To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department monitors the number of false alarms by intruder alarms in buildings which it occupies on the Government Estate. [124155]

A record of all alarm activations, whether true or false, is made by my Department where we are responsible for the security provision of a building.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department proposes to arrest the spread of bovine tuberculosis; and if she will make a statement. [123394]

Defra is working hard to arrest the spread of bovine TB. We are spending £35 to £40 million a year on a programme of public health protection measures, cattle testing, cattle controls and extensive research.Last autumn we introduced a package of measures in response to industry calls, aimed at helping farmers under TB restriction and improving the diagnosis of the disease.In February we announced a review of the current TB Strategy. This will form an integral part of Defra's Animal Health and Welfare Strategy. Discussions with stakeholders have begun and public consultation is expected in the autumn.Discussions with stakeholders are also under way on a series of short-term policy options. These focus on cattle controls and improving the delivery of the TB programme. We will consult on these proposals later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government has taken to tackle climate change and improve air quality. [124198]

The UK Climate Change Programme, published in 2000, sets out the policy framework for delivering the UK's Kyoto commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5 per cent. below base year levels by 2008–12 and to move towards the domestic goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether all internal reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy will be reflected in EU commitments at the forthcoming WTO trade round negotiations in Cancun. [123268]

The internal reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy provide a good basis for a successful outcome to the negotiations at Cancun. We want the EU to make full use of the opportunity which the reforms provide, but it will also be necessary for other WTO members to demonstrate their own commitment to a successful outcome.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions since May 1997 the Department's vote in the Council of Ministers against a legislative proposal (a) was sufficient and (b) was not sufficient to achieve with other member states a blocking minority. [117207]

The Department does not hold information in the form requested in parts (a) and (b) prior to 1999. The information could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.On no occasion since 1999 was the vote by this Department or its predecessors against a legislative proposal sufficient to achieve with other member states a blocking minority.On three occasions since 1999 the vote against a legislative proposal by this Department and its predecessors was not sufficient to achieve with other Member States a blocking minority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions since May 1997 the Department indicated dissent from a proposal in the Council of Ministers but did not register a vote or abstention. [117268]

The Department does not hold information in the form requested prior to 1999. The information is not held centrally or electronically and could only be assembled at disproportionate cost.On no occasion since 1999 has this Department or its predecessors indicated dissent from a proposal in the Council of Ministers but did not register a vote or abstention.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government has taken to protect Britain's countryside and natural resources. [124200]

Details of the action we took during 2002–03 and our aims for 2003–04 are set out in Defra's most recent annual report, copies of which are in the Library. The report is also available on Defra's website at http://defraweb/corporate/deprep/default.htm.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Totnes of 19 May concerning the early day motion calling for a ban on trade in cat and dog fur. [124268]

A letter was sent to the hon. Member on 30 May stating that as this matter was for the Department of Trade and Industry his letter had been transferred from Defra to the DTI for reply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many licences for importing exotic (a) birds, (b) reptiles,(c) mammals, (d) amphibians and (e) fish for the pet trade have been given during the last three years, broken down by (i) month and (ii) species; and if she will make a statement. [122646]

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species makes it a requirement on an importer to obtain a licence for certain species which are listed on the Appendices to the Convention. They are not defined as 'exotic' as such, but are listed on the appendices according to their conservation status.Our records, which are kept on an annual not monthly basis, show the numbers of species imported for commercial purposes—these are not necessarily exclusive to the pet trade. The following table shows the number of licences issued in each of the last three years by taxonomic category.

	Birds	Reptitles	Mammals	Amphibians	Fish
2000	298	199	13	10	21
2001	469	202	31	8	22
2002	758	234	1	9	12

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has (a) commissioned, (b) undertaken, (c)reviewed, (d) completed, (e) published or received and (f) ensured the appropriate peer review of in respect of the impact of genetically modified foods consumed by humans upon their health in the last five years. [122492]

Policy responsibility for the safety of genetically modified foods lies with the Food Standards Agency. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health on 3 July 2003, Official Report, column 483W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that pig farmers comply with Paragraph 4 of the Annex to Council Directive 91/630/EEC (as amended) to ensure that pigs are provided with straw or a similar natural material, rather than objects such as footballs and chains; and if she will make a statement. [119497]

We have fully implemented the provision on environmental enrichment from Commission Directive 2001/93/EC in the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2003, which came into force on 14 February.The Directive gives examples of materials suitable for environmental enrichment, rather than a prescriptive list. In terms of enrichment, the choice of material is secondary to whether it achieves the aim of enabling the pig to satisfy its need to manipulate and to investigate and thus help to reduce aggressive behaviour. Our new pig welfare code, which provides guidance on the Regulations, stresses that straw is an excellent material, but also gives advice to those farmers where straw is not a practical solution. Objects such as chains or footballs can only be used in conjunction with other manipulable materials or when changed on a weekly basis. When tail biting occurs the code requires that a full investigation is made and also recommends that the provision of environmental enrichment is reviewed and an action plan developed which should be incorporated into the farm animal health and welfare plan. This plan should in any case be revised annually by the farmer and his veterinary surgeon or other advisers.It is the welfare of the pig that matters. If it is found that the material used does not allow the pigs to investigate and manipulate and the pigs are tail biting, then the farmer will need to find an alternative material.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding was made available by her Department in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04 (i) directly and (ii) via local budgets for work to improve public rights of way. [124324]

The allocation for rights of way improvement is subsumed in the unhypothecated Environment Protection and Cultural Services block, a methodology that was agreed between the Government and the Local Government Association as is supported by all four political groups in the Association rather than through direct grants or ring-fenced support to local government. So we cannot say exactly how much funding has gone to local authorities to improve the rights of way network. I confirmed with the leaders of all four groups on the LGA their agreement that this was the right approach for this funding.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the foreign visits he has made since 1 April; what the dates were; whom he met; what the cost to public funds was of each; and what gifts were received on each. [124355]

A list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers from 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 costing more than £500 will be published in the normal way before the House rises. The information requested concerning the Prime Minister's travel since 1 April 2003 will be published at the end of the current financial year.For gifts, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Tatton (Mr. Osborne) on 12 May 2003,

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the estimated cost of fires in schools was to local education authorities in each of the last three years. [123315]

The Department does not collect these figures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on how many occasions since May 1997 the Department indicated dissent from a proposal in the Council of Ministers but did not register a vote or abstention. [117267]

