To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the UK Government treats the 1991 Census of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as a reliable source of statistical information; and if he will make a statement. [144477]

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

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what percentage of GDP was comprised of (a) manufacturing sector and (b) service sector gross capital formation in each of the last six years; [143434](2) what percentage of GDP was comprised of gross capital formation in each of the last six years; [143435](3) what percentage of GDP was comprised of

[holding answer 11 December 2003]: 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 contribution of Barnett formula consequences as explained in Appendix C to the Statement of Funding Policy to the allocations for (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) the Northern Ireland Assembly were in each year from 2001–02 to 2003–04 reconciling the provided figures to the entries in Table 2.6 of PESA 2003–04 (Cm 5901) for each of the Devolved Administrations. [144377]

Increases in the Departmental Expenditure Limits for 2001–02 to 2003–04 for the Devolved Administrations were announced in the 2000 Spending Review (CM 4807). The basis for the allocation was explained in the Statement of Funding Policy, published in July 2000.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the levels of expenditure in (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales that is both within the assigned budget and within the scope of the Barnett formula for each year from 1998–99 to 2005–06, in the form provided in the analysis of 2002–03 provision in Annex C of the Third edition of "Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly: A Statement of Funding Policy". [144378]

The Departmental Expenditure Limits for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales for 2002–03 to 2005–06 were published in Table B 15 of the 2003 Pre-Budget Report (CM 6042). Figures for earlier years were published in the 2003 Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (CM 5901). Changes in the DELs are determined in accordance with the Statement of Funding Policy.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government's estimates were for aggregate revenues in each year from 1996–97 to 2001–02 expressed as (a) totals and (b) percentages of gross domestic product, attributable to (i)Scotland,(ii) Wales, (iii) Northern Ireland, (iv) England and (v) the Government Office Regions of England. [144380]

Government estimates for aggregate revenues by country and region of the UK are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the Scottish Executive publishes its own estimates in Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government's estimates were for net fiscal balance in each year from 1996–97 to 2001–02 expressed as (a) amounts and (b) percentages of gross domestic product, in (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales, (iii) Northern Ireland and (iv) each of the Government Office Regions of England. [144381]

Government estimates of the net fiscal balance of regions and countries of the UK are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the Scottish Executive publishes its own estimates in Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the progress being made in the establishment of an international financing facility. [144696]

The proposal to double global aid levels by providing an additional US$50 billion a year through an International Finance Facility is being taken forward in partnership with the international community. The Government continue to push for further international agreement to the initiative. The International Finance Facility will be most effective if all major donor countries are involved.The Facility received wide support from other countries at the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and IMF in September 2003. The Bank and Fund have been mandated to do further work on financing for development options, including the International Finance Facility, reporting back at the Spring and Annual Meetings in 2004.The Annual Meetings also agreed that developing and emerging market countries should be consulted. This process will include a ministerial conference on Financing for Development in spring 2004, chaired by the French Government.The UK Government continue to build the support in civil society necessary to make the initiative a reality. In February, the Treasury will be hosting a conference bringing together the President of the World Bank with representatives from faith groups, media, business, Government and non-governmental organisations from across the UK.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the productivity growth in the United Kingdom economy for each of the last 10 years. [144590]

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 Government's estimates were for (a) identifiable public expenditure and (b) aggregate public expenditure in each year from 1996–97 to 2001–02 expressed as (i) totals and (ii) percentages of gross domestic product, in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) Northern Ireland, (D) England and (E) the Government Office Regions of England.[144379]

Estimates of identifiable public spending on services by country and region were published in the Corrigendum to Chapter 8 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (CM 5901). Estimates of aggregate public expenditure including non-identifiable spending by region and country are not readily available. Estimates of Gross Value Added by country and region were published by the Office for National Statistics in August 2003.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of a person's ethnicity on their access to public services.[143570]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by hon. Friend the Minister for Race Equality, Community Policy and Civil Renewal gave to her on 15 December 2003, Official Report, column 633W.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the savings ratio was in each year since 1979. [144032]

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

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many textile jobs there were in (a) 2001 and (b) 2002. [144234]

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

To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development, what plans he has to ban the use of (a) asbestos and (b) materials containing it in projects supported by his Department.[144412]

Information as follows.

