatemala and Belize. [74950]

The Organization of American States (OAS) concluded its two year process to help the Governments of Guatemala and Belize settle their territorial dispute on 30 September. Detailed proposals drawn up by independent Facilitators appointed by both Governments were presented to the Governments on 16 September, provide the basis for a fair and honourable settlement to this long-standing dispute. We hope both Governments will now seize this historic opportunity.The Facilitators have recommended some adjustment to the land border, and proposed new maritime limits giving Guatemala an Economic Exclusion Zone and Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Honduras of some 2000 square nautical miles. The Governments of Belize and Honduras have each agreed to contribute 1000 square nautical miles to this zone.The Facilitators have also recommended the establishment of a tri-national ecological park covering coastal, insular and maritime areas of Belize, Guatemala and Honduras and a substantial Development Trust Fund. Details can be found on the Belize Government's website www.belize.gov.bz/.At a ceremony in Washington on 30 September marking the end of the facilitation process, Dr. MacShane spoke of the UK's full support for the OAS process. He welcomed the proposals highlighting the potential for investment and economic growth that will result if the referendums that are now due to be held simultaneously in both countries are successful.HMG believes that the Facilitators have worked patiently and meticulously to produce proposals that are fair and honourable to the Governments of Guatemala and Belize. They represent the best chance yet of settling the dispute. Settlement would also have a global significance, demonstrating that with good will and determination even the most intractable problems can be resolved by negotiation. A settlement would open a new chapter of peace and harmony between the two countries and reduce the risk of potential conflict along the border.We urge the Governments and civil society of both countries to enter into constructive debate on what a settlement would mean to their populace before putting the proposals to referendums.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the UK will continue to uphold the OSCE embargo on the export of weapons and military equipment to Azerbaijan. [74951]

HMG remains committed to the OSCE arms embargo against both Azerbaijan and Armenia, which we interpret as covering all goods and technology controlled under entries in Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994 (commonly known as the military list).In September 2002, the Government approved an export licence application for demining vests for the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Actions.In January 2002 the Government approved a similar request for protective jackets for demining operations to Azerbaijan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for October; and if he will list the major European Union events for the period between 31 October and April 2003. [75046]

The information requested is in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the appointment of a UK Special Representative for Georgia. [74952]

I am committed to finding a way to help Georgia become prosperous, stable and able to live in harmony with its neighbours. This is why I am glad to have appointed Sir Brian Fall as the UK's Special Representative for Georgia, with effect from 1 October. In this capacity Sir Brian will also be the UK Senior Representative on the Group of Friends of the UN Secretary General on Georgia. Sir Brian was formerly H.M. Ambassador to Moscow (1992–95). His experience of the region and his diplomatic skills will be invaluable in helping him fulfil this role.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 16 August from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mohammad Aamrk Iqbal. [74562]

I am informed that due to an administrative error, my right hon. Friend did not receive a reply to his letter of 16 August. I apologise for this. A reply was sent on 7 October.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement, with reference to the documents made public by the Australian Government in September 2000, on the attack at Balibo, East Timor on 16 October 1975. [73697]

In September 2000, the Australian Government published a volume of documents taken from their archives on their relations with East Timor from 1974–76. A number of these documents refer to the deaths of the journalists in the attack on Balibo.The British Government gave the Australian Government clearance to publish a number of official documents which referred to information obtained from British diplomatic sources.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policies he is planning to improve racial harmony in Britain. [74445]

The Community Cohesion Unit, part of the Home Office, is committed to improving community cohesion—which will contribute to improving racial harmony. It supports local authorities and other public bodies to tackle immediate problems in communities; integrating community cohesion into mainstream policy and practice; and developing and disseminating knowledge, experience and expertise to local authorities.It is, for example, funding a programme of community facilitation to encourage dialogue and tackle local grievances or misunderstandings that threaten good community and race relations. A Ministerial Group has been established from across Government whose role is to ensure that their policies promote community cohesion, and it is working with the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), Local Government Association (LGA) and Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) to produce practical guidance on community cohesion for local authorities. A draft of this guidance was made available earlier in the year.The new Government PSA target on race equality, on which the Home Office leads, will deliver improvements in race equality and community cohesion over the next three years,

