To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the total cost to his Department was for accountancy services in 2002. [101563]

The National Assembly for Wales's in-house staff provide accountancy services to the Wales Office. A notional charge is made for the services. In the financial year 2001–02, the amounts were£26,266 for financial services and£7,897 for the internal audit service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when the most recent internal phone directory for the Department was published; how often it is updated; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [101785]

The Wales Office internal phone directory is maintained electronically and revised when a member of staff arrives or leaves.It is an internal document, but key numbers are available publicly through publications such as the Civil Service Year Book or Vacher's Parliamentary Companion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the total cost to his Department was of the use of external consultants in 2002. [90510]

In the 2002 calendar year my Department spent some£38,000 on external consultants. It also made use of property management consultants under a contract held by the National Assembly for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 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. [92246]

The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many parish councillors have stood aside following the introduction of the Parish Council Code of Conduct. [102138]

There are no Parish Councils in Wales. Community Councils are a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people work in the Delivery Unit; what its purpose is; what its estimated cost is for (a) 2002–03 and (b)2003–04; and if he will make a statement. [99883]

With the Treasury, the Delivery Unit aims to improve public services by working with Departments to help them meet their PSA targets, consistently with fiscal rules.At 3 February 2003, the Delivery Unit had 34 full-time equivalent staff. Its estimated expenditure for 2002–03 is £3.3 million. The budget for 2003–04 has yet to be agreed.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the (a) cost and (b) staffing were of the (i) Corporate Communication Team, (ii) Strategic Communication and Planning Team, (iii) Corporate Services Group, (iv) Government Information and Communication Service and (v) Media Monitoring Unit in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [99897]

Corporate Communication team and Strategic Communication and Planning team are part of the Communication Group within the Cabinet Office. As at 3 February 2003, there were 16 staff working in the Corporate Communication team and four working in the Strategic Communication and Planning team. These figures are rounded to full time equivalents. For the Corporate Communication team the 2002–03 estimated expenditure is £0.6 million. The Strategic Communication and Planning team does not have its own budget and its costs cannot be easily identified from other parts of Communication Group.As at 3 February 2003, there were 291 staff working in Corporate Services Group. The estimated expenditure for 2002–03 is£8 million. There are 23 staff, rounded to full time equivalents, working in the Government Information and Communication Service (excluding the Media and Monitoring Unit), with estimated expenditure costs of£4.1 million. This£4.1 million includes two budgets for this year only—the Golden Jubilee with a forecast expenditure of£1.4 million and the Coalition Information Centre budget of£0.3 million, which was transferred to purchase IT equipment. The Media Monitoring Unit is part of the Government Information and Communication Service and there are 14 staff working in that unit. The Media Monitoring Unit is funded by subscriptions to recover its costs.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people work in (a) the Regulatory Impact Unit, (b) the Office of Public Services Reform and (c) the Charter Mark and Beacon Unit; what the cost of each was in (i) 2001–02, (ii) 2002–03 and (iii)2003–04 (planned); and if he will make a statement. [99979]

There are 62 staff working within the Regulatory Impact Unit. The cost to run this unit during 2001–02 was£2.5 million and for 2002–03 the estimated expenditure is £2.9 million.The Office of Public Services Reform and the Charter Mark and Beacon Unit merged on 1 September 2002. The following figures reflect the units before the merger.There are 28 staff working in the Office of Public Services Reform. The cost to run this unit during 2001–02 was £1.9 million and for 2002–03 the estimated expenditure is £2.8 million.There are 15 people working in the Charter Mark and Beacon Unit. Costs for 2001–02 totalled £3.1 million. For 2002–03 the estimated expenditure is £2.3 million.All staffing figures are as at 3 February 2003 and rounded to full time equivalents. Budgets for 2003–04 have yet to be set.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total cost to his Department was for accountancy services in 2002. [101559]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the central departmental administration costs of his Department in each year from 1990–91 to 2005–06 (planned); and if he will make a statement. [101519]

Information on central administration costs between 1990–91 and 2003–04 is set out in the relevant running/administration costs tables of the annual departmental reports for the Department of Transport, the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, and the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions, although not on a comparable basis across the entire period. Updated information for the Department for Transport, with plans to 2005–06, will be published in the 2003 departmental report in the spring.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Department spent on advertising in Scotland in each year since 1999 on (a) television, (b) newspapers, (c) radio,(d) magazines, (e) billboards and (f) sporting events. [102333]

This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to amend regulations extending the issue of the Blue Badge to include children under the age of two where medical needs are paramount. [101835]

Following a review of the Blue Badge Scheme, I announced in the House on 18 December 2002 that the Government would be taking forward a number of recommendations, including one to extend the eligibility criteria to children under the age of two whose medical needs require the transport of bulky medical equipment.This change, along with some of the other recommendations, will require amendment to the Scheme through secondary legislation. I will be taking steps to implement this and other recommendations at the earliest opportunity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment his Department has made of the reports on climate change published by (a) the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and (b) the UK Climate Impacts Programme on the transport sector; [102197](2) what studies his Department has carried out into the effect of climate change on railway infrastructure; [102195](3) if he will make a statement on the likely impact of future climate change upon the transport sector; [102194](4) if he will place copies of reports published from research funded by his Department on the effects of climate change on

