To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures she plans to take to control predatory lending. [87014]

In July last year I announced a review of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. As part of this review, I have consulted on proposals to extend the protection the Act provides by removing the financial limit and to make the terms for early settlement of loans fairer to consumers. I will be consulting in 2003 on proposals for improving the current licensing regime to ensure better regulation of lenders and increasing protection for consumers against extortionate credit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the annual pay negotiations for employees in the insolvency Services will be concluded. [84462]

The Treasury agreed the Insolvency Service pay remit on 9 December 2002 and pay negotiations will begin very shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which chemical industry specialist was appointed to work with Invest UK in January 2001; and if she will make a statement on Invest UK, including the terms of reference for the organisation and its work. [85492]

[holding answer 9 December 2002]: The chemical industry specialist appointed to work with Invest UK is James W. Walpole, a senior executive, who has been seconded to the DTI by BP Chemicals for three years and works alongside Invest UK's team in the USA.Invest UK's mission is "to attract, to retain and add value to inward investment." It does so by marketing the UK abroad as an investment location, working with its partner agencies in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the English Regional Development Agencies.A copy of the Invest UK Operations Review for 2002, reporting its activities in 2001–02, can be found in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimates she has made of the level of inward investment into (a) Roxburgh and Berwickshire, (b) the Scottish Borders, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK over the last 10 years. [85704]

The number of inward investments in Scotland and the UK during the financial years 1992–2002 are as follows:

	Scotland	UK
1992–93	61	332
1993–94	87	432
1994–95	81	455
1995–96	72	497
1996–97	76	497
1997–98	75	631
1998–99	55	669
1999–2000	75	800
2000–01	74	881
2001–02	61	827

Invest-UK does not hold inward investment for sub regions.The figures are based on information provided by companies at the time of announcement of the decision to invest in the UK. There is no requirement to notify Invest-UK of such decisions. These figures include only those projects where Invest-UK and its regional partners were involved or which have come to their notice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support she will provide to the UK steel industry to help it reach its maximum capacity of output. [86942]

The state aid rules applicable to the steel industry do not allow for direct help to enhance primary steel production. Nonetheless my Department works closely with industry representatives to try to ensure the UK's steel production capacity is utilised by helping its customers in the metals downstream industry sectors to access state of the art technology; best practice to move up the value added chain; and to diversify into new high technology products, in order to remain competitive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether war pensions will be in the card account proposed by the Post Office. [86559]

I have been asked to reply.Yes.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what the criteria were by which the civil defence grant for 2003–04 was allocated to individual local authorities; [85835]

I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement on 3 December 2002, Official Report, column 68WS, which explains how civil defence grant was allocated for 2003–04, and the level of allocation to each authority in England and Wales.To determine the individual allocations mentioned in that statement, the following formula was adopted:Each authority received £53,000. Each county council received £12,000 in respect of each shire district within the authority's boundaries. These flat-rate payments accounted for approximately 65 per cent. of the aggregate grant, in recognition of the fact that every authority, regardless of size and population, would incur similar unavoidable costs in conducting the basic emergency planning function.The remaining 35 per cent. of the aggregate grant was distributed according to the Bellwin threshold, using population size as a proxy for the scale of the emergency planning that authorities need to undertake.In order to keep year-on-year changes to individual authorities' allocations within reasonable bounds, a damping was added to the formula, so that no authority lost more than 10 per cent. or gained more than 20 per cent. compared with the previous year.Before the formula was applied for the financial year 2002–03, £100,000 was retained for discretionary grant for special projects and special events of benefit to the wider emergency planning community in England and Wales.Before making decisions on this allocation method, consultations were held with local authority representatives on the basis of a draft formula. As a result of the representations made, the formula was amended to give greater weight to the flat rate element and less weight to the element distributed according to the Bellwin threshold. The damping was also changed to reduce the floor level for losses.The aggregate amount of civil defence grant in each financial year since 1996–97 is as follows:

Financial year	Shropshire county council civil defence grant (£)	Telford and Wrekin civil defence grant (£)	Total civil defence grant for Shropshire (£)	Percentage change	England and Wales percentage change
1997–98	212,800	1—	212,800	—	—
1998–99	171,288	35,000	206,288	-3	0
1999–2000	170,688	35,000	205,688	0	0
2000–01	153,619	48,000	201,619	-2	0
2001–02	170,498	79,999	250,497	+24	+31
2002–03	153,448	71,999	225,447	-10	0
2003–04	153,834	72,385	226,219	0	0
1 Did not exist

In the absence of cash limits, the aggregate amount of civil defence grant increased in 2001–02, following discussions with local authorities. It was decided to maintain the grant at around the 2001–02 national level to reflect factors such as the fuel crisis, foot and mouth outbreak and flooding.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate has been made of the cost of the reorganisations of the (a) DETR, (b) DTLR, (c) DFT and (d) DEFRA Departments. [86369]

This information is not collected centrally. Departmental costs and other expenditure are accounted for in departmental annual reports and National Audit Office audits of departmental accounts.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) if he will list (a) the amount of civil defence grant for Shropshire, (b) the yearly percentage change for Shropshire and (c) the average percentage change for England in each year since 1997; [86462](2) if he will make a statement on the impact of

There are two authorities in Shropshire currently in receipt of civil defence grants: Shropshire county council and Telford and Wrekin unitary authority. The reorganisation of local government and the creation of new all-purpose authorities has led to the redistribution, over several years, of civil defence grant among authorities.The yearly percentage change for Shropshire and the average percentage change for England and Wales as a whole, are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the consequences for the demand for flying of a 1 per cent. increase in the cost of flying per annum; and what assessment he has made of the consequences for (a) air pollution, (b) greenhouse gases, (c) noise and (d) wildlife if the demand for flying is halved. [87061]

No assessment assuming an annual increase in the cost of flying of 1 per cent. has been made. The forecasts in "Air Traffic Forecasts for the United Kingdom 2000" assume a 1 per cent. per annum decrease in air fares. A sensitivity test, assuming constant fares over the forecast period, indicates a demand reduction of 25 per cent. by 2020. No assessments have been made on the assumption that the demand for flying were halved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many publicly operated car pounds there are in (a) London and (b) the UK; what their locations are; and how many car pounds are operated by the DVLA in (i) London and (ii) the UK. [86910]

DVLA operates one permanent car pound in London and 13 permanent pounds in the rest of the UK. Temporary pounds are set up to service DVLA's two mobile wheelclamping teams as required.In addition, six local authorities have taken on devolved powers to clamp and impound unlicensed vehicles in partnership with DVLA. These are the London boroughs of Croydon, Lewisham, Newham and Wandsworth, together with Hastings and Southend-on-Sea. Each authority has a separate car pound for this purpose. DVLA is in discussion with a further 11 local authorities on devolved powers.The information requested on publicly operated car pounds is not immediately available. I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as it has been obtained and will place a copy of my letter in the Libraries if the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he plans to legislate to make the wearing of helmets by children when cycling compulsory. [86858]