1. My Department have had in place a policy for nonuse of asbestos in the UK for over four years.

2. We have undertaken major refurbishment of both our UK offices during this period and the contracts have explicitly banned the use of any asbestos materials. During the refurbishment works we were able to remove (under controlled conditions) all materials containing asbestos and we are now confident that our UK offices are asbestos free.

3. Where DFID directly engages in building activities overseas, strict measures are taken in dealing with existing materials containing asbestos; and no new construction contains asbestos products.

To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development what assistance his Department are giving to programmes to combat HIV/AIDS in the developing world.[144413]

The UK is the second largest bilateral donor of HIV/AIDS assistance to developing countries. Our bilateral funding has increased seven-fold, from £38 million in 1997-98 to more than £270 million in 2002–03. The UK was instrumental in setting up the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and has committed US$ 280 million over seven years to ensure it has long term stability of funding. The Government published its Call for Action on HIV/AIDS on World AIDS Day, which emphasises the UK's commitment to AIDS and highlights the need for stronger political direction; better funding; better donor coordination and better HIV/AIDS programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development what action his Department are taking to prevent the spread of HIV/ AIDS in Asia. [144420]

HIV/AIDS in Asia is a critical development issue. With 7.4 million Asians already infected, we are now seeing the epidemic spreading into previously unaffected areas and countries. If current rates of growth continue, there may be as many as 25 million people infected in India and 15 million in China, by 2010. Infections on this scale are of grave concern. If they continue at current rates and meaningful action is not taken, it is likely that by 2020 Asia will overtake Africa as the centre of the epidemic.DFID's strategy in Asia is to focus efforts on preventing the further spread of the epidemic. In most countries the epidemic is still concentrated in vulnerable groups, principally sex workers and their clients, injecting drug users, and men who have sex with men. The challenge is to prevent spread into the general population. We have seen some success in Thailand and Cambodia from which it will be important to learn.

To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development what discussions he has had with British companies about the support they could offer his Department in assisting developing countries to reduce the impediments to formalising land ownership rights for poor people in these countries.[144414]

DFID has had contact with a range of British companies and other sources of expertise such as government-owned agencies, research organisations, universities and non-government organisations in the context of its work in Ghana, Guyana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda and Southern Africa (South Africa and Lesotho). Our contacts range from simple exchange of information to more detailed discussions about implementation of projects. We fully appreciate the skills and expertise that British companies bring to these programmes. We also endeavour to bring in developing country and international experience where appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the security fence on the humanitarian situation of Palestinians.[144415]

The livelihoods of thousands of Palestinians have been drastically affected by the separation of villages from their agricultural land and water resources. The fence fragments communities and isolates people from vital social support networks. Residents are being cut off from schools, universities and medical care. According to the latest Israeli Government projections approximately 210,000 acres, or 14.5 per cent. of West Bank land, excluding East Jerusalem, will lie between the fence and the Green Line. This land is some of the most fertile in the West Bank and is home to 274,000 people. Of those, some 70,000 do not have Israeli residency permits and, as a consequence, may feel it necessary to move east of the fence in order to retain access to basic services.

To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development what discussions he has had with developing country Ministers about the International Finance Facility. [144416]

Discussions with Developing country Ministers on the IFF began in January this year when my predecessor Clare Short and the Chancellor wrote jointly to Developing Country Finance Ministers about the IFF proposals. Discussions have continued throughout the year with groups such as NEPAD, African Finance Ministers, and HIPC Finance Ministers.

