To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his estimate is of the total spending of his Department on entertainment in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [92365]

Details of my Department's spend on entertainment in each year from 1997–98 to 2001–02 can be found below.

£000s
	Entertainment expenditure
1997–98	192
1998–99	170
1999–00	276
2000–01	277
2001–02	254

Information prior to 1997–98 is not held on the Department's accounting system and is therefore available only at disproportionate cost.The estimated spend on entertainment in 2002–03 is £216,000.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much (a) his Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body spent on external consultancy in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (planned); and if he will make a statement. [92226]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given in another place to the noble Baroness Wilcox by Lord Macdonald on 27 November 2002, Official Report; column WA42.Expenditure by the Cabinet Office on external consultants is estimated to be £9,493,000 for 2002–03. The figures for the Central Office of Information (COI), the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) and the only non-departmental public body sponsored by the Cabinet Office with such spend are as follows:

	COI	GCDA	Committee on standards in public life
1997–98	66,395	n/a	0
1998–99	30,972	n/a	0
1999–2000	17,468	33,997	0
2000–01	48,980	21,715	0

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to extend the opportunities for members of the public to contribute to the development of government policy by online scrutiny and discussion of proposed initiatives. [93387]

The Government have recently consulted on e-democracy which included issues concerning online scrutiny. A report on the consultation, entitled "In the Service of Democracy: Your Response", along with individual responses, has been posted on the Government's e-democracy website, www.edemocracy.gov.ukThe majority of the responses are supportive of the Government's efforts to develop an e-democracy policy although many important and serious issues were raised that will require detailed analysis and consideration.We are very grateful to all those who took time to consider the issues raised in the consultation document and we will, of course, keep the House informed as policy is developed on e-democracy.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what sales of heritage assets and antique assets have been made by his Department since May 1997; if he will list such assets; and if he will estimate the total sales proceeds. [92366]

The Cabinet Office has not sold any heritage assets and antique assets since May 1997.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to improve the analysis by Government Departments of suggestions from the general public. [93389]

The Government are committed to making use of more diverse methods of involving the public and to engaging a broader range of people. The "Code of Practice on Written Consultation" provides guidance to Departments on written consultations with the public. To help policy-makers improve policy design through undertaking public involvement initiatives, the Cabinet Office has also published "Viewfinder: A Policy Maker's Guide to Public Involvement". Viewfinder is available on the Policy Hub Website www.policyhub.gov.uk. Viewfinder includes examples of good practice, features a wide range of involvement techniques (including e-consultation) and describes how effectively to plan public involvement activities, including analysis and evaluation. It informs policy-makers how to ensure that involvement includes different groups and individuals within society. It also addresses issues such as how to manage high volumes of responses and how to weight responses from different groups.The Office of Public Services Reform in the Cabinet Office has developed five principles of good customer feedback to guide Departments in consulting on public services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library the results of the opinion survey undertaken by ICM on behalf of UK Sport on a London bid for the 2012 Olympics. [93376]

I will arrange for a copy of the full results of the ICM survey of public opinion on a London 2012 Olympic Bid to be placed in the Library.A summary of the results of the survey were published by my Department and presented to the Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport on 15 January. The full results were published by ICM on their website at

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her estimate is of the total expenditure by her Department on ministerial travel (a) in the UK and (b) abroad, in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (estimated); and if she will make a statement. [92466]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon Friend the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office on 22 January 2003,Official Report, column 334W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a risk assessment was made in the first assessment of the Nottingham Air Traffic (ATC) contract. [93693]

[holding answer 28 January 2003]: I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the Wattisham air traffic contract. A risk assessment was included during the bid evaluation process for the first competition of the Wattisham air traffic contract, and that process identified areas of concern in all bids. The resulting contract with VT Aerospace (contract CS 4D/ 2017) was, however, terminated by mutual consent and the competition was re-run between the other bidders, leading to a contract with Serco (contract CS 4D/2027).

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money has been received by his Department in exchange for the sale of the Hardy accommodation blocks at Portland. [93617]

The freehold of the Hardy accommodation blocks at Portland were owned in part by the Ministry of Defence and in part by the Crown Estate. The sale was on the basis of a shared receipt pro rata of those freehold areas. The Ministry of Defence received £300,000 for its part of the accommodation blocks site.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 20 January (ref. 91885), what the expected requirements for blood and plasma are. [93594]

I am withholding the information requested in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the desertification of Challenger II tanks will be completed (a) before they are loaded for transport to the Gulf and (b) before they arrive in the Gulf; and if he will make a statement. [93937]

The improvement in the performance of Challenger II tanks in desert conditions is achieved through the combined effect of a number of modifications. The first modification was completed prior to the tanks being loaded for transportation. The remaining modifications will be completed after they arrive in theatre.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if cluster bombs are part of the ordnance package on its way to the Gulf. [93938]

I am withholding this information in accordance with Exemption la of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, which relates to defence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether (a) British forces and (b) United States forces deployed to the Gulf have depleted uranium munitions available as part of their armoury. [91974]

I can confirm that British Forces deployed to the Gulf will have depleted uranium munitions available as part of the armoury. The deployment of depleted uranium munitions by US Forces, is a matter for the US Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 7 January 2003, Official Report, column 45W, on Financial Dynamics, when the two meetings which his Department's official attended with Financial Dynamics took place; and whether Financial Dynamics were authorised to represent his Department in liaising with the press. [92057]

The two meetings took place on 10 and 12 December 2002. Financial Dynamics' role was to advise the Government on likely media perspectives of the market implications of the discussions between the Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems. The Ministry