:I welcome the report and joint research initiative, "Building Knowledge for a Changing Climate", launched this month by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the UK Climate Impacts Programme, and the active role of the Highways Agency in supporting the initiative. I shall be interested in the results.My Department will be undertaking work this year, involving stakeholders, to advance our understanding of the potential implications of climate change for transport policy and operations. A report on this work and the results of any research in this area commissioned by the Department will be published.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport What his estimate is of the (a) gross and (b) net costs of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for each year

Published Business Accounts
£000
	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97
(a) Gross costs	187,010	190,402	187,129	186,140	190,439	203,856
(b) Costs net of income	101,969	108,078	102,302	101,026	99,676	100,672

£000
	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
(a) Gross costs	195,733	212,226	231,012	249,192	292,473
(b) Costs net of income	85,057	(715)	13,760	5,470	10,388

Allocated Funds Provisional
£000
	2002–03	2003–04	2004–05	2005–06
(a) Gross costs	368,795	285,952	284,742	284,507
(b) Cost net of income	109,831	88,150	87,250	87,250

The figures reflect provisional funds allocated to DVLA for 2002–03 to 2005–06 from the Department of Transport's spending review settlements and other agreed changes. Income includes revenue from sale of registration marks and other income paid over to the Exchequer as Consolidated Fund Extra Receipts but excludes Vehicle Excise Duty collected by DVLA.DVLA's annual report shows unit cost efficiency gains in core activities averaging 3.4 per cent. a year. Transaction volumes have grown by an average of some 3 per cent. a year. From 1998 the Agency's core operations were extended by a number of major policy changes and business delivery improvements like photocard driving licences and graduated vehicle excise duty, which resulted in significant cost increases.In addition, 1998–99 saw the introduction of a fee for vehicle first registrations and an increase in demand for personalised registration marks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what reasons underlie the increase in staffing of the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency between 1998–99 and 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [101521]

The number of staff employed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency at the end of 2002–03 is forecast to be 5,835 full time equivalent posts, which is 1,427 higher than at the end of 1998–99. The main reasons for the increase are:

(a) major new initiatives such as the Statutory Off-Road Notification scheme for unlicensed vehicles, photocard driving licences and Graduated Vehicle Excise Duty (577 posts);

(b) other projects such as the implementation of the mandatory vehicle registration document scheme and to support London congestion charging; to safeguard delivery of the core business

The information requested is available from 1991–92 and is as follows:

such as improving the accuracy of the database and the new strategic partnership to support DVLA's substantial change programme of service delivery improvements (550 posts);

(c) increased workload involving initiatives to improve customer service delivery such as the introduction of extended hours in the Agency's call centre and growth in business volumes (23 per cent. higher than in 1998-99). The full impact on staffing levels from workload growth has been offset by more efficient working practices and the increase in electronic business (300 posts).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects service to be restored on the Central Line of London Underground; and if he will make a statement. [101613]

[holding answer 7 March 2003]: London Underground (LU) are currently implementing a programme of work to modify all trains in the Central Line fleet. LU is working with the independent Health and Safety Executive to implement a robust and safe solution. Services will be phased back in as soon as possible, starting with a shuttle service on the eastern end of the line. This will be followed by a limited service on the western end of the line. Finally, when LU has modified enough trains, a full service will resume.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) track, (b) signalling and (c) rolling stock failures which have occurred on each of the London Underground lines in each of the last six years. [102171]

These are operational matters for London Underground who have provided the information set out in the tables relating to delays of at least two minutes resulting from problems with the relevant type of asset.The number of delays is primarily a consequence of problems with ageing and life-expired assets following decades of under investment in the underground. This emphasises the urgent need for the major investment and maintenance, some£16 billion over the next 15 years, which our tube modernisation plans will deliver.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his latest estimate is of (a) the total of all motoring taxation each year in the UK, (b) the annual cost of all roads related spending, (c) the total social costs of pollution from vehicle emissions in each year, (d) the total social costs of congestion on the roads each year and (e) the total social costs of climate change effects of motor vehicles each year; and if he will make a statement. [101522]

My Department's latest estimates as published in Transport Statistics Great Britain 2002 are:

(a)Motoring taxation:£27,645 million for Great Britain in 2000–01

(b) Road related spending:£4,042 million for England in 2000–01

No estimates of total social costs of vehicle emissions, congestion and climate change are available. The answer to the following question (question 1527 02/03) provides estimates of the marginal costs of these impacts.Motoring taxation includes Vehicle Excise Duty VED) and Value Added Tax (VAT).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the costs of (a) congestion and (b) pollution relating to traffic on English motorways; and if he will make a statement. [101516]

My Department commissioned a study from the Institute for Transport Studies^* at the University of Leeds. That study made the following estimates of congestion and pollution on motorways in Great Britain:

(a) Congestion costs: 12.8 pence per vehicle km

(b) Pollution costs: 0.35 to 1.83 pence per vehicle km

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the benefits of introducing congestion charging on motorways; and if he will make a statement. [101530]