To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development what role his Department have in establishing a civilian government in Iraq by the Iraqi people. [144417]

The Department are playing an important role, in support of the Coalition Provisional Authority, in preparing for the planned transfer of sovereignty to Iraq's Transitional Authority in July 2004.DFID has seconded over 40 advisers to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Basra and Baghdad to support civilian government during the occupation of Iraq. We intend to commit substantial further resources from early 2004 towards strengthening the capacity of Iraqi central government Ministries to manage the country effectively Work to train members of the judiciary will also begin in 2004.We will also be prepared to consider support for the conduct of democratic elections in Iraq, and have agreed in principle to support civic education, and other initiatives to ensure that as many Iraqis as possible are equipped to participate in the process of political transition to a democratically elected civilian government.

To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development what estimate he has made of the monetary value of the support given by British engineers working on behalf of the Department in Mozambique since the 2001 floods; and if he will make a statement. [144418]

Several British engineering companies are active in Mozambique including for example Roughtons, Scott Wilson, and WSP.DFID has assisted the Mozambique Government both through support to the general budget and to specific flood-recovery projects. An example of the latter is a £7.4 million project to repair the main national road crossing the Limpopo valley which was washed away in the floods. Engineering consultants are contracted for post-flood recovery work by the Government of Mozambique under international tenders, and British companies have taken up many of these contracts.British companies have also been involved in post-flood recovery projects funded by the EC, to which the UK Government makes a significant financial contribution.

To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development if he will make a statement on his Department's work towards poverty reduction in India. [144419]

DFID provided £161 million of bilateral development assistance to India in 2002–3. In the New Delhi Declaration of January 2002 the Prime Minister looked forward to expenditure of over £300 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development to which countries other than Iraq his Department has assigned gender advisers since 1997. [141825]

Gender equality and the empowerment of women are very important for the elimination of poverty. A large percentage of the poor in developing countries are women.All DFID staff have a responsibility to ensure that gender issues are addressed in development programmes. However, social development advisers work as part of teams in all DFID country offices and have special expertise in gender issues. They do this as part of their overall role which covers social issues as they relate to all poor people.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what changes the Government have made since 1997 to its programme aimed at preserving the rainforests in terms of (a) funding and (b) number of projects; and what the reasons are for such changes. [143220]

DFID accounts for expenditure on forestry but does not distinguish between different types of forests. The following figures apply to forests in general and not specifically to rainforests. They relate to bilateral expenditure and are exclusive of spending on research under the Forestry Research Programme, which has averaged about £2.5 million per annum since 1997.In financial year 1997–98 expenditure was £22.1 million, on 199 projects. In financial year 2002–03 expenditure was £20.6 million, on 99 projects. Expenditure was fairly constant during this six-year period but there was a steady decline in the number of projects. This is a consequence of a focus on a smaller number of larger projects, more directly in support of poverty reduction. In addition, the last six years has seen the closure of a number of smaller programmes, particularly in Latin America.

£ millions
	Total gross public (bilateral)expenditure (exclusive of research)	Number of projects
1997–98	22.1	199
1998–99	19.7	173
1999–2000	23.1	129
2000–01	20.4	112
2001–02	17.9	99
2002–03	20.6	99

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what research is being undertaken on policies to help prevent failing states. [142646]

DFID's Policy Division has established a team on 'Poverty Reduction in Difficult Environments'. This team is developing innovative policy options for working more effectively in places where the state is unable or unwilling to take an active role in delivering poverty reduction. This includes states seen as 'weak and failing' as well as most conflict-affected states.Through a series of seminars, studies and workshops we are seeking to improve our understanding of the internal and external causes of states that do not focus their policies on poverty reduction. This includes whether it is possible to identify in advance potential problem states, and then use preventative measures.This issue is a high priority for the Department for International Development. We are also working closely with the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit to develop cross- Government policy on 'weak and failing' states. The Strategy Unit project seeks to work towards better coordination between different Whitehall Departments, and achieve improved policy coherence across Whitehall when dealing with weak and failing states.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development for what reasons the UK has made no contribution to the World bank's Fast Track Initiative for countries with serious education needs and strong education plans. [144697]