	Naval Service			Army			RAF
	Officer Intake	Graduate Intake	%	Officer Intake	Graduate Intake	%	Officer Intake	Graduate Intake	%
1995–96	222	173	78	650	492	76	421	274	65
1996–97	374	290	78	616	493	80	471	284	60
1997–98	346	276	80	718	555	77	639	346	54
1998–99	376	283	75	635	480	76	694	340	49
1999–2000	367	275	75	598	461	77	776	370	48
2000–01	398	273	69	719	593	82	675	354	52
2001–02	386	268	69	727	559	77	767	336	44

Figures for all services are not available prior to 1995–9696

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress towards the procurement of a human centrifuge; and what discussions his Department has had with AMST of Austria on the matter. [93990]

AMST is one of two companies currently in competition for the contract to provide a new human carrying High G Centrifuge for the RAF. An announcement on the award of this programme is planned for August 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what UK military forces are (a) deployed and (b) in the

	January to March	April to June	July to September	October to November
40 Commando	15	10	10	5
42 Commando	15	20	10	5
45 Commando	15	10	10	20

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much (a) his Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department spent on (i) publicity and (ii) advertising in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (estimated); and if he will make a statement. [92257]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of (a) Naval, (b) Army and (c) RAF officers received in each year since 1990 were graduates. [93657]

Details of the graduate intake to the Officer Corps in the Armed Forces in recent years are as follows:process of deployment in the Gulf and Middle East region, setting out how many personnel of which unit and service are

[holding answer 21 January 2003]: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications there have been for Premature Voluntary Release from (a) 40,(b) 42 and (c) 45 Commando in each month of the past year. [93653]

RM Commando PVR applications recorded during 2002:

Details of Ministry of Defence expenditure on advertising and publicity are contained in the annual MOD Performance Reports. For 1995–96 the information is shown on page 32, Cm 3448; for 1996–97 the information is shown on page 49, Cm 3781; 1997–98 the information is shown on page 49, Cm 4170; for 1999–2000 the information is shown on page 60, Cm 5000; for 2000–01 the information is shown on page 68, Cm 5290 and for 2001–02 the information is shown on page 71, Cm 5661.Copies of these reports are available in the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with employers of reservists currently on the reserve list; and how many reservists have been called up to date. [93869]

As at 21 January 2003, 1,816 reservists had been sent call-out notices in support of Operation TELIC. Single Service Adjudication Officers have been in contact with reservists' employers to consider applications for revocation, exemption or deferral of employees' call-out and applications for financial assistance to cover the additional costs resulting from call-out as defined by the Reserve Forces Act 1996 (RFA 96).In addition, the Ministry of Defence has been conducting a long-standing campaign designed to win and maintain the support of Britain's employers for the volunteer reserve forces, which was re-launched in September 2002 as the SaBRE (Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employers) campaign. Its purpose is to explain to employers not only the benefits of employing reservists, but also the attendant rights and obligations that employers have in respect of those of their employees who are also reservists.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he will take to prevent breaches of the Reserve Forces (Safeguard of Employment) Act 1985. [93870]

The Ministry of Defence has been conducting a long-standing campaign designed to win and maintain the support of Britain's employers for the volunteer reserve forces, which was re-launched in September 2002 as SaBRE (Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employers). Its purpose is to explain to employers not only the benefits of employing reservists, but also the attendant rights and obligations that employers have, including the requirement to reemploy reservists who have been called-out in accordance with the Reserve Forces (Safeguard of Employment) Act 1985. In addition, when a reservist is called-out, a letter is sent to their employer reminding them of their obligations under the Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he will take against companies in violation of the Reserve Forces (Safeguard of Employment) Act 1985. [93871]

Under the Reserve Forces (Safeguard of Employment) Act 1985, an employer must take into his or her employment, under the same conditions of service as they were previously serving, those former employees who have been called-out as reservists who make a written application at the end of a period of called-out service. If this is not reasonable and practical, the reservist must be reinstated on the most favourable terms of service available.Under the Act, where an employer fails to reinstate a reservist, the reservist may apply to a reinstatement committee. These committees, appointed by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, have the power to compel an employer to reinstate an employee and/or order the employer to pay appropriate compensation. Failure to comply with an order of a reinstatement committee is a criminal offence and an employer may be fined on conviction.The Act confers no powers on the Ministry of Defence to take measures against employers who fail to re-instate a reservist.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial and legal support he will give to reservists sacked by companies in violation of the Reserve Forces (Safeguard of Employment) Act 1985. [93872]

The Reserve Forces (Safeguard of Employment) Act provides for reinstatement and/or compensation for reservists dismissed from their jobs whilst called out. Reservists who feel they have been unfairly dismissed by their employer may apply to a reinstatement committee to hear their case.Any decision to seek legal advice is a matter for the individual, and the Ministry of Defence is not in a position to offer legal advice in individual cases. However, The Forces Law Network, an association of solicitors with experience of the needs of service personnel, can provide independent legal advice. Advice on how to apply for reinstatement, and what to do if any employer fails to honour his/her legal obligations, is available to reservists at both unit and regional level. In addition, the SaBRE (Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employers) campaign can answer general queries about the provisions of the Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are in place for reservists to continue with company pensions when they are called up; and if he will make a statement. [93651]