A study published by the Department in November found that overall, the evidence suggests that cycle helmets are effective at reducing the severity of brain and upper facial injuries for all ages, and especially children. This reinforces our view that helmets should be worn by children. Our latest knowledge of wearing is that the rate for all cyclists on built-up major roads is now 22 per cent. The wearing rate is continuing to increase, but at this level, making helmets compulsory would cause enforcement difficulties, and without greater public acceptance, could have an effect on levels of cycling. We will continue to monitor wearing rates and review the option of compulsory wearing from time to time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many DVLA clamping teams operate in (a) the UK and (b) London; what plans he has to increase the number of DVLA clamping teams in (i) the UK and (ii) London; how much time was spent by DVLA clamping teams in each London borough in each of the last five years; what criteria are used to measure the effectiveness of DVLA clamping teams; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of DVLA clamping teams, in the last five years, broken down by region. [86911]

DVLA has an overall total of 18 clamping teams operating from 14 pounds throughout the UK. Four of these teams operate in the London area.The extension of the wheel clamping scheme is being addressed as part of our proposals to modernise the vehicle registration and licensing system.Over the last five years DVLA clamping teams have spent two weeks twice a year in each London borough. In addition, DVLA is developing partnerships with local authorities to clamp and remove unlicensed vehicles. Such partnerships already operate in the London boroughs of Newham, Lewisham, Croydon and Wandsworth. Other boroughs have expressed an interest in joining the scheme.DVLA's clamping contractor has to meet closely monitored targets for the number of vehicles clamped. The current target in the UK is over 1,000 vehicles per week. The overall impact of the wheel clamping scheme on the level of relicensing is regularly monitored by the Department's statisticians. The scheme consistently achieves a return of 3:1 when factors such as induced relicensing are taken into account.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the (a) benefits and (b) value for money of each of the motorcycling task groups; what the outcome of each task group was; and when the task groups met. [86090]

The Advisory Group on Motorcycling established five Task Forces to consider integration and traffic management, vehicle safety and security, environmental and fiscal issues, research and statistics. They have been meeting as necessary since 1999 and will continue to do so until they have completed their work in 2004. Their initial work was detailed in the Interim Report of the Advisory Group on Motorcycling, published in April 2001, and is available in the Libraries in the House.Some of the key work streams will not reach fruition until 2004. Even then it would be difficult to assess the value for money of the Task Forces. The nature of their work does not involve specific costs and benefits which can be quantified. However, the work of the Advisory Group is highly valued by Government and provides the motorcycling community with the opportunity to input to the development of motorcycling policy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if the head of the accountancy profession at his Department engaged in (a) correspondence, (b) discussions and (c) meetings with (i) his Department's Ministers or officials and (ii) Treasury Ministers or officials in relation to the establishment of Network Rail from October 2001 to September 2002; and if he will make a statement; [86846](2) if the head of the accountancy profession at the Department for Transport participated in meetings about the establishment, design and accounting for the successor organisation for Railtrack, between September 2001 and 4 July 2002; and if he will make a statement. [86845]

The participation of DfT's head of accountancy profession in discussions about Network Rail was as follows:A meeting with Department officials on 15 April 2002 to discuss the likely accounting treatment of the CLG proposals based on UK GAAP and Treasury advice on Government accounting.A meeting with Department and Treasury officials, Strategic Rail Authority and accountancy advisers on 7 May 2002 to discuss likely accounting treatment from UK GAAP perspective.A meeting with National Audit Office, SRA and Department officials on 9 May 2002 to discuss the Network Rail proposals and the likely UK GAAP accounting treatment.A letter dated 4 July 2002 to the Office for National Statistics confirming the contingent liabilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what hospitality was received by (a) Ministers and (b) his special advisers from each rail franchise holder over the past 12 months. [85333]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason the franchise for South West Trains has been extended for one year with the possibility of an extension to 2007. [85534]

The South West Trains franchise has been extended for one year, with the possibility of a further extension, to provide a period of stability while the Mark 1 trains are replaced, and to allow the Strategic Rail Authority time to negotiate a competitive re-letting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of the estimated total number of unlicensed vehicles in the UK is represented by (a) London and (b) the south-east. [86912]

The percentage of the estimated total number of unlicensed vehicles in the UK represented by (a) London is 11 per cent. and (b) the south-east is 14 per cent. assuming that Essex, Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Hampshire make up the south-east region.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of unlicensed vehicles in the London area. [86913]

It is estimated that there are around 171,000 unlicensed vehicles in the London area in 2001–02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where each of the competitors in the UK's aircraft carrier competition is proposing to locate the final assembly of the two ships; and where each of the competitors is proposing to conduct the commissioning and acceptance of the vessels. [86682]

[holding answer 10 December 2002]: Proposals for the construction of the new carriers have been submitted by the potential prime contractors and are currently being assessed within the Ministry of Defence. We expect to announce the preferred contractor early next year. The choice of final assembly location proposed by each bidder is a matter for them, but will be taken into account—along with a range of other factors—within that assessment period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the stocks of stockpiled ammunition have changed since 1997; and what measures there are to ensure that the armed forces have adequate reserves of ammunition in case of a crisis. [86300]

Details of stockpiled ammunition are withheld under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. However, it can be confirmed that stockpile planning is subject to continuous review in order to ensure that the derived liabilities for munitions are robust and reflect current Defence Planning Assumptions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Royal Navy, (b) Royal Marines, (c) Army and (d) RAF personnel are stationed in Scotland, (i) in total and (ii) in each location; and if he will make a statement. [86383]

The number of United Kingdom Regular personnel as at 1 April 2002 is given as follows. These figures include both trained and untrained personnel. They exclude FTRS, Gurkhas, Reserves mobilised for duty, and members of the Royal Irish Home Service. From these figures it is not possible to separate the Royal Marines from the Royal Navy figures.