The UK Government are committed to playing their full part in helping countries to achieve the Education for All goals. DFID is the fourth largest bilateral donor supporting basic education and the Department's investment is set to increase further over the next five years—to more than £1 billion—including substantial additional funding for FTI countries such as Ethiopia and India.At the Fast Track Initiative meeting held in Oslo on 20–21 November 2003 it was agreed that FTI funding will now be extended to all low-income countries that are working towards the EFA goals, and that most additional funding will be secured at country level rather than through a global funding mechanism.Accordingly, DFID will continue to channel our growing support to education through our bilateral country programmes in the form of long term, flexible and predictable funding in support of the Government's own development plans. We believe this is the best way to provide flexible financing, improve harmonisation and reduce transaction costs. We will continue to press for closer donor collaboration to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of all external education assistance. The FTI has an important role to play in this. DFID will continue to play an active role in the development of the FTI, and will take over chair of the initiative in 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons passengers disembarking flights at Gatwick airport are having their photograph taken; what flights are involved; and how long he expects this measure to last. [140808]

I have been asked to reply.Following the attack on the World Trade Centre on 11 September 2001 and consequential heightened security measures the Department for Transport instructed the British Airports Authority (BAA) to bring forward arrangements for the full segregation of arriving and departing passengers at the south terminal, Gatwick airport and other airports where this was not already in place.In order to prevent the circumvention of the immigration control under the new arrangements (by passengers arriving on international flights and leaving the airport via the domestic channel without passing through immigration control) the BAA agreed to adopt an IT system whereby barcoded photo-images of all arriving domestic passengers captured on leaving the aircraft were reconciled at the domestic arrivals channel.This system has been in operation by Gatwick Airport Limited (GAL) since 1 November 2001. There are no plans to change this system while arriving and departing passengers have access to the same secure areas within the airport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when work will begin on the Hindhead Tunnel; and what the time scale for the project is. [143602]

Subject to the satisfactory completion of the Statutory Procedures and the availability of funds the A3 Hindhead scheme should be in a position to start construction in 2005 and the new road open to traffic in 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects of encouraging pay-as-you-drive car insurance. [144612]

Some companies in the insurance industry are currently studying options for pay-as-youdrive car insurance schemes. At least one insurer plans to launch a trial scheme by spring 2004 and we look forward to hearing about any lessons learnt from their trial.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Treasury expects to receive from each English police authority from safety camera fines in the next financial year. [142533]

[holding answer 8 December 2003]: The safety camera partnerships are in the process of compiling their operational cases for inclusion in the 2004–05 programme. The deadline for submitting their operational cases is 31 December 2003. The national safety camera programme board will consider the cases early in 2004. The information requested is therefore not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Treasury has received from each English police authority from fines from speed safety cameras in the last 12 months. [142534]

[holding answer 8 December 2003]: Six partnerships trialed the netting off scheme in England between April 2000 and March 2002. A further six areas joined the scheme in October 2001. The surplus amounts passed from these 12 areas to the Treasury are given in the following table.

	Treasury Surplus
2000–01
Cleveland	127,059
Essex	13,000
Lincolnshire	114,279
Nottingham	166,011
Northants	465,436
Thames Valley	413,481
2001–02
Cleveland	368,589
Essex	520,357
Lincolnshire	542,862
Nottingham	34,104
Northants	719,802
Thames Valley	2,055,849
Cambridgeshire	21,660
Derbyshire	198,341
Lancashire	436,163
Norfolk	1272,960
Staffordshire	2,014
Warwickshire	1150,768
1 Shortfall recovered during following year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fixed speed cameras there are on the (a) A537 between Macclesfield and Buxton, (b) A534 between Farndon and Nantwich, (c) the A682 between Barrowford and Long Preston, (d) the A54 between Congleton and Buxton and (e) A631 between Gainsborough and Glentham. [142918]

