To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to visit Birmingham airport on official business. [151062]

The Secretary of State has no plans to visit Birmingham airport in the near future. Ministers regularly visit all parts of the country, including the West Midlands and I visited Birmingham airport last summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last met the Chief Executive of East Midlands airport. [151059]

Within the last six months, Ministers have met the Chief Executive of East Midlands airport and the Chief Executive of the Manchester Airports Group (which owns East Midlands airport).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action the UK is taking to comply with EU Quick Start programme objectives in transport projects. [151497]

The EU Quick Start programme comprises key projects, within existing Community programmes, that meet a set of criteria including readiness to start by end 2006 and impact on economic growth. There are two UK transport projects included in the programme. We are reviewing whether there are others that meet the criteria for inclusion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what cost savings have been made in his Department since the introduction of the Information Technology Procurement Centre of Excellence; and how these were calculated. [151045]

A Centre of Excellence was established within the Department for Transport in June 2003 to integrate the essential functions which underpin the successful delivery of all types of acquisition-based programmes and projects. As cost benefits will not accrue until improvements start to take effect, it is too early to measure cost savings. All Centres of Excellence are currently developing future plans and as part of this process measurement of savings will be defined.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last travelled on the London Underground on official business. [151061]

The Secretary of State regularly travels by all modes of public transport. My right hon. Friend last travelled on London Underground in November.

To ask the, Secretary of State for Transport what plans Network Rail has to lengthen platforms at London commuter stations. [151484]

Platform extensions are under way at Hollingbourne, Harrietsham and Charing, and extensions are planned at Braintree, Braintree Freeport, Cressing, White Notley, Harrow and Wealdstone, Bushey, Kings Langley, Apsley, Kernel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring, Cheddington, Bletchley, Billingshurst, Portslade, West Norwood, Hampden Park, Lewes, Farnham, Virginia Water, Basingstoke, Ascot, Farncombe, Milford, Witley, Liphook, Liss, Petersfield, Bentley, Brockenhurst, Camberley, Princes Risborough, Beaconsfield, Gerrards Cross, High Wycombe, West Ruislip, South Ruislip, Wembley Stadium and Denham.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many temporary speed restrictions are in force on Network Rail track. [151481]

Network Rail advises that there are currently 548 temporary speed restrictions on the railway network. This compares to a peak of approximately 1,200 speed restrictions in February 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much public capital is allocated to the expansion of railway network capacity in the 10 Year Plan. [151483]

The latest allocations of public spending in the 10 Year Plan are set out in "Delivering Better Transport: Progress Report", which was published in December 2002. The total amount of public expenditure allocated for railways is £33 billion. This is broken down as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many deaths have occurred on (a)the A316 between the end of the M3 and the first roundabout and (b) the M4 between junctions 4 and 1 in the last three years. [151487]

There has been one fatal accident on the M4 between junction 4 and junction 1 in the three years from September 2000 to August 2003. This occurred on the westbound carriageway near junction 3.There were no fatal accidents on the A316 between the M3 at Sunbury Cross and the first roundabout, at its junction with the A312, in the same period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria are used to determine which Rural Bus Challenge grants are awarded. [152122]

The main objective of the Rural Bus Challenge is to encourage cost-effective innovation in the provision or promotion by local authorities of rural bus transport. The full criteria used in assessing bids to the 2003 competition are set out in guidance to local

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff there are in his Department's Transport and Works Act processing unit, broken down by grade; and how many are (a) full-time, (b) part-time and (c) casual workers. [149988]

The Department's Transport and Works Act Orders Unit currently consists of 13 members of staff. The following table breaks down the Unit's staff into the categories requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the public inquiries into applications made under the Transport and Works Act 1992 held in each of the last five years; how soon after the inquiry the inspector made his report to him in each case; and how long it took him to reach a decision in each case. [149986]

The following table shows the information requested in respect of applications made under the Transport and Works Act 1992 (TWA), with the exception of a few applications that will fall to be decided by the First Secretary of State, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry or the National Assembly for Wales. The variable periods for reaching a decision can partly be attributed to differences in the complexity of the cases. But in many cases this has been for reasons outside our control, such as the need to obtain more information from an applicant or the inspector, or the need for a related consent from another Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the relationship is between risk of spread of animal pathogens from a laboratory and the infectivity of the organism; and which pathogens are classified as group 2. [150896]

The risk of a particular organism escaping from a laboratory is not directly affected by its infectivity. Defra classifies animal pathogens in different groups for containment purposes, according to the risk they pose to the health of farmed livestock and poultry. The assessment of risk takes account of a number of factors, including the infectivity of the pathogen and the nature and seriousness of the disease it causes. The higher the level of risk posed by an animal pathogen, the higher the level of laboratory containment required for its safe handling. The following animal pathogens are currently classified as Defra group 2 pathogens:

