To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he will take to improve competition in the market for bulk-buying of index linked annuities; and if he will make a statement. [145727]

The operation of the market in bulk annuities is a commercial matter for the companies and pension schemes concerned.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what matters relating to BCCI and (a) the Bank of England and (b) his Department are outstanding; whether any of these matters could carry a liability to the public purse; and if he will make a statement. [146359]

The Bank of England's position on the impending legal proceedings relating to BCCI, including an indication of costs already incurred, is set out on pages 35–37 and 91 of its 2003 annual report. A further update will be given in this year's annual report.The Treasury are not a party to these proceedings.The Treasury are considering a request unrelated to the legal proceedings against the Bank of England for the release of a BCCI-related document. This has no implications for the public purse.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information will be provided to (a) children and (b) parents to show them how different investment scenarios will affect the return on their child trust funds, with particular regard to how (i) equities, (ii) cash and (iii) bonds are likely to perform. [145697]

The Government want parents to engage actively with the child trust fund (CTF) and recognise that, for many parents, this may be their first investment product. We will provide resources to ensure parents are helped to make choices about their child's CTF, including an information pack, which will be issued alongside the CTF voucher and a dedicated CTF website.Information will include illustrations of investment returns, which will also be of interest to children as they grow older. Annual statements issued by providers to all children, and teaching and learning resources for use in the classroom, will also help children engage with their accounts and develop an understanding of how different investments could affect returns.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the implications for those on non-family benefits should they wish to make contributions to child trust funds. [145700]

Money held in children's child trust fund (CTF) accounts will not affect family benefits claimed by a child's household.The Government will keep under review the treatment of capital in income-related benefits so that a sensible balance is struck between providing state support and not unfairly penalising those who have acted responsibly by saving. As a first step, the Government announced on 15 December 2003,

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in meeting targets for the proportion of people with disabilities in senior posts in his Department. [146002]

:Statistical information about senior civil servants with disabilities is available on the civil service statistics website at http://www.civil-service.gov.uk/ statistics/documents/pdf/disability-oct03.pdf.This information is also made available in the Library of the House. The latest statistics show staffing data as at 1 April 2003. The data shows that in my department there are no senior civil servants who have declared a disability. The Treasury target for the proportion of people in senior posts who have declared a disability is 3 per cent.

:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many senior civil servants in his Department are disabled, expressed in (a) numbers and (1)) as a percentage of whole-time equivalents. [144984]

:The information requested is available on the Civil Service Statistics website at: http://www. civil-service.gov.uk/statistics/documents/pdf/disabilityoct03.pdfThis information is also available in the Library of the House. The latest statistics show staffing data as at 1 April 2003. The data show that:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research his Department has undertaken to assess the benefits consumers perceive if financial products, with particular reference to equity release policies, are regulated by the Government. [145717]

A regulatory impact assessment was published on 5 June 2003 that set out the costs and benefits of giving the Financial Services Authority (FSA) responsibility for regulating mortgages, including mortgage-based equity release schemes. This is available from the Treasury website: www.hm-treasury.gov.ukThe purpose of the consultation paper, "Regulating Home Reversion Plans", is to arrive at a more in-depth analysis of the costs and benefits of the regulation of home reversion equity release plans. A draft regulatory impact assessment was included as Annex B to that document and we look forward to receiving views on that, as well as other aspects of the consultation.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what discussions he has had with business organisations about the impact the European Investment Services Directive will have on their companies, with specific reference to the impact that the end of execution-only sales will have; [145706](2) what assessment he has made of how the European Investment Services Directive and the end of execution-only sales will affect

The Government were disappointed with the position adopted by the European Council of Ministers on the proposed new Investment Services Directive. We believe that in several areas the Council text misses opportunities to create a competitive, integrated European financial market and instead will harm competition.An area of particular concern for the Government during negotiations was the treatment of "execution-only" business in the Directive. We believe that it is important to ensure that execution-only business is not compromised by unnecessary regulation. Such business can provide low-cost access to share trading, for example, for a wider range of investors.During negotiations, the Government successfully ensured that execution-only business will be exempt from full "suitability testing" obligations.The Government will work hard with the Financial Services Authority to ensure that the provision relating to execution-only business is not implemented in the UK in a way which restricts normal marketing activity or direct offer promotions.The Investment Services Directive is one of the topics discussed when Treasury Ministers meet members of the financial services industry.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what tax incentives are available to companies providing free financial education for (a) children and (b) adults; and how these fit into the Government's policy to reduce financial illiteracy. [145710]

There are no specific tax incentives in place aimed at encouraging companies to provide free financial education to children or adults.Improving basic financial literacy is a key element of the Government's strategy to reduce social and financial exclusion, while tackling over-indebtedness, and promoting saving. We are doing this across government to help people identify and meet their financial needs. Key initiatives include:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what regulation there is to protect Muslims from mis-selling of housing finance that complies with Sharia law. [145720]

I understand that some Islamic home finance arrangements may already fall within the definition of a regulated mortgage contract under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 (SI/2001 No. 544) and would therefore be covered by the regime that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) will be implementing from 31 October 2004.However, as explained in paragraph 36 of the consultation document 'Regulating home reversion plans', we are seeking information on arrangements that are not reversion plans but which might nevertheless be caught by any legislative definition of a reversion plan if we decide to regulate home reversion plans. These might include alternative property financing arrangements that may be used by banks to provide housing finance which complies with Sharia law.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether savings expected from implementation of the findings of the Gershon Review have been taken into account in the public expenditure totals for future years published in the pre-Budget report 2003. [145945]

Paragraph B27 of the pre-Budget report sets out the assumptions on which the fiscal projections, including public expenditure projections, are based.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths from (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and (b) lung cancer were recorded in each year since 1996, broken down by age; and how many deaths per 100,000 population there were in each case. [146210]