We are unable to provide statistics on the details of the Department's vote in the Council of Ministers for the period before 1999 as this information is available only at disproportionate cost.Since January 1999, there have been no occasions where the Department has indicated dissent from a proposal in the Council of Ministers but did not register a vote or abstention.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average cost of an employee working in his Department has been in each year since 1997. [119434]

The average cost of an employee in my Department based on mean basic pay, superannuation and employer's national insurance contributions since 1997 is given in the following table:

	£
2002–03	30,600
2001–02	29,000
2000–01	26,800
1999–2000	25,900
1998–99	25,400
1997–98	24,700
1996–97	23,900

For the period 1996–97 to 2000–01 (the period for which comparisons are available), this shows a 12 per cent. increase in average cost for the Department. This compares to a 21 per cent. increase in average salary for the labour market as a whole over the period and a 19 per cent. increase in average salary for teachers in London over the same period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many regulations originating from the EU have been implemented by the Department over each of the last five years. [120851]

Regulations are, in general, directly applicable in the member states, without the need for implementation in national law.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of graduates on primary school PGCE courses in 2002–03 have secured full-time permanent employment; and how many full-time vacancies for qualified teachers there are. [123400]

Figures on the destinations of teachers who are due to complete Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) courses in 2002/03 are not yet available. The most recent data available show that of those who completed primary PGCEs in the 1999/2000 academic year, around 80 per cent. were in any service in England in March 2001.The total number of vacancies in maintained nursery and primary schools in England fell from 1,800 in January 2002 (a vacancy rate of 1 per cent.) to 1,100 in January 2003 (a vacancy rate of 0.6percent.).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of graduates on primary school PGCE courses in 2002–03 have secured full time permanent employment; and how many full time vacancies for qualified teachers there are in Chesham and Amersham. [123919]

Figures on the destinations of teachers who are due to complete Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) courses in 2002–03 are not yet available. The most recent data available is for those who completed primary PGCE courses in calendar year 2000 where around 80 per cent were in service in England in any sector as at March 2001.Vacancy information is not available at constituency level. The most recent vacancy data available for Buckinghamshire LEA is for January 2002, which show that there were 53 vacancies in the maintained schools sector (a vacancy rate of 1.6 per cent).The total number of vacancies in the maintained schools sector in England fell from 4,540 in January 2002 (a vacancy rate of 1.2 per cent) to 3,400 in January 2003 (a vacancy rate of 0.9 per cent).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action he is taking to assess the (a) compliance costs and (b) regulatory impact of the White Paper, "The Future of Higher Education" on higher education institutions; and if he will (i) publish such assessments and (ii) subject them to external audit. [123429]

Officials in my Department are currently developing a Regulatory Impact Assessment, which will consider the compliance costs and the impact of the proposals in the higher education White Paper on higher education institutions.The Regulatory Impact Assessment will be published on our website in the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding was received by each medical school in each year since 1997. [124077]

With the exception of St. George's hospital medical school, which is funded directly by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), medical schools form part of larger institutions. The majority of the funding the HEFCE pays to institutions is given as a block grant and it is for individual institutions to decide how much funding to pass on to each of its academic departments, including medical schools. There are therefore no figures held centrally about the funding for medical schools, other than St. George's.The total recurrent funding for teaching and research paid by the HEFCE to St. George's hospital medical school is shown in the following table.

St. George's hospital medical school	£ million
1997–98	10.2
1998–99	11.4
1999–2000	11.6
2000–01	12.2
2001–02	13.5
2002–03	14.8
2003–04	16.2

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the impact on medical schools of the allocation of funding for places according to (a) the location of applicants' schools and (b) the achievement of three Cs or less at 'A' level; how many such applicants have been admitted to medical school; and how much funding has been distributed to medical schools on this basis. [124078]

For 2003/04, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has allocated £265 million to higher education institutions in their block grants to recognise the additional costs of recruiting and supporting students from disadvantaged or non-traditional backgrounds. There are around 4,300 medical students who attract additional funding because they come from low-participation areas, and around 2,900 who attract additional funding either because they are mature students or because their pre-entry qualifications are lower than the equivalent of three Cs at 'A' Level.Details of how much of this funding has been spent by institutions on their medical schools is not held centrally, except for St. George's hospital medical school, which will receive £126,704 from the widening access and improving retention pot in 2003/04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding for Millennium Volunteer projects was allocated to Chesham and Amersham in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04; and how much funding he proposes to allocate to Chesham and Amersham in 2004–05. [123917]

:The amount of funding allocated for Millennium Volunteers activity in Chesham and Amersham is not collected. However, funding provided to Wycombe and surrounding areas in 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04 is provided as follows:

£
2001–02	2002–03	2003–04
92,000	97,000	97,500

The funding which is to be allocated to each region in 2004–05 will not be finalised until September to allow local discussions on budget allocations and final agreement of the funding formula. When this has been agreed I will arrange for the information to be provided in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance he has issued regarding the distribution of funding for Millennium Volunteer projects in Chesham and Amersham. [123918]

The funding which is to be allocated for 2004–05 and 2005–06 to each region will be finalised in September 2003. Government Offices for the Regions will be able to take decisions on how funding for local Millennium Volunteers activity in 2004–05 and 2005–06 is to be distributed within their regions. These decisions will take account of regional needs and will be informed by local discussions with key partners as well as the outcomes of a review of the formula which will determine the allocation of funds to each region. In making their decisions in late Autumn, Government Offices will take into account existing provision, the needs of young people, particularly those at risk, and the coverage across their region.

