To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to his answer of 5 December 2002, Official Report, column 980W, what arrangements are in place to ensure best value in the provision of security arrangements within the parliamentary estate. [87867]

Regular monthly meetings are held between officials of both Houses and Metropolitan Police Administration to review costs, staff overtime and attendance.Contracts for physical arrangements are let following the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply's recommended procurement practices and Government recognised best practice. Contracts below the EC threshold are subject to competitive tender and value for money considerations. Contract management procedures are to be reviewed across the House next year to ensure the arrangements deliver the quality, service and cost benefits identified in business cases.The House's Audit Committee, chaired by the right hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Mr. Forth), is charged by the Commission with having general oversight of the work of internal audit and review, with particular emphasis on promoting economy, efficiency and effectiveness.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the comparative level of investment by the United Kingdom in national air traffic control equipment with that of the EU average. [89007]

There is little financial information available from national air navigation services providers across the EU on the magnitude of investment in air traffic control equipment. Even if comparative information were available, it would be difficult to make a meaningful assessment because the level of investment by any service provider depends where that provider is in its investment cycle, for example whether or not it is currently introducing major new facilities as NATS has recently done at Swanwick.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what co-operation there is between British and Dutch air traffic controllers; and what form this takes. [89002]

The Civil Aviation Authority has proposed new arrangements for the upper airspace over the North Sea and, as part of these changes, a small area of UK airspace amounting to less than 0.1 per cent of North Sea airspace will, from 20 March 2003, be serviced by the Dutch national authorities. Co-operation between national air traffic control authorities is widespread and routine across Europe and is effected under the auspices of Eurocontrol and—in the case of the UK—the Civil Aviation Authority. The co-operation takes the form of one national authority handling traffic which is in the national airspace of another state where this will facilitate the most expeditious movement of air traffic.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many air traffic controllers were employed by NATS on (a) 1 May 1997 and (b) 1 May 2002; and how many hours of training was provided to air traffic controllers annually in the year ending (a) 1 May 1997 and (b) 1 May 2002 [89005]

NATS employed 1,735 air traffic controllers on 1 May 1997 and 1942 on 1 May 2002. These figures include trainee controllers. I am informed by NATS that trainee controllers received 145,054 hours of training in the year ending 1 May 1997 and 235,346 hours of training in the year ending 1 May 2002. Information about continuing in-service training of qualified controllers is not readily available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of the level of staff morale at NATS; and if he will make a statement; [89000](2) what the level is of medical ailments registered by employees at NATS on

Staffing issues are matters for NATS, as the employer. NATS inform me that on 1 May 1997, 112 staff were absent out of a total of 5,142 (2.18 per cent.). On I May 2002, 102 staff were absent out of a total of 5,294 (1.93 per cent).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the results of the two-year trial, beginning August 2000, to extend night period runway alternation at Heathrow to the hour between 6 am and 7 am; and if he will make a statement. [89536]

The trial was expected to run for about two years. During 2002 it was affected on approximately 35 per cent of mornings by engineering works, including replacement of the instrument landing systems (ILS), runway resurfacing and replacement of runway lighting. Completion of the resurfacing work on the southern runway has also been delayed, and will resume in April. Consequently it is not possible at this stage to draw any firm conclusions from the trial, which will need to continue for a sustained period following the completion of the engineering works later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which major road schemes in the local transport settlement for 2002 were (a) accepted, (b) provisionally approved, (c) considered work in progress and (d) rejected. [89535]

The Mansfield-Ashfield Regeneration Route was fully accepted in the 2002 Local Transport Settlement announced in December.The following schemes were provisionally approved. It will now be for the relevant local authorities to progress the schemes through the remaining statutory procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his estimate is of the level of CO2 emissions from road transport in (a) 2005 and (b) 2010. [88438]

Our latest forecasts suggest that in 2010 CO, emissions from road transport in England could be in the range 29.3 to 30.2 million tonnes of carbon. We do not currently have interim forecasts for levels in 2005, but will produce these shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve security at small seaports and harbours to prevent (a) acts of terrorism and (b) importation of material for use in terrorism; and if he will make a statement. [89248]

The United Kingdom already has a comprehensive security regime in place covering ports and harbours which service international ferries and cruise ship calls. In addition, the three border agencies, police Special Branch, HM Customs and Excise and the Immigration Service, control the movement of passengers and goods through small ports. Their presence at the ports is determined by a risk assessment.This national regime will be augmented by July 2004 with the implementation of the recently agreed International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) global maritime security regime. This agreement requires signatory nations to develop and implement maritime security procedures. All ships over 500 tonnes engaged in international voyages and all ports which service such ships will be party to the security requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the Local Transport Plan budget for Newcastle City in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04; what the spending was in 2001–02; whether spending is likely to be reached in 2002–03; and what action was taken over underspending. [89105]

Capital funding for local transport is provided by Government in two main ways: for maintenance and schemes costing below £5 million, as a block of funds over which local authorities have discretion; and for major schemes costing over £5million, as scheme-specific funding. In recent years, up to and including 2001–02, authorities had permission to carry over their 'block' funds from one financial year to the next.Newcastle city council were provided with the following allocations:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much will be spent on (a) entertaining, (b) Christmas decorations and (c) other festive activities this Christmas season by his Department and Government agencies answerable to his Department; and of this sum how much will be spent in Ministers' (i) private offices and (ii) official residences. [88132]

[holding answer 19 December 2002]: Specific information on any official festive expenditure is not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Any expenditure incurred on entertainment, decorations and any other festive activities is strictly for official purposes only, and is made in accordance with departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government accounting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the safety of movements of munitions between military bases during industrial action by the Fire Brigades Union. [89444]

An assessment of the safety of movements of munitions between military bases during industrial action by the Fire Brigades Union has been made by the Ministry of Defence Explosives Storage and Transport Committee (ESTC), responsible for setting MOD policy, standards and regulations for the transport of military explosives. This concluded that the risk to the general public and MOD personnel is not increased during industrial action.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much ordnance has been dropped on Iraq by the RAF in each year since 1992. [88961]

Between 1992 and the start of Operation Desert Fox at the end of 1998 no ordnance was released. Information on ordnance released during Operation Desert Fox is not held.Since 1999 the RAF, responding in self-defence against air defence targets, has released the following tonnages of ordnance.