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are in place to ensure that overseas-recruited (a) health workers and (b) social workers who are working with children have not been convicted of an offence that relates to crimes against children. [74319]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Minister for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Redditch (Jacqui Smith).My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced in his speech to the Labour Party conference on 2 October that forthcoming legislation on sex offenders will include a new order to make those convicted of sexual offences abroad subject to the registration requirements of the Sex Offenders Act if they come to the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what co-ordination he has undertaken of Departments' assessment of the implications of the entitlement card proposals for the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament. [71964]

Home Office officials met with counterparts in the Scottish Executive to discuss issues of particular relevance to the devolved administration, prior to the publication of the consultation paper on Entitlement Cards and Identity Fraud. These contacts will continue during the consultation exercise.The consultation paper states that any legislation to establish an entitlement card scheme would be enacted by the Westminster Parliament, as any scheme would need to operate on a UK-wide basis if it was to be effective as an immigration control measure.One of the detailed options for the scope of any legislation would allow organisations to link services to a card scheme via their own legislation. Under these arrangements, it will be a matter for the Scottish Executive and Parliament to decide whether to link the services they are responsible for to a card scheme. However, they could not prevent the issuing of a card for purposes which are outside the scope of their powers, for example, the UK card as a travel document in Europe.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many jobs under the remit of his Department in (a) the core department, (b) non-departmental public bodies, (c) executive agencies and (d) independent statutory bodies, organisations and bodies financially sponsored by his Department and other such organisations, are located in (i) Scotland, (ii) England, excluding Greater London, (iii) Greater London, (iv) Wales, (v) Northern Ireland and (vi) overseas, broken down by (A) whole-time equivalent jobs and (B) the percentage per individual department, body or organisation. [72728]

[holding answer 24 July 2002]: The Home Office's central personnel systems do not track jobs only staff. As staff may share a job, and as a job may be vacant awaiting the posting of staff it is not possible to provide an answer in the form requested without incurring disproportionate cost.

	Scotland		London		Rest of England		Wales		Northern Ireland		Overseas
Dept/Body/Organisation1	No. (FTE)	%age	No. (FTE)	%age	No. (FTE)	%age	No. (FTE)	%age	No. (FTE)	%age	No. (FTE)	%age	Total (FTE)
Core Home Office including Immigration and Nationality Departmenta	112.8	0.9	8163.9	66.3	3921.0	31.8	54.8	0.4	9.6	0.08	57.6	0.5	12320.5
Fire Service Collegec	0	0	0	0	152.8	100	0	0	0	0	0	0	152.8
Forensic Science Servicec	0	0	722.6	32.9	1,322	60.34	146.4	6.7	0	0	0	0	2191
Passport & Records Agencyc2	200.76	7.32	544.48	19.84	1,623.3	59.16	258.64	9.43	116.76	4.26	0	0%	2743.94
Prison Servicec	1	0	6,400.6	15.3	34,785.9	82.9	777.5	1.9	0	0	0	0	41,965
Notes:
KEY
a"Core department (excluding agencies)
bNon-departmental public body
cExecutive agency
dindependent statutory body, organisation or body financially sponsored by the department
1Permanent Staff (fte) by Region as per MANDATE figures 31/03/01
2Data from Passport & Records Agency is as 8 October 2002

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what contact his Department has had with the Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council regarding the potential impact of establishing an asylum seeker accommodation centre at RAF Turnhouse on council services in Edinburgh; [74184](2) what discussions his Department has had with the Director of Education of the City of Edinburgh Council regarding the provision of educational facilities for asylum seekers in RAF Turnhouse; [74185](3) what discussions his Department has had with the Director of Social Work of the City of Edinburgh Council regarding the provision of social services for asylum seekers at RAF Turnhouse; [74187](4) what discussions his Department has had with the Director of Housing of the City of Edinburgh Council regarding the provision of housing facilities for asylum seekers

Following the announcement of the shortlist of eight sites in January, my officials conducted initial consultations, including with the Leader of City of Edinburgh Council and other officers. Detailed consultations will be undertaken if it is decided to submit a planning notification in respect of the Air West Edinburgh site.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the measures taken to deter bogus asylum seekers in the last two years by the EU. [74450]