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 support he has received from consumer organisations for his plan for the Financial Services Authority to require a valuation of properties used as collateral for home reversion plans; [145721](2) if he will draw up tables of guidance on the amount of money people should expect when taking out home reversion products; and if he will discuss this with

The Government are carrying out an open consultation on whether the Financial Services Authority (FSA) should regulate home reversion plans. We published a consultation paper 'Regulating home reversion plans' on 11 November and responses are due to be returned by 13 February 2004.The issue of property valuation and pricing of reversion plans is considered in paragraphs 21 to 23 of the consultation document. If it is decided that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) should regulate home reversion plans, the details of the regime will be decided by the FSA on the basis of a separate consultation and cost/benefit analysis.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list information technology contracts in his Department with a value of above £20 million in each of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been. [146200]

HM Treasury has never had an information technology contract above £20 million.HM Customs and Excise has let two IT Contracts in excess of £20 million in the past 10 years. An outsourcing contract was signed on 25 August 1999 with Fujitsu C&E Services Ltd., for the provision of IT and telephony infrastructure services. Because this was a services contract, there was no debugging. The Transfer of Undertaking was achieved to target without any overrun. A second contract was awarded to BT/ Syntegra in 1989 for the provision of the CHIEF (Customs Handling of Import and Export freight) service. The contract was extended to January 2007 to recognise new strategic business requirements and allow sufficient time for the CIPR (Customs Information Processing Requirement) procurement process. To date, there have been no cost overruns.The Inland Revenue has three IT contracts whose budgets exceed £20 million. First, it has a strategic contract with EDS, which commenced on 1 July 1994. This contract covers all IT services for Inland Revenue systems, their enhancement, day to day maintenance and new systems development. It is not a fixed price contract. Major systems are delivered within their own individual internal budgets, and the contract with EDS has supported the development and delivery of these systems since 1994.The contract was extended to January 2007 to recognise new strategic business requirements and allow sufficient time for the CIPR (Customs Information Processing Requirement) procurement process. To date, there have been no cost overruns. The Inland Revenue has three IT contracts whose budgets exceed £20 million. First, it has a strategic contract with EDS, which commenced on 1 July 1994. This contract covers all IT services for Inland Revenue systems, their enhancement, day to day maintenance and new systems development. It is not a fixed price contract. Major systems are delivered within their own individual internal budgets, and the contract with EDS has supported the development and delivery of these systems since 1994.In 1998 the Inland Revenue inherited a contract from the Department of Social Security for the provision of the NIRS2 Services run by Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting). The system went live in July 1998 and has been stable since April 2000. The NIRS2 service was provided under a PEI contract which has since been adjusted to allow for the unprecedented level of change required of the system by new legislation. There were some well documented delays in introducing the N IR S system, involving extra development costs, paid for by Andersen Consulting. The Inland Revenue has also incurred business recovery costs, enabling the introduction of more modern and automated business processes.The E-IROS contract was awarded to Computacenter in June 2000 for the provision of desktop hardware, software and related services. This is not a fixed price contract and consequently the value of the contract depends on the annual demand for desktop services. It has, however, exceeded £20 million in each of the last four years.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of economic activity was in the Leeds North-West constituency in (a) 1997 and (b) 2002–03. [146204]

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 often he has met on a one-to-one basis senior representatives from (a) major industrial companies and (b) oil and gas companies. [145653]

Ministers and civil servants have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals as part of the process of policy development and analysis. As with previous Administrations, it is not this Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings. All such contacts are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code, the Civil Service Code and Guidance for Civil Servants: Contact with Lobbyists.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much of the sum spent on policy, funding and regulation activity which impacts on the private sector, referred to in paragraph 6.47 of the pre-Budget report 2003, was spent on each category; and if he will make a statement; [145923](2) how the £9 billion referred to in paragraph 6.47 of the pre-Budget report 2003 is broken down between

These are working estimates and a breakdown is therefore not available for publication.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account public sector pay review bodies take of rates of (a) staff turnover and (b) vacancies in assessing benefit packages offered by public sector bodies in different regions and localities. [146706]

Pay Review Bodies are independent bodies. They weigh the evidence they receive from interested parties and their own independent research to formulate recommendations on the remuneration of their remit groups. The Terms of Reference for each Review Body differ and are available from the Office of Manpower Economics, the secretariat to the Review Bodies.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) homebuyers and (b) businesses in Leyton have benefited from the exemption from stamp duty on premises purchased in disadvantaged areas since the exemption was introduced; and if he will make a statement. [146365]

Between the introduction of the exemption at the end of November 2001 and the end of October 2003, there were 133 residential transactions and two commercial transactions recorded as taking place in the ward of Leyton which benefited from the exemption. In the same period there were 398 residential transactions and nine commercial transactions recorded as taking place in all exempt wards in the Leyton and Wanstead parliamentary constituency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with (a) BAA and (b) major airlines on the proposals which will form the basis of the forthcoming consultation on a new night noise regime at (i) Heathrow, (ii) Gatwick and (iii) Stansted. [145637]

As yet, no discussions have been held with any interested parties to assist in drawing up proposals for the next consultation on a new night restrictions regime for Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted. We expect the consultation to commence in the first half of this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether local authority grant financing will be available to local authorities who own airports in the South East to develop those airports. [145893]

Under the new prudential capital finance system, which comes into force on 1 April 2004, a small amount of local authority airport investment will attract revenue support grant. In allocating this investment approval, the Department will give priority to health, safety, security and environmental projects required by the regulatory authorities. Local authorities will be free to make their own decisions on additional borrowing for airport development purposes, providing they can afford it. A further option would be to seek a private sector partner.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will use his statutory powers to control the (a) time and (b) volume of night flights in and out of East Midlands Airport. [145957]