Year	Tons
1999	79.1
2000	18.3
2001	22.2
2002	55.8

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the (a) Landmines Act 1998 and (b) Ottawa Treaty permits United Kingdom armed forces or other British nationals acting in consort with the armed forces of another state to handle or otherwise provide support for the deployment of landmines. [89017]

Under the Ottawa Convention, each State Party undertakes, inter alia, never under any circumstances to use anti-personnel mines (APM) or to assist, encourage or induce, in any way anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party to the Convention. On ratification of the Convention, the United Kingdom made a statement of understanding of our obligations indicating that

"the mere participation in the planning or execution of operations, exercises or other military activity by the UK's Armed Forces, or individual UK nationals, conducted in combination with armed forces of States not party to the Ottawa Convention, which engage in activity prohibited by that Convention, is not, by itself, assistance, encouragement or inducement".

This statement of understanding is reflected in section 5 of the Landmines Act 1998, which is designed to provide a defence to members of the armed forces in cases which would fall within the terms of the statement.Our obligations under the Ottawa Convention are fulfilled not only through the Landmines Act but through training and instruction of the armed forces. Personnel are instructed that, as well as not being permitted to lay APM, they may not seek benefit from the use of APM by allies who are not bound by the Ottawa Convention by requesting the use of APM in direct support of UK forces. Moreover, UK forces may not engage in any physical activities specifically related to the emplacement of APM by allies not bound by the Ottawa Convention.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 515W, how many army personnel were issued with manning control warning certificates in each of the last 10 years, other than those discharged and listed in the answer of 27 November 2002, Official Report, column 332–33W, broken down by regiment. [89279]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 November 2002, Official Report, columns 332–34W which provides details of those issued with manning control warning certificates and discharged under Queen's Regulations 9.413 "Not required for a full Army career". The number of those issued with a manning control warning certificate but not subsequently discharged is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to announce a decision on the US application to site national missile defence facilities in the UK. [89372]

No specific date has yet been determined for a final decision on the United States request to upgrade the early warning radar at RAF Fylingdales. Once we have carefully considered the issues involved and taken account of parliamentary and public discussion, I will inform the House at the earliest opportunity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what distribution, and in what languages, has been arranged by his Department of the consultation document Missile Defence; and if he will make a statement. [89381]

I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the public discussion paper published on 9 December. Copies of the paper have been placed in the Library of the House and in the main public libraries in the United Kingdom. It has been sent to Members of this House, other people and organisations with an expressed interest in missile defence, the media and to embassies in London. The paper is also available on the Ministry of Defence website. The paper is in English.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who is in command of munitions convoys entering and leaving the US Air Force Base at RAF Welford; and what arrangements are made for providing security and safety escorts for these convoys. [89445]

Overall command of United States Visiting Forces munitions convoys entering and leaving RAF Welford is vested in Commander Third Air Force USAF. Ministry of Defence Police provide security escorts, if required, to suit the size and nature of the munitions being carried.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recommendations the Defence Munitions Rationalisation Studies made concerning the RAF Welford site; and when he plans to implement them. [89446]

An estate rationalisation exercise undertaken by Defence Munitions (DM) in 2000 identified over capacity within the national DM estate. Following consideration of a number of options it was decided that DM Welford should close with its tasks being transferred to other DM locations. The site was emptied of United Kingdom owned munitions by December 2000. The UK portion of the Welford site was transferred for use by the United States authorities in October 2002. The facilities offered by Welford therefore did not feature in a follow on DM rationalisation study carried out in 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who manages contracts for the haulage of munitions to and from RAF Welford; who is responsible for initiating and controlling an emergency response in the event of an accident involving munitions in transit to or from RAF Welford; and whether the West Berkshire emergency planning officer and the Berkshire fire and rescue service are informed of movements of such munitions. [89448]

The Defence Transportation and Movements Agency manages the contract for haulage of military munitions throughout the United Kingdom. The United States visiting forces are a party to that contract. Initiation of emergency action in the event of an incident/accident is the responsibility of the driver, attendant or other person responsible for a vehicle carrying military munitions. The civil authority notified of the emergency would then be responsible for its control.There is no requirement to notify the West Berkshire Emergency Planning Officer or Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service of munitions movement from or to RAF Welford.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid has been given to (a) Colombia and (b) Bolivia in the last three years; what proportion was to combat production of hard drugs; and if she will make a statement. [89412]

Over the last three financial years, gross bilateral aid to (a) Colombia and (b) Bolivia was:

Gross bilateral aid to Colombia and Bolivia
£000
	1999–2000		2000–01		2001–02
	Total	DFID	Total	DFID	Total	DFID
Colombia	2,190	1,537	2,252	1,730	1,480	934
Bolivia	39.785	6,334	9.837	7,592	31,495	12,684