In December 2002 Council adopted the EURODAC Regulation establishing a computerised central database of fingerprint images, as well as the electronic means for Member States to transmit fingerprint images to the central database. Once operational, expected to be early next year, EURODAC will enable the fingerprints of asylum applicants and certain other third country nationals to he compared to support the application of the Dublin Convention and its successor. This will enable the rapid identification of those seeking to abuse asylum systems by making multiple and differing claims throughout the European Union.In December 2001 the Laeken European Council called for urgent action to combat illegal migration, itself linked to the making of fraudulent asylum claims. In February 2002, Member States adopted a comprehensive Action Plan, which included measures on border management, readmission agreements and co-ordinating work in source and transit countries. The Seville European Council in June 2002 agreed a range of further measures to combat illegal migration.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people resident in Reading, East became UK citizens in 2001. [74759]

90,295¹ persons were granted British citizenship in the United Kingdom in 2001. Corresponding information on grants to persons in particular constituencies is not available, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have entered the UK for the purposes of (a) visiting, (b) study,

Passengers, given leave to enter the United Kingdom by purpose of journey, excluding EEA nationals, 1997 to 2001
Purpose of journey	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001P
Visitors	7,760,000	8,040,000	8,370,000	8,930,000	8,170,000
of which: Business visitors	1,530,000	1,530,000	1,600,000	1,770,000	1,610,000
Students	278,000	266,000	272,000	313,000	339,000
Employment related	145,000	161,000	173,000	179,000	186,000
of which: Work permit holders (including dependants)	62,975	68,385	76,010	91,825	108,825
Working holidaymakers	33,300	40,800	45,800	38,400	35,800
Au pairs	15,295	15,880	14,645	12,870	11,985
Domestic workers	15,640	15,825	14,890	14,290	10,465
Commonwealth citizens with a UK-born grandparent, who are seeking or taking employment	8,350	10,220	11,785	10,930	10,635
Seasonal agricultural workers1	9,275	9,450	9,760	10,105	8,390
Investors	25	15	25	50	25
Family reunion	28,570	34,705	32,780	36,065	33,410
of which: Admitted as a spouse or fianceé(e)	26,385	32,165	30,320	32,970	29,100
Dependants2	2,185	2,545	2,460	3,095	4,310
Notes:
PData are provisional
1May be an underestimate of those who work as seasonal agricultural workers as they may enter through other admission categories.
2Excludes those children granted settlement on arrival as it is not possible to separate those travelling independently for family reunion from those travelling with their parents. However, in each of the five years shown these total no more than 1.800.
Figures are rounded to the nearest five or to three significant figures

No data are currently available for the number of persons who have entered the UK for the purpose of humanitarian protection. It is not possible to provide information on how many asylum seekers entered the UK in any given period, because some arrive clandestinely and subsequently apply for asylum in-country rather than on arrival at UK ports. Others may enter legally with visas as visitors, or under another immigration status, and subsequently claim asylum.The table below shows the number of applicants who applied for asylum in the UK, both at port and in-country, in each year between 1997 and 2001.

Applications for asylum in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, 1997 to 20011
	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001P
Applications received	32,500	46,015	71,160	80,315	71,365
Applied at port	16,590	23,345	29,455	25,935	25,210
Applied in-country	15,915	22,670	41,700	54,380	46,160
Notes:
PData are provisional
1May exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices between January 1999 and March 2000. Excludes Kosovars evacuated from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia under the humanitarian operation which began in April 1999 who were granted exceptional leave for 1 year, and a number of grants of temporary exceptional leave given to Kosovars who arrived in the United Kingdom outside the evacuation programme, other than those who applied for asylum whilst in the UK. As at July

The information requested on how many persons have entered the United Kingdom (UK) as visitors, students, for employment related and family reunion purposes are given in the table. The figures given exclude passengers who are not subject to immigration control, i.e. European Economic Area (EEA) nationals and Commonwealth citizens who have the right of abode in the UK.2000 the majority of those Kosovars who had arrived under the humanitarian evacuation operation had returned to (FRY) Former Republic of Yugoslavia.Figures are rounded to the nearest five.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what effect the marriage of a prisoner to a foreign national has on the rights of (a) the marriage partner and (b) existing children to (i) remain in the United Kingdom, (ii) hold a British passport and (iii) obtain British citizenship. [73533]

If the prisoner is not, himself, a British citizen or a person settled in the UK, then his status would not confer any entitlement on his spouse and children to remain in the UK. Providing that adequate funds were available, his spouse and children could seek leave to enter the UK for short periods to visit him in prison.If the prisoner is a British citizen or person settled here, a foreign national marrying him would be able to apply for leave to remain here on the basis of the marriage. The application would be considered on its merits, taking into account the following factors:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Passport and Records Agency intends to publish its annual accounts for 2001–02. [75393]