No general assessment has been made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the reply by the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Jane Kennedy) on 25 February 2003, Official Report, column 567W, on what occasions since 1994 Checkpoint 11 at Belfast International airport has been subject to a Department for Transport Cargo Inspection; and if he will make a statement. [102495]

[holding answer 11 March 2003]: Checkpoint 11 is not subject to inspection by Department for Transport aviation security inspectors, as its presence is not a requirement under the National Aviation Security Programme. However, the cargo facility accessed via Checkpoint 11 is due to be visited by DfT inspectors shortly

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list each publicity campaign of his Department and its predecessors over the period 1997–98 to 2002–03 that cost over£500,000, giving the cost in each case; and if he will make a statement. [101518]

The details of each advertising campaign for my department and its predecessors over the period 1997–98 to 2002–03 that cost over £500,000 are as follows:1. Road safety campaign to promote safer road use behaviour, for example: not drinking and driving, speed reduction, child pedestrian and in car safety, fatigue and motorcycling. Advertising expenditure in each year was:

	£ million
1997–98	4.48
1998–99	4.63
1999–2000	5.18
2000–01	7.80
2001–02	9.85
2002–03	10
1estimated outcome

2. In addition to road safety, three further campaigns were run by the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of the closure of RailMail on vehicle movements in London. [102420]

The Royal Mail Board has decided to review the future of the MailRail system for operational and commercial reasons. The company envisages only a handful of extra vehicles will be needed after MailRail is taken out of service, as a high proportion of the mail carried will be transported on existing vehicle routes.Royal Mail is continually striving to reduce the impact of its vehicular traffic in London by contributing to reductions in congestion and CO

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent changes there have been or are planned to (a) legislation and (b) directions and guidance to the railway industry and local authorities, relating to the presence of birds on railway property. [99773]

I have been asked to reply.All wild birds are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which implements the EC Wild Birds Directive. Licences can be issued under section 16 of the Act to derogate from this protection for specific reasons, such as public health and safety. There have not been any changes to the remit of this derogation power.The Department does not issue directions or guidance to the railway industry or local authorities relating to the presence of wild birds on railway properties. However, where railway companies or local authorities propose to remove trees or scrub from railway properties, my Department would advise that such work is undertaken outside of the breeding and rearing season.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) train, (b) track and (c) signalling maintenance staff have left the employment of LUL in each year since 1997; and what the tot al number of each was in each year since 1997. [102394]

Detailed staff issues of this nature are a matter for London Underground management.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of the budget of his Department and its predecessors has been spent on railways in each year from 1983–84 to 2005–06 (planned); and if he will make a statement. [101531]

The percentage of the total Departmental Expenditure Limit spent, or planned to be spent, on railways in each year from 1998–99 to 2005–06 is shown in the table. (Figures for earlier years are not comparable, owing to the introduction of Resource Accounting and Budgeting.)

	Percentage
1998–99	28.7
1999–2000	22.3
2000–01	20.7
2001–02	28.2
2002–03	30.3
2003–04	35.2
2004–05	33.9
2005–06	36.8

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 3 March 2003, Official Report, column 795W, on airport development, what rate of return was assessed in section 14.4 of the SERAS Stage Two Appraisal Findings report for each of the Cliffe options; and how far the assessed rates of return for the Cliffe options fell below the target rate of return, measured as a percentage of the target rate. [102299]

The financial appraisal undertaken in the SERAS study indicates that, using airport charges current at the time the analysis was undertaken, the Internal Rate of Return generated by the four runway Cliffe option was some 7 per cent. against a target rate of return of 12.5 per cent.The principal results of the financial appraisal of different airport options are presented in the SERAS Stage Two Appraisal Findings report (section 14.4). Chapter seven of the SERAS Financial Modelling and Analysis report sets out the detailed results of the financial analysis. Both reports are available in the House Libraries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out the ranking of assessed rates of return for the development options listed in section 14.4 of the SERAS Stage Two Appraisal Findings report. [102300]

The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of different airport options is presented in Table 14.11 of the SERAS Stage Two Appraisal Findings report. The financial analysis applied airport charges current at the time the analysis was undertaken. Table 14.11 also gives some indication of the sensitivity of IRRs to other sources of additional revenue.Chapter seven of the SERAS Financial Modelling and Analysis report sets out the detailed results of the financial analysis and is available in the House Libraries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to put in place measures to counter the risk from terrorist attack to transport infrastructure other than airports. [102192]

I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 24 February 2003, given to the hon. Member for the Vale of York (Miss McIntosh), Official Report, columns 284–85W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 5 March 2003, ref: 100703, why there was no reference included in the notes to the Accounts. [102090]

I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 5 March 2002, Official Report, columns 1035–36W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many abandoned cars each local authority in England and Wales stated they had removed in their submissions to the most recent municipal waste survey. [99225]

The latest information on numbers of abandoned vehicles removed and destroyed is listed on 27 November 2002, Official Report, column 271W. Results from the 2001-02 survey are not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list animal species protected by domestic legislation which her Department plans to lift; and for what reasons such legislation is being reviewed. [101259]