£ millions
	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Primary school performance tables of achievements in Key Stage 2 tests	0.35	0.57	0.31	0.39	0.99
Secondary school performance tables of achievements in Key Stage 3 tests	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Secondary school performance tables of achievements in GCSE examinations and vocational qualifications	1.19	1.12	1.06	0.8	0.98
School and college performance tables of achievements in A/AS examinations and vocational qualifications
Pilot tables testing the calculation and presentation of a Key Stage 2-GCSE/GNVQ value added measure	N/A	0.2	N/A	0.19	0.28
Pilot tables testing the reporting of achievements in all approved qualifications at age 16	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Notes:1. The figures shown above are programme costs and do not include departmental staff costs.2. There were no secondary school performance tables of achievements in key stage tests published between 1997 and 2001.3. The tables testing the reporting of achievements in all approved qualifications at age 16 will be piloted for the first time in 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students have accepted places at the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth this summer; what the budget is of this programme for 2003; and how much of this budget has come from (a) Government funding, (b) Warwick University, (c) business and (d) donations. [123508]

[holding answer 4 July 2003]: As of 3 July 2003, 1,490 students had joined the Academy, and 515 of those had been accepted for summer schools. The total budget for the Academy in the current financial year is not yet finalised, in part because the total cost of the 2003 summer schools will depend on the number of participants. The cost for 515 students is £839,000, including£656,000 direct Government funding, £25,000 from the University of Warwick and £35,000 from business donations. The balance is from parents, local education authorities and schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in Chesham and Amersham have undergone an Ofsted inspection within the last 12months. [123920]

This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, David Bell, will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of his letter in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost was of producing and publishing the (a) primary school performance tables of achievements in Key Stage 2 tests, (b) secondary school performance tables of achievements in Key Stage 3 tests, (c) secondary school performance tables of achievements in GCSE examinations and vocational qualifications, (d) school and college performance tables of achievements in A/AS examinations and vocational qualifications, (e) pilot tables testing the calculation and presentation of a Key Stage 2-GCSE/GNVQ value added measure and (f) pilot tables testing the reporting of achievements in all approved qualifications at age 16 in each year from 1997 to 2001. [123507]

The cost of producing the school and college performance tables in each year from 1997 to 2001 is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 23 June 2003, Official Report, columns 550–52W, on school budgets, what budget each school originally set. [122623]

My Department does not collect this information from schools or local education authorities. Details of what each school originally budgeted should be available from the Southend-on-Sea LEA.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the funding available per pupil to schools in (a) North East Lincolnshire and (b) the South East of England from (i) central and (ii) local government.—[120064]

The information requested is contained in the following table:

£
	Total funding per pupil	Total funding per pupil (inc pensions transfer)
(i) Funding from central government 2003–04
North East Lincolnshire	3,560	3,630
South East with London Government Office Regions	3,990	4,070
( ii) Funding from local government 2003–04
NE Lincolnshire	3,980	—
South East with London Government Office Regions	4,400	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received on the obligation of community schools to admit up to their published admission number if they have sufficient applications on a set date. [124135]

[holding answer 7 July 2003]: None. Admission authorities have a statutory duty to comply with parental preference, and if applications are made for available places, they should admit pupils up to the school's published admission number. The local education authority is normally the admission authority for community schools. They should not reserve places, for example, in the expectation that there may be later applications from families moving into the catchment area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether community schools may reserve places at the beginning of an academic year for pupils who move into the defined catchment area after the cut off date for admissions, but before the start of the academic year. [124136]

[holding answer 7 July 2003]: The School Admissions Code of Practice published in January 2003 specifically advises against reserving places in the expectation that there may be later applications from families moving into the catchment area.The Rotherham judgment in 1997 clarified that local education authorities—who decide on admissions to community schools—must not allocate places at their schools to local catchment area parents who have not expressed a preference, over parents living outside the catchment area who have expressed a preference. School places must be allocated to parents who have expressed a preference for them by the application deadline, until all preferences are met or (if the school is oversubscribed) the published admission number is reached.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures he will take to ensure that local authorities with significant numbers of SCOLA system-built schools retain sufficient capital allocations to maintain their fabric and improve facilities under his new proposals. [123345]

Overall capital funding to schools and local education authorities in England has increased from less than £700 million in 1996–97 to £3.8 billion in 2003–04. This will increase further to more than £5 billion in 2005–06. The bulk of this funding is allocated by formula, based partly on need identified in local asset management plans (AMPs), and it is for authorities and schools to deploy this funding in line with locally agreed priorities identified in the AMP, including the replacement of system buildings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action the Government have taken to improve skills in the UK through better education for young people and greater training opportunities for those in the workforce. [124215]

The Government have introduced many improvements in recent years to raise the levels of skills in the workforce, including: major school reforms; the expansion of modern apprenticeships; and new initiatives such as Learndirect's network of learning centres, Skills for Life and the Union Learning Fund. On 9 July 2003 we will be publishing a groundbreaking Skills Strategy, which outlines how these developments and other new ones will be used to bring about the further transformation in skills the country needs in order to support a productive, modern economy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of the workforce in the UK have at least level 2 skills; and how many adults lack basic literacy and numeracy skills. [124217]

The Labour Force Survey in autumn 2002 showed that 70.9 per cent. of the workforce in the UK were qualified to at least level 2.The International Adult Literacy Survey in 1996 estimated that in Great Britain

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his Answer of 23 June, Official Report, column 555W, on specialist schools, if he will list average point scores for each of the four specialisations. [124171]

The 2002 results, for those schools which were operational specialist schools¹ as at September 2001, are shown in the following table.

2002 average capped GCSE/GNVQ point score
Arts Colleges	34.2
Language Colleges	39.1
Sports Colleges	33.7
Technology Colleges	36.2
1 Special schools are excluded from these figures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students in the UK dropped out of university during the academic year 2002/03. [122010]

The available information on non-completion rates is published annually by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in "Performance Indicators in Higher Education". The latest figures show that the overall non-completion rate for students starting full-time first degree courses in the UK in 1999/2000 is 17 per cent., which represents around 49,000 students.Figures published in 2002 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that the UK as a whole has one of the lowest non-completion rates among OECD countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students paying tuition fees in higher education institutions in England and Wales are resident in Scotland. [122294]

The latest data shows that, of the 368,100 UK domiciled students on full-time first degree courses in England and Wales in 2001/02 who were paying some or all of their tuition fees, 3,100 had recorded their normal place of residence as Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether part-time students studying for their first level 4 qualification will have their fees deferred after 2005–06; and what estimate he has made of the cost of his support for part-time students. [122560]

[holding answer 30 June 2003]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Daventry (Mr. Boswell) on our plans for improving the financial support offered to part-time students on 14 April! 2003, Official Report, column 563W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many vacancies there are for (a) primary and (b) secondary school teachers in the Somerset LEA. [123581]

There were two vacancies in maintained nursery and primary schools and eight in maintained secondary schools for full-time qualified teachers in Somerset LEA at January 2002. These are the most recent figures available at local authority level.Provisional regional and national figures for January 2003 were published in statistical first release 10/2003 in April 2003. The total number of vacancies in maintained nursery and primary schools in the South West Government Office Region fell from 60 at January 2002 (a vacancy rate of 0.4 per cent., compared to a national average of 1 per cent.) to 40 at January 2003 (a vacancy rate of 0.3 per cent., compared to a national average of 0.6 per cent.). The total number of vacancies in maintained secondary schools in the south-west fell from 100 in January 2002 (a vacancy rate of 0.5 per cent., compared to a national average of 1.3 per cent.) to 70 in January 2003 (a vacancy rate of 0.4 per cent., compared to a national average of 1.1 per cent.).

