To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many research projects the Audit Commission commissioned in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2002–03; and what the criteria for selection of each project were. [113555]

The number of research projects commissioned by the Audit Commission during the period is as follows:

	Research projects commissioned
1 November 2001 to 31 October 2002	24
1 November 2002 to 31 March 2004	26

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Audit Commission has reached the level of the Commission for Racial Equality Standard for Racial Equality; and what percentage of local authorities in England have reached this level. [115490]

The CRE Standard for Racial Equality is specific to the functions of local authorities and has not therefore been adopted by the Audit Commission. The policy of the Commission is to ensure that neither employees nor applicants for employment are discriminated against on the grounds of race, gender or disability.For 2001–02 the percentages of English authorities reaching levels 0 to 5 of the Commission for Racial Equality's Standard for local government were: 0–32 per cent.; 1–41 per cent.; 2–21 per cent.; 3–6 per cent.; 4–0.3 per cent.; 5–0 per cent.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many complaints his Department has received in the last year relating to (a) the Audit Commission and (b) the average local authority in England. [115491]

Between 1 April 2002 and 31 March 2003 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister received about 130 letters (not all of which were complaints) relating to the work of the Audit Commission, the auditors or inspectors it appoints, or the bodies audited or inspected. Information on the volume of correspondence received by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister about individual local authorities is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many subscriptions to (a) digital terrestrial, (b) digital satellite and (c) digital cable television are held by the Audit Commission; and what the (i) cost and (ii) purpose is of each subscription. [115502]

The Audit Commission holds four subscriptions to digital satellite television at a cost of £1,128 per year per subscription. Each subscription ensures that the commission is kept in touch with developments in news, business and parliamentary affairs relevant to the commission's work. The commission holds no subscriptions to digital terrestrial or digital cable television.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many voluntary leavers there were as a percentage of staff in (a) the Audit Commission and (b) the average local authority in England in the last year for which figures are available. [115495]

During the year to 31 October 2002 (the end of the Audit Commission's last complete financial year), the percentage of voluntary leavers from the commission was 9.2 per cent. of staff employed. Between 1 April 2001 and 31 March 2002 the average percentage of voluntary leavers from English local authorities was 10.9 per cent. of staff employed.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of waste was recycled and how many kilogrammes of waste were generated per staff member by (a) the Audit Commission and (b) the average local authority in England in each year since 1997. [115504]

The Audit Commission's arrangements for managing and recycling their waste is organised locally. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The commission has adopted a number of approaches to reduce the impact it makes on the environment, including the recycling of waste and the use of stationery from recycled sources.Information on the amount of waste recycled and generated by local authority staff is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the responsibilities are of the Business Co-ordination Unit; and if he will make a statement on its (a) aims and (b) performance since 1997. [115133]

The Business Co-Ordination Unit's primary responsibility is to match ministerial visit requests from the business and wider stakeholder community with suitable Ministers. Its aims are to increase ministerial interaction with key stakeholders and customers, including business, local government, national bodies with regional interests and the voluntary and community sectors. The unit was launched in 2000 and received a Charter Mark Award for excellence last December. It achieved more than 300 ministerial visits between 2000 and 2002 that otherwise would not have taken place.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what council tax business rates relief is available to homes providing residential or nursing care for the elderly. [116128]

There is no business rates relief available specifically for homes that provide residential or nursing care for the elderly. However, there are existing mandatory and discretionary rate relief available to ratepayers under the rating system and under certain circumstances homes that provide residential and nursing care for the elderly can qualify for these reliefs.To qualify for mandatory rate relief, the ratepayer must be a charity or a non-profit making body operating as a charity and use the property they occupy wholly or mainly for charitable purposes. Mandatory relief is available at 80 per cent. of the full rates bill, is fully centrally funded and can be topped up to 100 per cent. at the discretion of the local authority. The discretionary top-up is 25 per cent. centrally funded, and local authorities are required to meet 75 per cent. of any such top-up.Where the property does not qualify for mandatory relief, local authorities can consider the award of discretionary rate relief. To be eligible for consideration, the ratepayer must be a non-profit making body and the property used for social, philanthropic, educational or religious purposes. Local authorities have the discretionary power to grant up to 100 per cent. rate relief to certain non-profit making bodies. 75 per cent. of the cost of all discretionary reliefs is met centrally, with the local authority, and through them, the council taxpayer meeting the remaining 25 per cent.. However, whether or not a particular ratepayer would qualify for this rate relief would depend on whether it meets the qualifying criteria set by the local authority.There are no council tax discounts or exemptions available for care homes that provide residential or nursing care for the elderly. However, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister included provisions in the Local Government Bill currently before Parliament giving local authorities the power to grant their own discounts and exemptions. This could include care homes if the local authority wished.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the future funding of the Coalfield Regeneration Trust. [114658]

The Coal Field Regeneration Trust's current funding agreement for England continues until March 2005. Decisions on funding beyond that date will be taken in the light of it's continued good performance and evidence of the beneficial impact of the Trust on the coalfield communities.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council homes have been subject to stock transfer in each year since 1997. [115262]

Numbers of council dwellings transferring annually under large scale voluntary transfer since 1997 have been as follows.

	Number of dwellings transferred
1997–98	32,982
1998–99	73,900
1999–2000	97,385
2000–01	134,219
2001–02	35,390
2002–03	167,290

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average weekly rent for (a) council homes and (b) housing association properties is in each region of England. [115265]

Annual average weekly rent data by region can be found on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website.Rent data for local authorities, from 1991 to 2001, are in Table 701, which is available in the Library of the House and located at www.housing.odpm.gov.uk/ statistics/live/rents/rentl-ukr-cy.xls.The vast majority of housing associations are Registered Social Landlords (RSLs). Rent data for RSLs, from 1994 to 2002, are in Table 703, rent data for local authorities, from 1991 to 2001, are in Table 701, which is available in the Library of the House and located at www.housing.odpm.gov.uk/statist ics/live/ rents/rent3-r-cy.xls.There are no data available from housing associations that are not registered social landlords.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the level of council taxes in England in financial years (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2003–04. 1114866]

Information on the number of council houses in England is collected as part of the annual Housing Investment Programme round.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what contingency plans he has for consultation and legislation on transitional relief schemes in the event of a revaluation of properties for council tax purposes. [114979]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister White Paper "Strong Local Leadership—Quality Public Services", published in December 2001, said that

"ahead of revaluation we shall devise a transitional scheme in which those who gain from the revaluation will contribute to the costs of the losers".

The Local Government Bill contains provision for the establishment of such a transition scheme and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will consult on proposals for a transitional relief scheme ahead of revaluation. It is still far too early to say what effect the proposed 2007 revaluation will have on council tax bills and therefore what kind of transition scheme there might be.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will estimate the cost to (a) his Department, (b) the Valuation Office Agency, (c) local government, (d) other departments and (e) other public bodies of the planned revaluation of properties for council tax purposes in 2005. [114980]

In paragraph 367 of the explanatory notes to the Local Government Bill the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister estimates that the cost of the proposed revaluation of domestic properties is in the region of £200 million including the cost of handling appeals. This is very broad estimate because the cost will be affected by the methods used and decisions on this have not yet been taken.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was spent on disabled facilities grants in each of the last 10 years in (a) England, (b) Staffordshire and (c) East Staffordshire. [113153]

The amounts spent by local housing authorities on disabled facilities grants in the years 1992–93 to 2001–02 in (a) England, (b) Staffordshire and (c) East Staffordshire are given in the table. These grants were made under section 1 of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 and section 101 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 to private owners and tenants. Corresponding data for 2002–03 are not yet available.

