To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method document has been prepared for the refurbishment at 70 Whitehall; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [89076]

The external refurbishment work currently being undertaken at 70 Whitehall does not require a BREEAM assessment.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what action is being taken by his Department to ensure that timber procured for use in the current refurbishment of 70 Whitehall is sourced legally and sustainably. [89077]

External refurbishment works are currently being undertaken at 70 Whitehall. Timber or timber products are not being used in the current refurbishment of 70 Whitehall.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what refurbishment and redevelopment is being undertaken at 70 Whitehall; how much timber will be used; from which countries this will be sourced; and which companies are supplying this timber. [89075]

External refurbishment work is currently being undertaken at 70 Whitehall.Timber or timber products are not being used in the current refurbishment of 70 Whitehall.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what meetings his officials have held with external organisations concerning the preparation of the Energy White Paper; and in each case, who attended and when the meeting took place. [88537]

I have been asked to reply.As part of the preparation of the Energy White Paper my officials have held a large number of meetings and expert workshops with external organisations. These covered a wide range of issues and included three opening workshops in London, Glasgow and Newport, a final integrative conference in London and workshops on regional issues, energy policy and long term carbon reductions, energy efficiency, renewables and the energy implications of PIU energy review. Workshops and focus groups were also held with the general public. Details are posted on the DTI's website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/developep/reports.shtml.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what role was played by Lord Sainsbury in the study carried out by the Strategy Unit into GM crops; and whether Lord Sainsbury has access to papers held by the unit. [89095]

Lord Sainsbury has had no role in the Strategy Unit study on GM crops. The project team has had no contact with him and he has not had access to any papers held by the unit.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what the average cost per Minister arising from the allocation of a ministerial car was in each of the last three years; [89072](2) how many Ministers are entitled to the allocation of a car; and how many Ministers in each year from 1997 have chosen not to avail themselves of one; [89073](3) what assessment he has made of the practicality of replacement by a car pool of the system of allocation of cars individually to Ministers; and if he will estimate the savings which would result were such a scheme implemented. [89071]

The responsibility for the provision of ministerial cars and drivers has been delegated under the terms of the Framework Document to the Government Car Despatch Agency. I have asked its chief executive Mr Nick Matheson to write to the hon. Member. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make a statement about retention of freehold in the context of the Archbishop's Council's review. [88669]

As promised in my answer of 19 December 2002, I have provided the hon. Gentleman with the Group's Terms of Reference, and have placed a copy in the Library. The Group will be looking at the freehold, but will give priority to consideration of the position of clergy without the freehold. Its full terms of reference are:

"to review the terms under which the clergy hold office to ensure a proper balance between rights and responsibilities, and clear procedures for resolving disputes which afford full protection against possible injustice;

to consider in this context the future of the freehold and the position of the clergy in relation to statutory employment rights; and

in the review, to give priority to consideration of the position of clergy without the freehold or employment contracts, and to report on this aspect in 2003 with detailed proposals and a programme for their implementation, the rest of the review to be completed, if possible, in 2004".

To ask the Solicitor-General what the cost was to public funds of the prosecution relating to (a) Paul Burrell and (b) Harold Brown; and if she will make a statement. [86183]

The cost of the prosecutions relating to (a) Paul Burrell and (b) Harold Brown to public funds has not yet been ascertained.

To ask the Solicitor-General on what date the Crown Prosecution Service became aware of the existence of a written authority from the Prince of Wales to Harold Brown, authorising him to dispose of a gold wedding ring; and if she will make a statement. [86185]

The CPS has no knowledge of such a document. Following the statement to the judge at court on 2 December 2002, that the Crown would be offering no evidence against the defendants defence, counsel for Harold Brown produced and read out to the court a document that the CPS has to this day not seen. To the best of our knowledge, Harold Brown was not named in the document, nor did it concern the sale of any item.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of air traffic dealt with by (a) Swanwick, (b) Prestwick, (c) West Drayton and (d) other air traffic control operators is (i) over 20,000 feet, (ii) over 25,000 feet and (iii) under 20,000 feet. [89001]

It is not possible to disaggregate this information to the level requested. In November 2002, the latest full month for which final information is available, the total number of flights handled by NATS was 157,635. Many of these flights were handled by more than one centre at different stages of their passage through UK airspace. The number of flights handled by each centre in that month was as follows:

	Number
Swanwick	129,690
Prestwick (including oceanic flights)	64,612
West Drayton	95,078
Manchester	47,305.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 641W, on the future development of air transport, how many Scottish consultation documents were sent out by his Department by (a) 30 November and (b) 10 December. [88418]

The breakdown of Scottish consultation documents dispatched by 30 November and 10 December is shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what relative weight will be given to responses to the consultation on the future of airport capacity in the south-east in the form of (a) individual letters and (b) questionnaire responses. [88495]

All responses to the consultation, whether in the form of individual letters or completed NOP questionnaires, will be fully considered and analysed carefully.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what external professional advice was taken into account in devising the questionnaire on airport capacity in the South East; [88496](2) if he will revise and recirculate the questionnaire with regard to the consultation on airport capacity in the South East; and what representations he has received on the drafting and format of the questionnaire. [88497]

NOP were commissioned by the Department to advise on the drafting and format of the South East questionnaire prior to the start of the consultation on 23 July 2002.Since then there have been a number of representations from both individuals and organisations about the content and format of the questionnaire. We are considering these points carefully and plan to issue a revised questionnaire when the further South East consultation document is published early in 2003. Those who have already completed the existing questionnaire will be able to replace it with the new version should they wish to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects a quieter road surface to be applied to the A27 Lewes bypass. [89097]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 June 2002 [Official Report, column 506W].