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what level of additional funding pressures his Department has identified due to the shortening of the teachers' pay spine. [118126]

Shortening the classroom teachers' main scale is estimated to have accounted for 0.4 per cent. of the overall teachers' paybill in England and Wales for 2002–03. It is estimated to account for 0.6 per cent. in 2003–04, was factored in when calculations resources schools needed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his Department's estimate is of the income from bursaries that he has calculated with his proposals for university income after 2005/06. [123068]

[holding answer 3 July 2003]: Universities will submit their plans for bursaries and other financial support as part of their access agreement, which the Office for Fair Access must approve in order for them to be able to charge higher fees from 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many representations he has received (a) for and (b) against the Cliffe airport option as part of the consultation on the future development of air transport in the south-east. [123632]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many responses to "The Future of Air Transport in the UK: Midlands'', the Department received (a) in total and (b) during the extended period of consultation, broken down by region. [124269]

The information requested is not available as we do not, as yet, have numbers of responses broken down by consultation option.Many thousands of responses, questionnaires and petitions have been received. We are analysing these carefully. As soon as possible after completing the analysis, we shall set out our decisions in the air transport White Paper.In due course all responses will be made available for public inspection, unless consultees have explicitly requested confidentiality.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in what circumstances he will consider representations on the future of airport capacity in the south-east after the consultation deadline of 30 June 2003. [123633]

We will consider all communications posted to the freepost consultation address and received by 4 July 2003 as responses to "The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: A National Consultation". During the analysis of the thousands of responses received we may wish to approach stakeholders to clarify points in their submissions or to explore issues further.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to increase the number of slots for British Midland between London and Belfast. [124469]

It is not Government policy to intervene in airlines' commercial decisions with regard to the flight frequencies operated on routes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the impact on the Battersea constituency of his Department's transport policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [123671]

The Government created the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) to give a strategic overview of transport in London. The Mayor and TfL are responsible for improvements to services within their control.Government funding for transport in London has risen substantially under the 10 Year Plan for transport. For 2003–04 to 2005–06, funding for TfL is some £3.455 billion—averaging £1.15 billion per year, a 50 per cent. increase on the 2001–02 allocation and double the equivalent figure for 2000–01.Bus patronage across London has grown by 13 per cent. over the past two years, with demand at its highest level since the 1970's. Between January and March this year, London buses travelled over 103 million kilometres—an 11 per cent. increase on the equivalent period last year.Like all Londoners, the constituents of Battersea will benefit from the massive investment under the Tube PPP—£16 billion over 15 years.On the railways, the new five-year South Central franchise, operated by Govia, commenced on 25 April 2003. It will deliver over £1 billion of improvements to the busy commuter routes between London and Surrey, Sussex and the south coast, including investment in new rolling stock and improvements in performance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of the level of compensation required by Network Rail to reimburse EWS for the loss of contract after March 2004; [R] [123768](2) what impact the payment of compensation to EWS will have on

The terms of English Welsh and Scottish Railway's contracts with Royal Mail and Network Rail respectively are a matter for the companies involved. The Department for Transport was informed of Royal Mail's decision to withdraw from its contract with EWS shortly before its announcement. We have subsequently received a number of representations about the decision.It is the Government's policy to promote a competitive and efficient distribution industry that supports economic growth while bringing benefits to society and the environment. Mail represents only a small part of total freight moved by rail. Royal Mail says that its new distribution strategy will reduce the total mileage covered by its road fleet and use around 2,000 fewer road vehicles.The Strategic Rail Authority published its "Freight Progress Report" in May 2003, explaining achievements to date in facilitating more freight by rail and its plans for achieving the growth envisaged by the Government's Ten Year Plan for Transport. A copy of the report is in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on greenhouse gas emissions of predicted growth in air traffic; and if he will make a statement. [123675]

Detailed information on aviation's environmental impact, with particular reference to greenhouse gas emissions, is contained in the joint Department for Transport/HM Treasury discussion document, "Aviation and the Environment: Using Economic Instruments", published on 14 March 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the timetable for the UK high speed rail network. [123284]

The Strategic Rail Authority is considering how to take this matter forward and will make a statement in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to expand the scheme of assistance available to purchasers of electric-petrol hybrid vehicles to include those leasing such vehicles. [123584]

The Government recognise that hybrid vehicles can provide useful environmental benefits over conventionally powered vehicles and that hybrid technology may provide a bridge between internal combustion engines and fuel cells.The Government support the take-up of hybrid vehicles with PowerShift purchase grants of £1,000. These grants are already available to support the purchase of hybrid vehicles for leasing, as well as to private motorists and business buying for their own use.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what emission savings he estimates have been achieved through supporting the take-up of liquefied petroleum gas vehicles; and what the cost per tonne of carbon saved from the Government's support of LPG has been. [123350]

Just under 12,000 LPG vehicles have received grant support totalling some £13 million under the Government's PowerShift programme since its inception in 1997.These vehicles will deliver lifetime savings of around 111,000 tonnes of CO2, 760 tonnes of NOx and 10 tonnes of particulates'. The support for the wider use of LPG vehicles is aimed at securing reductions in all these emissions, to help improve air quality as well as reduce climate change emissions and the cost cannot be properly attributed to the CO2 reductions alone.The Government's support for LPG has also been aimed at widening fuel diversity in the transport sector, and has been successful in establishing LPG as an alternative fuel, now available nationwide, reducing consumption of conventional fuels by some 300 million litres, through the total of around 100,000 LPG vehicles—the 12,000 vehicles supported through the PowerShift scheme, and the larger number converted without grant.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passports sent to the DVLA as proof of identity in driving licence applications were reported lost (a) en route to the DVLA and (b) in the offices of the DVLA, in each year since 1997. [123509]