£000
	England	Staffordshire	East Staffordshire
1992–93	64,503	1,417	215
1993–94	77,674	1,688	234
1994–95	89,449	2,112	230
1995–96	89,506	2,496	278
1996–97	91,910	1,786	396
1997–98	100,495	1,871	110
1998–99	107,102	2,274	133
1999–2000	116,421	2,708	168
2000–01	130,707	2,594	363
2001–02	145,148	2,730	464

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will ensure that members of the Fire Brigades Union will have the opportunity to vote in secret ballot on the revised pay and conditions of employment currently on offer to them; and if he will make a statement. [114586]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is pleased that following further discussions between the FBU and the employers the FBU Executive has decided to recommend the employers' final offer to its members. It is for the FBU to decide whether or not to hold a secret ballot of their members on this offer, but we would welcome any decision of theirs to do so. Firefighters should be in no doubt that the employers' final offer of a 16 per cent. pay increase over three years, linked to modernisation, is a generous offer and at the absolute limit of what the employers can afford.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many firefighters in (a) the Slough constituency, (b) the Beaconsfield constituency and (c) the Wycombe constituency are paid London weighting. [110203]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister understands from the fire authorities concerned that Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service pay the 65 operational staff based in the Slough constituency a London weighting allowance; and that Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service do not pay London weighting to operational staff in the Beconsfield and Wycombe constituencies.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) whether he will distribute Queen's Golden Jubilee Medals to retained firefighters in Essex as soon as they are available; [115674](2) what his policy is towards the distribution of Queen's Golden Jubilee Medals to firefighters

The Government have always said it hoped that the Golden Jubilee Medals would be given to eligible firefighters by the end of June 2003 as originally planned. Minting has been completed and distribution to brigades began on 28 May. Essex firefighters will receive their medals within this timeframe. No distinction is being made between those that have, and have not, participated in industrial action.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people applied for places on the local government graduate recruitment scheme; and what plans he has to expand the scheme. [114279]

The Government are committed to building the capacity of authorities to respond to local needs and we consider the recruitment and retention of quality staff in authorities to play a key role in improving the delivery services to local people. I refer my hon. friend to the answer given to him on 13 February 2003, Official Report, column 973W.The National Graduate Development Programme (NGDP) is run by the Employers Organisation (EO), one of the LGA's central bodies providing services to local authorities. The scheme was launched in 2002 to fund 50 applicants for that year. It was remarkably oversubscribed with 2,350 applications. The EO has made immediate plans to double the intake for this year, and is considering how best to increase the numbers for the future.Of course the NGDP is not the only source of graduate recruitment available to local authorities. Seven authorities in England run their own graduate schemes. Graduates also enter local government through both general recruitment and specific programmes aimed at professions such as Environmental Health, Finance and Planning. Precise figures for these are not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 19 May 2003, Official Report, column 626W, on the High Hedges (No.2) Bill, if the guidance will be published by 13 June 2003. [116810]

Yes. Copies of the draft guidance on the High Hedges (No. 2) Bill will available in the Libraries of the House no later than 13 June 2003.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he last met representatives of the house building industry to discuss house building in England; and if he will make a statement. [113566]

My ministerial colleagues and I have met frequently with the industry to discuss issues affecting house building.Recent meetings with individual developers have included my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister and Wimpy on 7 April and my right hon. Friend the Lord Rooker and representatives from Berkeley Homes Group on 12 May.Ministerial colleagues and I also meet with industry representative groups. I met with the Housebuilders' Federation on 17 January this year and my right hon. Friend the Lord Rooker spoke at the Housebuilders' Federation annual lunch on 8 April and met with representatives from the Housing Forum on 12 May. We also have contact with the industry through larger events, for example the Regional Housing Conferences. My right hon. Friend the Lord Rooker recently toured the exhibitions and spoke at the BRE showcase for off-site manufacture at Watford.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new houses have been built in (a) Adur district, (b) Worthing borough and (c) West Sussex in each of the last six years; how many more need to be built in order to meet the Government's housebuilding targets; and by what date the houses need to be built. [114822]

The numbers of new dwellings completed in Adur district, Worthing borough and West Sussex are shown in the following table. Annual rates of housing provision are kept under regular review and are established through regional planning guidance and the spatial strategy it sets out.

Number of new dwellings completed
	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
Adur District	62	96	144	49	54	26
Worthing	58	242	81	206	80	162
West Sussex	2,812	2,533	2,015	1,757	1,462	2,094

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to investigate the link between housing policy and children's health policy; and what plans there are to create a dedicated task force to investigate the link. [114296]

The Government recognise the relationship between housing conditions and health, including children's health. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is developing a plan of action on housing and health alongside the Department of Health and others. This work is a key part of our cross-Government strategy to tackle health inequalities, and the needs of children will be a very important element of it.To tackle poor health associated with housing conditions, the Office has set a target to bring all social housing up to a decent standard by 2010, and to increase the proportion of private housing in decent condition occupied by vulnerable groups. The number of non-decent homes in the social sector has already been reduced by about 700,000 since 1996. The Office has also set a target to end, by March 2004, the use of bed and breakfast accommodation for families with children except in emergencies, and then for no longer than six weeks; and is currently consulting on proposals to make it unlawful for local authorities to exceed this six-week deadline.The draft Housing Bill contains proposals for a Health and Safety Rating System to establish health and safety hazards in the home as the basis for enforcing better housing conditions, with particular emphasis on the impact of these hazards on people most vulnerable to them.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures he has taken since 1997 to provide improvements to housing in poorer inner city areas throughout the UK; and what proposals he has to regenerate these areas further. [115132]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for housing in England only. Responsibility in other parts of the UK rests with the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and my right hon. Friend the Member for Torfaen.The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced policies on the issue of housing in the Communities Plan—"Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future" and is committed to improving the quality of social housing by making all social housing decent by 2010.PSA target 7 reads:

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department is planning to take to co-ordinate his recently announced housing plans for Milton Keynes and Multi-modal Study Paper with the emerging district-based community housing plans. [115936]

The conclusions of the independent study into the housing potential of the Milton Keynes and South Midlands area are being reviewed as part of a series of local growth area Assessments for its main settlements, including Bedford and Luton/Dunstable/Houghton Regis. These will also take into account the London-South Midlands Multi-modal Study. Bedfordshire county council and all the district authorities are represented on the Assessments steering group alongside other regional partners. This process will ensure the proposed alterations to Regional Planning Guidance for the Area, on which future district housing plans will draw, are grounded in a realistic appreciation of deliverability and ensure sustainable patterns of growth.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the operation of the Housing Density Directive; how many planning applications have been refused or called in; and which local authorities are affected. [114901]