The Government consider that existing measures to control noise from night flight operations at East Midlands Airport are adequate. Their policy towards night noise and East Midlands Airport is set out in the Government's White Paper, "The Future of Air Transport", chapters 3 and 9 respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions he estimates have been saved as a result of the liquid petroleum gas duty rebate; and at what cost to public funds. [145734]

The Department estimates that favourable duty rates for LPG since 1996 have saved around 343.3 thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide at a cost of around £160.7 million in terms of duty forgone. This estimate assumes that all LPG has replaced petrol and not diesel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many responses were received to the consultation paper, "On the Move: By Foot"; and when the Government will arrive at their conclusions. [145544]

We received 130 responses. We aim to publish an action plan document in the spring.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many convictions there have been in each of the last five years for contraventions of (a) section 51, (b) section 56, (c) section 58, (d) section 60, (e) section 66, (f) section 67 and (g) section 71 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991; and what the (i) maximum and (ii) average fines were imposed for each category of offence. [145541]

Comprehensive information is not held centrally on the number of offences or level of fines. Based on information collected by local authorities, the Regulatory Impact Assessment for the Traffic Management Bill showed that the number of prosecutions under the 1991 Act has been small, less than 200 over the 10 years since the Act came into force, and that the average fine has been less than half the maximum permitted, the latter being £1,000 for all the categories listed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many deaths in road traffic accidents involved (a) the use of hand held mobile phones and (b) drivers smoking in (i) 2000, (ii) 2001 and (iii) 2002. [143836]

Research has shown that using a mobile phone while driving is distracting and drivers are four times more likely to have an accident if they do so. While many other activities may also be distracting, we are not aware of a similar risk from the effects of smoking while driving.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out the minimum qualifications which will be required by persons seeking appointment as traffic officers under the Traffic Management Bill. [145536]

The Highways Agency is placing significant importance on appointing the right people to traffic officer posts. Persons applying for a position as a traffic officer will be required to have two years of relevant experience or one year of relevant experience with a minimum of 5 0 Levels/GCSEs at grade C or above.Applications will also be considered against a set of stringent competencies, aptitudes and essential criteria. A copy of the competences required has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list by police authority the number of police officers that will be displaced as a result of the provisions of the Traffic Management Bill, and the proposed timescale for such displacement. [145542]

Once implemented, the provisions within the Traffic Management Bill will free up police time from some traffic management duties. While the police will still patrol the network, they will be able to spend more time and resources dealing with vehicle, road and other crime including detection and enforcement against bad driving, vehicle theft and licensing offences.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many convictions there have been in each of the last five years for offences under section 36 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 for failing to comply with the indication given by a traffic sign; and how many convictions there were in respect of traffic signs that would be subject to civil enforcement under the Traffic Management Bill. [145545]

Supplementary tables to annual Home Office Statistical Bulletins on offences relating to motor vehicles give numbers by offence type that were the subject of police action in England and Wales. The number of fixed penalty notices and convictions for "neglect of traffic directions", the offence type which includes failing to comply with the indication given by a traffic sign, in the last five years for which statistics have been published were as follows:

	Fixed penalty notices	Magistrates court findings of guilt	Crown court findings of guilt
2001	162,885	29,034	42
2000	168,234	30,844	43
1999	175,793	30,891	32
1998	189,921	31,946	53
1997	191,923	33,144	63

A detailed breakdown of these numbers by the types of traffic signs contravened is not held centrally. but the figures include fixed penalties and prosecutions for traffic light offences detected by cameras. They accounted for a quarter of the fixed penalties and convictions for neglect of traffic directions over the five years. Traffic light offences will not be subject to civil enforcement under the powers contained in the Traffic Management Bill.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what proportion of police time in 2002–03 expended on traffic duty on motorways and trunk roads is represented by 550 full-time equivalent police officers; [145547](2) if he will give the data underlying the statement in the regulatory impact assessment for the Traffic Management Bill that the equivalent of 550 full-time police officers will be released as a result of creating traffic officers, and the number of police officers to be released by each police authority. [145549]

The Highways Agency and Association of Chief Police Officers "Roles and Responsibilities Report" identified plans that could free up the equivalent of about 540 full-time equivalent police officers. Based on figures from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary of 6,540 designated roads police in 2001–02, the report estimated that a transfer of non-core police activities to the Highways Agency enabled approximately 8½ per cent. of police time to work on other key tasks. Resources will be freed up over a period of about three years as Highways Agency Traffic Officers are phased in across all motorways and some key trunk roads.Calculations for the number of police officers to be released by each police force were made at a national level and have not been translated into resources for individual police authorities. The manner in which resources are redeployed is a matter for the police and will depend on, among other things, the current resources available and policing priorities. This does not mean that police will stop patrolling the network. instead they will be able to spend more time dealing with vehicle, road and other crime.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many regional control centres will be established under the Traffic Management Bill; what their annual cost will be; and how many new positions will be created. [145823]

There will be seven regional control centres with an annual cost of about £15 million. It is currently envisaged that the number of new posts created will be about 300.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated cost is of each additional traffic manager as proposed in the Traffic Management Bill. [145824]

While the Traffic Management Bill proposes that each local traffic authority will be required to appoint a traffic manager, it is for each authority to decide who should carry out the role and precisely what duties they should have. The traffic manager could be an existing member of staff and/or could have other duties as well, so there could be no increase in costs. Taking the Bill measures as a whole, the Government consider that, on average, there should be no net cost to authorities.