The Passport and Records Agency Accounts 2001–02 has been published today and copies of the Report have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the names of the unpaid advisers appointed by him and his predecessor since June 1997, stating in each case (a) the date of their appointment, (b) the duration of their appointment and (c) the project or projects on which they have been engaged. [43377]

[holding reply 25 March 2002)]: No unpaid advisers have been appointed by Defence Ministers since June 1997.For details of unpaid appointments made by the Ministry of Defence to task forces, review groups and other ad hoc advisory groups, I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer provided by my hon. Friend for Shipley (Mr. Leslie) on 16 November 2001,

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many overseas visits have been undertaken by parliamentary private secretaries in his Department at departmental expense in each of the last four years; and at what cost to public funds. [36810]

[holding answer 25 February 2002]: Parliamentary Private Secretaries supporting Ministers in this Department have travelled overseas on Government business on three occasions. As military transport was used no additional costs were incurred. All travel complied with the requirements of the Ministerial Code.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is towards age discrimination. [42581]

The Ministry of Defence integrated age into its equal opportunity policy some years ago and the Department has a commitment that there should be no unfair discrimination on the basis of age. Action on diversity has and will continue to tackle any negative attitudes, particularly through the training and development of managers and through the monitoring of recruitment, selection and appraisal statistics.The Ministry of Defence, like other Departments, has reviewed its age retirement policy in light of the Government's commitment to tackle ageism in the workplace as set out in the Code of Practice for Age Diversity in Employment published in 1999 and in the Performance Innovation Unit's Report "Winning the Generation Game". The review concluded that there should be no change. In the MOD, some two-thirds of the workforce have the option to retire anytime between the age of 60 and 65.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) date, (b) location and (c) purpose was of visits by ministers in his Department to Wales since 1997; and when he next intends to visit Wales. [62074]

[holding reply 17 June 2002]: Defence Ministers have made the following visits to Wales since 1997:

Dates
2 March 1999	Clwyd	Visit to RAF Sealand/Defence Aviation Repair Agency
7 March 1999	St Athan	Visit to Defence Aviation Repair Agency
5–6 June 1999	Cwmbran	Rededication of War Memorial
9 June 2000	Chepstow	Visit to Royal Anglian Regiment
9 January 2002	St Athan	Visit to Defence Aviation Repair Agency
7 August 2002	St Athan	Visit to Defence Aviation Repair Agency

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence plans to visit Wales in early November.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list external (a) public relations/ communications companies, (b) advertising and marketing companies, (c) management consultancies, (d) accountancy companies, (e) banking firms, (f) individual consultants and (g) other specialist consultancies used by his Department since June 2001; what actions those consultancies/companies have performed within his Department; and what costs have been incurred through use of these consultancies/companies. [74678]

The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, information on expenditure on external assistance, categorised by type of work and Top Level Budget Holder, is contained in the Ministry of Defence's annual return of expenditure on External Assistance. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House since 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what performance criteria and testing procedures relating to possible use in extreme heat and desert conditions were utilised during the procurement processes for (a) the Challenger II Tank and its related AS90 self propelled gun, (b) items of military clothing, (c) C17 transport aircraft and (d) radio communication and information systems. [74649]

Performance criteria and testing procedures during the procurement of any equipment or materiel are those required to ensure that the operational requirements set at that time are met. Amongst the criteria used is the Ministry of Defence series of Defence Standards (DEFStans). The performance of equipments that have been in-service for some time is routinely monitored to ensure that they continue to meet operational requirements.Both the Challenger II Tank and AS90 were procured against a requirement to operate in Northwest Europe. Following the experience of Exercise SAIF SAREEA II, the ability to operate more effectively in Desert conditions is being enhanced through logistic improvements and for AS90, a Desertisation Upgrade Pack.Military clothing must meet or exceed the relevant European and British quality standards and performance characteristics. Garments are tested for conformity and, for operational clothes, trials are conducted by the user in the required environmental conditions.The UK C-17 aircraft is an Off-the-Shelf solution to meet the Short Term Strategic Airlift Requirement. The aircraft has been designed, developed, tested and cleared by Boeing and the United States Air Force to operate in a wide range of environments including extreme heat and desert conditions.The main tactical radio communications system currently in use in the land environment is the Clansman family of radios and ancillaries. Designed for operations, over a temperature range of - 40 to + 55 degrees centigrade, in combat zones anywhere in the world, Clansman remains just as capable as it always has been to meet the requirement it was delivered against. The Design Authorities provided the temperature operating range when the equipment was procured in the 1970s.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made to increase the numbers of (a) engineers, (b) signallers and (c) medical services in the armed forces. [74413]