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on toll charging on motorways. [89102]

The M6 Toll (the Birmingham Northern Relief Road), which is under construction and is expected to open in 2004, is the only planned motorway where all vehicles may be tolled.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what representations he has received on the reliability of the pilot controller radio communication system; and if he will make a statement; [R] [89004](2) what representations he has received on the clarity of the newly fitted computer screens at Swanwick air traffic control centre; [88999](3) what representations he has received on equipment failure experienced by NATS; and if he will make a statement. [89009]

I have received a number of representations in recent months concerning NATS' systems or equipment but these are primarily matters for NATS as the service provider. I understand there were computer failures at West Drayton on 27 March 2002 and 10 April and on 17 May at Swanwick and there have been other, well-publicised, minor problems such as print size on the computer screens at Swanwick. The problems which led to the computer failures have been identified and addressed. New software, which provided revised colours and fonts on the radar displays in response to staff concerns, was successfully introduced intro Swanwick on 6 November.The CAA, as safety regulator, has remained satisfied throughout that safety has not been compromised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many engineers were employed by NATS on (a) 1 May 1997 and (b) 1 May 2002. [89008]

NATS employed 1,177 engineers on 1 May 1997 and 1,270 on 1 May 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what use his Department and its agencies make of postcode areas for (a) the collection and publication of data, (b) devising formulae for the distribution of grants and awards and (c) the delivery of services; and when such usages were last reviewed. [87742]

Postcode area data are not used widely across the Department and its agencies. The contractors who carry out the Department's National Travel Survey use the 'small user' Postcode Address File as its sampling frame, although final data are only published at Government Office Region or combined county level. The Survey of Privately Owned Vans, begun in October 2002, also uses postcode areas as the basis for collecting data. The sample size is too small to enable publication at postcode level but it is planned to publish regional results.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will establish a national strategy and standards for CCTV on stations and in railway coaches; and if he will make a statement. [88717]

We will be considering the effective use of CCTV surveillance on trains as part of our current joint project with the Strategic Rail Authority to improve the on-train environment for rail passengers and staff. We already encourage the effective use of CCTV as part of the secure stations scheme accreditation process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which rail schemes involving new or reopened (a) lines and (b) stations the SRA will complete by 2015. [89100]

Details of all rail schemes involving the strategic rail authority (SRA) are in their strategic plan (copies of which are in the House Library). A revised version of that plan is due to be published early in 2003 and copies of the revised plan will also be placed in the House Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what work he has done to establish (a) the correlation between road space available and road congestion and (b) the impact on existing public transport alternatives along such corridors arising from the provision of extra road space. [89099]

The Department undertakes forecasting work for road traffic, for which available road space is an input. Forecasts were recently published in 'Delivering Better Transport: Progress Report', a copy of which is in the House Library. This forecasting work also estimates modal transfer arising from transport policies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what additional volume of traffic he estimates will be generated using the SACTRA model in each of the road schemes announced in his recent statement to the House. [89101]

The Department accepted and has implemented the recommendations of the 1994 SACTRA report "Trunk Roads and the Generation of Traffic". As a result, road schemes are designed and appraised having regard to all sources of traffic, including generated traffic. It is no longer standard practice to make separate estimates excluding generated traffic. Thus, it is not possible to provide the information requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding the removal of graves from St. Pancras cemetery in connection with the building of the channel tunnel rail link. [89333]

The Secretary of State has received a small number of representations about this matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what date he expects the Apache AH Mk l's UK-specific secure communications system to have the ability to share voice and data information with other UK aircraft types and ground troops. [87976]

The timescales for enhancements to enable Apache AH Mk 1 to share voice and data information with a range of United Kingdom aircraft and with ground forces are being defined but the aim is to introduce them as soon a possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made to ensure that the Longbow fire-control radar allows the Apache AH Mk 1 attack helicopter to deal with surface threats. [87977]

The Longbow fire control radar is being tested and evaluated, along with other sub-systems, as the Apache helicopter is brought into service. Any necessary modifications will be made to ensure that Longbow is able to deal consistently with the threats for which it was designed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what actions have been taken to ensure that the Apache AH Mk 1 attack helicopter achieves its planned initial operating capability in August 2004. [87978]

To ensure that an initial operating capability for the Apache of August 2004 is met, action is being taken along six lines of development: delivery of the equipment; development of appropriate organisation structures and infrastructure; development of concepts and doctrine for how the equipment will be used; delivery of the required training; recruitment and retention of manpower; and supporting and sustaining the new capability once the equipment has been introduced into service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the problems experienced with the Apache Mk 1 attack helicopter; and when he expects each of these to be rectified. [87980]