The Town and Country Planning (Residential Density) (London and South East England) Direction 2002 applies to local planning authorities in the area covered by Regional Planning Guidance for the South East (March 2001). Local planning authorities are required to consult the Deputy Prime Minister before giving planning permission for low density housing on large development sites. To-date there has been one notification. The planning application has been called in by the Deputy Prime Minister for his own determination and will be subject to a local inquiry.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether cabinets of local authorities have responsibilities for staffing matters; and if he will make a statement. [116135]

The legislation provides that local authority cabinets cannot be responsible for the appointment and dismissal of staff. A cabinet's views must, however, be taken into account when senior staff are being appointed or dismissed. No offer of appointment of the head of paid service, a chief officer, or deputy chief officer may be made where the executive leader or elected mayor has made a well founded and material objection.Cabinet members may be involved in staffing matters relating to assistants to political groups appointed under Section 9 of the Local Government Act 1989. Regulations also provide for a directly elected mayor to appoint an assistant.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what evaluation he has made of the effect of Comprehensive Performance Assessments on the latest local election results. [114556]

A range of issues affects the results of elections, and the performance of a council will be a significant factor for many local people. Comprehensive Performance Assessments (CPAs) are now beginning to provide clear and consistent information to local people, as well as to councils and central Government, on the performance of local government. All county councils and single tier authorities were assessed under the CPA process in the past year. District councils will be assessed in the course of the next 18 months. Half of the councils which have received a CPA were subject to elections in May this year.The trend between the 2002 CPA categories and 2003 local government election results tends to support the view that the performance of the council has an influence on the outcome of the election. 45 per cent. of weak and poor councils where elections were held changed overall control. In comparison this happened in just 29 per cent. of the excellent and good councils where elections were held.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what evaluation he is carrying out of the impact of the new financial formula determining the Government settlement on local councils on (a) councils in the southwest region, (b) Dorset county council, (c) Poole borough council and (d) Purbeck council. [115092]

In the following table are the changes in formula spending shares and formula grant (after floors and ceilings) for 2003–04 on a like-for-like basis with 2002–03 for the areas requested.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average council tax was for each local authority in England in 2003–04. [115481]

The information requested is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will review the Standard Spending Assessment of Rossendale borough council and other local authorities within whose areas there are a proportionately large number of walls, bridges, roads and culverts requiring repair and where the ownership cannot be established. [116127]

The Government announced its intention to freeze the Formula Spending Shares methodology (which replaced Standard Spending Assessments in 2003–04) until at least 2006–07 in the White Paper 'Strong Local Leadership, Quality Public Services' in order to provide stability and predictability for local authorities. In any case the responsibility for maintaining roads lies with the highway authority, in this case Lancashire county council. The White Paper made clear that the Government would be prepared to provide additional financial assistance only in certain very limited circumstances, which would be unlikely to include repairs of this kind.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he has taken to increase voter turnout in the May 2003 local elections. [110694]

Low turnout in elections is caused by a number of different factors, and no single solution will solve it. However, one of the most important ways in which we can help is to make voting more straightforward and accessible to all voters. In conjunction with the independent Electoral Commission and Local Government Association, we are promoting a programme of electoral pilots to test new methods of voting, which are aimed at increasing the opportunity for voting. These include various electronic voting techniques (including the use of the internet, telephone, SMS text messaging and interactive digital television), as well as all-postal ballots.At this year's local elections the 33 all-postal pilot elections recorded an average turnout of 49.5 per cent. One pilot authority achieved a 61 per cent. turnout in its pilot, while another more than doubled its turnout compared to the last comparable election. The Electoral Commission's evaluation of these pilots should provide us with more details about how they worked. Initial indications are that the new methods of voting are having a positive effect on voter turnout.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the running costs of the Millennium Dome were in each of the last six months. [115999]

Final cost figures are not yet available for March and April 2003, as English Partnerships are awaiting a number of outstanding invoices. However, EP's management, maintenance, security and staff costs¹ incurred for the six months up to February 2003 was £1.477 million. This is made up of the following monthly breakdown:

Month	Cost (£)
September	242,000
October	241,000
November	262,000
December	253,000
January	250,000
February	229,000
Total	1,477,000

These costs, and others incurred by English Partnerships since they took over responsibility for the Dome in July 2001 will be recovered from sale proceeds.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost of maintaining the Millennium Dome has been since its closure; and what plans he has for its future use. [116485]

The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) was responsible for maintaining the Dome from its closure on 31 December 2000 to end of June 2001. English Partnerships (EP) took over responsibility in July 2001. In total £6.9 million was incurred from the Dome's closure on 31 December 2000 to February 2003: £1.9 million by NMEC from January 2001 to end of June 2001 and £5.0 million by EP from July 2001 to February 2003. EP's final cost figures are not yet available for March and April 2003, as it is awaiting a number of outstanding invoices.EP and MDL signed contracts on 29 May 2002, to develop much of the Greenwich Peninsula, including a new use for the Dome. The deal is conditional primarily on securing planning permission satisfactory to the contracting parties.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how the transition will take place, and over what timescale, when county councils lose their strategic planning role under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill. [114014]

The proposed abolition of the structure plan function does not mean that counties will no longer have any strategic planning role. The Government expect that the expertise of counties will be an important resource in the preparation and revision of Regional Spatial Strategies and we will make regulations to prescribe counties as statutory consultees in this process. Counties will remain responsible for the preparation of mineral and waste planning strategies. Structure plans will be 'saved' for a three-year period from commencement of the relevant provisions in the Planning and Compulsory Bill unless structure plans are replaced by Regional Spatial Strategies during that period.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the level of protection for neighbouring residents against noise and visual intrusion provided by the safeguards in paragraph 47 of Planning Policy Guidance 22. [109834]

The annex on Wind Energy—including paragraph 47—in Policy Planning Guidance Note 22 contains guidelines about various factors which should be taken into consideration in relation to wind turbine location, including noise and visual intrusion. Where protection for residents against any such factors is considered necessary, assessments will be made on a case by case basis and, where appropriate, planning conditions can be attached to the planning permission.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council homes have been refurbished under PFI schemes since such schemes were introduced. [115263]

The first two council housing Private Finance Initiatives (PFI) contracts were signed in March this year by Manchester city council and the London borough of Islington which will see a total of 2,500 council homes refurbished. It is too early to expect any of these to have been refurbished at this point in time. Manchester let a small preliminary contract in advance of the main agreement which has resulted in 21 homes being improved.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which local authorities have signed contracts for the refurbishment of homes under PFI schemes. [115264]

Derby city council signed a contract in July 2000 for the purchase and refurbishment of non-council properties in its inner city area. Manchester city council and the London borough of Islington both signed contracts in March this year for the refurbishment of council properties and other pathfinder authorities are expected to sign later in the year.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated value is of the property portfolio held by his Department. [108366]

The estimated value of The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's property portfolio excluding non-departmental Public Bodies and Agencies is £3,744,297.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of buildings owned by (a) the Audit Commission and (b) local authorities in England are suitable for and accessible by disabled people. [115505]

Of the properties currently leased by the Audit Commission, 75 per cent. are accessible by people with disabilities. The average percentage of local authority buildings open to the public in which all public areas are suitable for the accessible to people with disabilities was 30 per cent. in 2001–02.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what safeguards will be introduced to ensure that infrastructure is compatible with development in the Regional Spatial Strategy and local development scheme and plans. [114393]