To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission when the Speaker's Committee last made a report to the House on the exercise by it of its functions. [146485]

The Speaker's Committee has a statutory obligation to make a report to the House on the exercise by it of its functions at least once in each year. Its most recent report, the First Report, 2003, was laid before the House and published on 18 December 2003 as House of Commons Paper 140. Copies have been placed in the Library and the Vote Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government plans to remove the protected status from badgers. [142462]

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what position the Government took at the recent climate change meeting in Italy in respect of GM trees. [145135]

The UK's position at the recent negotiations on the use of sinks (afforestation and reforestation projects) in the Clean Development Mechanism at the Conference of the Parties negotiations held in Milan was that any proposal to use GMO trees should be consistent with the objective and provisions of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, under the Convention on Biological Diversity. This includes a risk assessment and an advanced informed agreement procedure for GMOs intended for intentional introduction into the environment (such as seeds for planting). This was the position agreed by consensus.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the cost per person per week of the Common Agricultural Policy in the United Kingdom in the most recent year for which figures are available. [144460]

The consumer cost of the CAP can be estimated by examining the difference between UK and world prices for agricultural food products. The notional taxpayer contribution to CAP expenditure can also be estimated though, in practice, UK taxpayers contribute to the whole EU budget rather than to specific components. Our provisional estimates for 2002 show an average cost of the CAP per person of just over £2 per week.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will make a substantive reply to the letter from the hon. Member for North-East Bedfordshire of 23 October, and his fax of 16 November to the hon. Member for Scunthorpe in relation to his constituent Mr. Ross Donovan. [143883]

I responded to the hon. Member in full on 1 January 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs where the UK ranks in the Environmental Sustainability Index; and if she will list the rankings of other EU countries. [145146]

[holding answer 5 January 2004]: The UK ranks 91^st internationally in the 2002 Environmental Sustainability Index compiled by the Global Leaders of Tomorrow Task Force of the World Economic Forum in association with the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and Columbia University. The rankings of other EU member states are shown in the following table. However, the UK and other countries believe this index is profoundly flawed and therefore potentially misleading, for the following reasons. It is an aggregated indicator which aims to weight together many components into a single overall measure of 'environmental Sustainability', an approach which as yet is not scientifically robust. The choice of components, and the way in which they are weighted together, is largely subjective. A different choice of components or weights would give different results, amply illustrated by the fact that the previous edition of this index, based on a different selection of components, placed the UK 16^th.Furthermore, there are still many areas where data are not sufficiently comparable between countries, or are simply not available. The values of many of the variables used to compile this index are imputed. It should also be noted that the variables used in this index tend to measure circumstances at a single point in time rather than trends or changes, therefore to the extent the index measures anything at all, it measures the environmental situation which a country faces rather than its progress or performance in improving environmental sustainability.

2002 ESI rankings by country
Rank	Country	ESI
1	Finland	73.9
3	Sweden	72.6
7	Austria	64.2
28	Portugal	57.1
31	Denmark	56.2
33	France	55.5
34	Netherlands	55.4
37	Ireland	54.1
44	Spain	54.1
50	Germany	52.5
60	Greece	50.9
84	Italy	47.2
91	United Kingdom	46.1
125	Belgium	39.1

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to receive the report from the Forestry Commission England on the control of grey squirrels. [144116]

[holding answer 18 December 2003]: The Forestry Commission has not been asked to prepare a report on the control of grey squirrels. They are however currently engaged in the preparation of a policy statement on this subject. This is one of the commitments made in the response to the recommendations contained in the "Sustaining England's Woodlands" review. There is no firm timetable for the presentation of the statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications of the introduction of compulsory identity cards for her Department. [143355]

The introduction of compulsory identity cards is a long-term undertaking on which interdepartmental discussions are led by the Home Office. This Department has an interest in tackling illegal working at an acceptable compliance cost to business (for example, in the agriculture and fresh produce sectors) and in providing a means to encourage legal routes of migration to the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it was known by Ministers in her Department that Katherine Bryan had applied for the post of Chief Executive of Water Services at the Northern Ireland Department for Regional Development at the time when she was appointed to chair the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM); on what date she tendered her resignation as CoRWM chair; what considerations was given to the other shortlisted candidates for the Chair of CoRWM in the appointment of her replacement; and who has been chosen as a replacement for Katherine Bryan on the Committee. [143513]

[holding answer 10 December 2003]: No. Ministers knew of Mrs. Bryan's intention to resign on 26 November 2003. With the agreement of the Environment Ministers for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and after consultation with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, an announcement was made on 5 December that Gordon MacKerron, an existing member of CoRWM, was to be appointed as the new Chair. Among those candidates originally interviewed for the post of Chair, he was considered the most suitable replacement for Mrs. Bryan. No other appointment to CoRWM has been made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) sources and (b) methodology was used to calculate (i) buffer zone sizes, (ii) grassland area affected and (iii) arable area affected in the Pesticides Safety Directorate discussion paper proposals for the Introduction of No-Spray Buffer Zones Around Residential Properties in England and Wales. [145984]

The consultation document included four possible buffer zone sizes. These were 6 metres (reflecting a quarter section of a typical spray boom), 1.0 metres (the minimum set-aside width); 100 metres; and 300 metres.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from how many of the organisations and individuals invited by the Pesticide Safety Directorate to the stakeholder meeting on 13 October about the consultation on plans for greater access to information about crop spraying written responses were received (a) by the official deadline and (b) after the deadline. [146018]

The meeting on 13 October was held with rural residents' interest groups to discuss the issues raised by the informal consultation exercise on public access to information on pesticide use and to identify how practical measures might be introduced.Those who attended were invited because it was felt they would be in a position to address the practical issues raised, rather than solely on the basis of having submitted a written response to the informal consultation.Of the 33 representative organisations and individuals who were invited, five attended, 10 submitted written responses to the informal consultation by the official deadline; the remaining 23 did not submit a response. The official deadline was extended from 31 August to 30 September to take account of the summer holiday period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for what reason there are no plans to publish Sir Clive Booth's report on CAFCASS. [144972]

There are no plans to publish Professor Sir Clive Booth's review as it contains confidential information about individual Board members.The central recommendation of Professor Sir Clive Booth's review was to make a fresh start with the Board. Ministers accepted his proposal that all Board members should be asked to submit their resignations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which quangos come under the remit of the Children's Minister; and how they are accountable. [145025]