All wild birds, certain animals and certain plants are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.Schedules 5&8 (list of protected animals and plants respectively) are statutorily reviewed every five years. My Department has received the views of the JNCC and has consulted internally on their advice. A full public consultation will take place this year. JNCC have not recommended the removal of any species.I announced on 3 March that the Government have concluded that the protection afforded by domestic legislation to the ruddy duck should be removed. This is in line with our Rural White Paper commitment to review the provisions of Part 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, with a view to rationalising the identification and protection of rare and endangered species.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to (a) encourage a reversal in the decline of the number of wet birds,(b) ensure refuges for wintering birds,(c) safeguard resting places for migrating birds travelling north and south and (d) reverse the decline in rare water plants; and if she will make a statement. [101874]

[holding answer 10 March 2003]: The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which farm premises sent carcases for disposal to Cleeve Farm, Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire in the last five years. [96230]

Cleeve Farm, Westbury-on-Severn, was used as a pyre site to dispose of stock slaughtered at Cleeve Farm itself and also carcases from eight other holdings in the locality. These surrounding farm premises cannot be named for reasons of confidentiality.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has made to the European Union on the Wildlife and Habitats Directive in relation to cetacean bycatch; and if she will make a statement. [101285]

The UK has lost no opportunity in drawing to the Commission's attention our wish to see EU action on cetacean bycatch.I have raised this repeatedly with Commissioner Fischler, stressing in particular the need for a cetacean bycatch observer programme. Article 12(4) of the Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC) requires member states to monitor the incidental capture of certain species, including cetaceans.We raised the matter again, in the Council of Ministers in January, and direct with Franz Fischler in February, pressing for urgent action to widen coverage off the South West coast where a number of other member states' vessels fish. I was pleased that the Commission included a commitment to take action in this area in papers produced as part of the recent reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. I am looking for positive action on this in response to our recent approaches.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many properties have been compulsorily purchased by (a) the Environment Agency, (b) the Countryside Agency,(c) English Nature and (d) the Broads Authority in each year since 1999. [101829]

The Environment Agency compulsorily purchased 10 properties in 1999 and six properties in 2000. No properties were compulsorily purchased in 2001, 2002 and 2003 to date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which members of her Department participate in the Inter-Departmental Consultative Group on Conservation; and when they last attended a meeting of this group. [101355]

There is no formally constituted group with this title but officials of all the relevant Government Departments are in very regular contact on a wide range of conservation issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the implications of the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 on village halls with specific reference to the legal requirement placed by the Act upon trustees, cases in which halls may have to close because of non-compliance with the Act, what funding available to meet the requirements of the Act; and the mechanism for access to funds to help meet the Act's requirements. [102436]

:I have been engaging in discussion with representatives of the Village Halls Association, other stakeholders, and national and local funding bodies, about a range of issues concerning the financing of village halls and other rural community meeting-places, including the implications of the Disability Discrimination Act and of the Licensing Bill currently before Parliament.Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, those service providers who provide services to the public have since 1999 been required to make reasonable adjustments to allow disabled people to access their services. From 1 October 2004 they will also be required to make reasonable adjustments to the physical features of their premises that would otherwise make access impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled customers.Those managing village halls or running activities there are subject to the Act in the same way as other service providers; but the test of reasonableness takes account of the provider's financial resources, and there should be no question of village halls being forced to close. However, it is very much in the public interest that activities taking place in village halls should be accessible to disabled people living in rural communities.Lead responsibility for funding renovation of village halls lies with the local community, with help from local authorities, national funding agencies, and charitable sources. No earmarked funds are available to help meet any costs resulting from the Disability Discrimination Act. However, very substantial public funds are available to help village halls: around £17 million last year from the Community Fund, and a similar amount in total from other sources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of domestic customers she estimates have relied on lead pipes for connections to company supplies of drinking water in each year since 1992. [101676]

Year on year data of the numbers of lead pipe connections supplying drinking water are not available. In 1996, water companies in England and Wales estimated that some 35 per cent. of all connections had lead service pipes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what studies (a) have been conducted and (b) are planned to establish the extent of lead contamination in drinking water in (i) hard and (ii) soft water areas. [101678]

:It is well known that soft waters from upland areas are more likely than hard waters to dissolve lead from pipes. All water supplies must comply at consumers' taps with the regulatory standard for lead and water companies must apply additional treatment to plumbosolvent water to ensure compliance.The Drinking Water Regulations require water companies to carry out regular monitoring to ensure that all drinking water supplies, whether hard or soft, comply with the regulatory standards. 99.37 per cent. of samples taken in 2001 met the current standard for lead in England and Wales. The Drinking Water Inspectorate has issued guidance to water companies on optimising treatment to reduce plumbosolvency, which takes into account the different characteristics of hard and soft waters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to assist householders, particularly those on a low income, who wish (a) to test their domestic drinking water systems to ensure that they are free from lead contamination and (b) to replace or repair domestic drinking water systems contaminated by lead solder. [101679]

Water companies will normally test water supplies, free of charge, if consumers are concerned that lead pipes might be contaminating their drinking water.In properties built before 1970, the main reasons for lead in drinking water are lead connections to the mains and the internal plumbing.The use of lead based solders for domestic hot and cold water systems has been banned since 1987. It is very rare for lead solder on drinking water pipes to be the sole reason for a breach of drinking water quality standards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy and effectiveness of the monitoring by local authorities of drinking water originating from private suppliers. [101694]