Regional Spatial Strategies and Development Plan Documents will be prepared in consultation with infrastructure providers and will be subject to independent examination at which the soundness of these plans will be assessed. These two types of plans will collectively constitute the development plan. Applications for planning permission for infrastructure development will be determined in accordance with the development plan unless other material considerations indicate otherwise.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what additional expenditure over and above that identified prior to 1 April 2002 (a) was spent in 2002–03 and (b) will be spent in 2003–04 on national and regional resilience work in the fields of (i) central response, (ii) local responses, (iii) essential services, (iv) mass evacuation, (v) warning, (vi) site clearance and (vii) threat assessment; whether arrangements exist to release expenditure during the current financial year for resilience projects currently under consideration in these fields which may be identified as requiring urgent implementation; and if he will make a statement. [113925]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is fully engaged in the Cabinet Office-led capabilities programme, and all resilience work is co-ordinated within that programme. The central response capability focuses on mechanisms such as business continuity planning which assure that Government departments can function and respond effectively to a no-notice crisis. The local response capability focuses on mechanisms which allow local authorities and emergency services to plan and respond to serious disruption, while the site clearance capability aims to create an action plan for the handling of rabble and site clearance. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has specific responsibilities as lead Government Department for the regional response and site clearance capabilities, and contributes to the development of other capabilities as necessary. Under the central response capability, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister did not incur any specific additional spend during 2002–03, and has budgeted for £1 million in 2003–04. On the local responses and site clearance capabilities, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister spent £2,072,412 during 2002–03, and has budgeted for £4.5 million in 2003–04. With regard to the other areas the hon. Member has raised, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is either not directly involved in those workstreams or has incurred no spend.The capabilities that we are working to deliver have been developed to allow the Government to deal with the widest range of scenarios. Should a specific additional urgent operational need arise, at any point of the spending cycle, action would be taken to meet it. The public expenditure framework the Government have put in place provides the flexibility to deal with unexpected pressures.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of buildings owned by Sefton Metropolitan authority are accessible by people with physical disabilities. [116619]

43 out of 52 (83 per cent.) of public buildings owned by Sefton Metropolitan borough council are accessible by people with physical disabilities.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many working days were lost to sickness in (a) the Audit Commission and (b) the average local authority in England in the last year for which figures are available. [115494]

During the year to 31 October 2002 (the end of the Audit Commission's last complete financial year) an average of five days per member of staff were lost through sickness. The average number of days lost between 1 April 2001 and 31 March 2002 through sickness per member of staff of English local authorities was 10.2.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people are on the waiting list to be housed in Shrewsbury and Atcham. [115026]

Local authorities in England report the numbers of households on their housing register (excluding tenants awaiting a transfer) as at 1 April in their annual Housing Investment programme return. As at 1 April 2002 the latest reported figures are 1,335.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 22 May 2003, Official Report, column 986W, what criteria will apply in determining whether the South-West Regional Assembly will receive the full £600,000 or a lesser sum. [116809]

As part of the funding agreement, the South West Regional Assembly has produced a business plan, covering general operating costs and specific projects. It makes quarterly claims, assessed and processed by the Government Office for the South-West, for expenditure against that plan. Should projects originally envisaged in the plan not be pursued, for whatever reason, the grant paid may be less than the £600,000 ceiling.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what categories of workers will be eligible for consideration for starter homes in the next round of the Starter Homes initiative. [114699]

From 2004–05, funding for the provision of key worker housing will be integrated into the Housing Corporation's affordable housing programme and will target key public sector workers. The Housing Corporation expects to invite bids for key worker housing schemes at the same time as bids for other affordable housing schemes, in the autumn 2003. It will be made clear at that stage which key worker groups will qualify for assistance, taking into account the advice of Regional Housing Boards.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what the total area of land for which planning permission for waste management purposes was granted in the years 1999 to 2003 was; and if he will make a statement; [115776](2) if he will list the

This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Details of planning applications, and the statutory registers of decisions on them, are held by individual local planning authorities.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the creche facilities made available by the Office to the children of its staff. [121109]

The Cabinet Office has a nursery at Sunningdale that is run in partnership with the Edith Rose Day Nursery. This can be used by staff in the Centre for Management and Policy Studies. They have priority over private customers on the waiting list. The charge per week is £140. This is subsidised for parents who earn less than £24,001 per annum. The nursery can also be used by parents on residential courses at Sunningdale.

Type of childcare provision	Number of parents using childcare	Cost to the Department	Cost per head
Cabinet Office
Nursery	6	£10,939	£140 per week. Subsidy of £41.50 per week for people earning less than £19,000 and £26 per week for people earning less than £24,001
Westminster Holiday Playscheme	33	£3,840	£26 a day up until 25 October 2002. £30 a day from 18 December 2002. Subsidy of 50 per cent. up to 25 October 2002, subsidy of 43 per cent. from 18 December 2002
Child Care Vouchers	92	£87,668.92	£21.42 week for full-time, pro-rata for part-time
Central Office of Information
Westminster Holiday Playscheme	4	£392	£26 a day up until 25 October 2002. £30 a day from 18 December 2002. Subsidy of 50 per cent.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what representations he has received regarding the accessibility of government services via the internet. [120867]

I have received a wide range of representations on the subject.The Government are committed to internet access for all who want it by 2005. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (published in April) show that levels of internet access in the UK continue to grow. 50 per cent. of the adult population are now regular users of the internet. In May, to further drive up levels of internet use, we launched the "Get Started" campaign to promote the benefits of the internet to key groups such as the elderly, those with disabilities and the unemployed.To promote the accessibility of websites themselves it has been Government policy since February 2001 that all new or redesigned websites meet the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative's guidelines. These are detailed in the "Guidelines for UK Government Websites" available on the Office of the e-Envoy's website or in printed copy from the Stationery Office.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the performance targets that (a) his Office, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental Staff in London have access during the school holidays to the Westminster Holiday Playscheme. Each place at the playscheme costs £30 a day. The Department subsidises each place by £13 a day.Eligible staff in all locations are able to apply for child care vouchers. These support parents to make their own choices about where and what type of child care they want for their child. Vouchers are payable over 48 weeks per annum and are for £21.42 a week for staff who work full time and either have a partner who works full time or are single parents; or pro-rata for staff who work, or who have partners who work, part-time. Staff using a subsidised nursery place at Sunningdale are not eligible for child care vouchers.A table showing the type of child care provision in my Department; the number of parents who used it; the cost to the Department; and the cost per head is as follows:public bodies are required to meet; and for each target (i) who sets it and (ii) who monitors achievement against it. [120868]

Key performance targets for the Cabinet Office are agreed as part of the Spending Review and the latest set were published in Spending Review 2002: Public Service Agreements 2003–06 (Cm 5571). The Department monitors progress towards the target along with HM Treasury and progress is reported regularly.The Cabinet Office has one executive agency, The Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA). In addition, the Central Office of Information (COI) is a department and executive agency reporting to the Minister for the Cabinet Office.Key performance targets for GCDA and COI are set annually by me when I approve their Corporate and Business Plans. The targets are announced to Parliament. Key targets for 2003–04 for both GCDA and COI are expected to be announced shortly.The Chief Executives of GCDA and COI are directly responsible to me for ensuring that the agencies achieve their performance targets. Performance reports, including performance against targets, are submitted to me on a quarterly basis.Performance against targets is published annually in the agencies' annual reports and accounts. Copies of these are held in the House of Commons Library, or can be accessed via their websites: www.gcda.gov.uk and www.coi.gov.uk. COI' s performance against targets is audited by the National Audit Office (NAO). GCDA's performance against its financial target is audited by the NAO, and performance against other targets is independently reviewed within the Cabinet Office.The Cabinet Office has no executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), and its advisory NDPBs are included within the main departmental targets.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations there are in England; and how many there were in 1997. [121866]