No DFID funds have supported direct activities to combat the production of hard drugs.From 1998 to 2001 DFID gave £720.000 to support a UN alternative development programme, to provide sustainable alternative livelihoods to coca growing, in agro-forestry systems, in Bolivia. Since then DFID has not supported alternative development activities in Bolivia.The FCO Drugs and Crime Fund (DCF), which is active in Colombia and Bolivia, is aimed at reducing the supply of class A drugs to the UK. DCF projects focus on increasing capacity to intercept drugs being trafficked and not on combating production. DCF funds do not come from the aid budget.In addition, DFID contributes approx 19 per cent. to the EC. The latest available figures for Colombia and Bolivia are as follows:

	1998		1999		2000
	£ million	DFID share	£ million	DFID share	£ million	DFID share
Colombia	6.33	1.14	10.94	1.97	9.64	1.78
Bolivia	17.86	3.19	18.60	3.39	16.77	3.10

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Minister in her Department is nominated Green Minister; how often she has attended meetings of the Green Ministers; and which official has responsibility for the DEFRA rural proofing check-list in her Department. [88463]

My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development represents DFID on the ENV(G) Committee. The Rural Proofing check-list is not relevant to DFID's activities and policies.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) parliamentary questions and (b) letters from hon. Members, in Session 2001–02 remain unanswered, broken down by those which are (i) one month old, (ii) two months old, (iii) three months old, (iv) four months old and (v) over six months old. [84752]

[holding answer 3 December 2002]: There are 11 parliamentary questions in total:

• 10 are over six months old,
• 1 is two months old.

As of 3 December there are no letters which are one month old and which remain unanswered from hon. Members in Session 2001–02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne and (b) Gateshead have benefited from the introduction of the national minimum wage; and what was the average uplift on earnings. [89529]

We do not have information on numbers of national minimum wage (NMW) beneficiaries specific to Newcastle upon Tyne or Gateshead. For the north-east region as a whole, it is thought that around 80,000 people should have benefited from the introduction of the NMW in April 1999. The number who should have benefited from the NMW uprating in October 2001 is estimated to be 110,000.In spring 1998, prior to the introduction of the NMW, the average wage for full-time employees on adult rates in Newcastle upon Tyne was £336.9 and in Gateshead it was £352.5. In spring 2002 the average wage in Newcastle was £409.9, an increase of nearly 22 per cent., and in Gateshead it had risen to £389.4, an increase of 10.5 per cent. over the period. Over the same period the average wage for the north east as a whole increased by nearly 18 per cent., to £399.3, and for Great Britain by 21 per cent., to £464.7.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she will take to encourage employers promptly to pay the wages due to those entering work; and if he will make a statement. [89291]

When employees are to be paid is a contractual matter for negotiation and agreement between employers and employees (or their representatives). If wages are not paid at the agreed time, employees can seek redress though the employment tribunals or the ordinary courts.The intervals at which wages are paid must be set out out in the written statement of employment particulars to which employees have a statutory right. Measures in the Employment Act 2002, once brought into force, will provide an improved enforcement mechanism for the requirement to issue written statements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what regulations there are to prevent the (a) importation and (b) sale of goods made from (i) cats and (ii) dogs; and if she will make a statement. [88377]

At present there is no provision in the EU to prevent either the importation or sale of goods on the basis that they are made from cats and dogs.My noble Friend, the Minister for Trade and Investment in response to an oral question from Baroness Gale on 11 December 2001,

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry who the (a) current and (b) past members are of the People's Panel; and if she will make a statement. [88822]

I have been asked to reply.The People's Panel came to an end in January 2002. Over the course of its lifetime it was made up of a representative sample of more than 5,000 members, recruited at random from among the UK public. It is standard practice for the personal details of members of the public involved in such research to remain anonymous.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of (a) the savings to be achieved and (b) the number of sub post offices to be closed under the Post Office's network reinvention. [87340]

[holding answer 16 December 2002]: Post Office Ltd. estimate that collectively savings from the urban reinvention programme together with savings from other measures and initiatives including reductions in administrative costs and overheads should make a substantial contribution to restoring the network business to profitability. The Network business made an operating loss of £82 million in the financial year 2000–01.Post Office Ltd. does not have a predetermined list of offices which will close under their urban reinvention programme, nor is there any arithmetical formula which will determine the number of closures in any given area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices there are in each parliamentary constituency; how many of them transacted more than 40 per cent. of their work volumes on behalf of the Benefits Agency in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [87865]

[holding answer 18 December 2002]: A special exercise was undertaken by the Post Office in 1999 to determine the numbers of post offices in each Parliamentary constituency and how many of them derive more than 40 per cent. of their income from benefits work. That information is set out in the reply given to the then hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington on 29 November 1999, Official Report, column 22W, and remains the latest information available in that form.Post Office Ltd. also compiled a list of post offices by Parliamentary constituency as of 20 April 2002 showing their classification as urban or rural offices. This exercise did not include information on percentage income derived from benefits payments. A copy of this list is held in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Confederation of British Industry, (b) the TUC and (c) the Institute of Directors regarding union recognition in the workplace. [89045]

The Department of Trade and Industry is currently undertaking a Review of the Employment Relations Act 1999, which includes the provisions for statutory trade union recognition. DTI officials have already held a number of informal consultation meetings with interested parties, including the CBI and the TUC.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State also holds regular meetings with employer and trade union representatives, including the TUC, CBI and IoD, at which employment matters are discussed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her most recent estimate is of the proportion of the population that in 2010 will be living in parts of the country that have achieved the air quality strategy objective for 2010. [88439]