The report by the Comptroller and Auditor General: 'Building an Air Manoeuvre Capability: The Introduction of the Apache Helicopter' published on 31 October 2002 reflected the outstanding issues relating to the Apache helicopter. Action is in hand to address the issues highlighted in the report and to ensure the delivery of an initial operating capability in August 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the discussions his Department has had with BAE Systems since 1 December; and what subjects areas were discussed. [88226]

BAE Systems is a major supplier to the Ministry of Defence. As is to be expected, numerous discussions with the company have taken place since 1 December 2002, and continue to do so, concerning a wide range of subjects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what restrictions apply on the provision of the medical records of ex-servicemen or ex-military medical auxiliaries who were present at British nuclear tests conducted at Christmas and Maiden Islands. [89018]

There are no restrictions that apply specifically to the provision of the medical records of those ex-Service personnel who were present at the British nuclear tests on Christmas Island and Maiden Island. However, the normal restrictions on access to medical records do apply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many departmental Christmas cards he and his Ministers intend to send in 2002; how much these cards will cost (a) to buy, (b) to post and (c) in staff time to sign, address and place in envelopes; and if he will place in the Library a sample copy of the official Christmas card he has sent this year. [88106]

[holding answer 19 December 2002]: Defence Ministers sent a total of 520 departmental Christmas cards. All expenditure incurred in the purchase and despatch of these cards was made in accordance with departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting.The cards were purchased from The Royal Star and Garter Home, a charity for disabled ex-service men and women at an equivalent cost of 67p per card. A copy of the card used will be placed in the Library of the House.It is estimated it took around four minutes of staff time to prepare each card for posting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total spending was of the Defence Bills Agency for the last year for which figures are available; and how much of that was spent in Scotland. [86061]

[holding answer 10 December 2002]: The total value of Defence contractors' bills settled by the Defence Bills Agency for the year ending 31 March 2002 was £16,849 billion. Data on how much of this figure was spent in Scotland or any United Kingdom region is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contracts the Department has placed with Enron since 1997. [87112]

The Ministry of Defence has not placed any contracts with Enron since 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with BAE Systems on the numbers of Eurofighter Typhoons projected to be in (a) Tranche 2 and (b) Tranche 3. [88224]

We have regular discussions with BAE Systems on a wide range of issues associated with the Eurofighter Typhoon programme. The planned numbers of aircraft to be procured in Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 are set down in international memoranda of understanding between the four Typhoon partner nations and in the over-arching framework contracts placed with industry. For the United Kingdom these provide for 89 aircraft in Tranche 2 and 88 in Tranche 3.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the implications for the Eurofighter Typhoon project of developing an enhanced ground attack capability for the aircraft. [88225]

The Eurofighter Typhoon will be a multi-role aircraft. Although primarily designed for air superiority, the aircraft will progressively benefit from enhanced ground attack capabilities as part of the planned procurement programme. The United Kingdom and other nations involved in the procurement will continue to keep under review the possibility of further enhancements to Typhoon's capability.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the former employees of his Department who have taken up positions with Gracemoor Consultants, stating in each case the name and date of leaving. [82152]

Under the Cabinet Office rules on the acceptance of outside appointments by Crown servants ("the Business Appointment Rules"), all Ministry of Defence non-industrial civilians and officers in the Armed Forces are required, within two years of leaving the Department, to apply for permission before taking up employment with an organisation connected with their official duties. Some of these applications are speculative and not all lead to external appointments being taken up. The rules require only senior officials whose applications are approved by the Prime Minister to confirm to their former department that they have taken up a new appointment on leaving the MOD. Details of such appointments are published by the Cabinet Office in the annual reports of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Minister in his Department is the nominated Green Minister; how often he has attended meetings of the Green Ministers; and which official has responsibility for the Defra rural proofing check-list in his Department. [88455]

I am the nominated Green Minister for the Ministry of Defence. The Green Ministers Committee (now ENV(G)) is a Cabinet sub-committee. It is established practice under Exemption 2 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information not to disclose information, including ministerial attendance, relating to the proceedings of the Cabinet and its committees.A list of the names of departmental contacts, who meet regularly to discuss issues such as rural proofing, is not published as personnel and machinery of Government changes mean that any list would be out of date fairly quickly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the result is of his investigation into circumstances of the shooting incident at Knightsbridge Barracks involving a civilian, Mr. Rajko Novakovic; who (a) issued and (b) owned the firearm; how many soldiers were involved in the incident; how many civilian complaints concerning the improper use of firearms have been received in the past five years; what disciplinary action has been taken following the conviction of trooper Adam Everett by Horseferry Road magistrates; what ranks of officer have apologised to Mr. Novakovic; and when trooper Everett offered an apology. [89254]

The investigation into the shooting incident at Knightsbridge Barracks leading to the conviction of Trooper Adam Everett was conducted by the civilian police.An internal investigation was conducted into the storage security of the firearm. The matter of internal disciplinary or administrative action now lies with the chain of command, and this properly remains a private matter between Trooper Everett and the Army. The matter of the soldier issuing an apology is also a private one between him and Mr. Novakovic.The figures relating to the number of complaints concerning the improper use of firearms received by the Service relate to the period 1 January 1998 to 31 December 2002. Worldwide, a total of 16 incidents of offences against the person involving firearms, where there was a civilian complainant and the suspect was a Service person (this includes dependants and United Kingdom based civilians), were reported to Service Police. You may also wish to be aware that, during the same time frame, there were 27 complaints made of similar incidents where the complainants were Service persons (this includes dependants and UK based civilians) and the suspect