The information is as follows:

(a) None

(b) One

(c) None

(d) One

(e) None

These roads are some of those listed in the Euro RAP 2003 British Roads Results Survey as being "Britain's persistently high risk roads". They are single carriageway roads; some are remote Peak District areas. Where accidents and casualties are spread along lengths of rural roads, fixed location cameras will be of less value than mobile cameras or other traffic engineering and enforcement measures appropriate to the problem.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fixed speed cameras there are on the (a) A134 between Thetford and the A10, (b) M73 between junctions 1 and 3, (c) A682 between the A56 and the A646 Burnley, (d) A45 between Ryton on Dunsmore and Stonebridge and (e) A6 between Leicester and Derby. [142919]

This information is as follows:

(a) None

(b) None

(c) One

(d) Five

(e) Two

These roads are some of those listed in the Euro RAP 2003 British Roads Results Survey as being "Britain's most improved roads". They are a mixture of urban and rural roads, single and dual carriageway and one short motorway. Cameras will have been an appropriate casualty reduction technique in some of the cases, combined with other traffic engineering and enforcement measures appropriate to the problem.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what revenue has been received from all safety camera partnerships in each year since the first partnership was set up, net of the funds awarded to those partnerships in each of those years; [142207]what funds were awarded to each local Safety Camera Partnership in each year since they were set up. [142264]

Seven partnerships trialed the netting off scheme in England and Wales between April 2000 and March 2002. A further seven areas joined the scheme in October 2001. The amounts passed to these 14 areas and the surplus passed to the Treasury are given in the tables.

2000–01
	Costs passed to partnerships (£)	Surplus passed to Treasury
Cleveland	771,901	127,059
Essex	1,846,480	13,000
Lincolnshire	512,721	114,279
Nottingham	622,371	166,011
Northants	1,702,404	465,436
South Wales	1,330,277	236,723
Thames Valley	1,825,639	413,481
Total	8,611,793	1,287,967
1 Shortfall recovered during following year.

	2001–02
	Costs passed to partnerships (£)	Surplus passed to Treasury
Cleveland	486,891	368,589
Essex	3,003,763	520,357
Lincolnshire	516,818	542,862
Nottingham	778,536	34,104
Northants	2,247,838	719,802
South Wales	1,749,573	126,667
Thames Valley	2,617,031	2,055,849
Cambridgeshire	113,760	21,660
Derbyshire	455,659	198,341
Lancashire	761,017	436,163
Norfolk	433,100	1272,960
North Wales	904,022	1255,242
Staffordshire	629,246	2,014
Warwickshire	355,068	1150,768
Total	15,052,322	4,347,438
1 Shortfall recovered during following year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fixed speed cameras are operating outside Safety Camera Partnerships; and where they are located. [142237]

There are currently five police force areas out of a maximum 51 in Great Britain who are not yet participating in the safety camera netting off scheme. These areas do not recover their camera-related costs from fine income and therefore there is no obligation on them to inform central Government about camera activity or number of cameras in operation in their areas. We expect all but Durham to be part of the netting off programme by July 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were (a) killed, (b) seriously injured and (c) slightly injured in the location of each fixed speed camera within a Safety Camera Partnership in (i) the year prior to its installation and (ii) each subsequent year. 42265]

	Change in average speed		Change in 85thpercentile speed
	Mph	Percentage	Mph	Percentage	Percentage change in vehicles exceeding the speed limit	Percentage change in vehicles exceeding the spend limit by more than 15 mph
Lincolnshire	-2.7	-6.5	-9.6	-18	-73	-94
Nottingham	-8.0	-17.4	-4.0	-18	-	-
Northamptonshire	-7.5	-22.2	-7.6	-18	-81	-98
Essex	-5.7	-16.3	-7.0	-17	-78	-92
Thames Valley	n/a	n/a	-5.7	-16	-65	-98
South Wales	-7.9	-22.7	-7.1	-20	-56	-97
Strathclyde	-3.3	-10.1	-2.3	-6	-61	-61
Average	-4.5	-12.2	-6.8	-17	-67	-96