The Reserve Forces (Call-out and Recall) (Financial Assistance) Regulations 1997 (Statutory Instrument 1997 No 309) allows Reservists to continue payments into their civilian employers' pension scheme while they are called out. Under the regulations, the Ministry of Defence has powers to pay the employer's pension contribution, provided that the reservist continues to pay any employee's share required by the scheme. Pension scheme administrators must accept the MOD's payments for this purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the cost of the deployment of troops and tanks to the Gulf announced on 20 January. [93900]

The information requested is not yet available. When it is, I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence from which units the personnel in BARTs and RESTs under operation FRESCO are drawn; how many of them are due to be deployed to the Gulf and from which units will personnel be drawn to replace them; and if he will make a statement. [93936]

Breathing Apparatus Rescue Teams (BARTs) and Rescue Equipment Support Teams (RESTs) have been assembled by withdrawing individuals from almost every unit of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Recognising the important contribution the teams have played during the national firefighters dispute, every effort is made to preserve the capability of BARTs and RESTs. Recently, six RAF and 124 Royal Navy personnel have been withdrawn from Operation FRESCO as a direct consequence of deployments to the Gulf. During the course of the industrial action, the Ministry of Defence has maintained a programme of replacing personnel who needed to be withdrawn for various reasons, including the Gulf deployment, in order to ensure that the overall fire and rescue capability remains broadly constant. As this is a rolling programme, there is no direct correlation between those personnel stood down from Operation FRESCO due to their deployment to the Gulf and those personnel (or their parent units) from across the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy being trained as replacements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what tests have been conducted to ensure the reliability of (a) gas masks and (b) protective suits worn by services personnel. [93566]

Both the S10 respirators ('gas masks') and Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NEC) suits ('protective suits') are manufactured to required specifications (including stringent quality assurance) to ensure that a high level of reliability is achieved. The respirators have routine inspections covering fit, damage, distortion, wear and component life and are subject to periodic tests (normally annually) in a gas environment to confirm their operational effectiveness. The NBC suits, which are vacuum-packed by the manufacturer prior to dispatch, are subject to exacting quality assurance control. The integrity of the packaging is checked prior to issue to personnel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the procedure is for repairing damaged protective suits used by service personnel to protect them from (a) chemical, (b) nuclear and (c) radiological attack. [93567]

Due to the nature of the item, damaged nuclear, biological and chemical suits are replaced and not repaired.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to mandate companies tendering for the supply of future software systems for the Royal Navy to use Open Source Software for the engineered operating systems. [86480]

While the Ministry of Defence is examining the benefits of using Open Source Software in some areas, it is not envisaged that its use will be mandated to Project teams. The appropriateness and benefits of Open Source Software for any given project will be assessed against a range of criteria, on a case by case basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the potential financial savings for the Royal Navy of the adoption of Open Source Software for the operating systems of its future software packages. [86481]

Software used in the Ministry of Defence is selected on its ability to meet business and operational needs, taking full account of value for money, long-term viability, security and interoperability. The Ministry of Defence currently has no explicit policy on the use of Open Source Software, but does follow the Government Open Source Software policy published and announced in Parliament on 22 July 2002. This policy is available on the e-Envoy website (www.e-envoy.gov.uk) or the Office of Government Commerce website (www.ogc.gov.uk).

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the security implications of adopting commercial off-the-shelf instead of made-to-measure operating systems for future software systems for the Royal Navy. [86483]

It is recognised that, increasingly, systems which include commercial off-the-shelf software will be offered to the Ministry of Defence by potential contractors for defence applications. This can be beneficial in reducing development times and costs, but can give concern as off-the-shelf software may be of uncertain origin and not stringently tested prior to release. Projects are therefore treated on a case by case basis. The security requirements of each system will be specified in the design documents. When a commercial off-the-shelf product (e.g. an operating system) is to be used with specified security features, it is required to undergo security evaluation.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to receive the National Audit Office report on council stock transfers; and whether his review of council housing finances will be published before he has received the report. [93773]

The timetable for the National Audit Office's report has yet to be finalised. However it is scheduled for consideration by the Public Accounts Committee of this House on 31 March. The NAO research has been helpful in the broader review of the vehicles available for the delivery of the decent homes target.The statement by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on the Government's comprehensive long-term programme for sustainable communities, including housing, will be made shortly.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on recent progress in resolving the industrial action by firefighters. [93774]

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a further statement on the firefighters' dispute. [93779]

My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister made a statement to the House on this issue yesterday.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many armed forces Breathing Apparatus Rescue Teams and Rescue Equipment Support Teams were on fire cover during the 24-hour strike by members of the Fire Brigades Union on Tuesday 21 January. [93775]

There were 331 Breathing Apparatus Rescue Teams and 59 Regional Equipment Support Teams providing emergency fire cover in the United Kingdom for the 24-hour strike on 21 January. This is the same number of teams as for the previous 10 days of strike action.The number of red appliances in use by the military continues to increase. The armed forces are now able to deploy 177 red engines, 90 more than at the start of the last 8 day strike.The military now also has a number of aerial water towers to provide additional cover in extreme situations.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many days were lost to industrial action by firefighters in each of the last 12 months. [92764]

In the year up to 23 January 2003, eleven days were lost to national industrial action by firefighters. Ten of these days were in November 2002, and one day from the 21–22 January 2003.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on the progress of the New Deal for Communities. [93776]

Our New Deal for Communities Partnerships have a wide range of projects underway and are developing agreements with those who provide public services to make them more accountable to local people. Many partnerships can now point to important successes in reducing crime, improving the quality of the local environment and engaging with local people. Some of our partnerships do face challenging circumstances, but all are striving for success.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to increase the number of houses and flats available to key workers. [93777]

Under the Starter Home Initiative, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister aims to help 10,000 key workers to buy homes in areas where the high cost of housing is undermining recruitment and retention. In addition, the Housing Corporation's Challenge Fund in 2003/04 will provide some 2,800 new homes for rent or home ownership for key workers in the South East of England.Next week's announcement by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister will outline our future approach to key workers housing.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister in which year the ceilings and floors arrangements in the local government settlement 2003–04 will finish. [93778]

We expect floors and ceilings to be part of the system for the foreseeable future.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the contracts that have been awarded to the Capita Group by his Department. [89972]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has awarded the following contracts to the Capita Group:

(1) Housing Employment Mobility Services

(2) Neighbourhood Renewal—recruitment of advisors

(3) Staff recruitment. A former DTLR call off contract for the external recruitment of staff below the senior civil service.