Total UK regular personnel in Scotland as at 1 April 2002
	Naval Service1	Army	RAF
Scotland	4,670	3,710	5,870
City of Aberdeen	—	10	—
Aberdeenshire	0	0	360
Angus	710	100	—
Argyll and Bute	3,690	0	—
City of Dundee	10	40	—
City of Edinburgh	0	1,350	30
Falkirk	0	—	0

Total UK regular personnel in Scotland as at 1 April 2002
	Naval Service1	Army	RAF
Fife	130	30	1,290
City of Glasgow	20	1,250	20
Highland	—	510	10
Inverclyde	10	0	0
Midlothian	0	360	0
Moray	0	—	4,020
North Ayrshire	0	—	—
Perthshire and Kinross	0	40	0
Renfrewshire	0	—	—
Shetland Islands	0	0	30
South Ayrshire	100	—	100
Stirling	0	10	0
West Lothian	0	—	0
Cornhaire nan Eilean Siar	0	—	—
1 These figures include both Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel
2 Figures under 5 have been suppressed and all other figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
—denotes figure is 5 or under, and has therefore been suppressed to avoid disclosure.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on the PFI contract for the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency; whether the contract is on schedule; and if he will make a statement. [85866]

Details of the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency's contract costs and performance against Key Targets for financial years 1997–98 to 2000–01 inclusive appear in the Agency's Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which are held in the Library of the House.The Annual Report and Accounts for the financial year 2001–2002 should be published early in the New Year and will indicate that all Key Targets were met. Contract costs for the same period were some 64 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) UDR and (b) RIR widows have been created as a direct result of terrorist activity in Northern Ireland since 1973; and how much money has been distributed by the Army Forces Pension Scheme to each class of widow since 1973. [86653]

Between 1973 and 1992 there have been 103 UDR widows, two UDR widowers and six RIR widows as a direct result of terrorist activity in Northern Ireland. Information is being collated to determine the level of payments made through the Armed Forces Pension Scheme. I will write to the lion Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial assistance the widow of a soldier killed on duty will receive from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme. [86655]

The widow of a soldier killed on duty as a result of his service will for the first three months receive a short-term pension at annual rate equal to her husband's annual rate of pay. After this period she receives a long-term attributable pension for herself and any children reflecting her husband's rank and linked to his rate of pay. The resulting benefits equate to around 90 per cent.of the members full career pension. From 31 October 2000, attributable widows' pensions have been paid for life, regardless of whether the widow remarries or cohabits with a man as her husband. In addition to the short and long-term pensions, she would receive a death-in-service gratuity equal to amount that would have been payable to the soldier on invaliding grounds, or if greater, twice the full career rate of the invaliding pension. An additional attributable gratuity is payable which is set according to the rank of the soldier. Benefits would also be paid under the War Pension Scheme.Arrangements are currently under review as part of an examination of pension and compensation arrangements for the Armed Forces, and widows' provisions are one area where we are considering improvements. We expect to make an announcement on this work early next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service men under the age of 18 years have suffered accidents involving firearms in each of the last five years. [82928]

Information on accidents involving firearms and casualties is not held centrally by the Army and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. In the Royal Navy (RN), records of casualties indicate that one 17-year-old Royal Marine (RM) died as a result of a gunshot wound in training in 2000, but no other RN (or RM) personnel under 18 have been injured by firearms over the last five years. No RAF personnel under the age of 18 have suffered accidents involving firearms over the last five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) civilian and (b) military female members of staff of the Army Welfare Service are based in each of the agency's offices in Scotland. [86129]

The Army Welfare Service currently employs three female members of staff in its offices in Scotland. One civilian and one military female member of staff are employed in Edinburgh. One further military female member of staff is employed in Inverness.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what routes of appeal are available to (a) civilian and (b) military members of staff of the Army Welfare Service who are dissatisfied with the outcome of the agency's internal complaints procedure. [86132]

There is no specific internal complaint procedure for staff employed within the Army Welfare Service, further to that which is available to all military and Ministry of Defence civilian staff. Complaint procedure for military personnel is detailed within Army General Administrative Instructions Volume 2 Chapter 70—Management and Resolution of Complaints; further guidance is provided in Army General Administrative Instructions Volume 2 Chapter 75—Equal Opportunities Policy, Guidance and Instructions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on what occasions in the past five years units have been detached from a battalion of the foot guards and attached to another battalion to bring that latter battalion up to strength for the purposes of operational deployment, giving in each case (a) the length of the period of detachment and (b) the date of the detached unit's return to its own battalion; [85229]

Battalion detached from	Battalion detached to and reason	Period of detachment
1 Grenadier Guards	Detached 26 men to 1 Scots Guards for a Northern Ireland tour	May 2001-November 2001
1 Coldstream Guards	Detached 1 Platoon of 30 personnel to 1 Scots Guards for a Northern Ireland tour	March 1998-October 1998
	Detached 1 Platoon of 30 personnel to 1 Irish Guards for a tour in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia/Kosovo	February 1999-September 1999
	Detached 17 men to the Household Cavalry Regiment for a Bosnia tour	May 1999-November 1999
	Detached 26 men to 1 Grenadier Guards for a Northern Ireland tour	June 1999-December 1999
	Created a company to reinforce a resident Battalion in Northern Ireland	October 2000- April 2002
1 Scots Guards	In common with other Residential Battalions in Northern Ireland detached individual reinforcements to meet various operational commitments	March 1998-April 2000
1 Irish Guards	Have only detached personnel for routine procedures in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia/Kosovo.
1 Welsh Guards	Detached 1 Platoon of 30 personnel to 1 Scots Guards for a Northern Ireland tour	March 1998-October 1998
	Detached 1 Company to 1 Devonshire and Dorset Regiment for a Northern Ireland tour	October 2000-April 2001

Details of battalions of the Foot Guards which have, in the last five years, been deployed for operational purposes are show in the following table:

Battalion	Period of operational deployment	Area of operational deployment
1 Grenadier Guards	March 1996-March 1998	As a residential battalion in Northern Ireland
	June 1999-December 1999	Northern Ireland
	November 2001-May 2002	Northern Ireland
1 Coldstream Guards	September 1999-March 2000	Northern Ireland
	April 2000-now	As a residential battalion in Northern Ireland
1 Scots Guards	March 1998-April 2000	As a residential battalion in Northern Ireland
	June 2000-July 2000	Northern Ireland
	March 2001-November 2001	Northern Ireland
1 Irish Guards	February 1999-September 1999	Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia/Kosovo
1 Welsh Guards	October 2000-March 2001	Northern Ireland (one company only)
	March 2002-September 2002	Bosnia

Details of Foot Guard battalions which have been brought up to strength for operational deployment by

[holding answer 3 December 2001]: Units which have, within the last five years, been detached from a battalion of the Foot Guards and attached to another battalion to bring mat battalion up to strength for the purposes of an operational deployment are detailed in the following table:the attachment of units from other battalions, within the last five years, are shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 19 November, Official Report, column 36W, how many complaints about bullying have been recorded in each year at the Dalton Barracks in Oxfordshire; and what measures have been taken to protect service personnel against bullying. [86051]

Since 1 January 1999, the Royal Military Police has received one report of alleged assault/bullying at Dalton Barracks, Abingdon. The case was considered by the Commanding Officer and the individual found not guilty.I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Armed Forces on 4 November 2002,