Different air quality objectives apply in respect of different pollutants, different dates and different parts of the country. For many pollutants, our latest modelling indicates that by 2010 100 per cent. of the population will be living in areas that meet the current air quality strategy objectives. But in respect of other pollutants, there remain some areas where the current objectives may not be met. In respect of particulate matter (PM₁₀), for example, our latest air quality projections estimate that in 2010, 88 per cent of the population of England (excluding London) will live in areas that meet the air quality strategy objective. Furthermore, it is estimated that 98 per cent. of the population of London will live in areas that meet the air quality strategy objective for PM₁₀ for London in 2010. Additional measures will need to be developed over the coming years to increase the proportion of the population living in areas that meet the strategy targets for PM₁₀.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her most recent estimate is of the proportion of the population that will live in the parts of the country where the air quality strategy objective for NOx will have been achieved by 2005. [88440]

My Department's latest air quality projections estimate that more than 98 per cent. of the population will live in parts of England where the air quality strategy objective for nitrogen dioxide will have been achieved in 2005. Additional measures will need to be developed over the coming years to increase the proportion of the population living in areas that meet the strategy objective.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department is doing to support the Government's policy on accreditation. [88088]

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is recognised by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry as the sole national body for the accreditation, against international standards, of certification and inspection bodies, testing and calibration laboratories. Defra uses UKAS accreditation services whenever it is appropriate to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of eggs sold were (a) free range and (b) intensively farmed in the last year for which records are available. [89086]

[holding answer 8 January 2003]: In 2001 the proportions of total throughput of UK egg packing stations by type of egg production system were as follows:

	Percentage
Free Range	22.9
Laying Cages	71.7
Barn	5.4

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to encourage the formation of co-operatives among farmers; and if she will make a statement. [88866]

We have been working with an industry led steering group on the development of proposals for a new body called English Farming and Food Partnerships to encourage greater co-operation and collaboration between producers. It will aim to enable farmers to become more competitive by advocating collaboration, providing specialist advice and project delivery, and through training and education. It is intended that the body will be launched early this year.We have also announced that projects which aim to strengthen and expand collaborative activity among farmers will be one of the priorities of the new Agricultural Development Scheme. The Rural Enterprise Scheme offers grants for the formation or development of collaborative groups to market quality products. Collaborative groups of producers are also eligible to apply for capital grants under the Processing and Marketing Grant scheme.We are also exploring what legislative or fiscal constraints or disincentives to the development of agricultural co-operatives might exist.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason slaughter premiums are included in foot and mouth disease valuations after April 2001, but not before. [88593]

This is not the case. Foot and mouth disease culled cattle did not meet the criteria for receipt of the slaughter premium subsidy. Compensation was based either on market valuation, and thus needed no adjustment, or, from 22 March to 29 July alternatively, the standard values, which were set at fixed rates including the value of the subsidy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average price per kilogram dead weight for pigmeat was in June each year from 1990. [87292]

The table shows the price for pigs in pence per kilogram deadweight for June each year from 1990.

Deadweight pig prices (pence per kilogram deadweight) for each June from 1990
Date (June)	Price p/kg/dw £
1990	138.24
1991	113.22
1992	121.21
1993	117.39
1994	109.84
1995	122.41
1996	150.40
1997	134.03
1998	91.38
1999	84.51

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to support rural economies, with special reference to communications links. [86776]

The new rural Public Service Agreement sets targets for increasing productivity in the least well performing rural areas and improving service accessibility. Both sets of targets require good quality communications links, both physical and electronic.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the dairy industry about the impact of the proposed changes to the welfare milk scheme; and if she will make a statement. [88979]

The Dairy Industry Association was represented at a meeting which my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Lord Whitty, held jointly with my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Public Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Salford (Mrs. Blears), on 24 October 2002 to discuss the proposed reform of the welfare food scheme. This followed earlier discussions my hon. Friend had had with the Association.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the Office is doing to support the Government's policy on accreditation. [88093]

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is recognised by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry as the sole national body for the accreditation, against international standards, of certification and inspection bodies, testing and calibration laboratories. My Department has engaged in a number of useful discussions with UKAS and are currently developing with them new assessment procedures in relation to the Charter Mark scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the planned assistance is to elected representatives of the Bois people by the British Indian Ocean Territories administration in the next financial year; and if he will make a statement. [89383]

There are no specific plans to assist any representatives of the Chagossian community in the next financial year. However, the BIOT Government has stated that it will consider reinstating the visit to the outer islands of the archipelago of a group of Chagossians which had to be cancelled earlier this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance was offered to the group of British Indian Ocean Territories people who arrived in the UK on 16 September travelling on UK passports. [89384]

Although British citizens are not automatically entitled to benefits on arrival in the UK, the UK passport holders within this group were offered assistance from Crawley social services to find accommodation and employment. This help was also provided for their non-British family members.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with EU representatives and countries surrounding the Caspian Sea regarding the securing of energy resources in the Caspian Sea region for European markets. [88860]

Ministers and officials discuss Caspian energy issues with governments in the Caspian region and with EU partners on a regular basis. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met Kazakh Foreign Minister Tokaev on 2 December and discussed UK energy investment in Kazakhstan. My hon. Friend the Minister of Energy and Construction (Mr. Wilson) visited Moscow recently and discussed energy issues, including the Caspian, with the Russian Energy Minister. Caspian energy issues are regularly discussed between EU partners and those Caspian countries with which the EU has Partnership and Cooperation Agreements (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan).