[holding answer 8 July 2003]: Identity documents have been sent to DVLA since 1999. More recently, customers are now able to take applications and passports to DVLA's local offices and some 750 Post Offices, enabling them to be examined and returned immediately. 12 per cent. of all applications are made in this way. Drivers are advised that responsibility for the delivery of passports rests with the Royal Mail. No records are kept by DVLA of the non-receipt of passports.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate the Government have made of (a) how many people might be fined under the proposed offence of using a hand-held mobile phone while driving, (b) how many people would contest the fines and (c) the revenue to be raised through fines in the first year of operation. [123829]

Enforcement is a matter for the police. However, the Department published a partial Regulatory Impact Assessment last year when it consulted on the proposal for a new offence of using a hand-held mobile phone while driving. Based on prosecutions for failure to wear a seat belt, the assessment suggested that perhaps up to 100,000 fixed penalty notices at £30 each might be issued a year. Fines could therefore total £3 million a year, depending on the level of enforcement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact which raising the motorway speed limit to 80 miles per hour would have on (a) the number of road accidents and (b) the number of deaths caused by road accidents. [124075]

An assessment of the effects of increasing the motorway speed limit to 80 miles per hour was conducted in 2001. Although no estimate of accident or casualty numbers was made, it was concluded that there would be a greater risk of both increasing in those circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the road safety implications of increasing motorway speed limits. [123834]

The last assessment of the possible effects of raising the motorway speed limit conducted in 2001 concluded that to do so would run too great a risk of increasing accidents and casualties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce legislation establish safety zones around UK offshore windfarms and make it a criminal offence for unauthorised vehicles to operate or anchor within them. [123823]

It is intended to introduce legislation which will provide for the designation of safety zones around windfarms located in United Kingdom waters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce with the Health and Safety Commission a decision on whether to hold a public inquiry into the Potters Bar rail crash. [123472]

The Health and Safety Commission and the Secretary of State for Transport will need to consider the implications of the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Investigation Board report of 29 May 2003, the response of the rail industry to the recommendations and the continuing British Transport Police investigation before deciding whether the issues raised by the Potters Bar derailment would benefit from investigation by a public inquiry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the procedures for determining (a) the cause of and (b) responsibility for the Potters Bar crash; and if he will make a statement. [123657]

The Health and Safety Commission, under section 14(2)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, required the Health and Safety Executive to undertake an investigation into the Potters Bar derailment under the supervision of an investigation board that included members independent of the Health and Safety Executive. The British Transport Police are separately investigating the derailment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps the Government are taking to encourage enterprises to use rail freight; [124153](2) what financial support from the Government is available to assist enterprises shift their goods from road to rail transport. [124154]

The Strategic Rail Authority's Strategic Plan sets out its plans for achieving the growth envisaged by the Government's 10 Year Transport Plan.Grants are available from the Strategic Rail Authority to enable companies to move freight by rail instead of road where this is justified by environmental benefits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the implications for his rail freight targets set out in the Ten Year Plan for Transport of the decision by the Royal Mail to transfer post deliveries from rail to road; and if he will make a statement. [124436]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given earlier today, ref: (123768).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what responsibilities the Strategic Rail Authority has for the number of train movements in Scotland. [122752]

The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) has a duty to promote rail use and drive the strategic agenda for developing the national railway infrastructure, of which the Scottish network is an integral part. Although responsibility for infrastructure and safety are reserved to Westminster, the Scottish Executive is responsible for funding and specifying services in Scotland provided under the ScotRail franchise. The Executive, together with the SRA is working towards the re-letting of the current franchise, which ends in 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total public subsidy has been to the railways in each financial year from 1987–88 to 2002–03. [123828]

I refer to the answer given to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 28 April 2003, Official Report, columns 7–10W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the Strategic Rail Authority about services between London and Chesham and Amersham; and if he will make a statement. [123923]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with the Strategic Rail Authority about rail services between London and Chesham and Amersham.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 1 July 2003, Official Report, column 192W, on Redhill Aerodrome, if he will list the meetings which have taken place with promoters of proposals for new airport capacity that are alternatives to, or variants of, options set out in the Government's consultation document; when the meetings took place; what their duration was; and what the purpose of each meeting was. [123852]

[holding answer 7 July 2003]: Since publication of "The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom South East: Second Edition" consultation document in February this year, officials in the Department for Transport have met on seven occasions with the promoters (or their representatives) of four alternative south-0east options, in addition to the two meetings with Redhill Aerodrome Ltd. to which I referred in my answer of 1 July 2003, Official Report, column 192W.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what assessment his Department has made in conjunction with the World Health Organisation to determine the most successful and cost-effective safe motherhood package for the developing world. [123553]

DFID, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and others agree that the most effective strategy to reduce maternal mortality is to ensure that all women are attended at birth by a skilled attendant backed by timely access to emergency obstetric care in the event of a life threatening complication. There is consensus on the content of antenatal, natal and post natal care `packages' and these are considered cost-effective. The global failure to address the high burden of maternal mortality in developing countries does not reflect a lack of available cost-effective interventions but rather the lack of sustained political commitment to act on the scale necessary.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development how many Burmese displaced people are (a) in refugee camps in Burma, (b) in refugee camps in neighbouring countries and ( c) hiding in the jungle in Burma. [123723]

There are no refugee camps in Burma. According to the latest available figures released by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, there are 22,000 Burmese in refugee camps in Bangladesh, and 113,155 in Thailand. There are no accurate figures for the numbers of displaced people hiding in Burma.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development (1) if he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards genetically modified food aid by (a) the United Kingdom and (b) other donors; [123643](2) what actions his Department has taken to persuade countries to accept genetically modified food aid from donor countries. [123644]

DF1D's approach to food aid is guided by the following principles:

Recipient governments should be given adequate information on the type of food they receive and its characteristics, including whether genetically modified;

Recipient governments should be allowed to decide on its acceptability; and

Donors should respect the decisions of recipients and accommodate them as far as possible. For example, if milled cereals are preferred rather than whole grain to avoid GM grain being planted as seed then this should be arranged for.