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria he uses to decide the level of funds for (a) the Sea Cadets, (b) the Army Cadets and (c) the Air Training Corps; and if he will make it his policy that the Sea Cadets are funded on an equal basis to the Army Cadets and Air Training Corps. [85803]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 3 December 2002 Official Report, columns 691–92W. The budget for the cadet organisations is reviewed in the same way as the rest of the Ministry of Defence. The budget is considered against the requirement to sustain a vigorous and vibrant youth organisation which sustains active membership for enrolled cadets. Risks to sustaining the cadet organisations are then considered alongside the other risks to the MOD's output targets. In the case of the Sea Cadet Corps, this process is based on the Corps's known annual requirements and any specific changing needs. Consideration is also given to the Sea Cadet Corps's other sources of income, on a year-by-year basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he and his Department have held with Vickers Defence Systems regarding the modification of Challenger 2 tanks for desert conditions; and if he will make a statement. [85361]

There has been a wide range of discussions with Alvis Vickers Ltd. (previously Vickers Defence Systems) related to the deployment of Challenger 2 in desert conditions. This dialogue continues and a Post Design Services enabling agreement with Alvis Vickers Limited was authorised at the end of October 2002 to deal specifically with the modification of Challenger 2 tanks for these environments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel have phoned the Army's confidential support line in each year since its formation; in what form statistical information about calls is monitored; and how general observations drawn by advice workers are passed on to appropriate authorities for action to prevent bullying. [86048]

The purpose of the Army Confidential Support Line, which was established on 1 December 1991, is to provide a means of support to serving soldiers and their dependants, although calls may also be taken from members of the other Services, Ministry of Defence civilians and ex-Service personnel. The collation of statistics is not a primary function of the support staff and as no personal information is requested from any caller, those statistics which are available are, inevitably, incomplete. As such, no specific analysis of the available statistics is undertaken.Those statistics which are available for 1998–2001 are contained within the Soldiers Sailors Airmen's Families Association—Forces Help Confidential Support Line Annual Report 2001, a copy of which I will place in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the balance is between civilian and ranking officer staff responsible for advice work carried out at (a) Deepcut and (b) Catterick Barracks by (i) the regimental medical office, (ii) the Padre, (iii) the unit welfare officer, (iv) the local army welfare worker and (v) the Women's Royal Voluntary Service welfare office. [86076]

	Medical centre		Padre		Unit welfare office		Army welfare service		WRVS/Salvation Army1
	Civilian	Military	Civilian	Military	Civilian	Military	Civilian	Military	Civilian	Military
Deepcut	2	0	0	1	12	0	12	23	2	0
	14
Catterick	7	13	0	35	26	13	1	4	5	0
1 At Catterick.
2 Retired officer.
3 NCO.
4 Officer.
5 At present, shortly to become four.
6 Of which one is a retired officer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many welfare agency case conferences have been held at (a) Deepcut and (h) Catterick Barracks since 1990; what venues have been used for the meetings; and on how many occasions each year the conferences have passed on concerns about bullying to the Officer Commanding. [86077]

Given the number of agencies involved in the provision of welfare support, no central records of case conferences, or their venues, are maintained by either establishment. Catterick Garrison alone comprises the School of Infantry, seven other major and fifteen further minor units. Welfare meetings will vary across all units but may range from regular staff meetings to Commanding Officer's conferences. All cases of bullying which are reported to any welfare agency or the chain of command will he passed to the Commanding Officer for appropriate action.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the states of alert which are operated by defence establishments, and the criteria which apply in each case. [86448]

I am withholding details on the states of alert operated across the various sectors in accordance with Exemption 1 (Defence, security and international relations) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how his Department calculates the number of people employed in and by defence related industries in the regions of the UK; what multiplier is used; and what the regional and national totals are. [86012]

[holding answer 10 December 2002]: Estimates of employment can be determined as the addition of three elements. These are:

"direct". The "direct" numbers are those employed in the supplying manufacturer i.e the company contracted by the Ministry of Defence to undertake the work, or the exporter;

The information requested is as follows:

"indirect". These include those indirectly employed through work generated in subcontractors and those who supply the main contractor. As well as manufacturers of products which are embodied in the final product, these will include suppliers of services e.g. consultants and electricity generators; and

"induced", i.e. employment resulting from the additional consumer spending which arise from the direct and indirect employees.

The Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) has never produced figures for the number of "induced" jobs. Estimates, however, have been calculated for UK direct and indirect employment dependent on (i) MOD equipment expenditure, (ii) MOD non-equipment expenditure, and (iii) defence exports. These have been published since 1992 in United Kingdom Defence Statistics (UKDS) and, before then, in Volume 2 of the Statement of Defence Estimates. The method of derivation is as follows:

the "final demand" of expenditure by (grouped) standard industrial categories is determined for MOD UK expenditure on equipment and non-equipment using information from MOD systems. Figures for exports are more problematic—various sources are used for these;

direct employment. Using MOD final demand and turnover per (full-time equivalent) employee for the sectors involved, direct employment follows by division; and

indirect employment. Total and indirect demand is calculated using the MOD final demand and (adapted) UK Input-Output Analytical Tables. The latest available Analytical Tables, which are produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), are for the year 1995. They were published in May 2002. The Analytical Tables are assumed to change slowly, so may be applied to years other than the ones for which they were prepared. There are various ways of deriving indirect employment. The one proposed by DASA. is to calculate it as derived indirect demand divided by the appropriate rates (output at basic prices) for the sectors concerned. Such details are still subject to review (see below).

The ONS has not published employment multipliers for the UK.DASA has been leading a review into the method for estimating employment dependent on MOD equipment and non-equipment expenditure and exports. One of the outcomes of the review is that regional estimates of direct equipment related employment should not be published as National Statistics any more. The underlying data are not of a good enough quality and they only ever represented less than a third of the total employment estimates.Estimates of regional indirect employment have never been prepared. They are more difficult to establish. Although Analytical Tables and multipliers are produced for some areas, for example, for Scotland (by the Scottish Executive), the calculation of employment would require knowledge of the volumes of "exports" and "imports" of MOD defence equipment from other regions. These data are not available. Analytical Tables are not produced by the ONS for the English regions.A detailed report on the calculation of the UK employment estimates has been prepared. This is currently being peer reviewed and will be made available on the DASA website.Provisional figures for the UK were published as Table 1.11 of UK Defence Statistics 2002, a copy of which is available from the Library of the House.

	2000–01 (thousands)1
Total employment	310
Direct (total)	155
Indirect (total)	150
Employment from MOD expenditure (sub total)	235
Equipment expenditure
Direct	70
Indirect	70
Non-equipment expenditure
Direct	55
Indirect	40
Employment, from defence exports (sub total)	70
Direct	30
Indirect	40
1 Provisional. The figures are rounded 10 the nearest 5,000. Differences between the totals and the sums are caused by the rounding.