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what liaison takes place between his Department and (a) local hon. Members and (b) local authorities in the use of domestic military airfields when being used by the aircraft of a foreign power. [88321]

Regular liaison takes place between RAF stations and local authorities. This includes notification of foreign aircraft activity, where it varies from the routine.Members of Parliament are similarly advised of such non-routine activity by either my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Defence or myself.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was per capita of training a successful military recruit to the agreed standard (a) in 1997 and (b) in the last 12 months; and what the difference was expressed in percentage terms. [88334]

The information is not held in the format requested. However, the average cost of initial training for successful recruits is set out as follows:

£000
	Officer	Other rank
1999–20001
Royal Navy	25.3	4.4
Royal Marine	97.9	31.8
2001–02
Royal Navy	31.1	6.9
Royal Marine	103	33
1RN/RM figures for 1997–98 and 1998–99 are not readily available

£000
	Officer	Other rank
1997–98
Army	40.6	5.6
RAF	15.8	3.8
2001–02
Army	52.6	7.3
RAF	17.9	4.5

The 2001–02 costs were calculated on a resource basis (thus including overheads), whereas costs for previous years were only based on cash. It would, therefore, be inappropriate to make a percentage comparison between the two sets of figures. There are also significant differences between the services in the scope of initial training so that it is generally inappropriate to use these figures to make inter-service comparisons.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the ROF sites that supply his Department; and what the length of contract is at each site. [88572]

The former Royal Ordnance Factories (now owned by RO Defence, within BAE Systems), which are involved in the supply of munitions to the Ministry of Defence are: Birtley, Bridgwater, Chorley, Glascoed and Radway Green. The MOD has a variety of contracts for the supply of munitions with RO Defence, most of which are covered by the MOD/ROD Framework Partnering Agreement. These contracts are not site specific, and it is for RO Defence to decide on the point of assembly and manufacture of components.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the terms of agreement are between his Department and the US Air Force in the use of RAF Fairford. [88320]

The presence of the United States Air Force at RAF Fairford is, as with all bases made available to United States visiting forces in the United Kingdom, governed by the NATO Status of Forces Agreement 1951 and additional confidential arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many serving members of (a) the armed forces and (b) the infantry are employed on an S-Type contract having been manning controlled. [89280]

As explained in the answer given on 27 November 2002, Official Report, columns 332–34W, only the Army uses Manning Control Point reviews. The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force have their own manning policies that are designed to meet their different requirements.There are 351 serving members of the Army who are employed on an S-Type engagement following termination of their notice or open engagement after a Manning Control review. Of these, 291 are Infantry personnel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers in the last five years signed an AFB120A form under QR 9.413; and how many soldiers who were discharged under QR 9.413 applied for a war pension after discharge. [89275]

I assume the hon. Member is referring to AFB 130A form, which is completed when soldiers are to be discharged for a number of reasons, including Queen's Regulations 9.413, 'Not required for a full Army career'. For consistency with the period covered in the answer of 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 507W, the number of such forms signed by soldiers discharged under Queen's Regulations, paragraph 9.413 in each year since 1997 is shown in the table.

	Number of AF103As discharged under QR 9.413
1997	231
1998	175
1999	93
2000	66
2001	47
2002	3
Total	615

An AFB 130A form may have been signed in some cases in which discharge action was terminated. Figures for such cases are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.The Veterans' Agency does not collate data on the reason for discharge of veterans who claim a war pension. Therefore, the number of soldiers who were discharged under Queen's Regulations, paragraph 9.413, and who applied for a war pension after discharge, is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department was informed that the Department of Trade and Industry had hired UBS Warburg to advise it about the relationship between BAE Systems and his Department; which MOD officials met officials from UBS Warburg; and when these meetings took place. [88665]

UBS Warburg were retained in early December 2002 to provide specialist financial advice to the Government as a whole, not to individual Departments. Ministry of Defence officials, representatives of the MOD Equipment Capability Customer Organisation, the Defence Procurement Agency and the MOD Press Office have been involved in a number of meetings at which USB Warburg representatives have been present.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assistance has been given by his Department to union learning funds; and if he will make a statement. [88808]

[holding answer 7 January 2003]: Trade unions have a key role to play in promoting the development of learning and skills in the workplace. To help them do this, my Department has provided financial support through the union learning fund since 1998. Between 1998 and March 2002, £16.5million was made available; £9 million is available for 2002–03 and a further £33.6 million has been allocated for the next three years up to 2005–06.The union learning fund is a highly successful scheme and has become an established part of the lifelong learning agenda. Regular evaluation of this initiative has taken place and copies of the reports are available in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many departmental Christmas cards he and his Ministers intend to send in 2002; how much these cards will cost (a) to buy, (b) to post and (c) in staff time to sign, address and place in envelopes; and if he will place in the Library a sample copy of the official Christmas card he has sent this year. [88109]

[holding answer 19 December 2002]: This year Ministers at the Department for Education and Skills sent around 1,550 official Christmas cards. These cards cost £1,659. The cards were sent via the governmental inter-departmental Service or the Royal Mail. No breakdown of the delivery methods is available which would enable an accurate assessment to be made of the postage costs. Equally no record is available of the staff time involved to sign, address and place cards in envelopes. A copy of the official Christmas card has been made available to the Library.All expenditure incurred in the purchase and despatch of official Christmas cards is made in accordance with the departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in "Government Accounting".