Statements by the European Community and the World Food Programme embody the same principles.DFID has been actively engaged in helping central and southern African governments to understand the issues associated with GM food aid. Staff in our in-country offices have been involved in discussion with the World Food Programme and with governments on the acceptability of grain containing genetically modified material as food aid. The right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Clare Short), former Secretary of State for International Development discussed the issues with President Mwanawasa of Zambia and last year DFID organised a fact-finding visit by Zambian scientists to London to meet a range of representatives from Government and civil society.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will list the schemes funded by the Department which have allocated financial resources to internal policing since 1997; and how much has been allocated in each case. [124002]

DFID have supported police development projects in a number of countries, some of which have contributed to international policing. A list of such projects that have taken place since 1995 has been placed in the Libraries of the House.Support has been provided either through standalone police development projects, or since 2001, as an element within a Safety Security and Access to Justice programme.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what steps he is taking to encourage business participation in New Partnership for Africa's Development. [123641]

DFID is supporting (£117,000) the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) to develop private sector engagement in the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) Programme of Action, and stimulate the increased domestic and foreign investment required for NEPAD to succeed. This work is subsumed under the principal private sector initiative in support of NEPAD—the NEPAD Business Group (NBG).NBG comprises leading business organisations that have a broad constituency both inside and outside Africa and are committed to helping the continent realise its full economic potential. NBG includes the following organisations: CBC; Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum; British African Business Association; and the International Chamber of Commerce,

To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mr. Griffiths) of 22 May 2003, Official Report, column 972W, on Central America, when his Department has had discussions with the Government of Nicaragua concerning violence and social exclusion in Central America; what the content of these discussions was, with particular reference to street children; and what the outcome was of these discussions. [123729]

DFID has been working on the issue of violence in Nicaragua since 2001, supporting the government to develop an integrated program that will address social causes of violence. The Government of Nicaragua recognises that many children are on the street and in street gangs due to poverty, intra-family violence and drug and alcohol abuse. DFID has been supporting the Education Department to develop a system of counsellors for children in schools in order to decrease drop out rates and ensure that the schools are a centre for support for children at risk. DFID has also been supporting the Ministry of the Family in developing community level responses to exclusion, violence and abuse.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development which projects his Department supports in the Philippines working with street children. [123735]

DFID is not directly funding projects with street children in the Philippines. Funds from the Department for developmental and welfare activities in the Philippines are mainly provided as our share of spending by multilateral development agencies and as grants to non-governmental organisations, none of which is earmarked by the Department for particular purposes.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development how much aid his Department gives to tackle the problem of street children. [123727]

We are currently providing financial support of around £900,000 to three UK-based nongovernmental organisations that work directly with street children: Childhope, GOAL and World Vision. We also support many more organisations and Governments working to tackle the underlying causes of the poverty, deprivation and social exclusion that force children on to the streets.Children live on the streets because of poverty in their communities. Support for children's rights to basic health care, education, nutrition, shelter and protection from violence and abusive labour, along with work on sustainable livelihoods for their parents, is central to our effort towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.The UN Convention on the Right of the Child sets out the inherent rights and entitlements needed to guarantee a child's right to survival, development and an adequate standard of living. Poverty Reduction Strategy processes are particularly important in ensuring that these policies address child poverty and secure child entitlements. The Government believe that we should all work for the earliest possible realisation of these rights for all children. We regularly raise our concerns in bodies such as the UN Commission for Human Rights.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development how much aid his Department gives to tackle the problem of street children in Central America; who this money is given to; and what the money is spent on. [123732]

DFID provides funds to support street children in Honduras (£18,000), Nicaragua (£10,000) and Guatemala (£16,000) under our Small Grants Scheme. In Costa Rica the British embassy has provided equipment to improve the lives of street children (£10,000). The money is given to non-government organisations (NGOs) and local organisations.Funds are provided for projects such as the construction of a training centre in order to rescue young people and street children from drugs, alcohol and gangs; programmes to help street children gain vocational qualifications for preparation of integration into society; rehabilitation projects to prevent and combat violence in street children and projects for medical and psychological attention and vocational training.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development how many street children there are in Africa; in which African countries they are located; and how many street children there are in each country. [123736]

We have no specific estimate of their numbers, but street children form a proportion of the 300 million people that live in poverty in Africa (on less than $1 per day, figure relates to 1999). In Africa, we know that some 50 million girls and boys are out of school (UNESCO). Some of these will be street children. Support for children's rights to basic health care, education, nutrition, shelter, and protection from violence and abusive labour, along with work on sustainable livelihoods for their parents, is central to our effort towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.M

To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development how much aid his Department gives to tackle the problem of street children in Africa; who this money is given to; and what the money is spent on. [123737]

Much of DFID's work in Africa in support of street children is done in the context of broader based activities, and it is therefore not possible to provide specific figures for work in this particular area. Street children in many countries benefit from our support provided through the United Nations Children's Fund, the ILO's International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour, and Save the Children Fund Programmes. We directly support GOAL in Ethiopia. We are providing £188,000 for their Street Children's Rights Project which aims to rehabilitate 700 severely impoverished street children in Addis Ababa.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what action the Government have taken to respond to the humanitarian aid crisis in Zimbabwe. [123600]

The British Government has contributed £51 million to help Zimbabwe since the humanitarian crisis began in mid 2001. We have given assistance for feeding programmes, emergency medicines, essential health supplies, and seeds and fertilizer to help promote agricultural recovery.The 2003 maize harvest, forecast to be 803,000 tonnes, is up 61 per cent. on last year, but it remains only 41 per cent. of 2001, and will provide less than half of the domestic requirement for 2003–04. The World Food Programme has just launched a new US $308 million regional appeal for southern Africa, of which some 60 per cent. is to meet Zimbabwe's needs.DFID is considering WFP's appeal and proposals from non-governmental organisations. DFID will continue to be a significantcontributor to humanitarian relief in Zimbabwe in 2003–04, with ongoing and anticipated new contributions amounting to £35 million in this financial year.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development whether UK food aid to Zimbabwe is distributed by Zimbabwean Government organisations. [123642]

No DFID funded food aid is distributed through Zimbabwean Government organisations. UK official food aid, whether bilateral or through the WFP, is distributed by international or Zimbabwean non-governmental organisations. The NGOs operate according to clear humanitarian principles, backed up by rigorous monitoring and complaints procedures.

To ask the Solicitor-General what the cost was to her Department of media and voice training for Ministers and officials in each year since 1997. [123128]

I and the Attorney-General have received no voice or media training since 1997. In respect of officials in the Departments for which the Attorney-General holds ministerial responsibility, the information requested is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Solicitor-General what the running costs have been of Ministers' private offices in her Department in each year since 1997. [123101]

The Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, which serves both the Attorney-General and me, is a small Department and no separate accounts are kept of the cost of the private office.