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the establishment of (a) an EU diplomatic academy and (b) an EU diplomatic service. [89127]

We are content with the idea of an EU diplomatic academy which would exist alongside member states' national training arrangements, as suggested in the report from the External Relations Working Group of the Convention on the Future of Europe. We will remain engaged in the debate on this issue as it develops.On the establishment of an EU diplomatic service, we believe that it remains for EU member states to organise their respective bilateral diplomatic services at the national level, though co-ordination and co-location of diplomatic missions with EU partners may be appropriate. There are already 138 bilateral and 5 multilateral delegations overseas which represent the Commission abroad. As the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy develops under the Council of Ministers and its High Representative, currently Javier Solana, there will be increased demands upon the delegations of both the Commission and member states.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what security concerns were raised regarding EU enlargement at the Copenhagen summit. [88951]

There was no discussion at the Copenhagen European Council of security concerns regarding EU enlargement. The conclusions of the summit emphasise that enlargement

"testifies to the common determination of the peoples of Europe to come together in a Union that has become a driving force for peace, democracy, stability and prosperity on our continent".

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will identify the independent studies on migration referred to in his written statement of 16 December 2002, Official Report, columns 537–551, on EU enlargement and free movement of workers. [89247]

Successive independent studies have indicated that there is unlikely to be a large influx of workers from the new member states to the UK after accession. Two recent examples include: Bauer, Thomas K and Zimmerman, Klaus F (1999), "Assessment of Possible Migration Pressures and its Labour Market Impact Following EU Enlargement to Central and Eastern Europe", and Boeri, Tito and Bruecker, Herbert (2000), "The Impact of Enlargement on Employment and Labour Markets in the EU Member States".

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are open to the Government to seek legal redress in the event of a United Kingdom citizen being murdered overseas by the forces of art occupying power. [88610]

The steps available would depend on the circumstances of any particular case. The UK's rules applying to international claims were published in the International and Comparative Law Quarterly, Volume 37 (1998) 1006–08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contradiction there has been with NATO member states on national missile defence; and if he will make a statement. [89380]

The Prague summit underlined the commitment of all our NATO allies to examining ways to address the threat posed by ballistic missile proliferation through an appropriate mix of political and defence efforts. As a follow on to work on protecting deployed forces using theatre missile defences, NATO partners agreed to set up a new feasibility study to examine options for protecting alliance territory, forces and population centres against the full range of missile threats.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what UK representation there is at the peace negotiations on the future of Somalia; and if he will make a statement. [89375]

The deputy high commissioner in Nairobi attended the opening ceremony of the Somalia National Reconciliation Conference on 15 October 2002 in Eldoret, Kenya. Experts from the U K attended some of the early sessions of the conference and we have had an expert in Eldoret since 2 December 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements are in operation for UK diplomatic representation in Somalia; and if he will make a statement. [89376]

The British Embassy in Mogadishu has been closed since 1990 for security reasons. Coverage of Somalia is provided by the British Embassy in Addis Ababa and by the British High Commission in Nairobi.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to (a) the Syrian Government, (b) the Syrian ambassador in London, (c) the head of Hizballah and (d) the International Red Cross in respect of medical treatment for Mr. Elhannan Tannenbaum during his captivity. [88590]

HMG has made a number of representations to governments in the middle east about the fate of the missing Israelis, including Elhannan Tannenbaum, and will continue to do so, pressing particularly for access to the hostages for the International Committee of the Red Cross. Most recently I raised them with the Syrian Foreign Minister, Farouk Al Shara'a, in London during the Syrian President's official visit to the UK on 16 to 18 December 2002. Our ambassadors in Beirut and Damascus also raised the missing men with their host governments, who took note of our interest on 3 October 2002 and 19 September 2002 respectively. On 12 December 2001, our ambassador in Beirut raised hostage taking in general terms with Hizballah. On each occasion we emphasised our absolute opposition to hostage taking, and that those holding hostages should free them at once.Our ambassador in Tel Aviv met families of the missing men, including Mr. Tannenbaum's son, on 9 September 2002

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK Government have taken to ensure that the Liberian Government, under UN Security Council resolution 1408 (2002), has established a transparent and internationally verifiable audit regime to ensure that revenue derived from the Liberian timber industry is used for legitimate social, humanitarian and development purposes, and not for purchasing arms, and if he will make a statement. [89069]

[holding answer 7 January 2003]: We regret that the Government of Liberia have not yet established an audit regime, and we remain concerned that revenues derived from logging activities are used to purchase arms in breach of UN sanctions. We have made repeated calls in the United Nations Security Council for the Government of Liberia to instigate an internationally verifiable and rigorous audit of their timber and shipping revenues as required under UNSCR 1408. We have briefed two potential auditors. Unfortunately, after discussion with the Government of Liberia, both decided not to undertake the contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on discussions with Turkey about the decision to admit Cyprus as a candidate member of the European Union. [88985]

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to his Turkish counterpart during the Copenhagen European Council. They discussed the step forward Copenhagen signalled in Turkey's own candidacy and also touched on Cyprus, including the EU's continued wish to see a reunited island accede.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have been held with the Government of Algeria on the future of the western Sahara; and if he will make a statement. [89377]

I met Amine Kherbi the Algerian Presidential Special Envoy when he visited London to discuss western Sahara last July. Officials in London, Algiers and New York are in regular contact with their Algerian counterparts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to receive proposals from the UN special representative on the future governance of the western Sahara; and if he will make a statement. [89379]

The mandate for MINURSO, the UN mission for a referendum in western Sahara is due to expire on 31 January 2003. We expect the UN Secretary General to report to the Security Council on the situation before that date.