The Drinking Water Inspectorate carries out occasional audits of local authorities' arrangements for implementing the Private Water Supplies Regulations. 10 local authorities in England and Wales were audited in 1992 and 24 in 1993. A survey of laboratories used by local authorities for the analysis of private water supplies was carried out in 1995, and 18 were audited. Two local authorities in England and Wales were audited in 2000. These audits have shown that, in general, the local authorities were implementing the requirements of the regulations.We are liaising with local authorities through their organisations about revised arrangements for monitoring private water supplies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 25 February 2003, Official Report, column 456W, on fishermen, whether she intends to grant socio-economic aid to fishermen under the terms agreed in the December Council allowing fishermen to diversify into businesses outside the marine industry while continuing to fish on a part-time basis provided such diversification means a reduction in fishing effort. [101923]

We have no plans to do so. Fishermen wishing to diversify their activities are encouraged to contact the Small Business Service and Learning and Skills Councils for advice on support.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the administrative costs were for (a) Food and Farming grants, (b) EU Fisheries grants, (c) Land Use and Rural Affairs grants and (d) Environment grants in the last financial year for which figures are available. [101494]

The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of households are supplied by private water suppliers. [101695]

Local authorities are responsible for monitoring and, if necessary, enforcing standards of private water supplies in their areas. Each authority is required to keep a register of private supplies. Some 50,000 private water supplies have been registered in England and Wales, of which about 30,000 serve single dwellings. The best available evidence indicates that nearly 1 per cent. of the population in England Wales is supplied by private water supply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2003, Official Report, column 551W, on radioactive waste, for what reasons an estimate of future radioactive waste arising from reprocessing is not available; and if she will take steps to obtain the data from BNFL. [102086]

The previous question asked for an estimate of the volume of waste that will arise over the next 10 years from the reprocessing of British Energy-owned spent nuclear fuel at Sellafield. My answer to this question gave estimates for the volume of low, intermediate and high level waste that would arise if all fuel from British Energy's advanced gas-cooled reactors is reprocessed. It also said that, at present, there are contracts for the reprocessing of about 65 per cent. of British Energy's spent fuel. I understand that decisions have not been taken about how much, if any, of the remaining 35 per cent. of the spent fuel will be reprocessed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that lead pipes carrying water into domestic properties are replaced. [101677]

Drinking water must meet a regulatory standard for lead in the water supplied at consumers' taps. Water companies must treat plumbosolvent water where there is a risk that public water supplies might not comply with this standard.We are required to take all appropriate measures to reduce as much as possible the concentration of lead in drinking water supplies in order to meet the standards for lead set by the European Drinking Water Directive. We are encouraged by the results of water companies' treatment programmes to reduce plumbosolvency. It is likely that these will reduce significantly the need to replace lead pipes to the benefit of all customers.The need for water companies to replace lead pipes, mainly to meet the final lead standard that comes into force in 2013, is being considered as part of the next periodic review of water companies' prices. The customer's supply pipe remains the responsibility of the customer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of drinking water is carried through (a) blue asbestos pipes and (b) lead pipes. [101684]

About 10 per cent. of drinking water is carried through white asbestos cement mains. There may be traces of blue asbestos in some white asbestos cement pipes. Water companies estimated in 1996 that about 35 per cent. of drinking water may be carried through lead connections between company mains and customers' supply pipes.While use of new asbestos cement pipes is prohibited, this is because of health risks associated with inhalation when cutting and working with the dry material. However, the World Health Organisation considers that a health-based guideline value for asbestos in drinking water is unnecessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what resources she has made available to the (a) Office of Civil Nuclear Security, (b) International Atomic Energy Agency and ( c) Euratom Safeguards Directorate in respect of combating nuclear proliferation in the last year for which figures are available. [101990]

The Office of Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS), which regulates security in the UK civil nuclear industry in order to protect against threats of terrorism and nuclear proliferation, has an operating budget of £1.9 million for the financial year 2002–03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will establish a registration system for all UK passport holders and UK residents involved in the brokering of deals for the sale of military and security equipment. [101339]

The Government propose to register information on all those applying for licences, both for exports and for arms trafficking and brokering activities. This database will be used for licensing and enforcement purposes on an international basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and industry how many people the UK arms trade employs (a) nationally and (b) in the south-west. [102341]

The Ministry of Defence's Defence Analytical Services Agency is responsible for the production of UK defence statistics. The latest employment data (for 2001) are published in Table 1.11 of United Kingdom Defence Statistics 2002, a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House. Data at a regional level are not available however.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the arms trade was worth to United Kingdom public companies in terms of exports in 2002. [102344]

The Ministry of Defence's Defence Analytical Services Agency is responsible for the production of UK defence statistics. The latest full exports data (for 2001) are published in Table 1.12 of United Kingdom Defence Statistics 2002, a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much of the South West GDP the arms trade accounted for in 2002. [102346]