Partnership performance for 2003 will be detailed in the next report on the netting off programme which is expected to be published in March 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for each safety camera partnership the number of those (a) killed and (b) seriously injured in the partnership area (i) in the year to July 2003 and (ii) in the year to July 2002. [142498]

[holding answer 8 December 2003]: The data is not available in the periods requested. The data shown in the table is for the numbers of killed and seriously injured road accident casualties (KSIs) for the latest available calendar year in the eight safety camera partnership areas that were fully operational. For comparison the KSI averages are provided for the three years prior to the start of the netting off trial in March 2000.

	1997–99 average		2002
Safety camera partnership area	Killed	Serious	Killed	Serious
Cleveland	20	239	19	234
Essex	90	1,164	92	1,210
Lincolnshire	88	680	91	645
Northamptonshire	64	680	62	478
Nottinghamshire1	78	978	80	833
South Wales	60	344	41	408
Strathclyde	114	1,780	92	1,316
Thames Valley	151	1,143	157	1,379
Total	665	7,008	634	6,503
1 Nottinghamshire country joined late in 2002, data includes City of Nottingham.

The Government published information on 11 February 2003 about the performance of the eight areas that trialed the netting off scheme in the report "A cost recovery system for speed and red-light cameras—two year evaluation report." This showed that there had been a 35 per cent. reduction in those killed or seriously injured at camera sites. Partnership performance for 2003 will be detailed in the next report on the netting off programme to be published in March 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average speed of vehicles was at each fixed speed camera within each Safety Camera Partnership in the year (a) prior to installation and (b) subsequent to installation. [142267]

The Government published information on 11 February 2003 about the performance of the eight areas that trialed the netting off scheme in the report "A cost recovery system for speed and red-light cameras—two year evaluation report." This showed speeds were affected in the seven areas where fixed site cameras were used in the following way:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the policy of the Government is in relation to the reinvestment by safety camera partnerships of revenue from fines in (a) road safety education and (b) highway engineering improvements to improve road safety. [142499]

[holding answer 8 December 2003]: The rules for netting off allow fine revenue to be used only to fund safety camera activity which includes education about how effective speed management can improve road safety. Other aspects of road safety education and highway engineering improvement are funded separately in the usual way. The rules for netting off were designed to ensure there would be no benefit to the partnership for installing cameras at places where there were no casualty savings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will (a) publish and (b) place in the Library the business plans of each camera safety partnership; and if he will make a statement. [142917]

Each safety camera partnership makes available locally for public scrutiny information about its operational case having taken regard to sensitive operational matters such as the speeds at which cameras are triggered to enforce the limit. Operational cases for 2004–05 are to be produced in common format to allow publication without compromising operational sensitivities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on the teenage cycling safety campaign in 2003; how much was spent on preparing a television advertisement campaign on cycle helmets; and what plans he has to promote the wearing of cycle helmets by teenagers in 2004. [144544]

[holding answer 16 December 2003]: Expenditure on the teenage cycle safety campaign in 2003 was £123,000. Expenditure in financial year 2003–04 will be £173,000 in total once a TV public information film promoting cycle safety is completed.The Department has no plans to make a TV advertisement on cycle helmets separate to the public information film. We are however running advertisements in 40 secondary school homework diaries to promote cycle safety, which will appear until June 2004.In 2004, provisional plans include liaison with TV stations to show the public information film when they have a suitable gap between programmes; distribution of posters that promote cycle helmet wearing and the website cyclesense.net to road safety officers in local councils and maintaining the website cyclesense.net.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households are unable to receive analogue television reception in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland. [144897]