As at 31 March 2002, the number of public bodies sponsored by UK Government Departments that were based in England totalled 802.Addresses for public bodies were not collected centrally in 1997. On 1 September 1997, the number of public bodies sponsored by UK Government Departments, excluding those sponsored by the Northern Ireland, Scottish and Welsh Offices, the Scottish Courts Administration and the Royal Mint, totalled 846.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what projects the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment has been involved with in West Wiltshire. [121340]

Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) has been involved with the following projects in West Wiltshire.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made on the establishment of the English Institute of Sport. [121408]

Sport England
Performance indicator	Description	Programme	Year	Qt R1	Qt R2	Qt R3	Qt R4
Average time taken to process each application	Sum of working days taken for all cases completed in the period/Number of cases completed in the period	Community capital	2001–02	71	70	66	82
Average time taken to process each application	Sum of working days taken for all cases completed in the period/Number of cases completed in the period	Community revenue	2001–02	21	49	39	64
Average time taken to process each application	Sum of working days taken for all cases completed in the period/Number of cases completed in the period	World class	2001–02	43	36	27	60

The English Institute of Sport (EIS) is a nationwide network of world class training facilities and support services.The majority of the facilities for the EIS are now complete and are providing a top class training environment for our elite athletes. Most of the remaining sites will be ready for opening by the end of the year. The range of services supplied by the EIS, which spans sports science and sports medicine, is already being delivered directly to athletes and is being co-ordinated by the EIS regional managers.These arrangements should ensure that the EIS network provides our top athletes with the support required to enhance their medal success at the Athens Olympics.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the average length of time was from the submission of a Lottery funding hid to (a) receipt of that application and (b) receipt of funding by distribution body in each of the last 10 years. [121629]

Information on the time taken by Lottery distributors to acknowledge applications is not available centrally. Each distributor is required to have a performance indicator on the average time taken to process applications, but the indicator can be formulated differently by individual distributors. The timing of the release of funding by distributors to successful applicants can depend on many factors including the nature of the project concerned, the terms and conditions of grant agreed between the applicant and the distributor, and the rate at which the project progresses. For many projects, a grant may be released in instalments over a period of months or years.The information on application processing times is not available for the lifetime of each distributor but the details provided by the distributors sponsored by the Department are shown in the following tables:

	2000–01	2001–02
Arts Council of England	63 days	71 days
Community Fund	11 weeks	12.5 weeks
Heritage Lottery Fund	5.6 months	7.4 months
Film Council	1—	55 days
Millennium Commission	2—	2—
UK Sport	1—	12 weeks
1 Not available.
2 See the following.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many bids were made to and how much funding was (a) requested and

£
Distributing Body	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Arts council of England	236,448,607	438,569,060	348,730,571	156,693,442	171,034,631
Arts council of Northern Ireland	4,307,651	7,062,937	4,740,377	10,402,112	8,622,996
Arts council of Wales	9,110,844	13,770,498	27,130,278	12,925,265	16,528,332
Awards for all (England) Joint Scheme	0	0	0	0	0
Community fund	159,573,748	300,936,127	222,316,992	286,452,996	511,166,766
Film council	0	0	0	0	2,000,000
Heritage Lottery fund	107,857,356	331,742,595	482,869,443	287,154,304	217,126,985
Millennium Commission	333,468,200	437,053,600	1,078,936,503	51,674,629	42,596,296
New opportunities fund	0	0	0	0	93,099,315
Scottish arts council	13,624,157	37,404,662	28,195,108	36,892,837	14,331,128
Scottish screen	0	0	0	0	0
Sport England	94,934,628	108,423,663	169,574,273	214,901,672	276,758,494
Sport Scotland	14,608,885	20,287,827	14,636,987	26,653,011	17,444,590
Sports council for Northern Ireland	4,574,880	6,529,998	7,618,882	10,515,805	6,267,805
Sports council for Wales	4,922,738	13,494,761	18,223,262	6,971,813	4,754,354
UK Sport	0	0	200,000	12,160	11,011,950

£
Distributing Body	2000	2001	2002	2003
Arts council of England	102,495,067	169,348,066	105,417,740	1,375,292
Arts council of Northern Ireland	1,522,456	3,580,320	1,662,631	170,806
Arts council of Wales	11,491,739	9,593,214	7,909,221	931,738
Awards for all (England) Joint Scheme	0	0	33,346,684	13,099,734
Community fund	364,125,191	324,035,982	275,819,367	123,106,661
Film council	14,188,552	27,552,072	28,759,193	19,431,635
Heritage Lottery fund	183,800,172	252,556,164	310,038,016	118,549,168
Millennium Commission	38,323,058	4,543,272	0	0
New opportunities fund	87,029,281	283,286,909	398,905,082	272,354,494
Scottish Arts council	14,804,013	9,735,060	3,544,944	284,786
Scottish screen	3,392,911	3,361,188	0	0
Sport England	295,945,174	264,803,648	142,817,084	27,701,222
Sport Scotland	6,355,986	19,184,986	11,716,056	1,062,534
Sports council for Northern Ireland	3,662,642	2,883,638	236,899	125,210
Sports council for Wales	3,240,967	16,853,584	20,515,883	6,722,023
UK Sport	23,941,847	63,927,347	10,776,350	3,608,121

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the departmental Regulatory Impact Assessment procedure; and how many RIAs have been reviewed in respect of the Department over the last year. [120856]

A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) must be completed for all policy proposals that have a potential impact on businesses, charities or the voluntary sector. It includes details of the arrangements for monitoring and evaluating policy proposals and their impact.

Information regarding awards is shown in the table, which is derived from the Department's Awards Database, which contains information supplied by the distributing bodies.The figure for the year 2003 is up to 1 June.This Department has never held comprehensive information on either the number or value of applications for Lottery grants.Information on the number of RIAs that have been reviewed in respect of the Department in the last year is not held.From this year the National Audit Office (NAO) has a new role in independently evaluating a selection of RIAs. In their Annual Report, published in February 2003,the Better Regulation Task Force put forward suggestions of RIAs for the NAO to review.The NAO review will focus on the quality of analysis in the RIAs and the thoroughness with which the RIAs have been undertaken. The findings and recommendations of best practice will be fed back to departments. It will play a valuable part in driving up standards of RIAs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs about the impact on rural sport and recreational plans to concentrate sports council funding on selected sports.[120963]

1 have had no such discussions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made on the establishment of Regional Sports Boards; and if she will make a statement.[121410]