The Capita Group are also working on the Local Government on-line website development and implementation. This contract was awarded to the Cathedral Consortium, who then sub contracted this work to Capita Group.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total expenditure of his Department was on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in 2002. [90541]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established as a separate department on 29 May 2002. From its formation until 31 December 2002, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expenditure on newspapers, magazines and periodicals is estimated at £144,000, (including Government Offices). This figure is rounded to the nearest £1,000.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures he will take to ensure the East Riding of Yorkshire Council receives enough funding to guarantee the provision of nursery school places from April 2004. [93837]

In anticipation of the duty to secure universal provision for three-year-olds from April 2004, the new education formula, announced in the provisional local government settlement, allocated funding through Formula Sending Shares based on the greater of the number of pupils in the latest applicable (January 2002) count and 85 per cent. of the resident three year old population.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what meetings (a) he, (b) other Ministers and (c) officials of his Department have held with (i) Sir Jeremy Beecham, (ii) other Local Government Association Executive members and (iii) representatives of the Fire Authority employers since 1 December 2002; on what dates the meetings were held; and what was discussed in each case. [91632]

Ministers and senior officials meet with Sir Jeremy Beecham and other members of the Local Government Association Executive on a regular basis to discuss many issues. The last meeting took place at the Central-Local Partnership on 22 January.Ministers and senior officials have also met representatives of the Fire Authority employers since 1 December 2002. Subjects discussed have included the proposals contained in the final report of Sir George Bain's Independent Review of the Fire Service, and how the Government intends to take them forward.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what advice he plans to issue to (a) regional planning bodies, (b) local authorities and (c) the planning inspectorate on the implementation of PPG3, following the decision in Rowlinson v Warrington Borough Council. [92352]

Planning Policy Guidance Note 3, 'Housing', introduced a series of tough new measures designed to meet the country's future housing needs in the most sustainable way possible, including a sequential approach which gives priority to re-using brownfield sites in urban areas in preference to developing greenfield sites. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not convinced that it is necessary to issue further advice in the light of the decision in Rowlinson v. Warrington Borough Council, which was determined on the facts of the case.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact on the Government's regeneration policies of the decision in the case of Rowlinson v Warrington borough council. [92351]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to make such an assessment. The judgment in Rowlinson v. Warrington borough council was made on the facts of that specific case, and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not convinced that they are of wider or general application.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he received the planning application for Thameslink 2000; what associated applications have been submitted, and on what dates; what progress has been made in relation to the (a) planning and (b) associated applications; when he expects to make a decision; and if he will make a statement. [93073]

Railtrack have, at various stages, made 47 separate applications in regard to the Thameslink 2000 project, many of which replaced or varied earlier ones. They first applied in November 1997 for an Order under the Transport and Works Act (TWA) and for planning permission, together with applications for listed building consent (LBC) and conservation area consent (CAC). These proposals were modified by further applications in 1998 and 1999 for LBC and CAC and, in September 1999, for an amending TWA Order and related planning permission. In October 2000, while the public inquiry was underway, Railtrack submitted a further tranche of amending planning and LBC applications. The position concerning the applications is therefore a complex one which has involved many changes.The inspector who held the public inquiry provided a report in January 2002, followed by supplementary reports in May and June 2002. These were published in July 2002. In summary, he concluded that whilst the scheme would bring very substantial transportation, regeneration and economic benefits, there were three key deficiencies in the scheme—at London Bridge and Blackfriars stations and in the Borough High Street area—which required resolution before a decision could appropriately be made on the scheme as a whole. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has since been giving careful consideration to the inspector's conclusions and to the many representations which have been received since the inquiry closed. These include a letter of 31 October 2002 from the Strategic Rail Authority who proposed that the scheme be split into two phases and asked for approval to be granted subject to conditions to deal with the outstanding issues identified by the inspector.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the findings of the Audit Commission report, "PFI in Schools". [92769]

The Audit Commission's report found that whilst teaching staff and pupils were generally pleased with their new schools, there had been some difficulties in the procurement process and some design aspects were less than ideal. However, the report focused only on a small number of very early PFI pathfinder schools. Since those early days, as the report itself made clear, we have continuously refined and improved the schools PFI process in the light of experience. Over 500 schools are now covered by PFI deals, representing over £1.3 billion of private sector investment. Another 400 PFI schools are in procurement or provisionally approved. This is a major programme by any standards and many schools are now receiving substantial investments to help provide high quality accommodation, raise educational standards and transform working conditions for pupils and staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the merits of funding the building of schools through the Private Finance Initiative. [92771]