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time employees were employed by Connexions in each region (i) this year and (ii) last year. [88993]

[holding answer 7 January 2003]: The following table gives the number of full-time and part-time staff employed by Connexions during the current year. The figures are taken from an annual staff survey undertaken by 27 partnerships that were operational by August 2002. The Connexions Service is expected to be operational in all 47 areas by April 2003.Comparable information is not available for 2001. Another survey of all Connexions partnerships is planned for the end of April 2003.

Connexions partnerships operational by August 2002
	Full-time staff	Part-time staff
England	5,023	2,021
South-east	230	204
Milton Keynes, Oxon and Bucks	230	204
London	790	315
Central London	176	55
North London	143	50
South London	184	93
East London	287	117
East of England	431	172
Cambs and Peterborough	214	74
Hertfordshire	107	66
Suffolk	110	32
South-west	599	288
Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole	97	25
Cornwall and Devon	244	102
Somerset	84	51
West of England	174	110
West Midlands	846	335
Black Country	225	75
Coventry and Warwick	182	112
Hereford and Worcester	102	60
Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin	109	51
Staffordshire	228	37
East Midlands	314	94
Lincolnshire and Rutland	148	41
Nottinghamshire	166	53
Yorks and Humber	479	265
Humberside	226	155
South Yorkshire	253	110
North-west	968	265
Cheshire and Warrington	204	61
Cumbria	134	49
Greater Merseyside	368	81
Lancashire	262	74
North-east	366	83
County Durham	118	33
Tyne and Wear	248	50

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of people who have received advice through the Connexions service were (a) under 19 and (b) defined as socially excluded in the latest 12 months for which figures are available, broken down by region. [88996]

[holding answer 7 January 2003]: The table shows the number and proportion of young people receiving individual advice through operational Connexions Services for the period April 2002 to November 2002—the latest period for which this information is available. The table also shows the numbers of those identified as needing intensive support from the service.Intensive support is defined as integrated and specialist support for those facing substantial multiple problems which prevent them from engaging with

	All young people advised by Connexions in a one to one situation1	Number of under 19s advised by Connexions in a one to one situation	Number identified as needing intensive support	Percentage
England	1,799,647	1,726,652	448,254	24.9
South East	100,432	96,838	29,287	29.2
London	154,167	144,920	32,056	20.8
East of England	106,796	102,548	16,959	15.9
South West	238,711	225,097	68,832	28.8
West Midlands	263,257	252,377	35,055	13.3
East Midlands	150,312	145,069	36,811	24.5
Yorks and Humber	235,772	226,669	95,222	40.4
North West	431,343	416,597	102,000	23.6
North East	118,857	116,537	32,032	27.0
1 Connexions Services cover 13 to 19-year-olds and young people up to the age of 25 with learning difficulties and disabilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department last met representatives from (i) the Welsh Assembly and (ii) the Scottish Parliament. [89335]

Ministers in this Department are in regular contact with representatives from the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Parliament, most recently on 31 October 2002 and 18 December 2002 respectively.Officials in the Department work regularly with the Devolved Administrations on matters of mutual interest. Information about the frequency of meetings is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what recent discussions he has had with local education authorities about the future of grammar schools; [87851](2) what recent representations he has received from local education authorities seeking an end to academic selection. [87852]

[holding answer 17 December 2002]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not held any specific discussions with local education authorities, nor has he had any representations from them, about the future of grammar schools or ending academic selection. However, he has recently had a meeting with representatives of Kent LEA about how school standards in general can be raised.Legislation does not allow for LEAs to propose that grammar schools stop being selective; that is a matter for the schools themselves, or local parents, through the ballot system.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what estimate he has made of learning. These young people are likely to be involved with a number of different professionals engaged in education, social welfare, health and housing.Young people also receive advice and guidance in a variety of group activities, through targeted mail shots and via Connexions websites, however this information is not collected by age group.the percentage of children in maintained schools learning a foreign language at Key Stage 2; and what he expects the percentage to be in

While the Department does not hold precise information about the numbers of children learning a modern foreign language at Key Stage 2, we are aware from a recent survey conducted by Warwick University that approximately 20 per cent. of primary schools currently offer some form of language teaching. We plan to carry out research this year to verify that percentage, and Ofsted will take account of language learning programmes in the primary schools they inspect. This will allow us to estimate the percentage of children who will be learning a foreign language at Key Stage 2 for the years cited and beyond.We expect that, by the end of the decade, every pupil at Key Stage 2 will be offered the opportunity to study at least one foreign language. To support this offer, we are concentrating on building capacity and supporting best practice, enabling schools to introduce early language learning at a pace which is right for them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the overseas visits on departmental business undertaken by Ministers in his Department during the last 12 months. [89323]