To ask the Solicitor-General what progress has been made in her Department and non-departmental public bodies on implementing the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000; and if she will publish the results of the monitoring required by the Act. [117618]

[holding answer 20 June 2003]: The Crown Prosecution Service has made considerable progress on the implementation of their Race Equality Scheme to comply with the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.The Crown Prosecution Service Race Equality Scheme was published and launched on May 2002. It is a three-year plan, which applies to all existing and future functions and policies developed by the Crown Prosecution Service. To comply with the Act, and action plans must be reviewed within three years. However, the Crown Prosecution Service has decided to review and publish updates on its Race Equality Scheme progress annually. The first update (Year One—Crown Prosecution Service Update 2002–03) is to be published shortly and will be available on the Crown Prosecution internet and internal intranet.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. [123630]

We shall continue to retain United Kingdom troops in Afghanistan at appropriate levels while the situation warrants it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the army is not required to comply with (a) deductions from earnings requests and (b) maintenance payment requests from the Child Support Agency; and for what reasons the Child Support Agency cannot make deductions from earnings orders against army personnel. [123929]

The Ministry of Defence complies with Deduction from Earnings Requests in full, in all but exceptional cases. Such exceptions might include an appeal by the individual on the grounds of a change in circumstances, or where the deduction would breach the regulations on minimum rates of pay. Minimum rates of pay were introduced around 50 years ago as a result of experience in the second world war to ensure that Service families could meet essential financial commitments. The Army regulations allow for up to 50 per cent. deductions from pay, where there are no other children or dependants. However, in circumstances where the soldier is legally married and living with his or her spouse, or where the soldier is widowed, divorced or separated and has care of the children, or the soldier does not have care of the children but is providing voluntary financial support, there is a limit of 25 per cent. deduction on pay. The amounts deducted are paid to the Child Support Agency for maintenance payments to be made.Service personnel were excluded from the law relating to deduction of earnings orders when the Child Support (Collection and Enforcement) Regulations 1992 were drawn up as there was already provision for deductions from Service pay under Armed Forces' legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many deductions from earnings requests to the army for child maintenance payments were not agreed to in each year since 2001. [123930]

This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to change the requirements on armed forces personnel in respect of (a) child maintenance payments and (b) Child Support Agency orders; and if he will make a statement. [123932]

The armed forces has a good record in meeting its obligations in recovering child support maintenance payments. I therefore have no plans to propose any changes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Challenger 2 tanks are operated by each armoured regiment; and what reserve is held (a) centrally and (b) by regiments. [123546]

Each armoured regiment is organised around an establishment of 58 Challenger II Main Battle Tanks. Each regiment, however, normally holds 44 tanks. This allows the balance of the fleet to be distributed for other tasks such as: individual training, collective training, repair programmes, trials work, etc. Nonetheless, regiments committed to operations or undertaking training may be augmented up to the full establishment of 58 tanks, dependent on the situation, or the nature of the training/operation being undertaken.In addition, some tanks are held at the Defence Supply and Distribution Agency depot at Ashchurch. The number held there on any one day will depend on ho many are required by the armoured regiments and training establishments, or are in the repair pool. On 4 July 2003, there were 17 tanks held at Ashchurch.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what RAF and RN combat aircraft have a primary (a)reconnaissance, (b) air defence and (c) ground attack role; and what proportion of these aircraft can carry smart armaments. [124051]

The Tornado GR4/GR4A, Sea Harrier FA2, Harrier GR7, and Jaguar aircraft are all capable of conducting a reconnaissance role.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops have been deployed to the Congo; what their role is; and if he will make a statement on the progress of joint operations with other allied troops. [124048]

As at 7 July, 88 United Kingdom troops were deployed as part of the EU-led multinational force in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Operation ARTEMIS). The majority of these troops are Royal Engineers whose role is to improve the quality and size of Bunia airport, which is of vital importance given the remoteness of the region. The remainder are staff officers and support personnel. A further six UK military personnel are deployed as part of the UN Mission (MONUC), based in Kinshasa.Operations by the EU-led force have gone well and Bunia is reported as calm, although the situation remains volatile.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to increase troop levels in the Congo; who is in overall command of allied troops in the region; and when the troops currently deployed were last involved in active operations. [124049]

There are currently no plans to increase the number of United Kingdom troops deployed either as part of the EU-led multinational force in the Congo (Operation ARTEMIS) or as part of the UN mission (MONUC), although the situation remains under constant review.Troops deployed on Op ARTEMIS are under EU control, and General Neveux has been appointed by EU member nations as the Operational Commander. Troops deployed on MONUC are under UN control and General Diallo has been appointed by the UN as Force Commander. As with all multinational operations, although the UK has delegated some elements of command and control to the EU and UN respectively, Full Command of any UK military personnel is retained in the UK.The majority of the UK troops deployed on Op ARTEMIS are Royal Engineers from 42 Field Squadron of 28 Engineer regiment, who handed over from their previous tour of operation in Northern Ireland on 31 January 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on recognition for Midlands veterans at the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings; and when he will announce the programme of commemoration events. [123844]

[holding answer 7 July 2003]: No such representations have been received. However I am aware of local media interest in this matter. Her Majesty's Government is represented on the French Government's Normandie Memorie 60eme Anniversaire Committee which is developing a full programme of commemorative events in France from 4 June 2004 onwards. I refer my hon. Friend to my letter of 7 July 2003, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance his Department is providing to the Normandy Veterans Association to (a) organise and (b) implement the commemoration events for the 60th anniversary of D-Day. [122307]

The Government's position on this matter is outlined in my letter of 7 July 2003. I refer the hon. Member to the copy of the letter placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (I) pursuant to his answer of 12 May 2003, Official Report, column 38W, on depleted uranium, when his Department plans to publish information on the depleted uranium it has fired in its area of operation in Iraq; [116216](2) pursuant to his answer of 12 May 2003,

The Ministry of Defence agrees that information should be released on how much depleted uranium has been used in the Iraq conflict and where. NATO provided information following use of DU in the Balkans conflict and the United Kingdom will do so for DU it has fired in its area of operations in Iraq. We have released information on the weight of DU expended in theatre, and are releasing information on the geographical locations of firing sites to UNEP.I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence gave on 4 June 2003,