The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) has significant merits. For example, it allows for risk sharing with the private sector. The public sector does not pay anything until construction work on the school building is complete and the school is receiving the contracted service. New schools are generally completed on time and are then maintained to a high standard over the whole life of the contract. This prevents the deterioration of the schools estate which has been so common in the past. Also, teaching professionals can focus on teaching without the distractions of facilities management and poor accommodation.Using the PFI to fund the building of schools has so far meant that an extra £1.3 billion has been invested to provide better conditions for pupils and teachers in over 500 schools. Transforming school accommodation is helping us to raise educational standards.As far as individual PFI projects are concerned, each one is assessed at the outset to ensure it will provide best value over the whole life of the contract. Further checks are made at various points during the procurement process to ensure that value for money for the public sector is delivered. Once the project is operational and transactions appear in the local authority's accounts, the authority's auditors will give an opinion on whether these have been compiled in accordance with the relevant accounting standards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much producing his Department's latest Annual Report cost; how many copies were printed; how many copies of it were sold at its cover price; to whom copies of the report have been provided free of charge; and how many copies were provided free of charge. [90880]

The Department pays for the design and typesetting of its departmental Annual Report. The costs of printing are met by the publisher, The Stationery Office (TSO). The Department buys in copies from the TSO at a discount to distribute to Ministers, Ofsted, the Education and Skills Select Committee, DfES and House of Commons Libraries, senior managers and some of our partners and stakeholders.At the time of this answer, 1,166 copies have been sold, including 750 purchased by the Department.The cost to the Department of typesetting and design was £42,346 and buying in copies from ISO cost £16,773. The total cost to the Department was therefore £59,119.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the class sizes of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Haltemprice and Howden for the current academic year. [92852]

In January 2002, the average class size (taught by one teacher) in primary and secondary schools in Haltemprice and Howden parliamentary constituency was 27.2 pupils and 22 pupils respectively. This compares with the average class size (taught by one teacher) in primary and secondary schools in England of 26.3 pupils and 21.9 pupils respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the class sizes of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Kirklees in each of the last five years. [93788]

The information requested is shown in the table.

Maintained primary and secondary schools1, average class size2,
Kirklees local education authority
Position in January each year	Primary	Secondary
1998	29.3	22.3
1999	28.5	22.8
2000	27.6	23.0
2001	26.8	22.6
2002	27.0	22.9
1 Includes middle schools as deemed.
2 Classes as taught during the one selected period in each school on the day of the census.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the secondary modern schools that achieved better results at GCSE than the average for all-ability comprehensive schools in 2001. [88938]

School	Town	County	Percentage of 15-year-olds achieving 5 or more GCSE grades A *-C or GNVQ equivalent
Hillview School for Girls	Tonbridge	Kent	75
Tolworth Girls' School and Centre for Continuing Education	Surbiton	Surrey	73
St. Benedict's Catholic High School	Alcester	Warwickshire	73
Waddesdon Church of England School	Aylesbury	Buckinghamshire	69
Pensby High School for Girls	Wirral	Merseyside	67
Upper Wharfedale School	Skipton	North Yorkshire	67
The Holy Cross School	New Malden	Surrey	65
St Bernard's Catholic School	High Wycombe	Buckinghamshire	65
Bowland High School	Clitheroe	Lancashire	64
Richard Challoner School	New Malden	Surrey	62
The Misbourne School	Great Missenden	Buckinghamshire	62
Ribblesdale High School Technology College	Clitheroe	Lancashire	62
Blackfen School for Girls	Sidcup	Kent	61
Stratford-upon-Avon High School	Stratford- upon Avon	Warwickshire	61
Alcester High School Technology College	Alcester	Warwickshire	60
Coombe Girls' School	New Malden	Surrey	59
The St George's College of Technology, Sleaford	Sleaford	Lincolnshire	59
John Colet School	Aylesbury	Buckinghamshire	58
Holmer Green Upper School	High Wycombe	Buckinghamshire	56
Henley-in-Arden High School	Solihull	West Midlands	56
St. Edmund's Church of England Girls' School and Sports College,
Salisbury	Salisbury		55
Caistor Yarborough School	Market Rasen	Lincolnshire	55
Studley High School	Studley	Warwickshire	55
Wellington School	Altrincham	Cheshire	54
Bilton High School	Rugby	Warwickshire	54
The Gartree Community School	Lincoln		53
The Monks' Dyke Technology College	Louth	Lincolnshire	53
The Maplesden Noakes School	Maidstone		52
Ashton-on-Mersey School	Sale	Cheshire	51
The Chalfonts Community College	Gerrards Cross	Buckinghamshire	51
Glenmoor School	Bournemouth		51
Great Marlow School	Marlow	Buckinghamshire	50
The Astor of Hever Community School	Maidstone		50
Avonbourne School	Bournemouth		49
Wrotham School	Sevenoaks	Kent	49
The Bradbourne School	Sevenoaks	Kent	48
The Hayesbrook School	Tonbridge	Kent	48

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many press releases have been issued by his Department in each (a) year and (b) quarter from 1995–96 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [92447]

We are unable to provide the quarterly figures for the number of press releases dating back to 1995 without incurring disproportionate costs.The total number of press releases issued each year between 1995 and 2002 is set out in the table.

	Total number of press releases
1995	472
1996	443
1997	447
1998	598

The secondary modern schools which achieved better results at GCSE than the average of 47 per cent. for all-ability comprehensive schools in England in 2001 are as listed:

	Total number of press releases
1999	605
2000	538
20011	395
20021	210
1 Employment issues were transferred to the Department for Work and Pensions in 2001 as part of the machinery of Government changes. This saw a reduction in the number of press releases issued.