To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 18 December 2002, Official Report, column 811W, what criteria he (a) applied and (b) applies in determining whether referendums are appropriate on (i) devolution and (ii) further European union. [89317]

The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) provides a generic statutory framework for the conduct of referendums held across the United Kingdom, or a referendum held in Scotland, Wales, England or Northern Ireland, or in any region in England. There are no criteria, set out either in the PPERA or elsewhere, for deciding when it is appropriate to hold a referendum on a particular issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to develop a local agency approach for (a) gaining access to, and (b) supporting funding for community sports initiatives; and if she will make a statement. [89999]

Sport England is, at my request, working on a programme of modernisation and restructuring. A key feature of the programme is the devolution of greater responsibility for funding decisions to the

Development	Resources
School Sport Co-ordinators	£40 million
Community Club Development Programme	£20 million
Step into Sport Volunteering Project	£4 million
Coach development	£3 million
New Opportunities Fund—School Sport and PE Programme	£581 million (between 2001 and 2005)
Space for Sport and the Arts	£130 million (between 2001 and 2004)
Sport England Grant in Aid	£38.275 million (much of this will be directed to programmes for young people and grassroots sport.)
Lottery Sports Fund	£178 million (almost 80 per cent. of this will be allocated to youth and grassroots sport)

The Department for Education and Skills will also be investing significant resources in sports provision in schools including £184 million for school sport coordinators and 115 million for specialist sports colleges over the next three years and £10 million for sporting playgrounds in 2003–04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with European colleagues regarding (a) resources for and (b) co-operation in securing international sporting events in European countries. [88730]

I meet ministerial counterparts in EU member states at a range of international fora. In the course of these meetings, I have discussed major sporting events.In the UK, sport's national governing bodies are responsible for securing the resources necessary for bidding for major international events, assisted where appropriate with Lottery and other funding from UK Sport and Sport England. Other EU member states have similar arrangements. It is the nature of the bidding process that national governing bodies compete for the rights to host events. As such, the scope for co-operation is limited to ensuring that fair criteria for bidding nations are applied by international sporting organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department intends to spend in the next year developing sport at (a) youth and (b) grassroots levels. [89553]

My Department and the National Lottery will be investing the following resources in 2003–04 in the development of youth and grass roots sport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received regarding the staging of major sporting events in England; and if she will make a statement. [88306]

Government are currently assessing whether or not to support a bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games in London. We will take forward the recommendation of the strategy unit to create a strategy for bidding for mega events and we will consider with UK Sport how to help organisations bid more effectively for major sporting events.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to which bodies his Department makes appointments; how many members there are (a) in total and (b) in each body; and how many of those appointed are (i) businessmen, (ii) businessmen in SMEs and (iii) businessmen in micro-businesses. [87392]

[holding answer 16 December 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Mr. Alexander) on 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 607W.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in each of the past ten years from Somalia have (a) applied for asylum, (b) been recognised as refugees, (c) been granted exceptional leave to remain, (d) been removed to a third country, (e) made a voluntary departure and (f) returned to Somalia. [89378]

The table shows the asylum applications, and grants of asylum or exceptional leave to remain (ELR), for Somali nationals over the last ten years.

Applications received for asylum in the United Kingdom, and initial decisions1,2 1992–2001, Somalia
Initial Decisions
	Cases considered under normal procedures4,5				Backlog clearance exercise6
	Applications received3	Granted asylum	Granted ELR	Refused	Granted asylum or ELR under backlog criteria	Refused under backlog criteria7
1992	1,575	25	2,210	320	—	—
1993	1,465	45	3,075	210	—	—
1994	1,840	5	1,575	150	—	—
1995	3,468	10	2,205	185	—	—
1996	1,780	15	3,580	235	—	—
1997	2,730	985	1,015	305	—	—
1998	4,685	2,330	375	100	—	—
1999	7,495	130	55	120	35	5
2000	5,020	5,310	3,575	2,365	55	15
2001p	6,465	2,845	1,960	3,495	—	—
1 Figures rounded to the nearest five.
2 Decision figures do not necessarily relate to applications received in the same period.
3 May exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices between January 1999 and March 2002.
4 Information is on initial decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals ore other subsequent decisions.
5 Cases considered under normal procedures may include some cases decided under the backlog criteria.
6 Cases decided under measures aimed at reducing the pre 1996 asylum application backlog.
7 Included some cases where the application has been refused on substantive grounds.
p Provisional data.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminal prosecutions have been brought as a result of evidence obtained via CCTV cameras in each of the last five years. [88152]

The information requested is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of CCTV in combating crime in small retail businesses. [88649]

[holding answer 7 January 2003]: Under the Crime Reduction Programme Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Initiative, a potential of £170 million will be spent funding 684 public area CCTV schemes. Many of these schemes cover shopping areas. Under the

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan of 9 July 2002, regarding his constituent Mr. A. Innes of Banff. [88644]

The hon. Member was sent a reply to his letter on 31 December 2002. I am sorry for the delay in doing so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 4 November from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Dr. Aisha Budhwani [89236]

I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 19 December 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 11 November from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Muhammad Khaziz. [89239]

I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 17 December 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funds are available to crime reductions partnerships to (a) install CCTV in problem crime areas and (b) combat crime in deprived areas. [88650]