Although numbers are no longer published as National Statistics, the Defence Analytical Services Agency has continued to derive regional breakdowns of the direct MOD equipment expenditure. The latest, provisional, and, as indicated above, qualified figures are:

	Direct employment (thousands)1
Scotland	5
Wales	1
Northern Ireland	1
England
North East	1
Yorks and Humberside	1
East Midlands	2
Eastern	8
London and South East	20
South West	16
West Midlands	2
North West	15
Total	72
1 Provisional. The numbers calculated have been rounded to the nearest thousand, but are indicative only. The difference between 'region totals' and the 'UK total' is due to rounding anomalies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on (a) the defensive decoy system and (b) the active decoy round. [86298]

The active decoy round forms part of the defensive decoy system, more usually known as the active off board decoy system. The other main element is the ship control system. The purpose of the decoy system is to provide improved defence against anti-ship missiles. It is planned to enter operational service in all major Royal Navy warships from early 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed by DERA; how many are based in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [86390]

DERA was disestablished on 1 July 2001, when two new organisations, QinetiQ and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), were created.QinetiQ is a plc, and therefore all operational inquiries should be addressed to the chief executive. Dstl remains a part of the Ministry of Defence. Dstl currently employs approximately 3,100 staff, of whom 52 are based in Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the costs were of implementing the Ministry of Defence's industrial policy in the last 12 months. [85656]

The Government's new defence industrial policy published on 14 October is not expected to incur any additional administrative costs to implement, nor do we envisage that it will entail additional costs to the equipment programme. The policy aims to enhance the competitiveness of United Kingdom industry and will therefore increase the value for money delivered to the taxpayer. A copy of the policy is in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many of the short take off and vertical landing versions of the new Lockheed Martin F35s have been ordered by the Ministry of Defence; and what he expects the costs to be of (a) the individual aircraft and (b) the cost of the entire procurement project; [85455](2) if he will make a statement on the timetable for the short take-off and vertical landing versions of the Lockheed Martin F35s entering service with the Royal Navy and RAF; and if he expects this programme to remain within the Ministry of Defence's estimated budget. [85654]

The current System Development and Demonstration Phase of the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme began in October 2001. We announced on 30 September this year that the Short Take-Off/Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the JSF had been selected to meet our Future Joint Combat Aircraft (FJCA) requirement. The current planned United Kingdom in-service date is 2012.In order to align with the US acquisition cycle, we do not expect to place orders for JSF aircraft before 2006. The average UK unit production cost of the STOVL variant of JSF is estimated to be around $50 million US.The procurement cost for the FJCA programme, including certain spares and training facilities, is forecast to be up to £10 billion-working on a current planning assumption of 150 aircraft required. There is no reason to believe that the JCA programme will not remain within budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what standard manuals of diagnostics and directories of medical conditions he relies in instances where his discretion is exercised on the basis of a medical opinion. [80592]

It would be inappropriate for Ministers to intervene in clinical matters. Armed forces medical personnel and civilian medical practitioners employed by the Ministry of Defence consult numerous medical textbooks and other publications accepted by the medical and scientific community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list the military training sites in the UK where live ammunition has been used since 1972 which have been accessible to the public on non-training days; [86828](2) what contracts the Ministry of Defence has with private contractors for searching for unexploded ordnance on Ministry of Defence training sites in the UK; [86831](3) which sites in the UK used for military training with live ammunition are accessible to the general public. [86832]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects his Department's programmes work on theatre missile defence will be published. [84537]

[holding answer 2 December 2002]: I presume that the hon. Member is referring to the Technology Readiness and Risk Assessment Programme, an unclassified summary of which was released earlier this year and a copy placed in the Library of the House as confirmed in my answer to the hon. Member for Dover (Mr. Prosser) on 26 February 2002, Official Report, column 1134W. Further work on the technical and other issues associated with theatre missile defence is continuing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what records his Department maintains of individuals receiving a gratuity in respect of invalidity, on leaving HM armed forces, from 1941 to the present; and whether he has a record of a gratuity in respect of invalidity being paid to Mr. Jack Palfrey Wakefield, date of birth 24 September 1916, army serial number 1895475, formerly resident in Crewe. [85667]

For members of the armed forces who have been invalided from service, records relating to consideration of entitlement to war pensions have been held on these cases by the Veterans Agency and its predecessors since prior to 1941. No war pensions files were destroyed until 1989 when a retention and destruction exercise was carried out. The criteria were that files were to be destroyed where no action had been taken on the case for more than 30 years, no pension was in payment and the claimant was over the age of 80.Under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme, records containing details of invaliding gratuities paid are held by all three services for personnel who left between 1941 and the present day. How long these records are retained for depends on when the person left the armed forces. In general, the following applies:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he has put in place for tracing and monitoring armed forces personnel who served between 1950 and 1965 and were involved in nuclear tests in the South Pacific during this period; how many of these servicemen have been traced; what proportion this represents; and if he will make a statement. [86308]

[holding answer 10 December 2002]: As is well known, the National Radiological Protection Board conducted two studies, reported in 1988 and 1993, which assessed incidences of cancers and mortality rates in test participants and a closely matched control group. The results of the third study are expected in 2003. At the outset, some 22,000 personnel were identified as participants from service and other records representing about 85 per cent. of those believed to have participated in the United Kingdom nuclear testing programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made since 1972 concerning the risk of cancer among the (a) military personnel and (b) civilian population surrounding the British nuclear testing in the Monte Bello Islands in the 1950s; and if he will make a statement.[86877]

Two epidemiological studies of participants of the British nuclear test programme as a whole have been carried out on the Ministry of Defence's behalf by the National Radiological Protection Board. The results of these studies were published in 1988 and 1993. The studies showed that, as a group, participation in the tests has not had a detectable effect on the expectation of life, or on the risk of developing cancer or other fatal diseases by those who took part. No separate assessment has been made of those service personnel who took part in the tests on the Monte Bello Islands.The Monte Bello Islands were uninhabited and had no civilian population. In 1983 the Australian Ionising Radiation Advisory Council reassessed levels of radiation which had reached the Australian mainland from the tests on the Monte Bello Islands. It was concluded that exposure to radiation by the civilian population had been insignificant.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total volume was of nuclear waste produced and requiring storage by (a) his Department and (b) military installations in each year since 1990, broken down by (i) the level of waste and (ii) whether the waste is in temporary or permanent storage; and if he will make a statement. [86416]

No central records are held on volumes of nuclear waste produced and requiring storage for each year since 1990. However, I refer the hon. Member to the "United Kingdom Radioactive Waste Inventory" to which the Ministry of Defence contributes, and which provides periodic snapshots on radioactive waste stocks, including levels of waste, location and whether the waste is held in temporary or permanent storage. The inventory has previously been published to show snapshots of waste stocks in 1991 and 1994, and a copy of the most recent inventory, for 1998, is available in the Library of the House. A new inventory, for 2001, is being completed and will be published shortly and a copy will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many decommissioned nuclear submarines have been awaiting waste treatment and storage for each year since 1990; where they are; what steps are being planned to tackle the task; and if he will make a statement. [86417]

Since 1990, 10 nuclear-powered submarines have been decommissioned, and are stored safely afloat.