I am responsible for the Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy. The Lord Chancellor is currently the Minister responsible for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). However, Ministerial responsibility for CAFCASS will transfer to me in this Year. Baroness Ashton of Upholland is Minister responsible for the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal, although I have a working interest in the Tribunal's operation.Responsibility for the day-to-day work of these Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) rests with their Executive Team and Board or President, although Ministers provide the overall strategic direction. Ministers appoint NDPBs' Board members or Presidents, and are answerable to Parliament for the NDPBs' stewardship of public funds; for their overall economy, effectiveness and efficiency; and for the general manner in which they carry out their remit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to show A levels and vocational course qualifications separately in college league tables; and if he will make a statement. [146357]

We have no plans to show A levels and vocational course qualifications separately in performance tables. The school and college performance tables will show combined results for General (GCE) and/or Vocational (VCE) A levels, Advanced Subsidiary (AS) qualifications and key skills at level 3. This practice recognises the qualifications as equal in worth and does not undermine the achievements in any particular qualification in any way. We are, though, currently consulting on future measures of success which will take account of the diverse curriculum offer in post 16 learning. "Measuring success in the Learning and Skills Sector" can be found at www.successforall.gov.uk. Following that consultation we will consider whether any changes in presentation should be introduced in future years' tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent representations he has received concerning the possibility of a common entrance qualification for Commonwealth universities; and if he will make a statement. [145087]

I have received no representations on this subject. Policies on admissions decisions for Commonwealth Universities are for their respective Governments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 16 December 2003, Official Report, column 833W, on Directorate Staff, if he will make a statement on the change in staff numbers in the (a) schools and (b) Lifelong Learning Directorates in 2003; and to which directorates the staff employed within the Youth Directorate have been transferred. [145971]

[holding answer 6 January2003]: Following the Machinery of Government changed in June 2003 the DfES assumed lead responsibility in Whitehall for policy on children and the family. As a result of the changes, around 120 staff from the Home Office, the Department of Health and the Department for Constitutional Affairs, who were engaged in a range of work on children and family issues, transferred to DfES. To support its enhanced role, the Department created a new Directorate: Children, Young People and Families, drawing together all those who were employed in these areas to improve the coordination of policy development and service delivery. Around 600 staff in Schools Directorate working on Sure Start and children's issues were moved to the new Directorate, accounting for the significant change in staff numbers in Schools Directorate during the latter part of 2003.The increase in staff numbers in Lifelong Learning Directorate during the second half of 2003 resulted from the transfer of 200 staff from the former Youth Directorate. The majority of the remaining staff in Youth Directorate transferred to the Children, Young People and Families Directorate, while a small number moved to Strategy and Communications Directorate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effects of introducing an earned autonomy scheme, as provided for in the Education Act 2002; and if he will make a statement. [146185]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 3 December 2003, Official Report, column 92W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 17 December 2003, ref.143373, for what reason he has not provided the information on the Excellence in Cities programme in the form requested. [145429]

We did not provide the reply in the same format as the answers relating to Leadership Incentive Grant, Education Action Zones and Excellence Clusters because the funds that are allocated to Excellence in Cities (EiC) authorities are intended for all the schools in the authority. Funds provided for the other named programmes are targeted resources for individual schools as identified by my Department and local education authorities. However, we have now provided a table in the required format, listing the total schools in each authority. It is not possible to provide a meaningful breakdown of primary and secondary schools, as we do not know exactly where individual authorities will target their EiC funds.

Standards find 2003–04
LEA number	LEA	Allocation (£)	Number of schools
201	City of London	—	—
202	Camden	298,639	224
203	Greenwich	788,775	234
204	Hackney	550,040	274
205	Hammersmith	250,500	188
206	Islington	841,633	231
207	Kensington and Chelsea	—	—
208	Lambeth	255,721	283
209	Lewisham	274,579	244
210	Southwark	560,000	263
211	Tower Hamlets	811,652	194
212	Wandsworth	250,000	326
213	Westminster	—	—
301	Barking	631,427	134
302	Barnet	—	ߞ
303	Bexley	—	—
304	Brent	312,710	246
305	Bromley	—	—
306	Croydon	—	—
307	Ealing	256,510	297
308	Enfield	319,203	250
309	Haringey	250,000	231
310	Harrow	—	—
311	Havering	—	—
312	Hillingdon	—	—
313	Hounslow	290,503	179
314	Kingston upon Thames	—	—
315	Merton	—	—
316	Newham	250,000	213
317	Redbridge	—	—
318	Richmond upon Thames	—	—
319	Sutton	—	—
320	Waltham Forest	602,958	207
330	Birmingham	1,452,020	967
331	Coventry	—	—
332	Dudley	—	—
333	Sandwell	250,000	229
334	Solihull	—	—
335	Walsall	—	—
336	Wolverhampton	295,785	235
340	Knowsley	270,833	129
341	Liverpool	1,092,361	558
342	St Helens	599,139	175
343	Sefton	815,628	250
344	Wirral	584,352	316
350	Bolton	—	—
351	Bury	—	—
352	Manchester	843,879	451
353	Oldham	250,000	243
354	Rochdale	547,987	243
355	Salford	867,664	259
356	Stockport	—	—
357	Tameside	—	—
358	Trafford	—	—
359	Wigan	—	—
370	Barnsley	258,441	208
371	Doncaster	250,000	267
372	Rotherham	837,876	236
373	Sheffield	827,240	494
380	Bradford	611,489	489
381	Calderdale	—	—
382	Kirklees	—	—
383	Leeds	1,147,048	823
384	Wakefield	—	—
390	Gateshead	864,819	200
391	Newcastle upon Tyne	550,000	265
392	North Tyneside	571,682	159
393	South Tyneside	539,954	124
394	Sunderland	854,018	225
420	Isles of Scilly	—	—
800	Bath and NE Somerset	—	—
801	City of Bristol	590,944	374
802	North Somerset	—	—
803	South Gloucestershire	—	—
805	Hartlepool	250,000	61
806	Middlesbrough	595,259	111
807	Redcar and Cleveland	279,036	91
808	Stockton-on-Tees	559,627	127
810	Kingston-upon-Hull	561,136	200
811	East Riding of Yorkshire	—	—
812	North East Lincolnshire	—	—
813	North Lincolnshire	—	—
815	North Yorkshire	—	—
816	York	—	—

