To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are to provide disabled access to Leominster station. [144101]

The SRA is considering how best to prioritise a programme of works to ensure stations and train services meet the accessibility requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act. The SRA will consult widely on draft criteria next year. The implementation of works will be subject to the availability of funding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of whether the (a) M4 and the (b) M25 would need to expand to accommodate further traffic if a third runway was constructed at Heathrow airport. [144179]

"The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East" consultation document covered the impact of a third runway at Heathrow airport on the M4 and the M25. These roads were also considered in the Thames Valley and Orbit multi-modal studies. The Secretary of State's response to those studies was published in July 2003.

The Government's conclusions on UK airport capacity, including surface access issues, have been set out in the White Paper, published today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans he has to visit the East Midlands to discuss the proposed expansion of East Midlands airport; [142927](2) when he next plans to visit Leicester. [142929]

I visited East Midlands Airport in September and have discussed its future development with a number of interested parties. Our conclusions on the proposed development of the airport have been published today in the air transport White Paper. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to visit Leicester at present.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport under what powers private operators of local authority car parks may pursue (a) civil action and (b) criminal action for unpaid fines levied on late and non-payers of car park charges. [143460]

Section 4(3) of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 provides that the council of a county, district, London borough or the Common Council of the City of London may institute proceedings for offences under section 35A of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (contravention of an order as to the use of a parking place). It is an established legal principle that a power delegated to one body may not be further delegated in the absence of express provision or necessary implication. This does not, however, prevent a local authority lawfully exercising its prosecution functions under section 4(3) with the assistance of service providers. In any given case, it is for the local authority to ensure that any arrangements it makes with a service provider are lawful and in accordance with its statutory functions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of the total public investment in transport in England and Wales was spent on railways in the last year for which figures are available. [142617]

[holding answer 8 December 2003]: The Department's provisional outturn expenditure for 2002–03 (as recorded in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper 2002–03, Cm5884) was £8.8 billion. Of this, £2.8 billion or 32 per cent. was spent on railways. DfT's expenditure was across the UK as a whole, with additional funding for transport provided by the Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly Government. It is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of the proportion of spending specifically in England and Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the earliest date is on which the Government expects the return to the United States of the US Navy ships moored in Hartlepool could safely begin, assuming normal weather conditions. [143763]

[holding answer 15 December 2003]: A return passage would be permitted only when application is made; and detailed arrangements approved by the sending and receiving States.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to enforce the sanctions regime in place against Zimbabwe. [144053]

Her Majesty's Government continue to fully implement EU measures against Zimbabwe. These comprise an arms embargo, including for equipment that might be used for internal repression, and an assets freeze and travel ban on President Mugabe and 78 of his associates. The details are set out in the EU's Common Position 2002/145/CFSP, the EC Regulation 310/2002 and their subsequent amendments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's future relationship with Zimbabwe following its departure from the Commonwealth. [144049]

The UK maintains diplomatic relations with Zimbabwe. Following the Commonwealth decision to maintain Zimbabwe's suspension, some of Mugabe's supporters have called for the breaking of diplomatic relations with the UK and the expulsion of the British High Commission. This would only serve to damage further Zimbabwe's reputation and the Zimbabwean people.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on human rights in Cameroon. [144058]

We are concerned about Cameroon's record on human rights and regularly raise human rights issues with the Government of Cameroon. We are closely involved in the Commonwealth's work to assist the Government of Cameroon to meet the standards laid down in the Harare Declaration, and we provide bilateral assistance for relevant projects and initiatives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what influence the United Kingdom is exerting on the United States to put pressure on the Israeli Government to stop the building of the wall. [144059]

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister discussed the Middle East Peace Process with President Bush during his recent visit to London. In a joint statement on 20 November, they called on all parties to fulfil their obligations under the roadmap, and to refrain from steps which would prevent or prejudge the terms of a final settlement.Additionally, the Foreign Secretary, FCO officials and I regularly discuss key elements of the Middle East Peace Process with the US Administration.The Government recognises Israel's legitimate security concerns, and deplores the terrorist suicide bombings of Israeli civilians. But, we consider Israel's building of a wall, or fence, on occupied land to be unlawful, and have urged the Israeli government to reconsider the route of the fence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the US Administration to encourage them to exert pressure on the Israeli Government in relation to the building of the wall. [143810]