In the last 12 months, Ministers in this Department have travelled on departmental business to Belgium, France, Slovakia, Italy, Australia and the United States.All trips undertaken by Ministers comply with the requirements of the Ministerial Code.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the SSA average grant per pupil in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools will be in each LEA in England and Wales in (i) 2003–04 and (ii) subsequent years for which figures are available. [88325]

The average primary and secondary formula spending share per pupil for LEAs in England are set out in the tables for 2003–04: figures for future years will become available at the time of the Local Government Finance Settlement for each year. These figures are not comparable with primary and secondary SSA per pupil for 2002–03 and previous years. The new system of funding for LEAs consists of a basic entitlement which is the same for all pupils, plus a top up for all deprived pupils, which is the same for all deprived pupils, and a further top up for those LEAs in areas with additional costs for recruitment and retention of staff. Where the average formula spending share per pupil is higher, that reflects a higher number of deprived pupils, and higher area costs. The system in Wales is different and is the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly.

LEA	Average primary formula spending share per pupil	Average secondary formula spending share per pupil
City of London	3,252	4,322
Camden	3,187	3,952
Greenwich	2,985	3,866
Hackney	3,336	4,208
Hammersmith and Fulham	3,087	3,935
Islington	3,217	4,156
Kensington and Chelsea	2,957	3,771
Lambeth	3,232	4,129
Lewisham	3,011	3,956
Southwark	3,160	4,147
Tower Hamlets	3,625	4,441
Wandsworth	2,923	3,890
Westminster	3,255	4,060
Barking and Dagenham	2,482	3,204
Barnet	2,555	3,250
Bexley	2,280	2,986
Brent	2,814	3,545
Bromley	2,237	2,968
Croydon	2,410	3,213
Ealing	2,757	3,442
Enfield	2,538	3,218
Haringey	2,823	3,572
Harrow	2,590	3,290
Havering	2,240	2,961
Hillingdon	2,496	3,193
Hounslow	2,714	3,373
Kingston upon Thames	2,387	3,117
Merton	2,504	3,285
Newham	2,928	3,611
Redbridge	2,505	3,160
Richmond upon Thames	2,318	3,092
Sutton	2,357	3,112
Waltham Forest	2,609	3,393
Birmingham	2,475	3,156
Coventry	2,273	2,912
Dudley	2,180	2,849
Sandwell	2,378	3,022
Solihull	2,115	2,751
Walsall	2,302	2,944
Wolverhampton	2,327	2,992
Knowsley	2,381	3,022
Liverpool	2,385	3,048
St. Helens	2,195	2,841
Sefton	2,156	2,812
Wirral	2,217	2,873
Bolton	2,269	2,883
Bury	2,169	2,833
Manchester	2,540	3,235
Oldham	2,351	2,985

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the most recent figures are for air quality in Lancashire. [88651]

Defra currently operates two automated, continuous air quality monitoring sites in Lancashire: one in Preston, the other in Blackpool. These sites measure carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, ozone, particulate matter (PM 10), and sulphur dioxide. Current and historic air quality information from these sites is available at Defra's air quality archive, www.airquality.co.uk. The information is updated hourly.In 2002 all automated measurements of carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen and sulphur dioxide were in the 'low' category of air pollution. 'High' levels of PM10 occurred at Preston on one day in 2002, where levels peaked at 80 micrograms per cubic metre. `Moderate' levels of PM10 were recorded at Preston on three days in 2002. 'Moderate' levels of PM10 were measured at Blackpool on one day in 2002, peaking at 51 micrograms per cubic metre. 'Moderate' levels of ozone were measured in Preston on 47 separate days in 2002, peaking at 67 parts per billion. In Blackpool, `moderate' levels of ozone were measured on 62 separate days in 2002, peaking at 78 parts per billion. Data for 2002 are provisional. Definitions of low', 'moderate' and 'high' pollution levels are provided at Defra's air quality archive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 11 December 2002, Official Report, column 311W, on bird registration, what the significant increase in enforcement action was that caused the increase in costs of running her Department's bird registration scheme between 2000–01 and 2001–02; how many police forces were involved; and how many (a) pending court cases and (b) convictions have resulted from this action. [89282]

The increase in enforcement costs from 2000–01 to 2001–02 was due partly to increased pay and overhead costs and partly to the recruitment of a number of new inspectors to widen the spread of expertise available to the Department.Increased enforcement does not necessarily result in a higher number of court cases as the chief aim of the wildlife inspectors is to deter crime. The number of pending court cases and convictions and the number of police forces involved in taking them forward in 2000–01 and 2001–02 were as follows:

	2000–01	2001–02
Pending cases	0	3
Convictions	3	1
Police forces	3	1

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 11 December 2002, Official Report, column 312W, on bird registration, what evidence she collated that de-registration of bird species currently listed on schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 will not lead to an increase in illegal taking from the wild; and what assessment her Department has made of the cost implications for (a) enforcement and (b) conservation agencies of de-registration. [89283]