Standards find 2003–04
LEA number	LEA	Allocation (£)	Number of schools
820	Bedfordshire	—	—
821	Luton	250,000	165
825	Buckinghamshire	—	—
826	Milton Keynes	—	—
830	Derbyshire	—	—
831	Derby	—	—
835	Dorset	—	—
836	Poole	—	—
837	Bournemouth	—	—
840	Durham	—	—
841	Darlington	—	—
845	East Sussex	—	—
846	Brighton & Hove	—	—
850	Hampshire	—	—
851	Portsmouth	—	—
852	Southampton	—	—
855	Leicestershire	—	—
856	Leicester	500,000	271
857	Rutland	—	—
860	Staffordshire	—	—
861	Stoke-on-Trent	583,255	214
865	Wiltshire	—	—
866	Swindon	—	—
867	Bracknell Forest	—	—
868	Windsor and Maidenhead	—	—
869	West Berkshire	—	—
870	Reading	—	—
871	Slough	—	—
872	Wokingham	—	—
873	Cambridgeshire	—	—
874	Peterborough	—	—
875	Cheshire	—	—
876	Halton	554,366	130
877	Warrington	—	—
878	Devon	—	—
879	Plymouth	—	—
880	Torbay	—	—
881	Essex	—	—
882	Southend-on-Sea	—	—
883	Thurrock	—	—
884	Herefordshire	—	—
885	Worcestershire	—	—
886	Kent	—	—
887	Medway Towns	—	—
888	Lancashire	—	—
889	Blackburn with Darwen	297,727	125
890	Blackpool	253,384	119
891	Nottinghamshire	—	—
892	Nottingham City	608,555	252
893	Shropshire	—	—
894	Telford and Wrekin	—	—
908	Cornwall	—	—
909	Cumbria	—	—
916	Gloucestershire	—	—
919	Hertfordshire	—	—
921	Isle of Wight	—	—
925	Lincolnshire	—	—
926	Norfolk	—	—
928	Northamptonshire	—	—
929	Northumberland	—	—
931	Oxfordshire	—	—
933	Somerset	—	—
935	Suffolk	—	—
936	Surrey	—	—
937	Warrington	—	—
938	West Sussex	—	—
—	Total	28,860,350	14,003

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of children received free school meals in each of the last five years; and what proportion of children were entitled to free school meals in each of the last five years. [146348]

The information requested is given in the tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether it is his intention to increase the overall total number of students aged 18 to 30 who study for courses in (a) higher education and (b) further education institutions by 2010. [144284]

The White Paper: The Future of Higher Education was published in January 2003. In this, the Government set out plans to increase participation in higher education towards 50 per cent. of those aged 18 to 30 by 2010.Although there are no numerical targets for expansion of student numbers in further education, funding will increase by £1.2 billion between 2002–03 and 2005–06, a 19 per cent. real terms increase. This will help to support increased participation in further education.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research his Department has carried out on the ability of (a) individual learners and (b) employers to pay increased fees for further education courses. [146233]

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to his earlier question, 16 December 2003, Official Report, column 835W, refers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received from Scottish universities in respect of the proposed Higher Education Bill. [145681]

I have received representations from a wide range of sources since the White Paper was published. My Department has had discussions regarding the proposals in the Higher Education Bill with Universities UK which represents institutions across the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the level of (a) revenue funding and (b) school-based expenditure per school pupil was in each of the last five years, broken down by (i) capital expenditure, (ii) expenditure on special schools and (iii) central administration and support services. [141702]

:The bulk of capital funding is now allocated by formula to schools and local authorities, and investment decisions are made locally in the context of the Asset Management Plan. In the interests of reducing the bureaucratic burden, the Department does not collect data for capital expenditure from schools or authorities. The information requested on recurrent funding is contained in the following tables:

(a) Total funding per pupil aged 3-19
England	£
1997–98	2,510
1998–99	2,620
1999–2000	2,800
2000–01	3,060
2001–02	3,280
2002–03	3.490
2003–04	3,690

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 17 December 2003, Official Report, column 958W, on language study, what measures he is taking to reverse the decline in the number of schools offering Latin at (a) GCSE and (b) A-level. [146186]

It is for individual schools and colleges to decide which subjects they are to provide, aside from those in the National Curriculum. From October 2003, we have expanded the Specialist School programme to include Specialist Humanities Colleges, through which schools may focus on Latin alongside other humanities subjects. We have introduced an Advanced Extension Award in Latin which has been available since 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 15 December 2003, Official Report, column 669W, on streaming, if he will assess the extent to which the practices of (a) personalised learning and (b) teaching tailored to the needs of pupils are endorsed by the conclusions of the research review conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research. [145472]

The practices of (a) personalised learning and (b) teaching tailored to the needs of pupils are fully endorsed by the research review conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research, which concludes that "schools need to take account of what is most appropriate for their staff, pupils, parents and community, in the context of their particular circumstances (such as class size, pupil ability range and resources) and national developments such as the requirements of the National Curriculum."