Chairs of the Regional Sports Boards have been appointed in all the regions apart from the West Midlands which is still under consideration. However, the Chair of the London Board has just resigned for whom a replacement will be appointed as soon as possible. Sport England has appointed the members of seven of the Boards. Recruitment of the members of the West Midlands Board will start when a chair has been appointed and recruitment of the members of the North West Board will commence shortly following the appointment of its chair on 11 June.All those regions which have a Board in place have held initial meetings and made plans for future meetings. Preparation of regional sports strategies will be a priority for all of the regions as well as making strong partnerships with other regional agencies/organisations. Sport England intends to delegate funding to the Boards this autumn. Three Regional Sports Board chairs will be appointed to Sport England's Council in October.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the membership of Regional Sports Board. [121411]

The information requested is as follows:North East Region: Tim Cantle-Jones (Chair), Professor Chris Drinkwater, Don Robson, Chris Roberts, Tanni Grey Thompson, David Marker, Alison Curbishley, Ged Bell, Irene Lucas, Angela James, Peter Warburton, John Mowbray.East Region: Sir Robin Miller (Chair), Vanessa Brown, Nicholas Buckworth, Roger Fennemore, Tom McNab, Isabel Newstead, Steve Palframan, Dr. Gina Radford.South West Region: Ged Roddy (Chair), Marie Hunter, Maggie Rae, Professor Eric Thomas, Will Behenna, Steve Evans, Rod Carr, Phil de Glanville, Penny Spink, Colin Johnson.Yorkshire Region: Councillor Peter Price (Chair), Mike Twiggs, Jane Glaister, Anna Young, Malcolm Brown, Kate Birkenhead, Pat Marsh, Ashley Metcalf, Novlette Rennie, Alan Smith, William Nabarro.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Heritage Lottery Fund has received an application from the National Trust for funds in connection with the Tyntesfield estate. [120420]

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has not received a worked-up application from the National Trust (NT) for what they propose to do at Tyntesfield although at the time of making the NHMF award to Tyntesfield, the Board approved in principle a further grant award from HLF subject to the receipt and favourable assessment of a fully worked-up application which meets HLF's priorities. The NT is currently working-up this application in accordance with standard HLF procedures. As part of this process a series of meetings and discussions have taken place between HLF and NT staff regarding the shape, timetable and content of their bid. HLF expect to receive an application in December this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received regarding (a) her Department's targets for air quality and (b) the attainment of those targets. [120896]

The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to prohibit the use of biofuels on set-aside land; and if she will make a statement. [120537]

[holding answer 20 June 2003]: The set-aside requirements are part of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) support arrangements for the arable sector.The current scheme allows the growing of certain energy and other non-food crops. We believe this is a valuable flexibility in the use of set-aside land, which can contribute to wider environmental benefits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she is taking to stop the trade in bushmeat. [119443]

Since March 2002, the Department has had in place a series of measures designed to tackle the disease risks posed by illegal imports of all types of meat and animal products. The number of illegal imports seized in 2002–03 rose to three times the number made in the previous year, reflecting increased enforcement activity and better evidence-based targeting.Additional resources for the coming years, together with the improved enforcement and intelligence capability provided by HM Customs and Excise, should ensure that this work is consolidated and built upon. HM Customs are setting up four mobile detection teams to target meat and animal products, and will be increasing the number of detector dog teams to six during the current financial year.Defra are also working with the Food Standards Agency and HM Customs to understand what drives the demand for exotic meats and animal products in the UK.In addition, under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) the UK played a key role in setting up a Working Group of Central African countries, which is due to report to the next Conference of the Parties in October 2004. We expect its recommendations to provide a valuable resource for all the countries of the region, in aiding their efforts to harmonise and strengthen local controls on the bushmeat trade.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what legal action her Department has taken in the last four years against those who import bushmeat into the United Kingdom. [121061]

A decision to bring a prosecution before the Courts is a matter for the enforcement authority. For imports of meat covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES), this is HM Customs and Excise. For other offences regarding illegal imports of meat and animal products, responsibility lay with Local Authorities until 11 April, when this was taken over by HM Customs.HM Customs and Excise have prosecuted three people in the last four years for CITES offences involving "bushmeat". Two were convicted, and one was acquitted but convicted under a separate animal health charge. Data on Local Authority prosecutions for offences under other meat and animal products legislation have not been collected centrally. We are not aware of any recent prosecutions by Local Authorities for bushmeat offences.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's policy is on the ratification of the Cartagena Protocol on exports of genetically modified crops. [118030]

The Government regard the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety as an important international agreement governing the handling and movement of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Once in force, it will provide a common basis for all countries of the world to take informed decisions about imports and exports of any GMOs that may affect wildlife and natural habitats. Most of the UK's obligations under the Protocol have been, or are being, implemented at European Community level. The Community legal framework for the Protocol is expected to be completed later this month with the adoption of measures governing exports of GMOs. Adoption of these measures will demonstrate that the UK is fully able to meet its obligations under the Protocol and will enable the necessary national ratification procedures to be completed shortly thereafter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the recent report of the International Council for the Exploration of the sea on the level of cod stocks in the North Sea, Kattegat, the Irish Sea and waters to the west of Scotland, measured against minimum recommended levels; and if she will make a statement. [120660]

The report explains that the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea was able to refer to new preliminary assessments for Irish Sea and West of Scotland cod but that these have yet to be properly reviewed by ICES. For the North Sea and Kattegat there was no new assessment, but some, again preliminary, indications of the abundance of pre-fishery young cod. The report concludes overall that there is no change in the perception of the stocks concerned, and they are all below recommended precautionary levels. We will take close account of this and all emerging scientific information in discussions on the Commission's recent proposals for further cod recovery measures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment has been made of the cost-effectiveness of the new proposals for fallen stock collection compared with traditional methods of disposal, with particular reference to disposal of carcases through locally based incineration; [120950](2) what plans the Government has to incorporate existing local operators of fallen stock disposal facilities in the new scheme; [120951](3) where the facilities for collection and disposal of carcasses under the fallen stock scheme devised in response to the EU Animals By-product Regulations are based. [121081]

In light of the low response rate from livestock farmers to the letter inviting interest in a national scheme, the Government are now considering whether the scheme should go ahead, and if so in what form.The Department has not made any specific assessment of the cost-effectiveness of the proposed national fallen stock scheme against existing collection/disposal routes such as incineration.However, the industry estimate that with full utilisation of the scheme economies of scale would mean the costs of carcase collection could be 40 per cent. lower than is currently the case for adult cattle, and 60 per cent. lower than for adult sheep.The proposed national fallen stock collection and disposal scheme would be open to existing approved collection/disposal facilities, such as knackers' yards, hunt kennels, incinerators and rendering plants, although other operators could, provided they comply with the relevant legislation, also participate in such a scheme.Officials have arranged for a list of those premises which are currently approved by the Department to collect/dispose of animal by-products such as Fallen Stock, to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under what regulatory provisions local authorities can be exempted from EU procedures on purchasing in order to encourage greater use of local food chains. [121571]