The reason for the consultation was to obtain views and evidence on the possible impact of any changes to Schedule 4. We are still analysing the responses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely impact on the United Kingdom peregrine falcon population of removing that species from schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. [89284]

No assessment has been made. The development of any future proposals for species to be excluded from Schedule 4 would be accompanied by an appropriate assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 11 December 2002, Official Report, column 311W, on bird registration, what percentage of her Department's bird registration fees were paid by birdkeepers in (a) 1991–92 and (b) 2001–02. [89285]

In 1991–92,33 per cent. of the costs of providing the service were recovered and 2001–02, 14 per cent. of costs were recovered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 11 December 2002, Official Report, column 311W, on bird registration, whether changes were made to the fees charged following the consultation on Review of Bird Registration and CITES licensing fees undertaken in July 1999. [89286]

No changes were made to any fees following the consultation on the review of bird registration and CITES licensing fees undertaken in 1999 because of concerns expressed by consultees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment. Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 11 December 2002, Official Report, column 311W, on bird registration, how many birds were registered with her Department's bird registration scheme in (a) 1991–92 and (b) 2001–02; and what cost savings her Department has made in the running of the scheme following the 1994 review of Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. [89287]

The Department no longer holds data on how many birds were registered in 1991–92. Before the changes to Schedule 4 in 1993 there were 19,466 birds registered. At 1 January 2002, 6,918 birds were registered.In 1991–92 the total costs of Bird Registration were £309,769 and in 2001–02 total costs were £441,557. Because of changes to the species and numbers of birds being registered it is impossible to assess meaningful figures for savings achieved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the mechanism is for the disposal of diseased coley taken from within salmon cages; and what assessment she has made of the effect diseased coley has on domestic farm animals in Shetland. [88723]

The disposal of diseased fish from fish farming operations in Great Britain must be carried out in accordance with the Animal By-Products Order 1999 (SI 1999/646). The disposal of diseased fish in Shetland is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the terms of fisheries quota swaps undertaken between Spain and Portugal for Western Waters in 1996. [88197]

I regret that this information is not centrally available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of who will take over the role of disposing of fallen stock if the number of hunts are reduced as a consequence of the bill. [89011]

The European Union's Animal Byproducts Regulation will ban routine on-farm burial and burning of animal carcases from 30 April 2003. This will mean that the existing fallen stock service provided by a number of hunts could only continue with considerable investment in new equipment. So the future of the hunts' service is in doubt irrespective of the Hunting Bill. The Government has been holding discussions with the livestock and disposal industry with the aim of developing a national fallen stock scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to secure greater protection for marine wildlife. [88862]

The Government's first Marine Stewardship Report, "Safeguarding our Seas", was published in May 2002. It sets out our strategy for the conservation and sustainable development of the marine environment and reiterated the commitment made at the 5th North Sea Conference to establish a network of well-managed marine protected areas by 2010.The Report contained a package of initiatives to better protect marine wildlife. In particular, it confirms our commitment to consult on the Regulations to extend the Habitats Directive out to the limit of jurisdiction of UK waters. We are also finalising our UK-wide Small Cetacean Bycatch Response Strategy. This will identify what measures can be taken to reduce the incidental capture of small cetaceans in fishing nets.In addition, our Review of Marine Nature Conservation is currently examining how effectively the current system for marine nature conservation is working and how improvements might be made where conservation objectives are not being met.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method document has been prepared for the refurbishment of Nobel House. [89079]

The latest refurbishment in Nobel House was for areas of the sixth and eighth floors. This was undertaken for MAFF in 1997. As only parts of floors were refurbished it was concluded that it would not be appropriate to seek a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) assessment. In the summer of 2002 "fit out" work was undertaken to allow Defra to occupy the top four floors of 9 Millbank, which is next door to Nobel House. Again, it was concluded that it would not be appropriate to seek a BREEAM assessment because Defra are not responsible for the building fabric and the building services; these remain the responsibility of the major occupier, Ofgem. Defra does seek BREEAM assessments for the major new or refurbishment schemes for which we are responsible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in her Department work (a) in the Strategic Development Unit and (b) on Regulatory Impact Assessment matters. [89092]

There is no unit within Defra specifically called the Strategic Development Unit. The Policy and Corporate Strategy Unit in Defra employs 59 officials of whom approximately 21 work on strategic policy. Their functions include promoting the development of strategic capability across the Department as a whole.Five people work full time in the Better Regulation Unit, which is responsible for advice and guidance within Defra on the Regulatory Impact Assessment process. The unit is supervised by a member of the senior civil service who is also engaged in other duties. Responsibility for preparing individual RIAs rests with officials in the policy divisions who draw on other expertise as necessary, for example economic advisers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many pigs were slaughtered in abattoirs in the United Kingdom in each year between 1990 to 2001. [87291]

The information requested is given in the table below:

Number of pigs slaughtered in abattoirs in the United Kingdom 1990–2001
Unit: Thousand head
	Clean Pigs	Sows and AdultBoars	Total Pigs
1990	13,879	325	14,203
1991	14,091	366	14,457
19921	14,143	373	14,515
1993	14,265	356	14,620
1994	14,681	389	15,069
1995	14,021	355	14,376
1996	13,897	324	14,221
1997	15,132	363	15,496
19982	15,872	415	16,286
1999	14,350	379	14,728
2000	12,369	321	12,691
2001	10,449	180	10,628
Notes:
153 week statistical year
2Figures have been rounded individually and totals will not necessarily agree with the addition of separate figures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many pigs were on holdings in England and Wales in June of each year from 1990. [87294]

Total pigs in England are shown in the table below. Figures for Wales are a matter for the devolved authority.