Submarine	Date decommissioned	Afloat storage location
Churchill	1990	Rosyth Dockyard
Warspite	1990	HMNB Devonport
Conqueror	1991	HMNB Devonport
Swiftsure	1991	Rosyth Dockyard
Courageous	1992	HMNB Devonport
Revenge	1992	Rosyth Dockyard
Resolution	1994	Rosyth Dockyard
Valient	1994	HMNB Devonport
Renown	1996	Rosyth Dockyard
Repulse	1996	Rosyth Dockyard

As soon as possible after a nuclear-powered submarine leaves naval service, the reactor is de-fuelled and the vessel prepared for safe storage afloat. Daily inspections and annual maintenance periods are carried out to ensure the vessel is maintained to a high standard of preservation and safety.We are currently considering options for land storage of radioactive waste from nuclear powered submarines (the ISOLUS Study) and we will shortly be seeking proposals from industry. These will inform a public consultation and, following detailed negotiations, a preferred bidder will be selected. This is expected to take around three years to complete. The aim is to have the land storage facility in service by 2012.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether depleted uranium shells or projectiles manufactured in other NATO countries have been tested at RAF West Freugh in Galloway; whether aircraft operated by other NATO countries have used the base for training or experimenting with depleted uranium munitions; and if he will make a statement on progress made with radioactive remediation at the West Freugh test range. [86485]

Experimental firings of the Phalanx weapons system, which uses depleted uranium rounds (DU), took place at West Freugh in 1988 and 1990. The firings involved rounds that were manufactured in the United Kingdom from DU processed in the USA. No aircraft were involved in the tests, and there has been no further use of the West Freugh range for DU firings. A subsequent radiological survey of beach, sand and seawater by staff from the AtomicWeapons Establishment concluded that there was no detectable contamination.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department is spending on research contracts in each region; and if he will make a statement. [86404]

The net expenditure outturn for the Ministry of Defence's major customers research budgets as published in the Consolidated Departmental Resource Accounts for financial year 2000–02, was £1 billion. It is not possible to provide a regional breakdown of research expenditure from available data.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the per capita per annum cost per rank of (a) regular personnel, (b) the RNR, (c) the RMR, (d) the TA and (e) the RAuxAP; and if he will make a statement. [86395]

The capitation rates for regular personnel show the average annual cost. They include pay, allowances, earnings-related National Insurance contributions and superannuation as well as allowances for support, training and higher formation costs.The rates for Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel include pay, earnings— related National Insurance contributions and superannuation Information for the Territorial Army and Royal Auxiliary Air Force cost is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. I am therefore unable to provide a substantive answer under the terms of exemption 9 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.However, capitation rates are produced for the Army Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) and the RAF FTRS, and these are listed as follows:

Rank	Capitation rate Royal Navy	Capitation rate Royal Navy Reserve FTRS
Captain	125,196	87,257
Commander	109,002	74,770
Lieutenant Commander	82,724	64,369
Lieutenant	67,273	47,492
Sub Lieutenant	61,987	37,568
Midshipman	42,729	27,851
Warrant Officer	63,493	39,997
Charge Chief Petty Officer	59,781	37,705
Chief Petty Officer	56,703	35,526
Petty Officer	51,559	31,279
Leading Rate	46,441	27,394
Able Rate	35,072	19,291
Colonel	125.196	87,257
Lieutenant Colonel	109,002	74,770
Major	82,724	64,369
Captain	67,273	47,492
Lieutenant	61,987	37,568
Second Lieutenant	42,729	27,851
WO1	63,493	39.997
W02	59,781	37,705
Colour Sergent	56,703	35,526
Sergeant	51,559	31,279
Corporal	46,441	27,394
Lance Corporal	40,011	—
Marine	35,072	19,291
Colonel	125,598	74,770
Lieutenant Colonel	109,404	64,369
Major	83,126	47,492
Captain	67,674	37,568
Lieutenant	52,389	27,851
Second Lieutenant	43,131	21,927
W01	63,895	39,997
W02	60,183	37,705
Staff Sergenant	57,105	35,526
Sergeant	51,961	31,278
Corporal	46,843	37,394
Lance Corporal	40,413	23,592
Private	35,475	19,291
Group Captain	125,386	74,770
Wing Commander	109,192	64,369
Squadron Leader	82,914	47,492
Flight Lieutenant	67,462	37,568
Flag Officer	52,177	27,851
Pilot Officer	42,919	21,927
Warrant Officer	63,682	39,997
Flight Sergeant	59,970	37,705

Rank	Capitation rate Royal Navy	Capitation rate Royal Navy Reserve FTRS
Chief Technician	56,892	35,526
Sergeant	51,748	31,278
Corporal	46,630	37,394
SAC	40,173	23,592
LAC		19,291

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Royal Navy vessels will be fitted with (a) the upgraded Type 1022 Radar and (b) the Type 996 Radar; and if he will make a statement on the increased capability this will provide. [86296]

Radar Type 1022 is fitted to Type 42 Destroyers and Invincible Class Carriers. At present, there are no plans to upgrade the Radar but, as part of the normal planning process, consideration is being given to an upgrade that would deliver performance improvements in specific operating environments.Radar Type 996 is in service with Type 42 Destroyers, Type 23 Frigates and Invincible Class Carriers, and is also being fitted to the new Landing Platform Dock (Replacement) vessels, the first of which is expected to come into service next year. Two programmes have been undertaken to improve the Radar's performance and availability. A further programme, to increase the Radar's capability against future airborne and surface threats, is currently in its assessment phase.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the infra red fuse to be fitted to the Sea Dart missile. [86297]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 4 December 2002, Official Report, column 815W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what impact the withdrawal of the Sea Harrier FA2 will have on the Royal Navy's ability to defend its ships against an attack from the AS17/Krypton anti-ship missile; and if he will make a statement. [86440]

Royal Navy Task Groups will retain a significant air defence capability after the Sea Harrier is withdrawn from service in 2006, including against AS17/Krypton anti ship missiles. Task Groups typically include Type 42 Anti Air Warfare Destroyers armed with updated Sea Dart anti-aircraft missiles, Type 22 and 23 Frigates armed with Point Defence Missile Systems (including the enhanced Sea Wolf missile system) and Close in Weapons Systems. Many other Task Group warships will also include air defence assets for self protection and decoy systems against air and surface launched anti-ship missiles.The upgraded Sea King airborne early warning aircraft has now entered service providing an improved detection capability over land and sea. Additionally, from late 2007 onwards the Type 42 Destroyers will be replaced by the Type 45 Destroyers, fitted with the highly capable Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS).