Public contracting authorities, including local authorities, must comply in full with UK public procurement regulations when awarding contracts for the supply of food. The regulations implement EU Directives on procurement that are designed to ensure that public sector contracts are awarded following transparent competitions that do not unfairly exclude suppliers from outside the UK. Even when the values of contract requirements fall below the thresholds for applying the Regulations the European Treaty prohibits the public sector from demanding local food. Discriminating on grounds of nationality is strictly prohibited under any circumstance.It is a common misconception that the EU Directives work against local producers and growers. There are legitimate ways and means for public contracting authorities to increase the opportunities that local producers have for competing for public sector contracts. One of the most effective measures is to ensure that the quality of food specified takes into account food production and processing standards that result in safe, healthy nutritious food and ensure that adverse environmental impacts are reduced as much as possible. More detailed guidance on stimulating the demand and supply of local produce can be found in Defra's Action Sheet at:http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/sustaim/procurement/index.htm

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Scottish Fisheries Authorities regarding the extension of her Department's Marine Stewardship Council grants scheme to Scotland; and if she will make a statement. [117810]

[holding answer 9 June 2003]: I understand that the Scottish Executive will consider grants under the European Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance towards Marine Stewardship Council fisheries accreditation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were exposed to nitrogen dioxide in excess of European Union limits at (a) Heathrow, (b) Gatwick, (c) Stansted, (d) Manchester and (e) Luton airports, in each of the last five years.[121248]

We do not collect data for the number of people exposed to nitrogen dioxide levels in excess of the EU limit value, which has to be achieved by 2010, at the above-mentioned or any other airports.Local authorities have a statutory duty under the Environment Act 1995 to review and assess the local air quality in their area against the air quality objectives for seven pollutants prescribed in regulations, including nitrogen dioxide for the purpose of local air quality management. The majority of local authorities have set up their own air quality monitoring sites and where they identify through modelling and monitoring that it is unlikely that the air quality objectives will be met by the relevant deadline, the local authority must designate an air quality management area and produce an action plan setting out the measures they intend to implement to work towards meeting the air quality objectives.The boroughs of Hillingdon, Hounslow and Spelthorne have designated air quality management areas around Heathrow as they are predicting they will be unable to meet the air quality objective for nitrogen dioxide in 2005 (this non-mandatory deadline is five years earlier than the deadline for the EU limit value). Reigate and Banstead Borough Council have also designated an air quality management area in respect of the 2005 nitrogen dioxide objective near to Gatwick. These authorities are required to draw up air quality action plans, in partnership with the airport operators and other interested parties setting out proposed measures to tackle the problem.Stanstead, Luton and Manchester airports are not the subject of any air quality management aeras.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish guidelines used by his Department for considering the speed and timing of the deportation of asylum seekers once all appeals have been exhausted.[117926]

There are no publishable guidelines or data available on how quickly removal should take The speed with which a person or persons can be removed depends on whether there are any barriers to removal and how quickly they can be overcome.The Immigration Service (IS) is fully committed, however, to removing from the United Kingdom, all of those who have no entitlement to remain in this country. The IS targets in particular those who have applied for and failed the asylum process and those who have not lodged an appeal within 15 working days of adverse decision.I am able to report that, following a series of measures, there has been a steady increase in removals performance across the board. Some 14,400 people (including dependants) were removed in 2002, representing an increase of 12 per cent. over the previous year and a 45 per cent. increase compared to 1997. Though, among other things, greater contact management with asylum seekers at all stages of the asylum process and better intelligence, we would expect this trend to continue over the coming months.Through close collaboration with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), planning and work is also undertaken to overcome immigration related problems with specific countries. Were necessary, this includes working with other Government Departments and the Governments of the countries where specific problems exist. Through this approach, and by drawing upon the joint expertise of Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) and FCO, measures can be identified and implemented that counter particular, and sometimes unique, problems including difficulties with delays and barriers to removal.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests have been made in (a) Lambeth and (b) other London boroughs for possession of cannabis in the last 12 months.[120920]

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that for the period June 2002 to May 2003, 132 persons were arrested for the possession of cannabis in Lambeth and 17,329 persons were arrested in other London boroughs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make it his Department's policy to conduct a further regulatory impact assessment on the Criminal Records Bureau to find out what impact the fee increase will have upon the voluntary sector; [120089](2) what assessment he has made of the impact the increase in Criminal Records Bureau check fees will have on the voluntary sector. [120090]

As the Criminal Records Bureau moves towards full cost recovery, it has been necessary to make the increases in fees that were announced by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 5 June 2003, Official Report, column 27WS. We have made it clear that checks will remain free in the case of volunteers (worth an estimated value of £10 million in the 2003–04 financial year). In other cases, responsibility for paying the fee rests primarily with the individual applicant, although it is open to the employer to reimburse the cost. I will place in the Library a Regulatory Impact Assessment which assesses the impact of the fee increase for the voluntary and business sectors.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what protocols there are for GP intervention in the treatment of his or her patient while that patient is under a Drug Treatment and Testing Order. [121059]

The treatment element of a drug treatment and testing order is commissioned by the Probation Service working with other local joint commissioning stakeholders. No national guidance has been issued on the extent of or timing for the involvement of an offender's GP in the delivery of the agreed treatment programme, which, if appropriate, would need to be considered in the light of the particular circumstances of the agreed programme and the delivery of the National Treatment Agency models of care standards.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which countries do not have reciprocal extradition arrangements with the UK. [121167]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry, North-East, (Mr. Ainsworth) on 20 May 2003, Official Report, column 760W.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been extradited from the Irish Republic to the UK in each year since 1997: and how many related to terrorist offences. [121166]

Extradition relations between the UK and the Republic of Ireland are governed by the Backing of Warrants Act 1965. These cases are dealt with on a police-to-police basis, with the extradition hearing taking place before the appropriate judicial authority. This process requires little or no ministerial involvement.Details of requests made to the Republic of Ireland under the backing of warrants arrangements are not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visits have been made by Home Office (a) officials and (b) Ministers to France to look at drug treatment regimes in the last five years. [121224]

The Home Office became responsible for the UK National Drugs Strategy in June 2001. No Home Office Minister or official has been to France to look at drug treatment regimes since that time. However Home Office Ministers are familiar with drugs policies and practice in France through frequent contact with colleagues there and through advice from officials and others who keep in close touch with developments.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he plans to extend the legal protection afforded to police officers assaulted in the workplace to other public sector workers: [120649](2) if he plans to establish a new offence of assaulting a public sector worker in the course of their duty; and if he will make a statement. [120650]

Assaulting a public sector worker in the course of his or her duty is an extremely serious matter, as reflected in guidelines issued by the Magistrates' Association. Magistrates court guidelines already make clear that when an assault is against a "victim serving the public", it should be considered as an aggravating factor. The Criminal Justice Bill contains provisions on sentencing and sets up a new Sentencing Guidelines Council, charged with drafting and distributing a new set of consolidated sentencing guidelines applicable across all criminal courts. The purpose of the guidelines is to ensure consistency and to require the courts to take account of all the relevant aggravating or mitigating features. The guidelines could, and we expect will, refer explicitly to the fact that if a victim was at the time of the offence working with the public, it should be treated as an aggravating feature of the crime. We have no current plans to introduce specific offences for attacks on public sector workers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women from Central and Eastern European countries are estimated to be working illegally in the sex industry in Britain. [120169]

A Home Office research study 'Stopping Traffic' (Police Research Series 125, published in 2000), indicated that there was intelligence to suggest that some women and children are trafficked into the UK for the purposes of sexual exploitation. This was estimated at between 140 and 1,400 per year but it was impossible to make a more accurate assessment of numbers. The report concluded that there was no evidence to suggest that this was on a large scale compared with other European countries.Statistics collected by the Metropolitan Police's Clubs and Vice Unit suggest that up to 75 per cent. of women involved in off-street prostitution in London are non-UK nationals. Of these, 20 per cent are thought to be from the Balkans, and 28 per cent. from European countries.