Press releases dating from 1998 can be accessed via the Department's website, www.dfes.gov.uldpns/newsiist. Press releases prior to 998 can be accessed via the Government News Network (GNN) website www.nds.coi.gov.uk.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his policy is on the disposal of a school playing field site for development, where the school has ceased to exist as a result of merger with an adjoining school. [93947]

A local authority, governing body or foundation body must obtain the Secretary of State's consent before disposing of any playing field that has been used for the purposes of a maintained school within the preceding 10 years. This applies to both continuing and closed schools.Applications to dispose of school playing fields are assessed against three main criteria. These are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many and what percentage of Torbay Unitary Authority primary school pupils have gained selective secondary school places in the last three years for which figures are available; [92932](2) how many selective place secondary school pupils from outside the Torbay Unitary Authority attended

The information requested is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list UK sulphur dioxide emissions in each year since 1997. [94292]

The following table shows estimated UK emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO₂) from 1997 to 2000 (the latest year for which data are available). Data since 1970 on UK emissions of air pollutants, including sulphur dioxide, are published annually in the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI), which can be found at the NAEI website, http://www.naei.org.uk.

Year	SO2 emission(thousands of tonnes)
1997	1,665
1998	1,588
1999	1,210
2000	1,165

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what arrangements her Department has made to consult (a) town, (b) parish and (c) community councils about the proposals contained in the document "Living Places—Powers, Rights and Responsibilities". [92654]

The consultation paper Living Places—Powers, Rights, and Responsibilities was sent to 370 local authorities, 97 police authorities and constabularies, 17 Government Departments, 23 Government related agencies, 114 public bodies and non-government organisations and 168 companies.The launch of the consultation at the Urban Summit received wide-spread high profile press coverage in all the major daily publications. 1,400 copies were given out at the summit and the consultation document has also been available since its launch free of charge from DEFRA publications and through the DEFRA website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 7 January 2003, Official Report, columns 81–84W, concerning the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 16 to 19 December 2002, what the Government's stance was on each of the 11 key features of the Council's conclusions, embodied in the three new regulations on the common fisheries policy. [91774]

We exerted strong pressure to secure the ending of subsidies for building new vessels at the earliest opportunity; retention of the coastal limits for a further period with a clear indication of expectation that they would continue beyond that; continuation of Hague Preference; and Regional Advisory Councils. On the rest of the key features we, with like-minded member states, generally gave steady support without which the points might not have been secured.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has held with the Home Office about strategies for safe handling of domestic pets in the event of bio-terrorist attacks. [92523]

Discussions are being held with the Home Office and other Government Departments on a number of different aspects, including those relating to animals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) farm birds and (b) wild birds have been spotted on (i) special projects and (ii) non-special projects land in each region in each of the last 10 years. [93744]

There is no routine year-on-year monitoring of birds on Countryside Stewardship special projects. However, there are some data available regarding those special projects that are specifically targeted at particular bird species. For example a report published by RSPB in 2001 showed cirl buntings had increased by 83 per cent. on land under Countryside Stewardship scheme agreements, compared with an increase of only 2 per cent. on non-agreement land.At present, only provisional results for regional bird data are available. Indicators have been developed based on on-going research by RSPB/BTO on behalf of DEFRA. These provisional estimates show that between 1970 and 1999 the Woodland species population index increased in the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the number, East Midlands and the West Midlands. The woodland species population index declined in the East, South East and South West regions. For the five regions where estimates are available, the Farmland species population indices decreased over the period. More detailed information is available on the Government's sustainable development website

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of non-compliance with the cattle passport rules are being investigated. [93726]

There are currently seven cases of breach of the Cattle Identification rules being pursued by Defra's investigators as a result of referrals by the British Cattle Movement Service. A further 27 cases are being considered for referral by BCMS. Local authorities also investigate cases independently of Central Government Agencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many civil servants have been employed by (a) her Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental bodies in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and if she will make a statement. [92388]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Mr. Alexander) on 22 January 2003, Official Report, column 333–34W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many civil servants have (a) been tested and (b) will be tested using psychometric testing. [92592]

(a) This information is not held centrally by the Department, (b) The inclusion of psychometric testing is being considered as part of the senior managers' development Programme, which will cover approximately 560 people. We are awaiting advice from the consultants recently appointed to design and deliver the programme on the role of psychometric testing within it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of homes in England and Wales that are uninsurable against the risk of flooding. [89626]

No such estimate has been made. Some properties have always been uninsurable against flooding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether mechanically separated municipal solid waste organic matter used as a compost feedstock will be treated in the same way as source-separated feedstocks under the amendment to the Animal By-products Order. [93275]

Waste that has, or may have, come into contact with meat or meat products will be classified as catering waste and will need to be treated as catering waste, in line with the requirements of the Animal By-products Order. As it may be difficult to demonstrate that household waste collected unsorted and then mechanically separated has never been in contact with meat or meat products, this is that it has been kept apart from meat and meat products may be more straightforward, if that cannot be done, then source separated waste must also be treated as catering waste.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the standards required for compost derived from mechanical separation of municipal solid waste organic matter for use on land. [93276]

There are no statutory standards for compost, although by virtue of Best Value Indicator BV82b, compost counts towards local authority statutory targets for recycling and composting. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), in close co-operation with the Composting Association, has developed a BSI Publicly Available Specification (PAS) for compost. The delivery of this PAS for compost should help to create markets for organic waste derived products by creating confidence in the product. Achieving the PAS will depend on, for example, the suitability of the feedstock and the composting process used. We expect the EU Commission to issue a proposal for a Bio-waste Directive later this year; this should contain harmonized EU standards for composting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the running costs of (a) the Department and (b) each of its sponsored agencies were in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available. [90713]