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on (a) Territorial Army personnel in Iraq and (b) the expected numbers stationed there over the next six months. [123479]

Members of the Territorial Army (TA) have been deployed to the Gulf either as members of formed TA units and sub units or as Individual Reinforcements augmenting Regular Army units. Working alongside their Regular counterparts, they played a full and vital role during the war in Combat, Combat Support and Combat Service Support roles. In all, the Reserves (TA and Regular Reserves) formed just over 10 per cent. of the deployed Land element of our forces; a figure which is in keeping with the level of TA and Reserve participation in other Operations such as Kosovo, Bosnia and Afghanistan.Of the first tranche of TA mobilised for service relating to the Gulf conflict, some 1,825 members have been demobilised so far. Approximately 1,700 remain in the Gulf and the vast majority of these will be returning home shortly. They will be replaced in the coming weeks by a second tranche of approximately 2,050 TA personnel who will have, on average, a deployment period in theatre of six months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average monthly cost of military operations in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq have been in the last three months. [123403]

The Department identifies the costs of operations in terms of the net additional costs it has incurred. The costs, which the Department would have incurred had the operation not been undertaken—expenditure on wages and salaries or on conducting training exercises for example—are deducted from the total costs of the operation.I regret the information cannot be provided in precisely the format requested. Costs are not incurred on a regular monthly basis and to provide such an average would be misleading.Actual and provisional outturn for operations in Afghanistan are as follows:

£ million
	Operating costs1	Expenditure on capital items2
2001–02	188	34
2002–03 (provisional outturn)	236	75
1Defined as Resource DEL in Main Supply Estimates.
2Defined as Capital DEL in Main Supply Estimates.

Full definitions of Resource and Capital DEL are included in the Glossary of Terms in Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis 2002–03, published by HM Treasury.On Iraq, calculating all the costs of military action will take some time to determine since it will include the cost of ammunition, bombs and guided weapons consumed in excess of peacetime levels and the cost of equipment destroyed and damaged. These sums are likely to be significant. However, excluding costs of war-fighting (essentially those described above), the latest estimate is that the net additional cost of operations in Iraq for 2002–03 will not exceed £1 billion; the amount set aside at Spring Supplementary Estimates 2002–03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what refurbishment works have been undertaken during the last six years at the Ministry of Defence buildings in Whitehall; and if he will list the (a) works and (b) contractors. [123859]

The Ministry of Defence Main Building in Whitehall is being redeveloped under the Private Finance Initiative. The contract with Modus plc which was placed in May 2000 covers not just the modernisation of Main Building and support services for 30 years but also works to the decant buildings needed to accommodate staff while the redevelopment is under way. Those in the Whitehall area are the Old War Office in Whitehall and Metropole building and Northumberland House in Northumberland Avenue. Modus? construction subcontractor, Skanska Whitehall is responsible for the work.During 2000 a partial refurbishment of 3–5 Great Scotland Yard was carried out as a result of emergency structural propping works. The contractor was Willmott Dixon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reporting procedures were in place during refurbishment works on Ministry of Defence buildings in Whitehall for contractors coming across surveillance devices. [123860]

The Contract Schedule states that throughout the contract period, the Private Finance Initiative Contractor will be responsible for compliance with the Defence Manual of Security, which lays down the action to be taken on the discovery of surveillance devices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the army bases operational in Northern Ireland, broken down by council area. [123704]

The armed forces currently operate from 55 bases in Northern Ireland which are either solely military sites or joint bases with the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Excluded from this list are those premises solely occupied by Reserve Forces and Cadets as well as Regimental Museums. The operational bases are listed by council area as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Department's legal costs have been in the case of Mr. Shaun Rusling; if he will make a statement on the reasons advanced for appealing the findings of the Pension Appeals Tribunal; and what his policy is subsequent to the ruling of the High Court on 13 June. [123941]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave on 20 June 2003, Official Report, column 514W, and on 23 June 2003, Official Report, column 687. The Pensions Appeal Tribunal decision on the case of Mr. Rusling found that the Ministry of Defence had failed to show beyond reasonable doubt that disablement due to "Gulf War Syndrome" was not attributable to his Service in the armed forces. We appealed this decision because the overwhelming consensus of medical and scientific opinion is that the symptoms reported by some Gulf veterans do not constitute a discrete disorder. It is too early to say what the cost of contesting the case has been.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications for Premature Voluntary Release have been received by each service since 1 January. [123653]

I refer the hon. Member to TSP5 publication?UK Regular Forces Premature Voluntary Release", a copy of which is held in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Department's Regulatory Impact Assessment procedure; and how many RIAs have been reviewed in respect of the Department in the last year. [120853]

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 arrangements for monitoring and evaluating policy proposals and their impact.Most Ministry of Defence legislation relates to the armed forces and it is not necessary for a RIA to be conducted. Therefore, none was undertaken by the Department during the course of the last year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Royal Navy vessels were involved in the (a) Iraq, (b) Afghanistan, (c) Saif Sareea II, (d) Sierra Leone and (e) Kosovo operations; and what primary role they played. [124059]

The following Royal Navy vessels took part in Op Telic in Iraq:

HMS Ark Royal, in her Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) role and HMS Ocean in her role as amphibious carrier and Landing Platform Helicopter.

HMS Edinburgh, Liverpool and York carried out their role as destroyers, providing air defence for the task group.

HMS Marlborough, Chatham and Richmond carried out the role of close range protection for the carriers and other high value units.

HMS Blyth, Bangor, Brocklesby, Sandown, Grimsby, Ledbury, Ramsey and Shoreham were deployed on mine clearance tasks.

HMS Roebuck was deployed in her coastal survey role.

HMS Splendid and Turbulent provided strike weapon platform capability.

RFA's Sir Percival, Sir Tristram, Sir Galahad and Sir Bedivere were deployed in the Landing Ship Logistic role;

RFA's Grey Rover, Bayleaf, Brambleleaf and Orangeleaf were deployed as Fleet tankers.

RFA Fort Rosalie, Fort Austin and Fort Victoria were deployed as Fleet Replenishment ships, providing stores for the task group.

RFA Argus was deployed in her role as Primary Casualty Receiving Facility.

RFA Diligence was deployed as Forward Repair Ship.

RFA Sea Crusader was used in the strategic sea lift role.