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister discussed the middle east peace process with President Bush during the latter's recent visit to London. In a joint statement on 20 November, they called on all parties to fulfil their obligations under the roadmap, and to refrain from steps which would prevent or prejudge the terms of a final settlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further consultation he has had with Palestinian and Israeli authorities on the impact of the security wall built by the Israelis. [144052]

The Government continues to urge the Government of Israel to re-route the fence away from Palestinian areas. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have made clear our concerns to the Israeli Prime Minister and Foreign Minister on a number of occasions. I raised the matter with the Israeli Foreign Minister during my visit to Israel on 30 September, and have since then discussed with the Israeli Ambassador and Israeli Minister for National Infrastructure.

We are in regular contact with the Palestinian Authority and NGOs on the ground.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the use of the British Indian Ocean territory of Diego Garcia for the detention by the United States of terrorist suspects en route to Guantánamo Bay. [144060]

Further to the written answer given on 11 September by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to the right hon. and learned Member for North-East Fife (Mr. Campbell), allegations that terror suspects are being, or have at any time been, detained in Diego Garcia are entirely without foundation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in the award of the Russian Arctic Convoy medal to UK nationals. [144010]

[holding answer on 15 December 2003]: Government rules governing the acceptance of foreign awards by British Nationals preclude the acceptance of medals for services more than five years before consideration. In addition, the Defence of the Soviet Arctic Region Medal (DSARM) is a campaign medal and it was agreed at the end of the Second World War, by the then allied countries, not to exchange campaign medals. (The Atlantic Star is the British medal awarded for service in Atlantic Convoys.)However, officials have been examining the possibility of an exception to the present rules to permit veterans to accept the DSARM should the Russian Government formally seek the Government's authority to award the medal to British Citizens. A decision on whether an exception can be made is expected shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many reports of possible cases of bribery or corruption abroad by UK (a) nationals and (b) companies have been referred to him by his Department's posts overseas since November 2001. [144014]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Ceredigion (Mr. Thomas) on 28 October 2003, Official Report, column 181 W.The Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act was passed in November 2001 and entered into force in February 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what international action he will propose to bring about democracy and human rights in Burma. [144326]

A number of countries including Burma, France, Germany and ASEAN members met on 15 December in Bangkok at the invitation of the Thai Government. We understand that Burma objected to Britain attending because we were strongly critical of the regime. The aim of the meeting was to see if there was a realistic prospect of a roadmap toward democracy and reconciliation.We have regularly discussed Burma with our international partners, including what possible further measures we may take if the regime continues to thwart the democratic rights of the Burmese people. I hope to meet Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai on 18 December to discuss the 15 December meeting and how we can take matters forward. We will also continue to work with our EU partners through the UN. ILO and other international fora to put pressure on the Burmese regime to fully release Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy colleagues and, together with the ethnic groups, begin a genuine dialogue leading to democratic change and national reconciliation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to help resolve the dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea. [144048]

We take every opportunity to emphasise to both parties that the Boundary Commission's decision is final and binding; that both should avoid any return to war; and that dialogue is essential to address all the issues separating Ethiopia and Eritrea.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 8 December 2003, Official Report, column 245W, on the European Constitution, what assessment the Government have made of the impact of the territorial cohesion provisions in the draft EU Constitution Treaty on applications from peripheral and insular areas for regional European support and state aid; and what discussions his Department has held with local government representatives from Highland and Island councils on this subject. [143985]

We do not expect the references to "territorial cohesion" to have any impact on existing arrangements for the structural funds and regional aid. The devolved administrations have throughout been closely associated with the development of government policy towards the IGC, and are also involved in the development of UK positions on structural funds and state aid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects discussions on the European Constitution to reach a conclusion. [144332]