Detailed information on administration costs for Defra and its agencies, going back to 1998–99 and with projections to 2003–04, is set out in Table 5.5 of the 2002 Departmental Report (Cm 5422). Data for years before 1998–99 are not available on the same basis. Provisional outturn for gross and net administration cost limits were published in Public Expenditure 2001–2002 Provisional Outturn (Cm 5574), Tables 4 and 5. Updated information, with plans to 2005–06, will be published in the 2003 Departmental Report in the spring.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimates she has made of the costs of administrating equine passports. [93363](2) what steps her Department is intending to take to minimise the costs to horseowners of introducing equine passports. [93366]

At present there are 56 organisations approved in the UK to issue horse passports. The administration costs to them will vary according to their own requirements and the number of passports they each issue. We have not therefore made any estimate of the costs of administering horse passports.Current costs to horseowners of buying horse passports is expected to decreasedue to economies of scale which will occur when every horse is required to have a passport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which (a) agencies and (b) authorities are responsible for (i) flood prevention, (ii) flood management and (iii) remedial action in respect of the village of Pitton in Wiltshire; what their functions are; and if she will make a statement. [92758]

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has policy responsibility for flood defence in England while operational responsibility for delivering the service falls to the 'operating authorities': the Environment Agency, local authorities and Internal Drainage Boards. The Environment Agency has a general supervisory duty over all matters relating to flood defence and they are also responsible for flood forecasting and flood warning arrangements. In respect of Pitton, Salisbury district council and Wiltshire county council have responsibilities as flood defence and highways authorities respectively.I understand that flooding in Pitton is due to a combination of high groundwater and springflows. The Agency has exercised its supervisory power by producing reports into the flooding that occurred in 1995 and 2000. Following the 1995 report, Salisbury district council undertook some works with Defra grant aid. I understand that all the authorities have signed up to an action plan following the 2000 report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total estimated financial cost of flood damage in Nottinghamshire was for 2002–03 [92856]

The Environment Agency does not hold data for total financial cost of flood damage for all flooding events in all locations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much money has been lost by her Department and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies through (a) fraud and (b) theft for each year since 1996–97. [92461]

The Department has only been in existence since June 2001. Information covering earlier periods is therefore not available, and could be constructed retrospectively only at disproportionate cost. Annual reports, which the Treasury prepares on fraud, covering returns from both the former MAFF and DETR, are deposited in the House of Commons Library.However, annual returns of fraud submitted by DEFRA, including its Agencies to HMT covering the financial years 2001/2002 show the total cost of theft and fraud to the department to be as follows:

	Fraud(£)	Theft(£)
Core-DEFRA	61,066	38,678
Agencies	—	226,111
Non-departmental bodies	N/a	N/a

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the mailshot on the Horticulture Research International, dated 20 January 2003, cost broken down into (a) postage, (b) publication and (c) envelopes. [93018]

The Government announced its response to the Quinquennial Review of Horticulture Research International to Parliament on 20 January 2003. A copy of the statement has been made available on DEFRA's website: www.defra.gov.uk. reference: News Release 24/03 of 20 January. The Department has also written to more than 150 individuals or organisations who made representations about the Review to alert them to the statement. The cost of this exercise has not been identified separately but is estimated to be less than £50.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what discussions she has had with the Food Standards Agency about in-farm slaughter; [93873](2) what plans she has to devise a procedure which would allow in-farm slaughterers to continue to operate within the law; [93875](3) what her policy is on in-farm slaughter. [93874]

There have been no recent discussions with the Food Standards Agency regarding on-farm slaughter. The on-farm slaughter of animals is permitted under the 'Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995'. The hygiene regulations covering the on-farm slaughter of animals are a matter for the Food Standards Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many hazardous waste landfill sites operate in the United Kingdom; how many of these are in-house sites; and if she will make a statement; [89753](2) how many landfill sites have submitted applications to deal with hazardous waste after July 2004; how many of these are in-house sites; and if she will make a statement. [89754]

Government funding per year (£1,000s)
Region	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	Total
East Midlands	44	49	82	90	72	109	67	120	154	109	894
Eastern	36	27	15	9	21	6	24	15	15	25	186
Greater London	1	1	10	2	1	26	1	1	7	1	52
North East	3	1	8	9	18	13	26	15	6	93	192
North West	17	16	42	4	18	42	31	25	72	170	437
South East	17	62	42	52	57	234	196	159	284	546	1,648
South West	15	51	147	81	173	333	360	390	395	595	2,541

The information that is available on landfill sites relates to England and Wales and comes from a conditioning plan exercise conducted by the Environment Agency. The figures requested are set out in the table, broken down by region:

	Hazardous		Hazardous
Region	(post 2002)	Of which in-house1	(post 2004)	Of which in-house1
Anglian	47	8	9	7
Midlands	42	4	4	2
North East	39	10	11	6
North
West	27	6	8	5
South West	16	1	2	1
Southern	13	0	1	0
Thames	19	1	0	0
Wales	15	6	3	3
Total	218	36	38	24
1 In-house is defined as those landfill sites owned and operated by a company for disposal of its own waste.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the impact of increasing the minimum wage (a) in line with average earnings, (b) to £4.17 per hour, (c) to £4.87 per hour, (d) to £5.00 per hour and (e) to £5.30 per hour, on the cost of salaries of departmental employees (i) in total and (ii) for each nation of the United Kingdom in the next financial year. [90604]