Total Pigs (England)
	Number
1990	6,308,324
1991	6,411,758
1992	6,408,233
1993	6,517,778
1994	6,591,684
1995	6,341,131
1996	6,275,376
1997	6,631,920
1998	6,729,927
1999	6,163,443

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the most recent figures are for water quality on the Lancashire beaches that are regularly tested. [88652]

[holding answer 7 January 2003]: I announced on 11 November the best ever bathing water quality results in England and the North West, with all the Lancashire beaches passing the Directive's main mandatory standards in the 2002 season. Details of the weekly results of the sample testing for individual bathing waters are available on the Environment Agency's internet site at www.environment-agency.gov.uk (then follow "What's in your backyard?"). In addition, my Department will be placing in the Library early in the new year our annual publication "Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC) Detailed Summary of Survey Results—United Kingdom" This lists all identified bathing waters and the results of micro-biological and physico-chemical sample testing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of a Working Time Directive on the farm community (a) in its general application and (b) specifically in relation to the movement of livestock to and from another auction; and if she will make a statement. [89006]

No sectoral analysis has been provided by the Department. The Department for Trade and Industry has overall responsibility for implementing the Working Time Directive 1998 and has produced a Regulatory Impact Assessment on the 1998 regulations. As a result of the flexibilities included in the regulations in relation to agricultural work it is anticipated that the additional cost to agriculture and associated sectors will have been small.The Working Time Regulations 1998 currently exclude a number of sectors including road transport. A new working time directive (known as the Horizontal Amending Directive) covering the excluded sectors, has been adopted together with three sector specific directives, including the Road Transport Directive. The Horizontal Amending Directive is due to come into effect on 1 August 2003. The Department for Trade and Industry is currently consulting on the draft regulations to implement the Directive.The Road Transport Directive is due to come into effect in March 2005 and the Department for Transport will be consulting on its proposals to do this in due course.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for South Norfolk (Mr. Bacon) of 11 December 2002, Official Report, column 252, if he will list the PFI projects being carried out in the constituency of Maidenhead. [89015]

No PFI projects are currently being carried out in the constituency of Maidenhead. However, the constituency benefits from PFI investment both in neighbouring constituencies and at a national level.Locally, for example, PFI has helped to channel extra money into hospitals administered by the South Buckinghamshire NHS Trust, which take patients from Maidenhead, and has financed the widening and resurfacing of the nearby M40 motorway. At a national level, PFI has provided vital investment to deliver public services whose benefits extend beyond the constituencies in which they are located, in sectors such as defence and the administration of justice. To date, PFI deals delivering over £20 billion worth of capital investment across the country have been signed.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) advantages and (b) disadvantages he identified in deciding to introduce the climate change levy in preference to a carbon tax. [89098]

The Government's decision to introduce the climate change levy as a 'downstream' energy tax took account of the conclusions of Lord Marshall in his 1998 report 'Economic Instruments and the Business Use of Energy'. Lord Marshall concluded that a downstream tax on supplies of energy to the non-domestic sector would be necessary to avoid any tax impacting on domestic energy users. While under such a scheme it is difficult to determine the carbon content of electricity supplies other than as a broad average, it does encourage all non-domestic energy users to improve energy efficiency and thereby reduce carbon emissions. The climate change levy is also consistent with the Government's policy of maintaining a level playing field between different energy sources.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on the application of tax to (a) plastic bags and (b) aviation fuel. [89093]

The Government currently have no plans to introduce a plastic bag tax.The 2002 pre-Budget report announced that the Government will discuss with stakeholders the most effective economic instruments for ensuring that the aviation industry is encouraged to take account of, and where appropriate reduce, its contribution to global warming, local air and noise pollution. The Government will set out its plans in its Air Transport White Paper later this year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures other than implementation of the Financial Services and Marketing Act were used to determine whether Spending Review 2000 SDA Target SDAB3 was met, as stated on page 20 of the HM Treasury Departmental Report 2002. [89265]

[holding answer 7 January 2003]: The measure used in assessing Spending Review 2000 SDA Target SDAB3 was whether the Financial Services and Markets Act was implemented successfully.The target was met on 1 December 2001 (known as N2). This was the point at which the Financial Services Authority acquired all its powers and is when the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 was fully implemented.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what deposit was required from the B9 Consortium with regard to the proposed wind farm on the Tunes Plateau off the County Londonderry coast; and if he will make a statement on the tendering process. [88872]

I am advised that the development consortium (comprising B9 Energy, Renewable Energy Systems Ltd. and Powergen Renewables Ltd.) have made a premium payment of £30,000 in return for a 12-month exclusivity agreement for the Tunes Plateau site, in order to complete a comprehensive feasibility study.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the impact of the increased insurance costs on voluntary sector organisations. [88505]