The Ministry of Defence's Defence Analytical Services Agency is responsible for the production of UK defence statistics. The latest full data (for 2001) are published in United Kingdom Defence Statistics 2002, a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House. Data on GDP are not, however, available at a regional level

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the quality of a broadband connection established using a satellite deteriorates during adverse weather conditions; and if she will make a statement. [101988]

Satellite services, like all other radio services, suffer degradation under adverse weather conditions, and this impairment is more pronounced at the higher frequencies often used by satellite services to provide services direct to and from businesses and homes.When planning their satellite system, service providers take steps to overcome the effect that normally expected variations in weather conditions may have through careful system design and the use of appropriately sized satellite dishes. Taken together these measures provide a "protection margin" against the effect of weather variations.Extreme or unusual weather conditions will still affect even the best designed radio systems, terrestrial or satellite, and impairment or even temporary failure is unavoidable. Fortunately these events tend to happen rarely and are usually very short lived.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 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. [92397]

Full-time equivalent numbers of staff in all civil service Departments and agencies is released twice-yearly by press notice. The latest data, for April 2002, were published on 31 October 2002. Data for April of each year from 1995 to 2001 appear in the latest edition of the annual publication "Civil Service Statistics". Data for pervious years are contained in previous editions of the publication. Copies of the press notices and annual publication are available from the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to ensure that FSA rules prevent credit card companies from (a) setting minimum payments below the interest charge,(b) failing to show the APR clearly on statements and(c) implying that an interest-bearing period is interest-free. [101614]

[holding answer 7 March 2003]: The provision of information on credit card statements is regulated by the Consumer Credit Act 1974, and in particular by the Consumer (Running-Account Credit Information) Regulations 1983 (SI No. 1570/83). These require statements provided for running-account credit agreements, such as credit cards, to contain the following information:

• any opening balance on the account;
• the date of any movement on the account;
• the amount of any payment on the account;
• the amount of any drawing on the account; and
• the amount of any interest or other charges on the account.

Where a statement shows that interest has been applied to the account, it must contain either sufficient information for the customer to be able to check the calculation of that interest; details of the rate of interest that has been applied; or a statement indicating that the rate of interest applied will be provided upon request.The form and content of consumer credit advertising is governed by the Consumer Credit (Advertisements) Regulations 1989 (SI 1989/1125). These are enforced by the Office of Fair Trading, and I understand that the OFT has investigated a number of credit providers who have advertised interest-bearing agreements as being interest-free.The practice of some credit card providers of reducing the minimum require monthly repayment is one that I highlighted in my response in January this year to the Second Report of the Governments' Task Force on Tackling Overindebtedness. I stated then that I was worried about the effects that this practice can have on consumers, and in particular that it can only lead to an escalation of the total amount owed and the time required to repay it. stated that the Government would therefore be considering how consumers might be given better information about the effects of a low minimum payment.To that end, and as part of the review of the Consumer Credit Act that I launched in July 2001, I shall be publishing a consultation document on the simplification of the credit advertising regulations in the summer. As well a.; inviting comments on minimum payments, this will also look at how consumers can get better information in general about credit cards that will enable them to compare offers from different providers. In advance of this consultation, the DTI is in regular discussion with the credit industry and consumer bodies on the scope for a common format for the provision of key information, including details of interest-free periods and the calculation and advertising of APRs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the distribution of her Department's whole-time equivalent staff was, including the staff in agencies and other bodies reporting to her, in each Government office region and nation of the UK (a) in 1996 and (b) at the most recent available period. [90468]

The numbers of staff in each Department (including its agencies) are shown in tables, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of the House. The figures show the data at 1 April each year, and are based on the full-time equivalent figures for the number of permanent staff in each Department, rounded to the nearest 10. Data are shown by Government Office Region, with columns giving the total number of staff in England and the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she plans to bring in regulations to control the supply and use of fireworks in accordance with the powers laid down within the Fireworks Bill; and what plans she has to ensure that local environmental health officers have the necessary powers, funding and guidance to enforce regulations introduced in accordance with the Fireworks Bill. [101011]

Regulations to control the supply and use of fireworks depend upon the Fireworks, Bill passing into law. Also any such regulation would be subject to consultation. The needs of local authorities, including environmental health officers, in enforcing regulations would have to be taken into account.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and. Industry what guidance will be given to environmental health officers in order for them to assess whether distress, as set out in clause 2 of the Fireworks Bill, has occurred. [101012]

This matter will be considered in the drafting of regulations should the Fireworks Bill be passed into law.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what age limit she plans to set to prohibit the sale of fireworks to young persons, and what plans she has to limit the supply, purchase, possession and use of fireworks to certain (a) times of the year and (b) times of the day. [101013]

Any changes in age restriction and other limitations on fireworks would be subject to Regulation made under the Fireworks Bill should it pass into law. There would need to be consultation on any such proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many enforcement orders have been issued in respect of fair estimate agreements since the introduction of the National Minimum Wage Regulations; and what assessment she has made of the number of fair estimate agreements entered into in that period. [101254]