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the results were of the investigations into the circumstances of the deaths of (a) Private Paul Cochrane on 30 July 2001 at Drumadd Barracks, Northern Ireland, (b) Private David Shipley in June 2002, in Germany, (c) Private Richard Robertson on 21 September 1995 at Catterick Barracks, (d) Private Gary Riches in Bosnia on 24 October 1995, (e) Private Alfred Manship in Osnabruck on 6 April 1992, (f) Private Dale Little in Bosnia on 22 July 1994 and (g) Trooper Aled Martin Jones in Bosnia on 18 July 1996; in each case, what time the police were called; what steps were taken to secure evidence at the scene of death; what the conclusions of the inquiry were; what the nature of the post mortem examination was; by whom it was carried out; what the findings were; when relatives of the deceased were informed; what the conclusion was of the coroner's inquest; when a board of inquiry was established; when it reported; and what measures were taken as a result of its findings; [86275](2) what the result has been of the investigation into the circumstances of the death in 1997 of Private Ross Collins of Nanstallon near Bodmin in Cornwall; at what time the police were called; what steps were taken to secure evidence at the scene of death; what the conclusions were of their inquiry; what the nature was of the post mortem examination; by whom it was carried out; what the findings were; at what time relatives of the deceased were informed; what the conclusion was of the Coroner's Inquest; when a board of inquiry was established and what date it reported; and what measures were taken as a result of its findings. [86586]

The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, if at all, as we do not know whether all of it is held on departmental files. Furthermore, information pertaining to the associated police investigations and boards of inquiry would not normally be placed in the public domain. Only the death of Trooper Aled Jones has, so far, been subject to a board of inquiry; a copy of the final report was passed to the next of kin in 1997. A board of inquiry into the death of Ranger Paul Cochrane is on-going. No decision has yet been made as to whether a board of inquiry will he held into the death of Private David Shipley; this is subject to an on-going investigation by the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch, who have jurisdiction in this case. It would, therefore, be inappropriate to release any related information at this time.Coroner's verdicts, in those cases where an inquest has been held, are as follows:

Name	Verdict
Private Richard Robertson	Open
Fusilier Gary Riches	Open
Sapper Alfred Manship	Suicide

Name	Verdict
Private Dale Little	Open
Trooper Aled Jones	Suicide
Musician Ross Collins	Open

According to our records, the deaths of Privates Little and Riches occurred on 22 July 1995 and 25 October 1995 respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the establishment of the Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employer programme. [85650]

The Strategic Defence Review required the Reserve Forces to be integrated, relevant and usable. To ensure this requirement is met we need the support of those who employ members of the Volunteer Reserve Forces.During the last 18 months the Ministry of Defence has carried out a review of its existing and long-standing campaign designed to win and maintain the support of Britain's employers for the Volunteer Reserve Forces. This has resulted in the launch of a new campaign called SaBRE (Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employers). Its purpose is to explain to employers not only the benefits of employing Reservists but also the attendant rights and obligations that employers have, including the requirement to release individuals for mobilisation should it be necessary to do so. The SaBRE campaign has already made good progress. Its strategy is to make use of the expertise available in the commercial world combined with a regional network of civilian volunteers, to deliver a campaign with a national identity at a regional level. A number of organisations, including the Confederation of British Industry, the Institute of Directors, the British Chambers of Commerce, the Engineering Employers' Federation and the Trades Union Congress together with some 6,200 companies, who between them account for a substantial part of the nation's workforce, have previously declared their support for the Reserves of the Armed Forces.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to mark the Bicentennial of the Battle of Trafalgar. [86959]

The Ministry of Defence is working closely with a number of organisations to develop the Royal Navy's plans for the commemoration of the Battle of Trafalgar in 2005. Lead by the Official Nelson Celebrations Committee, which brings together the interests of a wide range of maritime museums and associations connected with the Nelson heritage, a national and international programme of cultural and commemorative events is being discussed, among which a number of events involving the Royal Navy are being considered. At this stage, it is too early to be precise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when and where unexploded ordnance has been found by contractors when clearing publicly accessible military training sites for construction and infrastructure projects since 1972; [86830](2) when and where in the UK unexploded ordnance has been found by persons not employed by the Ministry of Defence on

The information is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the discovery of unexploded ordnance by Transco in the Brecon Beacons area. [86833]

An amount of unexploded ordnance, believed to date from the Second World War period, was found earlier this year by Transco while working on a pipeline scheme in the Brecon Beacons National Park. The police were informed and the ordnance was subsequently disposed of by the Army.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make funds available to enable abattoirs to provide additional space for hanging carcasses of animals over 30 months old slaughtered under the Beef Assurance Scheme separately from other animals. [85370]

[holding answer 9 December 2002]: EU rules require that cattle for human consumption must be tested for BSE if aged over 30 months or, if subject to casualty slaughter or found sick at ante-mortem inspection, if aged over 24 months. In the event of a positive result, the carcase before and two carcasses after the positive case on the slaughter line must be destroyed unless there is a system in place preventing contamination between carcasses. The latter does not necessarily require significant extra space but this is a matter for the Official Veterinary Surgeon in individual abattoirs. There are no funds available to provide abattoirs with additional space.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much money is being reclaimed by the European Commission from the United Kingdom because of inadequate control procedures or non-compliance with EU rules on agricultural expenditure. [84522]

In 2001, the UK claimed £2.5 billion from the EU agriculture budget. Of this, £3 million was reclaimed due to non-compliance with EU rules on agricultural expenditure (which includes control procedures). The Commission has the right to reclaim further sums should additional cases of non-compliance come to light.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimates she makes, in respect of the last year for which figures are available, of the number of albatrosses killed within United Kingdom waters as a by-product of fishing by (a) Spanish and (b) other vessels; what percentage of the United Kingdom population this represents; and what steps she is taking to prevent such deaths. [86415]

Although the metropolitan United Kingdom is outside the normal migration range of albatrosses, there are globally important breeding sites in UK Overseas Territories in the Southern Hemisphere.While there are no overall figures available, we do have information about the Falkland Islands, where the breeding population of albatrosses is about 382,000 pairs. Recent estimates of bycatch there have included between 85 and 193 albatrosses in a year in licensed long-line fisheries, and about 1,000 during the peak spring fishing season from licensed trawling (some three quarters of which is carried out by Spanish vessels). There will also be losses to illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries.The UK and Spain are Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, the Commission of which is responsible for managing fisheries in the Convention area and imposes conditions aimed at reducing bycatch.The UK intends to ratify early next year the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, which will require UK flag vessels fishing in the Agreement area to implement measures designed to mitigate bycatch. Our ratification will be extended to those Overseas Territories that wish to implement the Agreement and have appropriate legislation in place. Spain has also signed this Agreement.The Falkland Islands Government is funding Falklands Conservation to study the effect on mortality resulting from birds being attracted to vessels by offal discarded as a by-product of on-board fish processing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much UK produced beef has been exported by (a) weight and (b) value in the last five years for which figures are available; and how much of these exports comprised (i) beef of UK origin and (ii) beef of foreign origin. [85420]

[holding answer 5 December 2002]: Official overseas trade statistics do not differentiate between beef of UK origin and beef of foreign origin.The following table shows the volume and value of UK exports of beef and beef products between 1997 and 2001.