The Armed Forces undertake numerous and varied recruiting and retention initiatives designed to improve the manning levels of all trades and specialisations which are experiencing, or which are predicted to encounter, shortfalls. Those undertaken to boost levels of engineers, signallers and medical services personnel are bearing fruit. In the Army, in the first six months of 2002–2003, RE enlistments are up 33 per cent., REME enlistments up 24 per cent., R Signals enlistments up 24 per cent. and AMS enlistments up by 7 per cent., over the corresponding period last year. These specialist groups are amongst those that are subject to close scrutiny because of the potential impact that any shortfalls might have on operational capability.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the performance targets for the Defence Bills Agency for the financial year 2002–03 will be revised following the appointment of a new chief executive. [74942]

The Department and the new Chief Executive have reviewed the targets set for the Defence Bills Agency for the financial year 2002–2003. As a result, it was decided that there was scope for further tightening of the already high standards of service provided by the Agency since its formation in 1996. The Key Targets are now as follows:

1. To make a progressive reduction in the unit costs of output for bills and invoices of between 15 per cent. and 20 per cent. by March 2004; specific annual targets to be agreed with the Owner.

2. Produce accounting and financial information to the ISO 9001–2000 quality standard and to the times set out in the 1999 Service Level Agreement with MOD Centre.

3. To pay 99.9 per cent. of correctly presented bills within 11 calendar days of receipt as part of the Department's 30-day payment target.

4. To raise 97 per cent. of invoices accurately within 4 days of receipt of a correctly authorised claimable document.

5. Reduce the overdue collectable debt to 35 per cent. of total collectable debt (based on a 6 month rolling average).

6. To make a progressive improvement of at least 2 per cent. in the overall level of customer satisfaction compared with the targets set in 2000–2001.

The change to key target number 3 is an effective increase in the challenge to the Agency since previous performance was rounded to the nearest per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much military service personnel housing is owned by his Department in (a) the UK and (b) overseas. [54643]

pursuant to his reply, 19 September 2002, Official Report, column 316W. The figure for housing in England, Scotland and Wales was incorrect. This figure should have read 52,600 not 2,600 as printed in the Official Report. Similarly, the number of Quarters owned or leased by the Ministry of Defence under PFI arrangements should read 7,600, not 7,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the assistance pledged for Afghanistan at Tokyo in January has been provided; and if she will make a statement. [74947]

At the Tokyo conference in January 2002, bilateral and multilateral donors pledged a total of $4.5 billion (about £2.9 billion) over five years, for both reconstruction and continuing humanitarian needs. The UK pledge was £200 million (about $285 million) over 5 years. Of the $1.8 billion pledged at Tokyo for 2002, the UN estimate that just over $1.3 billion (60 per cent.) has so far been disbursed. Humanitarian appeals are currently funded at between 75 per cent. and 90 per cent. for the larger UN agencies; however, initial estimates contained in the UN Immediate and Transitional Assistance Programme document are now widely perceived to be an underestimate, as needs are likely to increase with the coming winter.I have increased our commitment from £1.8 million to £55 million this financial year for humanitarian and reconstruction assistance for Afghanistan. Of this amount, about £21.5 million has already been disbursed, mainly through UN agencies, the Red Cross and NGOs, for humanitarian and early recovery assistance. We have also channelled £10 million through the World Bank's Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund. Of the additional £15 million recently made available for this financial year, £11 million will help meet immediate needs, including support for the ongoing refugee return programme and humanitarian requirements throughout the forthcoming winter. I have also placed a Briefing on the Reconstruction of Afghanistan in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what decisions he has reached on appointments to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. [74939]

The reappointment of sixteen of the existing Commissioners, including the Chief Commissioner, Joan Harbison, and the Deputy Chief Commissioner, Bronagh Hinds took effect on 16 August 2002.The other Commissioners reappointed are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish the latest report received from the Oversight Commissioner. [74940]

The Oversight Commissioner's second statutory report for 2002 was published on 10 September and a copy was laid before the House in accordance with section 68(4)(a) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will issue guidance to Government Departments requiring them to keep records of every decision taken using the Royal Prerogative and to place such records in the Library every 12 months. [71682]