[holding answer 7 January 2003]: Under the Crime Reduction Programme Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Initiative around £170 million will be spent between 1998 and 2003 funding 684 CCTV schemes. More than 520 of these schemes are already fully operational, with further schemes coming on line weekly.Although this initiative is now closed, other opportunities for funding of crime reduction measures, including CCTV schemes, currently exist under the Safer Communities, Communities Against Drugs and the Small Retailers in Deprived Areas initiatives.In 2002–03 the funds available under these three initiatives total £96-million Safe Communities Initiatives (SCI) £20 million, Communities Against Drugs (CAD) £70 million, Small Retailers in Deprived Areas (SRDA) £6 million.The Updated Drug Strategy was published in November 2002, and makes further progress towards breaking the link between drugs and crime by introducing or extending a range of interventions aimed at getting offenders with drug problems into drug treatment, in particular taking forward the work we have already done on Arrest Referral and Drug Treatment and Testing Orders, building on the pilot Drug Testing projects by extending this approach more widely, and developing better systems for throughcare and aftercare.In addition, in 2003–04, funding of £236 million has been made available from the National Pooled Budget for the treatment of adults and young people, from 1999, £20 million has been made available over three years for Arrest Referral schemes and £53.7 million for Drug Treatment and Testing Orders.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals serving prison sentences in prisons in England and Wales are to be deported on the completion of their prison sentence. [88838]

As of 23 December 2002 there were 3,930 prisoners serving sentence who are known to be liable to be deported on completion of their custodial sentence. Each case is reviewed on its merits not sooner than 12 months before the prisoner might expect to be released having served the required period in custody.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the longest time was that a foreign national (a) man and (b) woman who had served a prison sentence waited on completion of that sentence to be deported from the UK in each of the last three years. [88839]

I regret that the information requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals held in prisons in England and Wales are awaiting deportation and have completed their prison sentence. [88841]

As of 23 December 2002 there are 94 prisoners detained beyond completion of their criminal sentences awaiting deportation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many engagements were undertaken outside London (a) by him or his predecessor and (b) by Ministers in his Department in January (i) 2000, (ii) 2001 and (iii) 2002. [87353]

[holding answer 16 December 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 608W.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce a national database of missing persons. [88186]

There are already arrangements nationally to record missing persons. Details of all missing persons should be recorded on the Police National Computer (PNC) as soon as possible and in any case within 48 hours of their disappearance.Notification of all outstanding missing persons should be sent to the Police National Missing Persons Bureau (PNMPB) within 14 days. Most missing persons are found locally within this period. Forces will not, however, be precluded from forwarding information to the PNMPB in a shorter time if a particular case appears to warrant more urgent attention.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for a common risk assessment between police services for missing persons. [88191]

The Association of Chief Police Officers' (ACPO) 'Manual of Guidance for the Management of Missing Persons' promotes the use of a three-tier risk assessment procedure consisting of low', 'medium', and 'high' risk categories with an additional list of factors that need to be considered when assessing this risk.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the backlog is of applications for nationality. [88567]

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 10 December 2002, Official Report, column 237W, which stated that information on the number of cases outstanding was not available.This is because information on the number of applications for nationality outstanding is not routinely published.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made to end the status of Overseas British Citizen and to provide those affected with full British citizenship; what representations he has received about amending the status of Overseas British Citizens; and if he will make a statement. [88625]

We have no plans to end the status of British Overseas Citizen. We received representations during the passage of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill about the plight of British nationals who had no right of abode in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. As a result we amended the Bill to confer an entitlement to British citizenship, and with it the right of abode in the United Kingdom, on British Overseas citizens, British subjects and British protected persons who have no other nationality and have not, since 4 July 2002, given up another nationality. The relevant section (s.12) will be commenced by order as soon as the administrative arrangements for receiving and considering applications are in place.The remaining provisions in the British Nationality Act 1981 relating to the statuses of British Overseas Citizen, British subject and British protected person will continue in force to cater for those who are unable or unwilling to acquire British citizenship, and to facilitate the voluntary renunciation of those statuses.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the number of people who would benefit from a change in the status of overseas British citizens. [88626]

We estimate that there are now some 35,000 British overseas citizens and 10,000 British subjects and British protected persons who have no other citizenship. However, a margin of error must be allowed. These figures are based largely on personal contact with our overseas missions in the course of applications for passport and other consular services. There will be people who have not availed themselves of these services. Conversely, there will be people eligible for British citizenship who will not apply.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department can take in circumstances where police forces refuse to investigate particular complaints. [88981]

The Secretary of State for the Home Department does not have the power to intervene in the recording or investigation of individual complaints.Under section 69 of the Police Act 1996, the chief officer of the force is the appropriate authority for recording and investigating complaints, other than complaints against senior officers. All complaints about the conduct of police officers must be recorded. It is for the chief officer to determine whether a complaint relates to the conduct of officers. A complaint may be resolved informally if the complainant consents and the chief officer is satisfied that the conduct complained of would not justify criminal or disciplinary proceedings. Otherwise the complaint must be formally investigated.A new police complaints system will be introduced in April 2004 under provisions in the Police Reform Act 2002. This system will operate under the guardianship of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).Under the new system, if the chief officer considers that a complaint should not be recorded because it does not relate to the conduct of police officers, he will be required to give reasons for that decision to the complainant. The complainant will have the right to appeal against that decision to the 1PCC. The IPCC will be able, if appropriate, to require the complaint to be recorded. It will also have the power to call in any complaint and to determine how any subsequent investigation should be handled.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officer working days have been lost due to (a) stress and (b) illness (i) in each police force in England and Wales and (ii) in total in each of the last five years. [87912]

At present sickness absence in the police service is not broken down by categories such as stress or illness. Therefore it is not possible to express the number of working days lost due to stress or illness over the last five years.Sickness absence tables for the last five reporting periods will be placed in the Library, which give overall