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what discussions he has had with the Chief Inspector of Schools about measuring effective leadership and management in schools; and what actions were taken as a consequence; [144906](2) what discussions he has had with the Chief Inspector of Schools about measures to improve the performance of schools, where that performance is assessed as being adequate; [144907](3) what discussions he has had with the Chief Inspector of Schools on

My right hon. Friend has frequent discussions with HM Chief Inspector of Schools, David Bell, about a range of matters relating to standards in schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 17 December 2003, Official Report, column 967W, on specialist colleges, what the (a) Key Stage 3 and (b) GCSE/GNVQ value-added scores were in 2002–03 for those non-grammar specialist schools that select more than 10 per cent. of their pupils on the basis of aptitude; and if he will make a statement. [146187]

The information requested is set out in the following table¹:

School	LEA	Key Stage 2—3 value added measure 2003
Chaucer Technology School	Kent	100.4
Chestnut Grove School	Wandsworth	98.9
Deacon's School	Peterborough, City of	100.9
Glyn Technology School	Surrey	100.4
Lynn Grove VA High School	Norfolk	100.5
St. Margaret's C of E High School	Liverpool	100.5

Key Stage 3-4 value added measures for 2003 have not yet been published. They are due to be published on 15 January 2004 in the "Secondary School (GCSE/ GNVQ) Performance Tables 2003"

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the impact on (a) mature students and (b) part-time students of (i) the proposed changes in tuition fees and (ii) contingent loan repayments. [143106]

[holding answer 9 December 2003]: Mature students will be treated in the same way as younger students both as far as the proposed changes to tuition fees and to income contingent loans are concerned: where they are studying full time, up front fees would be abolished and they will be subject to variable fees of between £0 and £3,000 per year from 2006; re-payable following graduation and for any loans they take out with the Student Loans Company, they will benefit from the raising of the income threshold above which repayments are made from £10,000 to £15,000 from 2005. Part time students are already subject to variable fees: where they have taken out loans with the Student Loans Company, they too will benefit from the raising of the income threshold from £10,000 to £15,000 from 2005. We are introducing a new package of support for part time students in 2004/05, including a grant for fees of up to £575 and a course grant, neither of which are repayable. Mature students are also particularly likely to benefit from the new HE Grant of £1,000, being introduced from 2004/05. We expect around a third of all those getting the full grant of £1,000 to be independent, despite such students making up only around 15 per cent of the total student population.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding was made available for (a) primary schools and (b) all schools in England and Wales to pay for in-service training for teachers in each year since 1997. [145270]

It is not possible to disaggregate funding solely for in-service training. Schools have the autonomy within their overall school budgets to determine how much they make available for training purposes in the light of their own priorities and needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what plans he has to respond to (a) the European Commission and (b) the EU presidency on the joint statement and conclusions from the November 2003 Conference on Youth Volunteering and Civic Service; [145035](2) whether he intends to take an active part in developing full time civic service and transnational volunteering programmes for young people

We are committed to promoting opportunities for young people not only to volunteer in their local communities through such programmes as Millennium Volunteers and the Young Volunteer Challenge but also in Europe through the European Voluntary Service. During the Irish Presidency of the European Union (EU) we will seek to influence the continuing discussions on youth volunteering, building on the European Commission's White Paper on Youth Policy and the Conclusions from the Commission and EU Presidency presented to the Rome Conference in November. Within the spirit of the Compact with the voluntary and community sector and the EU Open Method of Consultation on Youth we will continue to work closely with organisations with experience of volunteering to develop and deliver our policies and influence European-level activity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his policy is on how to bridge the funding shortfall for schools in the City of York. [145134]

On 29 October my right hon. Friend announced proposals to restore stability to school funding. Amongst the package of measures, we are ensuring that for 2004–05 all schools will see a guaranteed minimum increase in their per pupil budget amounting to 4 per cent. per pupil where pupil numbers remain the same. In addition, we have ensured that schools will receive an increase in the amounts of Standards Fund, School Standards Grant and funding from the LSC for sixth forms in line with the minimum guarantee.We are increasing the School Formula Spending Share by a minimum of 5 per cent. per pupil— the City of York's increase is 6.8 per cent. This will give the Authority the headroom and flexibility to deliver the guarantee and provide support to help schools facing additional pressures.On 10 December, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that a further £317 million will be going to local authorities in their Revenue Support Grant for 2004–05 for authorities with education and social services functions. This is on top of the increases already announced in the provisional settlement. For almost all authorities the additional grant will reduce the pressure on services and council tax, and will make it easier for authorities to meet education passporting targets. In the case of the City of York the additional grant amounts to £1.2 million.However, if the City of York or any other LEA is able to put forward a compelling case that additional, transitional funds are needed in the short term—above and beyond those already available to the LEA—my right hon. Friend will be prepared to consider bringing forward grant payments from my Department, so that the LEA will have funds available in 2004–05 for this purpose, with the expectation of a consequential reduction to what they will receive in future years. The maximum amount that the City of York might be able to bring forward in this way would be £300,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will ensure that those who choose to work after 65 enjoy the same employment rights as those under 65. [145128]

The great majority of employment protection legislation already applies to older workers, whatever their age. We will review upper age limits on statutory redundancy payments and general unfair dismissal claims, and make final decisions on them, in the light of responses to the recent public consultation on age "discrimination, Equality and Diversity: Age Matters".

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent by each of the Regional Development Agencies, in each of the last four years, on corporate plans. [146080]

As set out in Quangos: Opening the Doors (1998) www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/centra1/198/ pb/open/od main.htm, the Government believe that non-departmental public bodies should disclose as much information as possible including information on their role and achievements. England's Regional Development Agencies are required to prepare and publish Corporate Plans with a three year planning horizon, which are revised every two years, to synchronise planning and funding horizons with the Spending Review process. The current Corporate Plans cover the period 2003–06.The amount spent by RDAs in each of the last four years on printing and distribution of such plans is set out in the following table. The figures do not include the cost of staff resources in developing the detail of the plans where they are produced in-house, consulting stakeholders on the policies and activities reflected in the plans, nor the cost of departmental resources in approving them, which could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Expenditure also varies for many reasons such as the number of copies produced, whether consultants were used or whether the plans were only made available on the internet.