[holding answer 6 March 2003]: Since the Inland Revenue have kept details of homeworking cases centrally with its Virtual Homeworking Team (set up in October 2001) there have beer two cases where an enforcement notice has been issued where a fair estimate agreement was in place. The Revenue believe it is unlikely that other cases might have occurred prior to that.The number of fair estimate agreements which individuals have entered into is not known, but anecdotal evidence indicates the take up is low. This is one of the reasons why we are consulting on making changes to these arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which public bodies sponsored by the Department are headed by former partners from Arthur Andersen. [100743]

The East of England Development Agency is headed by Vincent Watts, a former partner of Andersen Consulting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of the technology to be used in the projects in receipt of the bio-energy grants announced in January 2003 will be UK-sourced. [99371]

We do not keep information on the proportion of project technology in grant applications that is sourced in the UK. We are however keen to promote the capabilities of the UK supply chain in all renewable technologies, and have created the business support team Renewables UK for this purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with scheduled tour operators in relation to seating and pricing arrangements on aircraft over the last 12 months. [101599]

I have had no specific discussions with tour operators over the seating and pricing arrangements on aircrafts over the last 12 months. My officials have raised this matter with the Federation of Tour Operators and ABTA. Tour operators who belong to these organisations do always try to seat families and couples close together, and where possible in adjacent seats, whether or not these have been pre-booked. If a tour operator offers and charges for a service which guarantees the seating arrangements, then this is a commercial matter for that operator.The Civil Aviation Authority are responsible for UK airline safety regulations and they have issued guidelines to airlines on the allocation of seats to family groups. I understand that the CAA has not had any specific discussions with airlines on this issue, although there is continued dialogue between airlines and their assigned CAA inspector regarding all aspects of operational safety and this matter will have been discussed as and when necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many medical reservists there are in the United Kingdom, broken down by speciality. [99086]

The numbers of medical reservists in the Volunteer Reserve Forces broken down by specialty, as at 20 February 2003, are provided as follows: Information in respect of ex-Regular medical personnel with a reserve liability is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Consultants	Volunteer reservists
Anaesthetics	55
General Medicine	19
Paediatrics	4
Genito-Urinary Medicine	1
Neurology	2
General Surgery	29
Obstetrics and Gynaecology	13
Urology	6
Orthopaedic Surgery	18
Burns and Plastic Surgery	5
Accident and Emergency	11
Psychiatry	8
Ophthalmic Surgery	2
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery	11
Ear, Nose and Throat	4
Rheumatology and Rehabilitation	1
Radiology	6
Pathology	9
Occupational Medicine	1
Public Health Medicine	3
General Medical Practitioners/General Duties Medical Officers (including specialists undergoing consultant training)	301
Nurses
General Nursing Duties	886
Operating Theatre	88
Accident & Emergency	108
Orthopaedic	32
Intensive Care	107
Burns & Plastic Surgery	14
Ophthalmic	6

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many medical reservists were found to be unfit for military service in the last period for which figures are available. [91516]

[holding answer 20 January 2003]: As at 1 January 2003, 28 medical Reservists in the Territorial Army and, as at 28 February 2003,14 medical Reservists in the Royal Auxiliary Royal Air Force were medically unfit to deploy on military operations. The Royal Navy does not hold central records on the medical fitness of medical Volunteer Reservists and none of the Services holds central records on the medical fitness of medical ex-Regular Reservists. The medical fitness of these Reservists is only established on mobilisation when they are required to report to their mobilisation centre following receipt of their call-out notice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research he has commissioned on the prevalence of motor neurone disease among Gulf War veterans. [101915]

Motor neurone disease (MND) is a rare disease and the Ministry of Defence has not specifically commissioned scientific research into the prevalence of it among United Kingdom veterans of the 1990–91 Gulf Conflict. However, through the independent Medical Research Council (MRC), the Ministry of Defence has funded a controlled study of neuromuscular symptoms experienced by United Kingdom Servicemen. Some findings were published by the researchers in a paper entitled: "Neurophysiologic analysis of neuromuscular symptoms in UK Gulf war veterans" in the journal Neurology on 26 November 2002. The researchers reported that they had found no neurophysiologic evidence for a specific neuromuscular disorder that could be linked to previous deployment to the Gulf. At the Ministry of Defence's request, the MRC will shortly provide advice on appropriate areas for future research in the field of Gulf veterans illnesses. The MRC's advice will be published. The MRC is aware of the suggestion that United States Gulf veterans are at greater risk of developing MND than those who did not deploy but the underlying research has not yet been published in the scientific literature. The Ministry of Defence's future Gulf veterans' illnesses research programme will be firmly based on the MRC's recommendations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost to his Department was for accountancy services in 2002. [101561]

Ministry of Defence expenditure on external assistance (EA), of which accountancy services are a part, is contained in the MOD's annual return of expenditure on external assistance. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House, covering the period 1996–97 to 2000–01 and include expenditure categorised by top level budget holder and trading funds. However, expenditure on accountancy services is not recorded as a specific category of EA and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.The return for 2001–02 will be published shortly and figures for 2002–03 will be published once the current financial year has ended.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what benefits to United Kingdom national defence will accrue from the granting of permission to the United States of landing rights for United States Air Force B-52 bombers. [101993]