In the light of the outcome of the meeting of the Intergovernmental Conference on 12–13 December, we expect discussions on the timetable of the negotiations to be taken forward by the future Irish presidency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is planning further combined initiatives with the Foreign Ministers of France and Germany. [144330]

We have worked closely with the French and Germans on an informal basis on a range of issues of mutual interest (e.g. joint initiative on industrial competitiveness, consultations on European defence, co-ordinated foreign policy towards Iran) and will continue to do so as the need arises.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has had any representations relating to the detention of Mr.Mikhail Khodorkovsky; and whether this matter has been discussed with the (a) Russian Government and (b) the Russian Embassy. [143932]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office received one letter from a member of the House of Lords about the "Yukos affair", to which I have replied. Separately, I also discussed the issue with the Russian Ambassador last month, and the EU raised it with President Putin on 6 November during the recent EU-Russia summit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will investigate claims of torture made against Saudi Arabia by the recently released British prisoner. [143811]

Throughout the detention of the British men in Saudi Arabia, we raised with the Saudi authorities, at the highest levels, our concerns about the case, including the men's treatment and conditions in detention. We are in touch with the men and their lawyers and are doing what we properly can to assist them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Singapore regarding the trading by Singapore-based companies with the military leadership in Burma; and if he will make a statement. [143713]

While we have not made any representations to the Government of Singapore on this issue. We regularly discuss the problems of Burma with Asian countries, including Singapore. The UK has a long standing policy of not supporting trade with Burma.This is well known to the international community. The EU Common Position is designed to target regime leaders and, as far as is possible, to avoid hurting the people of Burma. We would welcome a similar approach from Burma's neighbours.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on reforming UN structures; and if he will make a statement. [144322]

The UK Government wish to see an efficient United Nations that can meet the challenges of the modern world and deliver the objectives established in the Millennium Declaration.We want to see a stronger and revitalised general assembly. We strongly support the proposals of the GA President, Julian Hunte. We support the Secretary General's efforts to create a more effective secretariat with improved priority setting and financial management. We are encouraging efforts towards improving the wider UN system of Funds, Programmes and Specialised Agencies. We also look forward to the outcome of the high level panel set up by the Secretary General to review the way the UN deals with threats to international peace and security.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to visit the new visa centres in India; and if he will make a statement on the operation of the new visa centres in India. [142936]

I have no plans at present to make a visit to the new visa application centres in India. Full details of the service offered at the visa application centres can be found at UKvisas' website: www.ukvisas.gov.uk and the websites for our diplomatic posts in India.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the implications of the introduction of compulsory identity cards for his Department. [141414]

Since the Wales Office does not provide services directly to the public, the implications of such a scheme would be minimal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on which dates terrorist incidents ascribed to the IRA have taken place in Wales since 1973. [142752]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Home Secretary on 11 December 2003, Official Report, column 618.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how often he holds meetings with the First Minister of the National Assembly for Wales; what proportion of his working week is spent in the Wales Office; and if he will make a statement. [141189]

The First Minister and I meet virtually every Monday and routinely discuss by telephone matters of common interest. I begin my week at my office in Cardiff, travelling up later in the day to the Wales Office in Gwydyr House London to meet ministerial colleagues and Wales Office officials and others as necessary over the rest of the week.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people (a) under 50, (b) between 50 and state pension age and (c) over state pension age were in employment, broken down by (i) region and (ii) gender, for each year since 1997; [143939](2) what the employment rate was for people

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the Exchequer was in tax receipts foregone of the 10 per cent. rate of corporation tax introduced in the 1999 Budget for the smallest companies, in each year since its introduction. [144655]

The 10 per cent. starting rate of corporation tax is estimated to have reduced the CT liability of small companies with accounting periods ending in 2000–01 and 2001–02 by £85 million and £140 million respectively. Estimates are not yet available of the impact of the starting rate on accounting periods ending in 2002–03.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how he estimates the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October will affect the welfare of tenants occupying the housing stock of Craven Housing Limited. [144634]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 15 December 2003.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if the Government will compensate Bury St. Edmunds for the loss of funds available to the Haverbury Housing Partnership following the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October 2003; [144165](2) if the Government will compensate Letchworth for the loss of funds available to North Hertfordshire Homes Ltd. following the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October 2003; [144166]