To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what additional costs were incurred as a result of the House sitting after 10.30 pm on 16 June 2003. [120448]

The main additional cost is overtime for some support staff. The information about overtime worked on 16 June 2003 is not currently available, but I expect it to be minimal compared to the daily cost of running the House.

To ask the Prime Minister when he will publish the list of Ministerial Committees of the Cabinet. [122619]

I have today published the list of Ministerial Committees of the Cabinet together with their Chairmen, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. I will make an announcement on full membership and terms of reference in due course.

To ask the Prime Minister whether the proposals discussed at the European Council on 19 and 20 June 2003 in Thessaloniki would permit a reduction in the UK rebate from EU budget contributions. [121899]

The Government will not accept any watering down of decision making for EU budget contributions. We have made clear that Convention proposals to introduce Qualified Majority Voting or reduce the say of national parliaments in this area are unacceptable, and will continue to do so in the Intergovernmental Conference.

To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the consequences his proposal to abolish the Lord Chancellorship will have on the Church of England churches for which the Lord Chancellor has the benefice. [121895]

The arrangements for these appointments currently remain unchanged with the appointment of my right hon. and noble Friend Lord Falconer of Thoroton as the Lord Chancellor. This will be looked at during the transitional period.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the creche facilities made available by his office to the children of his office's staff. [121114]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Minister of State, Cabinet Office gave him today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how much her Department has spent in each year since 1995 (a) as a Department and (b) through grants to external bodies on (i) the promotion of and (ii) research into biotechnology; [121655](2) how much her Department has spent in

[holding answer 25 June 2003]: For the most recent financial year (2002–03), the Department's expenditure on sponsorships, grants and other financial assistance for the biotechnology industry sector in the UK was approximately £18 million.The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) spent approximately £81 million on biotechnology in 2001–02. Further information is available in the BBSRC's "Annual Report and Accounts 2001–2002".The Medical Research Council (MRC) expenditure on biotechnology in 2001–02 came to approximately £140 million. Further information is in MRC's "Annual Report 2001–2002".It is not possible to give precise information, due to the lack of a generally accepted definition of biotechnology and the differences in the ways individual Research Councils analyse their annual expenditure.Information about expenditure dating back to 1995 is not readily available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress is being made in implementation of broadband in (a) Cleethorpes, (b) Great Grimsby, (c) Scunthorpe and (d) Brigg and Goole. [119440]

BT ADSL broadband is available in Scunthorpe and Brigg and the Great Grimsby exchange will be enabled on 20 August. Goole reached its trigger level on 25 February and is awaiting an enablement date. Cleethorpes currently has 177 registrations (70 per cent.) towards its trigger level of 250.Cable broadband is also available through NTL who operate in the areas of Cleethorpes, Grimsby and Scunthorpe.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on early-day motion 1390. [120934]

Subscribers should not have to pay to be removed from fax marketing mailing lists and existing regulations already give subscribers the right to opt out of this form of marketing free of charge. Under the Telecommunications (Data Protection and Privacy) Regulations 1999, no one may send an unsolicited direct marketing fax to any subscriber who has been registered with the Fax Preference Service (the FPS) for at least 28 days, or who has previously instructed the sender not to fax them. There is no fee for registering with the FPS and this can be done by phone, fax, post or e-mail. Further information about the Regulations and plans to update them is available on: http://www.dti.gov.uk/indiistries/ecomniiinications/telecom_data_protection_ directive_9766ec.html

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she last met the regulator to discuss investment criteria in the electricity transmission sector.[115819]

My ministerial colleagues and I and departmental officials have regular discussions with the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) on a range of issues, including the electricity transmission sector.The Transmission Issues Working Group, on which DTI and Ofgem officials sit with transmission licensees, was set up to look at the issues surrounding connecting up to 12 GW of new renewable generation to the existing transmission system and has recently reported on the costs entailed. It continues to monitor the progress of work recently started by the Scottish Transmission Owners.In addition, the Government continue to engage with Ofgem and industry on matters relating to the British Electricity Trading and Transmission Arrangements (BETTA). This includes ensuring that the arrangements under a GB market will provide fertile conditions for new investment in renewables generation, a key lynchpin of our objectives outlined in the Energy White Paper.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to publish her Department's review of the employers' liability insurance system.[120388]

I have been asked to reply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether in the last 24 months the Minister of State for Energy and Construction has received invitations to visit facilities which extract energy from municipal waste; how many meetings the minister has had in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003 with companies which operate waste management facilities extracting energy from waste; and how many times in each of these years the minister met the trade association responsible for waste management. [121196]

My hon. Friend, the then Minister for Energy and Construction, received a number of invitations to visit facilities which extract energy from waste, and visited CPS Civic Ltd.'s Energy from Waste plant in Sheffield in March this year. He had two meetings with companies operating energy from waste facilities during 2001, one such meeting during 2002, and two meetings during 2003. He met the Energy from Waste Association on one occasion in 2001 when he gave a speech at their Annual lunch in May 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the cost to developing countries of implementation of regulations that arise from General Agreement on Trade in Services negotiations. [121363]

[holding answer 25 June 2003]: The GATS process is based on a positive list, bottom up approach. Countries decide for themselves in which sectors and to what extent they wish to liberalise. Therefore, it will be for them to assess if potential costs will outweigh potential benefits. However, HMG recognises that developing countries require support in this assessment, and this is why the Department for International Development is co-ordinating with the World bank and UNCTAD to conduct research in this area, which will help inform the position of developing countries in the negotiations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how WTO investment rules apply to (a) multinationals and (b) national Governments. [121365]

[holding answer 25 June 2003]: Some existing WTO Agreements, for example, the WTO Agreement on Trade Related Investment Measures, the General Agreement on Trade in Services and the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, contain rules which may affect the way Governments offer incentives to invest in their country or specific sectors, but these rules do not form a complete set of multilateral rules governing investment. WTO agreements apply only to measures taken by Governments or public bodies and not to multinationals. Any future agreements negotiated in the WTO are likely to be concluded on the same basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reason data gathered from the testing of gas meters that have been reported as faulty by consumers are not published. [121299]

This is a matter for Ofgem. I have asked the Chairman to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of ISO 9000 certified companies have (a) transferred and (b) are in the process of transferring to ISO 9001:2000; and what plans there are to encourage UK companies and their suppliers to do so before the deadline. [120287]

My Department does not collect information on the numbers of UK businesses certified to the ISO 9000 standards but contacts with certification bodies indicate that approximately 50 per cent. of certified UK businesses have transferred to ISO 9001:2000 and a further 25 per cent. are in the process of transferring. The ISO 9000 standards are voluntary and it is a matter for the companies involved to make any changes to their quality management systems to meet the requirements of ISO 9001:2000. My Department has, however, been providing general advice on the new standard and certification bodies have been encouraging UK businesses to transfer to ISO 9001:2000 since it was adopted in December 2000.