As I told the House on the 3 March 2003, Official Report, column 566, I agreed to the United States Air Force deployment at RAF Fairford as part of our continuing contingency preparations for possible military action in Iraq. The Government have made clear on many occasions the threat posed to the United Kingdom by Iraq's continued possession, in contravention of successive UN Security Council Resolutions, of weapons of mass destruction.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what shortfalls obtain against the establishment targets for field hospitals for (a) medical officers and (b) support staff; and if he will make a statement. [97770]

When not deployed on operations regular field hospitals exist with a basic unit establishment of 105 personnel. This enables the unit to function on an administrative and training basis only. For shortfalls against the peacetime establishment, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 January 2003, Official Report, column 326W to the hon. Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin).When the decision is taken to deploy a field hospital on operations it is then moved onto a war fighting establishment by augmenting staff from the Regular Army and Reserve Forces, as appropriate. A decision on the exact level of establishment required is operation specific, and is dependent on the intended role of the unit, and the number of beds it is expected to provide. As such, there is no standard or target.Field Hospitals are therefore deployed, in terms of both medical officers and support staff, at full strength.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many working days were lost owing to industrial action by staff in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in 2002. [101510]

One working day was lost as a result of strike action in the Ministry of Defence in 2002. This occurred in April and was action taken by members of the Public and Commercial Services Union and Prospect. On the same day members of Amicus and the Transport and General Workers Union took strike action for 3.5 hours.Any other industrial action short of a strike is not recorded in terms of days lost.The MOD is committed to working in partnership with its trade unions and makes every effort to avert industrial action of any kind.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British servicemen have been prosecuted under the Landmines Act 1998. [102246]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on private medical care for members of Her Majesty's forces in each of the last five years. [80793]

Expenditure on the referral of Service personnel to private healthcare providers in each of the last five years is shown in the table:

£million
Financial year	Cost
1998–99	0.12
1999–2000	0.17
2000–01	0.77
2001–02	4.10
2002–031	2.18
1 As at November 2002

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2003,

Health promotion advice is given to service personnel as part of routine pre-deployment briefings. No central record is required for such briefings, although local records may be kept for administrative purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent meetings he has had with Defence Ministers from (a) Poland, (b) the Czech Republic, (c) Hungary, (d) Bulgaria, (e) Romania and (f) the Slovak Republic. [101960]

I met the Defence Ministers of Hungary and Poland in the margins of the NATO Informal Ministerial Meeting in Warsaw in September 2002. I met my Czech and Slovak counterparts for bilateral discussions in the margins of the NATO Prague Summit (21-23 November 2002). My most recent bilateral meeting with my Bulgarian counterpart was in June 2002 in Bulgaria. I met the Romanian Defence Minister on 23 January 2003 in London.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers are based in Northern Ireland; and from what regiments. [102315]

The number of Army personnel, under the command of the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland (GOC NI), and stationed in Northern Ireland on 18 February 2003 is 12,566.The GOC NI also has under his command troops who are based in Great Britain but who can be called to the Province as and when required.Apart from 25 Engineer Regiment, the Northern Ireland Combat Service Support Regiment, 15 Signal Regiment, six Regiment Royal Military Police, five Regiment Army Air Corp and the three Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, which are permanently based in Northern Ireland, the following resident battalions are currently based there on accompanied tours of roughly two years:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the new long-term partnering agreement concluded with QinetiQ announced on 3 March 2003, Official Report, columns 77–78WS. [101992]

No. At present, it would not be appropriate to place a copy of the long-term partnering agreement in the Library of the House, because it remains commercially sensitive. I am therefore withholding this information under Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last visited the Vale of York to discuss training of RAF pilots; and if he will make a statement. [101644]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence visited Royal Air Force (RAF) Linton-on-Ouse in the Vale of York on 6 March, when he attended the annual dinner of the Yorkshire Universities Air Squadron. I understand that he discussed a variety of subjects with those present.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether an abatement was made to the salary of servicemen in each of the armed forces between 1973 and 1975; and if he will make a statement. [102079]

[holding answer 10 March 2003]: No abatement was applied to the annual recommendations submitted to the Prime Minister by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body between 1973 and 1975, although the review body would have been obliged to observe the constraints imposed by the statutory controls on pay increases, in force between November 1972 and July 1974, as well as the subsequent guidelines of the Social Contract.While not an abatement to service pay, in formulating its recommendations the review body would have applied an adjustment, where appropriate, to the comparator salaries used as the basis for officers' and warrant officers' pay during this period to take account of the relative benefits of the armed forces pension scheme. No similar adjustment was required to be made at that time in respect of comparator salaries for other ranks because most service personnel at this level did not complete the necessary 22 years' service then required to qualify for a pension.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what policy his Department has adopted on smoking in the workplace. [100949]

The Ministry of Defence's aim, in line with wider Government policy, is to create a non-smoking working environment in so far as it reflects the wishes of staff. This requires surveys to be undertaken and the wishes of staff to be established, unless smoking is prohibited, for operational reasons, in specific areas. Detailed guidance on this policy is promulgated in the Department's Health and Safety Handbook Joint Service Publication 375, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.The policy is under constant review to reflect current Health and Safety Commission/Executive guidance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK service personnel are stationed in Sudan. [101600]

One.