On 24 October 2003, the Inland Revenue gave its preliminary view on the tax implications of contracts developed by a major accountancy firm. Discussions are continuing.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pay-as-you-earn schemes with one or two employees there were for companies, excluding unincorporated businesses, at April (a) 1997, (b) 1998 and (c) 1999. [144656]

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Government of increasing pensions in line with average wage increases. [143546]

The costs of uprating retirement pension in line with earnings and these costs as a percentage of GDP are as follows:

	Gross Cost (£)	Gross Cost as (percentage)
2005–06	1.8	0.15
2010–11	6.3	0.54
2020–21	18.1	1.21
2030–31	38.1	1.99

As my right hon. friend the Chancellor said in his pre-Budget statement, UK public finances are sustainable in the long term. The UK is in a strong position relative to other countries to face the challenges ahead. To revert to the pre-1980 position, an earnings link with pensions would—by 2050—raise deficits by 3 per cent. a year just to cover this one item with the long-term sustainability of public finances undermined. The Government will proceed on a sustainable basis.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the organisations which responded to the consultation document, "Simplifying the taxation of pensions: increasing choice and flexibility for all". [144663]

The Government consulted widely on the proposals in last December's document "Simplifying the taxation of pensions: increasing choice and flexibility for all". The document elicited many responses, copies of which have been placed in the House of Commons Library. A summary of the responses can be found on the Inland Revenue website at www inlandrevenue.gov.uk/pensionschemes.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date board members of Inland Revenue first began planning for project ASPIRE or its antecedents; and who was responsible for project ASPIRE from that date up to 5 September 2002. [144692]

The planning for the ASPIRE project began in January 2001. John Yard, the Inland Revenue's Director of Business Services, took responsibility for this planning.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the purpose was of the market making exercise run by Inland Revenue as part of Project ASPIRE; what objectives were set to judge its success; and whether these objectives were achieved. [144693]

Competitions are generally accepted as the best way to deliver value for money. The market-making exercise was designed to encourage the major IT industry players to enter the ASPIRE competition. This objective was achieved and the competition has been genuinely tough and fair. In a written statement to the House on 11 December 2003 (column 107WS) I announced that the result of the competition was that Cap Gemini Ernst and Young had been named as the Inland Revenue's preferred supplier for the ASPIRE contract replacing the incumbent suppliers EDS and Accenture.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the potential suppliers who engaged in the market making exercise in support of project ASPIRE were made aware by Inland Revenue at the outset of the exercise of the identities of the other potential suppliers; whether the methodology adopted by Inland Revenue for the market making exercise provided for discussions

Table 1: Unemployment in London boroughs
March to February, thousand and percentage
	1996–97		1997–98		1998–99		1999–2000
	Levels	Rates (%)	Levels	Rates (%)	Levels	Rates (%)	Levels	Rate (%)
Greater London	394	11.1	326	9.1	283	7.9	269	7.3
Barking and Dagenham	10	12.9	7	9.6	7	10.2	2—	2—
Barnet	13	8.0	11	6.6	10	5.4	10	5.6
Bexley	11	8.9	6	5.4	8	7.0	8	7.3
Brent	16	13.1	16	12.6	15	11.2	10	7.5
Bromley	9	5.8	7	4.5	8	5.5	6	3.8

I cannot comment on whether the potential suppliers who engaged in the market making exercise were aware of the identities of the other potential suppliers. However, there were ongoing discussions between the Department and potential suppliers, at their request, throughout the market-making exercise. In addition, as I stated in my reply of 18 September, an open meeting was held for all interested suppliers on 7 March 2002, which was attended by 42 potential suppliers. The potential suppliers were not required to provide indicative pricing information in their response to the Official Journal of the European Communities notice that was placed by the Inland Revenue.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many redundant workers, found employment three months after their Labour Force Survey interview in each of the last six years in London. broken down by age group. [144171]

[holding answer 15 December 2003]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.