There would be no impact to the cost of salaries to core Defra employees by increasing the national minimum wage by the amounts quoted, either nationally or across the Department in total. The minimum salary for a Defra employee is already above the rates quoted. This is a national salary payable to Defra employees across the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent on special project schemes in each region in each of the last 10 years. [93743]

The amount of Government funding for Countryside Stewardship Special Projects¹, in each Government Office region over the last 10 years has been as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to rationalise the special projects scheme; and if she will make a statement about her plans for its future. [93745]

We are carrying out a wide-ranging review of English agri-environment schemes, including the Countryside Stewardship scheme, under which special projects are available.The review has now reached the second consultation stage, within which views have been invited regarding the Agri-environment Framework document. This document contains a proposal that a higher tier scheme should:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many statutory instruments were issued by MAFF in each calendar year from 1979 to 2001; and how many have been issued by her Department since June 2001. [89837]

The number of Statutory Instruments issued by MAFF in each calendar year from 1979 June 2001 is as follows:

	Number
1979	95
1980	128
1981	110
1982	119
1983	108
1984	82
1985	88
1986	102
1987	127
1988	96
1989	135
1990	158
1991	111
1992	145
1993	150
1994	115
1995	138
1996	162
1997	139
1998	130
1999	116

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the effects on the environment of the level of teleworking (a) now and (b) over the next five years. [91541]

Any measure which reduces the need to travel and leads to reductions in emissions of local air pollutants and greenhouse gases would generally have a positive effect on the environment, but no quantification has been undertaken to measure this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Environment Agency or other Government body last dredged the Thames in the Marlow and Medmenham area. [93210]

[holding answer 27 January 2003]: The Environment Agency last dredged the River Thames in the Marlow and Medmenham area in 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government has made to the Russian Government about renewal of the OSCE's mandate in Chechnya; and if he will make a statement. [93135]

[holding answer 28 January 2003]: I discussed the issue with the Russian Foreign Minister on 27 December 2002, and sought an extension to the OSCE Assistance Group's existing mandate to allow further negotiations about the future of the mission's presence in Chechnya.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken by Her Majesty's Government to ensure that human rights monitors from the OSCE remain in Chechnya; and if he will make a statement. [93136]

[holding answer 28 January 2003]: With our EU and international partners, we have repeatedly pressed the Russian Government to agree a new mandate for the OSCE Assistance Group in Chechnya, which includes the monitoring of the human rights and humanitarian situation as one of its key responsibilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has collated on the application to his Department and its agencies of the checklist, circulated by letter by Sir Richard Mottram, referred to under Action Point 12 of the Revitalising Health and Safety strategy statement; and if he will make a statement. [89495]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be issuing a revised health and safety policy statement which outlines the responsibilities of all staff. This also gives clear guidance on how to access the arrangements to ensure the health and safety of staff, visitors and contractors and provides contact details of the health and safety advisers employed by the FCO. Staff are involved in health and safety issues through health and safety liaison officers and consultation with the Trade Unions.The FCO's health and safety experts report quarterly to the Administration Board, chaired by the FCO's health and safety champion, on the incorporation of health and safety awareness in the Department's work. All new staff in London receive health and safety induction training. The health and safety team regularly review the training provision to ensure its suitability.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with EU partners in advance of the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 27 and 28 January on the subject of Iraq, with particular reference to the formulation of a common position; and if he will make a statement. [93625]

[holding answer 28 January 2003]: I have had frequent discussions with my EU counterparts and other Foreign Minister colleagues on Iraq in the run-up and in the margins of the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 27£28 January; I shall continue these contacts.EU Foreign Ministers were united on Iraq at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 27 January. We reaffirmed our view that UN Security Council resolution 1441 represents a final opportunity for Iraq to resolve the crisis peacefully. We urged Iraq to engage in full and active co-operation with the weapons inspectors and provide them, without delay, with all additional and complete information on questions raised by the international community. The question of an EU Common Position did not arise.The full conclusions of the Council on Iraq are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what powers member states of the United Nations Security Council have to offer political immunity to Saddam Hussein in inviting him to go into exile. [93894]

The powers of the Security Council are set out in the Charter of the United Nations, Chapter VII of which provides that the Council shall decide what measures are to be taken to maintain or restore international peace and security.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will set out the direct and indirect trade, barter or other form of exchange that has taken place since 1973 between the United States and the United Kingdom on nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons components or nuclear weapons materials under the provisions of the 1959 amendment to the 1958 US-UK Agreement on Mutual Defence on Atomic Energy Matters. [92307]

I have been asked to reply.Exchanges of information between the United Kingdom and the United States on nuclear weapon matters take place only under the auspices of the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement, and its amendments.There have been no transfers of nuclear weapons between the UK and the US. The UK is a member and a Depositary state for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (1968) and our actions, including under the Mutual Defence Agreement, are in compliance with that treaty. I am withholding other details under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people applied from Islamabad for (a) visitor visas and (b) permanent settlement in the UK in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [93427]

The number of settlement and non-settlement applications received in Islamabad since 1997 is given below:

	Settlement	Non-settlement
1997	9,183	23,828
1998	10,837	38,250
1999	10,279	40,537
2000	9,956	54,390
2001 1	2,595	13,256
April 2001 to March 2002	10,271	65,149
April 2002 to December 2002	2,005	37,774
1 These figures are for the period January to March 2001. During 2000 UK visas changed to collecting annual statistics over a financial year period.