£
	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04
AWM	3,500	3,500	19,405	29,629
EEDA	4,477	8,268	8,051	8,416
emda			10,000
LDA	—	500	20,038	27,162
NWDA	9,375	8,326	2,452	3,058
ONE	50,000	2,500	2,500	2,653
SEEDA1
SWRDA	500	500	4,580	14,568
Yorkshire Forward1
1 No printing and distribution costs were incurred as the Corporate Plan is only available on the internet.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what has been the average length of time taken for the Government to approve projects (a) projected to cost more than £1 million and (b) projected to cost less than £1 million, that are proposed by each of the regional development agencies, following the issuing of a corporate plan, in the last year for which figures are available. [146081]

Under Section 5(2)(a) of the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998 the Agencies may not give financial assistance without the consent of the Secretary of State. However, the consent of the Secretary of State has been given to each Agency to give such assistance subject to a specific financial limit and other conditions set out in its Financial Memorandum. Any proposed expenditure or guarantee that is in any way novel or contentious, regardless of its cost, also requires the specific approval of the Treasury.During 2002–03, the average time taken for DTI to approve RDA proposals for expenditure exceeding the financial limit (£5 million during 2002–03) was 3-4 weeks. The average time taken to approve projects that required additional approval from the Treasury was nine weeks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry who appoints board members of regional development agencies. [145061]

The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry appoints the Chairs of England's Regional Development Agencies, while responsibility for appointing Board members is delegated to me, as Minister for Industry and the Regions.The process for appointing both the Regional Development Agency Chairs and Board Members is run according to the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments (this can be found at www.ocpa.gov.uk).Appointments are made on merit, following open competition, application and formal interviews. Each applicant is assessed against the selection criteria, as set out in the person specification for the post.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether a target has been set for the number of proceedings to be brought in the public interest for disqualification of company directors. [145380]

:As announced by my predecessor, the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Miss Johnson), to the House on 28 March 2003, Official Report, column 30-31WS, no numerical targets are set for the disqualification of company directors.The Insolvency Service is expected to bring proceedings in every case where it is in the public interest.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what funding is provided in financial year 2003–04 by her Department to finance the Enterprising Solutions Award. [145489]

Approximately £35,000 this financial year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of staff employed within her Department are over 55 years of age; and what (a) number and (b) percentage of staff recruited over the last 12 months are over 55 years of age. [145926]

13.5 per cent. of staff employed within DTI HQ are over 55 years of age. Of those staff recruited over the last 12 months (1 January-31 December 2003), eight were over 55, representing 3.8 per cent. of those recruited during that period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what value of guarantees have been issued by the Export Credits Guarantee Department since 1997 which

£ million
Market	Military and Defence	Aerospace	Oil, Petrochemical and Gas	Environmental	Telecomms and Transport	Education and Medical	Mining	Other	Grand Total
Abu Dhabi	—	—	8	—	—	—	—	48	56
Algeria	—	—	84	—	—	—	—		84
Anguilla	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1
Argentina	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1
Australia	—	57	—	—	2	—	—	8	67
Austria	—	13	—	—	—	—	—	—	13
Azerbaijan	—	13	—	—	12	—	—	—	25
Bahrain	—	157	—	—	—	—	—	—	157
Bangladesh	—	—	—	—	80	—	—	—	80
Barbados	—	—	—	—	11	—	—	—	11
Belgium	—	45	—	—	10	—	—	—	54
Botswana	—	—	9	—	—	—	—	9
Brazil	74	55	110	—	1	—	—	151	391
Brunei Darussalam	590	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	590
Canada	—	345	—	—	—	—	—	3	348
Chile	2	173	—	—	—	—	—		175
China	—	496	—	16	36	—	—	584	1,133
Colombia	—	19	—	—	—	—	—	19
Costa Rica	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Croatia	—	38	—	—	—	—	—	21	59
Cyprus	—	15	—	—	8	—	—	7	30
Denmark	—	—	34	—	—	—	—	—	24
Dominica	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	9	9
Dominican Republic	—	—	—	—	27	—	—	20	47
EC Market n/k	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	32	32
Egypt	16	43	7	89	2	—	—	62	220
El Salvador	—	82	—	—	—	—	82
Finland	—	32	—	—	—	—	—	32
France	—	—	8	—	10	—	—	—	18
Germany	1	—	—	—	17	—	—	—	19
Ghana	—	—	—	17	14	—	—	31	63
Greece	79	77	—	—	—	8	—	—	165
Hong Kong	—	194	66	—	192	—	—	42	494
Iceland	—	31	—	—	—	—	—	—	31
India	14	—	—	—	14	—	—	77	106
Indonesia	67	142	—	—	7	—	—	65	281
Iran (Islamic Republic of)	—	—	37	—	—	—	37	115	193
Israel	—	5	—	—	—	—	—	16	21
Italy	4	—	—	—	10	—	—	—	15
Jamaica	—	—	—	—	22	—	—	20	42
Japan.	—	—	—	—	2	—	—	25	27
Kazakhstan	—	—	—	—	38	46	—	—	84
Korea Republic of	82	231	—	—	5	—	20	34	372
Kuwait	8	—	—	9	—	—	—	—	94
Lebanon	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	26	26
Lesotho	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1
Lithuania	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	3
Luxembourg	—	84	—	—	—	—	—	—	84
Malaysia	363	—	40	—	10	—	—	773	1,185
Maldives	—	—	—	—	3	—	—	9	12

The information requested is in the following table, except for (d) environmental projects. While projects may have environmental benefits, for example: water treatment plants, or paper mills that use recycled paper as raw material, it would not be appropriate to class these as primarily 'environmental'.ECGD has, since 2001, assessed the potential environmental and social impacts of all projects it has been asked to support, except for defence and aerospace, which are subject to separate processes.The currency values of ECGDs Guarantees have been converted at the exchange rates at the end of November.