According to figures given by the ITC, the percentage of households unable to receive BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Channel 4 or S4C via analogue reception are (a) England, 0.4 per cent., (b) Wales, 2.4 per cent., (c) Scotland, 1.9 per cent. and (d) Northern Ireland, 1.5 per cent. Analogue coverage for Five is not available on a per country basis, however, 20 per cent. of UK households do not currently have access to Five.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action she is taking to encourage growth of children's broadcasting on radio. [144479]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster) on 4 December 2003, Official Report, column 163W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what percentage of staff in her Department contribute to a charity through the Give as You Earn scheme; how much money is donated to charity per month by staff in her Department through the scheme; and what steps she is taking to encourage greater participation in the scheme by staff in her Department. [143907]

The number of staff contributing to charities through the Give as You Earn scheme is 20 which represents 4 per cent. of staff in DCMS. The current contribution is £181.99 per month.We are promoting the Give as You Earn scheme through our intranet and will be featuring the scheme in our staff newsletter in order to encourage greater participation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what sustainable development objectives are taken into account when lottery distributors consider applications for grants for lottery-funded projects in relation to pleasure piers; and if she will make a statement. [144248]

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is the main distributor for lottery-funded projects relating to pleasure piers. HLF does not have separate criteria for assessing pier applications, but has a policy which states that:

"in order to maximise its contribution to sustainable development, the environmental, social and economic sustainability of a project will be as central a criterion in the assessment procedure as value for money. To fulfil this, applicants will be encouraged to give full and proper consideration to the contribution of their projects to sustainable development". (November 1998).

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what dates he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on civil service job dispersal to Scotland since he became Secretary of State for Scotland. [142723]

My right hon. Friend is in regular contact with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a wide range of issues, including civil service job dispersal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what written representations he has received from the British Medical Association (Scotland) on the subject of foundation hospitals. [142732]

In common with all Members from Scottish constituencies, my right hon. Friend and I received representations from the BMA (Scotland) addressed to us as constituency MPs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking in response to the loss of jobs in Scotland as a result of out-sourcing to other countries. [142710]

The Government consider that the best response to low cost overseas competition is to encourage the development of higher quality, added value services. Our economic policies are creating an environment where this transition can occur.The labour market in Scotland is healthier than it has been for decades. Employment is close to a record high and unemployment is around its lowest level since the 1970s. The prospects for the Scottish economy are good.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made on the Supermarket Code of Practice. [143653]

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is currently reviewing the Code of Practice governing supermarkets' relations with their suppliers. They have taken views from supermarkets, individual suppliers and trades associations representing suppliers. Once the OFT have delivered the results of the review to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, she will take whatever action is appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information her Department has supplied to the US authorities in connection with investigations into accountancy firms' tax avoidance schemes in the past 12 months. [144184]

The Government have not had any requests from the US authorities to supply them with information in connection with investigations into accountancy firms' tax avoidance schemes in the past 12 months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and industry how her Department is working with the (a) EU and (b) Foreign and Commonwealth Office to ensure that all EU member states implement the law against discrimination in employment on the grounds of age. [143928]

[holding answer 16 December 2003]: The European Employment Directive provides a general framework for combating discrimination in employment and vocational training, and lays down minimum requirements for outlawing discrimination on grounds of age, among other matters. It is for individual member states to decide how to implement the requirements in their own state.The Government are committed to introducing legislation to outlaw age discrimination that is clear and workable in the UK. In order to achieve this, we are working with all appropriate stakeholders across Whitehall and wider.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what her Department's policy is on the Fibrecycle waste processing method; [144368]what discussions her Department has had with Estech Europe Limited on the Fibrecycle waste processing method.[144369]

I am not aware of any discussions between the Department and Estech Europe Limited. The Department does not have specific policies relating to the Fibrecycle waste processing method.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what the purpose is of the free-fall height regulations proposed by the EU; whether they are being considered by majority vote; and what assessment she has made of their impact on manufacturers of (a) rocking horses, (b) trampolines and (c) climbing frames; [143846]whether the free-fall height regulations to reduce the falling length for indoor activity toys will apply to