I refer the right hon. Member to the answer provided by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael) on 25 June 2002, Official Report, column 802W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will report on the National Forest Company's progress in creating the National Forest in the East Midlands. [74943]

I have arranged for copies of the National Forest Company's Annual Report and its Accounts for 2001–2002 to he placed in the House libraries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what changes are planned to improve implementation of EC Directive 92/43/EEC (the Habitats Directive) where European-protected species are found on development sites in England. [74944]

The Government has decided it is necessary to make improvements to the arrangements for the implementation of the Habitats Directive in respect of European protected species and the land-use planning regime in England.We are proposing, with the agreement of my noble Friend, Lord Rooker, Minister for Planning, to improve the protection afforded to these threatened species by integrating the requirements of the Directive within the land-use planning process, ensuring consideration of all the relevant issues within the planning process rather than in two separate regimes. Officials in Defra and the

Slaughters that have occurred on dangerous contact premises since the last case of foot and mouth disease on 30 September 2001
Date individual seropositive animal bled	Reason for testing	Initial Result	Rebleed requested	No. of animals at time of sampling	No. of animals slaughtered	Method of disposal	Location of disposal site	Probang sample and Final result
01/10/01	Serosurveillance	Seropositive	Yes	57	57 sheep	Render	Lancaster	No virus detected by probang
04/10/01	Serosurveillance	Seropositive	Yes	653	1 sheep	Render	Lancaster	No virus detected by probang
09/10/01	Serosurveillance	Seropositive	Yes	100	95 sheep	Render	Lancaster	No virus detected by probang
12/10/01	Serosurveillance	Seropositive	Yes	402	387 sheep	Render	Lancaster	No virus detected by probang
16/10/01	Serosurveillance	Seropositive	Yes	176	2 goats	Render	Lancaster	No virus detected by probang
20/10/01	Pre-movement	Seropositive	Yes	266	1 sheep	Render	Lancaster	No virus detected by probang
24/10/01	Pre-movement	Seropositive	Yes	105	1 sheep	Render	Lancaster	No virus detected by probang
26/10/01	Serosurveillance	Seropositive	Yes	1280	I sheep	Mass burial	Tow Law	No virus detected by probang
30/10/01	Serosurveillance	Seropositive	Yes	148	1 sheep	Render	Lancaster	No virus detected by probang
31/10/01	Serosurveillance	Seropositive	Yes	407	360 sheep	Render	Lancaster	No virus detected by probang
4/11/01	Serosurveillance	Seropositive	Yes	2067	9 sheep	Render	Lancaster	No virus detected by probang
05/11/01	Serosurveillance	Seropositive	Yes	129	129 sheep	Render	Lancaster	No virus detected by probang
05/11/01	Serosurveillance	Seropositive	Yes	2000	1 sheep	Render	Lancaster	No virus detected by probang

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what dates slaughters have occurred on dangerous contact premises since 30 September 2001; if she will list (a) the number of premises and animals involved on each occasion broken down by type, (b) the numbers tested, with details of the types of test carried out and the results on each occasion, (c) the locations of the disposal sites of carcasses and method of disposal and (d) the number of premises and animals that were additionally slaughtered out on other premises as a result of the identification of infection of premises relating to these activities; and if she will make a statement. [74699]

The information requested is set out in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance she provides on the timber procurement strategy. [74602]

Advice on the timber procurement strategy is currently given in Section 3 of the Green Guide for Buyers. A copy is on the "Sustainable Development in Government" web site, which also includes other guidance on the subject. URL:http:// www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/sdig/improving/ contextf.htm.My officials have also provided Departments with a model specification clause for inclusion in contracts for timber procurement. Ministers do however recognise that better guidance is required if buyers are to be fully equipped to resolve the complexities involved in procuring timber and timber products from legal and sustainably managed sources. This is one of the issues addressed by consultants in their report on the timber scoping study that was commissioned by Defra in October 2001 and is currently under consideration. A copy of the report is on the Tropical Forest Forum's web site. Look in Forum activities/Trade/Timber Trade at http://www.forestforum.org.uk.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many educational maintenance allowances are available; and at what annual cost. [74631]