HMIC Matrix of Indicators 1997–98—sick leave
	Police days lost to sick leave		Police days lost to long term sick leave		Average number of police officers	Police officers on long term sick leave		Support staff working days lost to sick leave
	Male	Female	Male	Female		Male	Female	Male	Female
Avon and Somerset	25,456	4,870	15,035	2,673	2,976	289	53	6,814	7,738
Bedfordshire	11,621	3,918	7,058	2,572	1,086	34	11	1,038	3,566
Cambridgeshire	11,462	2,556	4.449	1,098	1,297	16	5	2,134	5,691
Cheshire	22,670	5,746	13,983	2,758	2,078	81	23	2,861	10,077
City of London	8,635	1,691	4,686	722	869	17	1	1,555	2,227
Cleveland	14,323	3,387	8,305	1,743	1,494	35	9	1,663	5,989
Cumbria	9,508	2,362	5,866	1,497	1,166	17	8	1,340	2,807
Derbyshire	19,977	4.976	12,622	3,451	1,772	40	7	3,920	8,626
Devon and Cornwall	24,153	6,106	13,722	3,342	2,929	40	7	6,594	9,869
Dorset	I1,764	2,639	6,025	1,277	1,287	80	19	3,462	5,368
Durham	12,854	4,250	7.663	2,759	1,486	141	47	2,416	3,878
Dyfed-Powys	8,831	1,755	4,936	779	1,007	92	22	856	3,832
Essex	26,240	7,827	14,045	3,980	2,959	52	14	5,680	15,629
Gloucestershire	9,748	2,186	5,633	999	1,123	92	18	1,860	4,516
Greater Manchester	81,843	25,051	55,050	17,493	6,930	999	274	18,448	41,793
Gwent	10,046	2,530	6,209	1,737	1,245	15	6	1,271	3,140
Hampshire	25,476	11,189	13,546	8,011	3,471	272	127	16,383	0
Hertfordshire	14,983	5,479	7,408	3,230	1,750	13	5	1,900	9,806
Humberside	20,258	3,954	9,575	1,871	2,056	28	6	3,805	5,801
Kent	28,115	8,449	14,355	4,601	3,285	45	6	5,136	11,906
Lancashire	29,335	8,084	12,850	3,483	3,344	271	80	4,622	10,011
Leicestershire	18,466	5,375	8,571	2,456	2,020	20	5	3,579	9,529
Lincolnshire	11,576	2,889	6,773	1,921	1,194	24	5	1,469	2,783
Merseyside	40,792	13,219	30,333	10,442	4,322	66	26	6,275	19,550
Metropolitan Police	310,220	84,348	185,460	54,325	27,028	2,273	592	70,874	170,711
Norfolk	12,432	2,621	4,259	704	1,451	61	9	2,322	5,039
Northamptonshire	12,107	2,637	5,013	1,028	1,182	17	8	1,946	4,024
Northumbria	35,457	7,872	27,636	5,691	3,437	524	110	5,897	11,884
North Wales	11,603	2,279	5,582	1,000	1,396	20	6	1,730	4,020
North Yorkshire	12,059	2,866	6,753	1,548	1,375	28	8	1,925	4,481
Nottinghamshire	22,928	6,601	13,795	4,332	2,341	31	14	5,101	12,320
South Wales	42,985	7,162	—	—	2,884	—	—	—	—
South Yorkshire	31,298	7,529	15,452	3,609	3,194	72	11	4,822	10,995
Staffordshire	22,074	6,794	7,203	2,607	2,258	134	47	2,655	8,773
Suffolk	7,829	2,752	4,613	1,745	1,189	18	7	1,942	3,208
Surrey	18,401	3,597	12,271	2,085	1,642	211	43	2,687	3,246
Sussex	29,587	7,248	15,182	3,834	3,063	283	77	6,059	13,378
Thames Valley	36,466	10,934	23,547	7,575	3,820	59	24	5,487	17,003
Warwickshire	11,132	2,344	5,263	1,114	933	22	5	1,748	4,239
West Mercia	19,040	4,544	8,331	1,599	2,036	19	7	4,433	8,776
West Midlands	66,784	23,097	33,729	11,166	7,194	463	148	9,443	37,901
West Yorkshire	47,587	12,949	21,219	5,739	5,215	331	79	10,116	17,622
Wiltshire	7,920	2,299	4,151	1,345	1,167	10	5	1,923	3,526

	Support staff working days lost to long term sick leave		Average number of support staff	Support staff on long term sick leave
	Male	Female		Male	Female
Avon and Somerset	4,255	3,920	1,573	77	86
Bedfordshire	556	1,664	551	25	70
Cambridgeshire	784	1,987	649	1	6
Cheshire	1,482	5,356	815	6	22
City of London	669	1,320	349	3	4
Cleveland	744	3,161	657	4	12
Cumbria	892	1,328	521	3	7
Derbyshire	2,625	5,344	934	4	23

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ask the Government Actuary to investigate police pension costs. [88504]

[holding answer 8 January 2003]: As stated in the National Policing Plan, the Government are considering options for modernising police pensions to make them more flexible and affordable for future entrants. We are also seeking to meet the needs of police authorities and chief officers for a scheme which brings greater certainty about the financial impact on individual police forces.The Government Actuary's Department is giving such advice as is necessary regarding police pension costs and options for reform.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the police received a report of the existence of a written authority from the Prince of Wales to Harold Brown to dispose of a gold wedding ring; and if he will make a statement. [86245]