	Beef		Beef products
	Tonnes	£000	Tonnes	£000
1997	6,061	15,104	4,030	6,626
1998	4,884	12,157	7,746	6,110
1999	5,647	19,720	3,708	5,598
2000	5,387	20,983	3,884	6,070
2001	5,409	18,763	2,963	5,616

Sources:HM Customs and Excise.Data prepared by Statistics (Commodities and Food) Accounts and Trade, ESD, DEFRA.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment. Food and Rural Affairs when she intends to introduce voluntary disposal bins for meat products at UK immigration points. [84163]

As indicated by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in the House on 21 November 2002, there are a number of concerns on how in practice amnesty bins for illegal meat would operate. These issues continue to be examined. Decisions which will also take account of the planned transfer of the responsibility for anti-smuggling checks to HM Customs and Excise, will be made as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason UK landing cards have not been amended to reflect bio-security measures. [84168]

An inter-departmental 'borders' group exists to look at amendments to the immigration card. Defra asked them to consider amendments to the card to include provisions about meat imports, either in a way that would be covered by a signed declaration, or a prominent Warning Note.The group has also identified a number of other issues which might need to be covered in a revised version of the landing card, including other prohibitions and restrictions. No firm conclusions have yet been reached on the best way forward.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has carried out concerning whether the Yersinia organism can affect the blood test for Brucellosis in cattle; and if she will make a statement. [86247]

[holding answer 11 December 2002]: Exposure to Yersinia enterocolitica in some cattle is known to cause cross reaction to serological tests for exposure to Brucella abortus.DEFRA is currently funding a brucellosis research programme which is being carried out by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) at Weybridge. This research includes a project to differentiate between serological cross reactions and other reactors identified in the surveillance of brucellosis in cattle.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) suspected and (b) confirmed cases of Brucellosis were recorded in cattle in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [86248]

[holding answer 11 December 2002]: Great Britain is officially brucellosis free. An ongoing national brucellosis screening programme has identified a number of serological reactors over the years but Brucella abortus has not been isolated in any of those animals since October 1993. The numbers of serological reactors and suspect contact animals identified in each year since 1997 are as follows.

Year	Number
1997	16
1998	51
1999	67
2000	11
2001	20
2002 (to date)	18

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of how much combined heat and power plant has been (a) withdrawn and (b) created in each of the last five years. [86197]

A separate assessment of CHP plant withdrawn and created is not available. The net increase in Good Quality CHP electrical capacity in each of the last five years is taken from the most recent Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES, 2002):

	Increase in M We
1997	150
1998	292
1999	239
2000	844
2001	38

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library a list of those assets identified by the National Asset Register, Cm 5221, as belonging to (a) the former Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions and (b) the former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and their respective agencies, non-departmental bodies and public corporations, which now belong to her Department, together with the current value of each such asset. [85011]

The National Asset Register (NAR) was last updated for March 2000 and published in June 2001. Our understanding is that it is updated every five years.Defra has a Departmental Asset Register (DAR) which lists all assets held currently for its core activities with current values. This does not include details of assets held by its agencies and NDPBs. It does include assets transferred from the former Department of Environment, Transport and Regions (DETR) to Defra in June 2001.With the changes to the machinery of government, to provide the information requested considerable work would have to be done on the DAR to reflect and reconcile with what was listed in the NAR Cm 5221. We would also have to request detailed lists from all of our agencies, NDPBs and public corporations of assets included in the NAR with current values.The compilation of the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many locations there are where (a) acid and (b) other discharges from (i) mine, (ii) landfill sites, (iii) radioactive waste storage sites and (iv) animal burial mounds workings have been identified as (A) exceeding permitted levels and (B) resulting in poor river quality in nearby river courses broken down by individual sites, in each year since 1997; what action has been taken or is planned as a result; and if she will make a statement. [86411]

The Environment Agency is currently updating its information on mine waters, landfills and burial grounds. The agency should be able to provide a comprehensive answer by the new year, and I will write when it is available.However, I understand that since 1997 no radioactive discharges from radioactive waste storage sites have exceeded permitted levels or resulted in poor water quality in river courses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent research has been (a) conducted for her Department and (b) assessed by her Department on a potential link between drinking water and blue baby syndrome; what representations have been received; what discussions have taken place; and if she will place copies of the research in the Library. [86418]

The term "blue baby syndrome" is sometimes used to refer to infantile methaemoglobinaemia. This is a condition in which the pigment in the blood is altered and its ability to carry oxygen is impaired. Nitrate, nitrite and bacterial contamination of water supplies are among the potential causes. The condition is very rare—there have been no confirmed cases of methaemoglobinaemia in the UK since 1972. I am not aware of any recent reports that this condition is attributable directly to public water supplies within the United Kingdom.The Department is aware of the studies that have established a relationship between methaemoglobin levels and nitrate levels, but has not conducted, commissioned or assessed any recent research on the link. Discussions and review of current scientific research take place within expert groups of the World

Government office region	1990	1995	1996	1997
North-east region
Total holdings	5,243	5,202	5,200	5.178
Farmers, partners, directors and spouses	7,895	7,745	7,752	7,768
North-west region, inc. Merseyside
Total holdings	18.603	17,665	17.533	17,397
Farmers, partners, directors and spouses	27,598	26,461	26,412	26,199
Yorkshire and Humberside region
Total holdings	16,782	16,195	16,094	16,042
Farmers, partners, directors and spouses	24,790	23,896	23,778	23,715

Health Organisation, who expect to finalise the third edition of its "Guidelines for Drinking Water" in February 2003. Any changes in the guidelines will be considered by the European Commission and my Department.The Department has received regular correspondence about the Nitrates Directive and also meets stakeholder groups. Officials have also replied to letters from or on behalf of farmers, for example from Farmers for Action, about the nitrate standard and health, including blue baby syndrome.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice her Department has issued to English Nature regarding environmental assessments necessary under the Conservation Regulations 1994 for the extraction of marl in the Fal and Helford Candidate Special Area of Conservation. [86278]

I believe my hon. Friend is referring to Maerl.Comments on the scope and process by which English Nature could offer management scheme advice was given in writing on 25 October 2000. No further advice has been issued. In the first instance it is the responsibility of competent authorities, such as the Falmouth Harbour Commissioners, to satisfy themselves that they are exercising their functions in compliance with the Conservation (Natural Habitats etc.) Regulations 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total budget of the Environment Agency is in 2002–03; and how this budget has changed since 1998–99. [86985]

The Environment Agency's planned expenditure for 2002–03 totals £758.212 million—an increase of £165.211 million over the Agency's expenditure in 1998–99.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) farms and (b) farmers were in business in each region in each year since 1990. [85351]

[holding answer 5 December 2002]: The number of (a) holdings and (b) farmers by region in England 1990, 1995–2001. Data for 1991–94 is currently not available by Government office region.