[holding answer 15 October 2002]: Education Maintenance Allowances are available to all those young people who are resident in a pilot area, who meet the relevant eligibility criteria for that particular pilot and who meet the conditions of their Learning Agreement. The actual amount the young person receives also depends on the particular variant being piloted in their area. Take-up of EMA varies from one LEA area to another depending on the variant being tested and on the level of marketing carried out by the LEA and other local partners. In the last academic year over 120,000 young people benefited from EMA across all pilot areas. This figure will increase again this year when the pilot scheme reaches steady state with two cohorts of young people in all 56 areas. The cost of the scheme, including evaluation and other related pilot activity, was slightly over £99 million for the last financial year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she has completed evaluation of the pilot education maintenance allowances. [74630]

[holding answer 15 October 2002]: The evaluation of the EMA pilots began in Spring 1999 and is scheduled for completion next year. The evaluation was designed with two purposes. The first was to determine how effective an EMA approach was in increasing participation, retention and achievement amongst young people from low-income families. The second was to provide evidence on the most effective aspects of the various models being tested.Evidence from the first two years of the pilots shows that EMAs increased participation in full-time education in Year 12 by 5.9 percentage points among eligible young people. The participation gain was further increased to 7.3 percentage points in Year 13. On this basis we decided to extend EMAs nationally from September 2004. We are now looking to further evidence to inform the development of the most effective model for national implementation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the definition which she uses of full-time education. [74788]

There is no legal definition of full-time education for state maintained schools. In providing full-time education to pupils, LEAs should look to DfES Circulars 7/90 and 11/99 as to the number of hours recommended for pupils at each key stage. Neither circular imposes a statutory requirement on LEAs, but provides guidance only. Circular 7/90 establishes a general guide to good practice on lesson time, which OFSTED echo in their guidance. The suggested weekly lesson times are as follows:

Age	Hours
5–7	21
8–11	23.5
12–14	24
14–16	25

Information on Circulars 7/90 and 11/99 can be accessed at www.dfes.gov.uk/guidanceonthelaw/For further education purposes, students classified for statistical purposes as full-time are defined as those enrolled on programmes of at least 450 guided learning hours per year, or for at least 150 guided learning hours per tri-annual period or more than 16 guided learning hours per week for shorter courses.For higher education, the Higher Education Statistics Agency's definition is:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will provide monthly loans payments to higher education students. [73971]

We have no plans to do so for 2003/04. Nevertheless, we are looking at what flexibility on payments might be introduced later as part of our programme to modernise student support.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of full-time students stayed in education in the Huntingdon constituency after the age of (a) 16 and (b) 18 years in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2001. [74224]

Data on the percentage of students staying on in full-time education are not calculated for areas smaller than LEAs as reliable estimates cannot be made. Participation rates at sub-national level are only available for 16 and 17 year olds. The latest available data are for end 1999 and are published in the annual statistical bulletin, "Participation in Education and Training by Young People Aged 16 and 17 in Each Local Area and Region. England".Huntingdon constituency is part of Cambridgeshire LEA. Prior to 1998/99 Cambridgeshire LEA was included in the aggregated Cambridgeshire and Peterborough LEA, therefore two sets of figures are given below. The first columns set out the participation rates for 16 and 17 year olds in full-time education for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough LEA at end 1997 and end 1999; the second group for Cambridgeshire LEA at end 1998 and end 1999:

16 and 17 year olds in full-time education
	Cambridgeshire and Peterborough LEA		Cambridgeshire LEA
Age	end 1997	end 1997	end 1998	end 1999
16	71	75	71	75
17	62	59	58	60

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what allocations of funding were made by the Greater Manchester Learning Skills Council to each of the boroughs under the Local Initiative Fund Scheme for 2001–02. [74190]

This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. John Harwood the Council's Chief Executive will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made on the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency Quinquennial Review. [75392]

In line with Cabinet Office guidance, the review is being carried out in two stages. I am now in a position to make an announcement about the outcome of Stage 1 and the basis on which work will be taken forward on Stage 2The Government has today published the report

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on actions taken by (a) her Department, (b) other Government departments and (c) education providers in connection with the introduction of disability rights to post-16 education. [74667]

[holding answer 15 October 2002]: The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) exempted educational institutions from its provisions. Through the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001, my Department has plugged an unacceptable gap in the DDA to include all bodies responsible for Further and Higher Education and LEA-secured adult and community education, within its provisions.We are implementing the new duties in three stages:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children under the age of five years are being taught in infant classes in primary education, broken down by local education authority. [74282]

The available information for maintained primary schools is shown in the table along with, for completeness, figures for under 5's in maintained nursery schools and classes.