• Anaplasma spp.
• Aujeszsky's disease virus
• Avian paramyxoviruses other than paramyxovirus 1 (PMV1) group
• Babesia bigemina
• Babesia bovis
• Babesia caballi
• Babesia equi
• Borna disease virus
• Bovine leukosis virus
• Bovine malignant catarrh virus (African type)
• Chlamydia psittaci
• Cowdria ruminatum
• Derzsky's disease virus (goose parvovirus)
• Echinococcus multilocularis
• Echinococcus granulosis
• Equine viral arteritis
• Getah virus
• Hypoderma bovis
• Hypoderma lineatum
• Maedi-visna virus
• Mycobacterium bovis
• Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• Mycobacterium africanus
• Mycobacterium kansasii
• Mycobacterium leprae
• Mycoplasma agalactiae
• Mycoplasma capricolum sub species capripneumoniae
• Mycoplasma mycoides var capri
• Newcastle disease virus—Hitchener B1 and F strains only
• Porcine influenza viruses
• Pox viruses—camel
• Psoroptes communis var. ovis
• Theileria spp.
• Trichinella spiralis
• Trypanosoma spp
• Viral haemorrhagic disease of rabbits virus
• Any other non-enzootic animal pathogen not listed in Defra groups 3 and 4

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what the period of notice provided to owners of facilities licensed to quarantine animals entering the UK before inspections are carried out is; [150790](2) what the minimum number per year is of inspections of facilities licensed to quarantine animals entering the UK; [150793](3) how many inspections of facilities licensed to quarantine animals entering the UK were carried out in each of the last five years. [150794]

Under Article 9 of the Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and other Mammals) Order 1974, which covers Great Britain, quarantine premises are required to be authorised by a licence issued by a Defra Minister.In order to maintain their authorised status, quarantine premises for companion animals are required to be inspected by the State Veterinary Service. If the inspections are satisfactory, the premises are issued with an authorisation licence by Defra. The target for inspections is quarterly visits, that is four visits annually, two of which are pre-notified and two which are unannounced. Pre-notified visits are usually arranged two to four weeks in advance. There are normally, at least, three visits a year to authorised premises, and for some, there may be more than four annually.In addition to these, when a complaint is received from the public, an unannounced visit is made to investigate the complaint.Detailed records of inspections are kept for individual authorised quarantine premises, but are not collated centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what types of diseases were detected in domestic animals in quarantine after entering the UK in each of the last five years. [150795]

Quarantine rules relate only to controls to prevent the introduction of rabies into this country and do not require the reporting of other diseases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proposals she has to reform the quarantine requirements for domestic animals entering the UK. [150796]

Following the report in September 1998 by the Advisory Group on Quarantine (the Kennedy Report), "Quarantine and Rabies: A Reappraisal", the Government undertook a radical reform of the UK quarantine regulations. On 28 February 2000, the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) was introduced, which allows cats and dogs from specified countries, and which comply with certain conditions, to enter the UK without going into quarantine. The Scheme has now been operating successfully for four years. We have no plans for any further major changes to quarantine law.However, between December 2000 and March 2001, MAFF undertook a consultation exercise on proposals for legislation to update the law governing quarantine premises. Agreement of new EU rules on the movement of pet animals will also require some changes to the national quarantine legislation. We therefore expect to review the detailed rules on quarantine during 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many facilities are licensed to quarantine animals in the UK; and where they are located. [150797]

The Department is responsible for authorising quarantine premises for dogs, cats and all other rabies susceptible animals. These include zoos, research establishments and quarantine kennels and catteries. There are currently 40 authorised quarantine premises for dogs, cats and pet mammals in Great Britain; 36 are in England, one in Wales and three in Scotland. A list of these quarantine premises is freely available on the Defra website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average cost was of keeping an animal in quarantine after entry to the UK in the last year. [150798]

Quarantine premises set charges according to the facilities provided and it is a matter of contractual arrangement between the pet owner and the quarantine premises.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) cats and (b) dogs have died while being kept in quarantine after entering the UK in each of the last five years. [150799]

The table shows the number of cats and dogs notified that died in quarantine in the last five years. It is a requirement on quarantine premises to notify all deaths in quarantine to Defra.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the last recorded case was of a domestic animal showing signs of rabies while kept in quarantine after entering the UK. [150800]

The last recorded case of a domestic animal showing clinical signs of rabies while in quarantine in the UK was in September 1990. This diagnosis was subsequently confirmed by laboratory tests.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information she has collated on the estimated badger population of mainland continental Europe. [150897]

The most recent assessment of the status of the badger (Meles meles) in Europe was published in 1997¹.The quality of information available from each country varied considerably and as a result it was not possible to accurately estimate the Continent's total badger population. In an earlier publication

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what account is taken of routine sightings of badgers during daylight hours in calculating population size and density. [150945]

Routine, or incidental, sightings are rarely suitable for estimating animal abundance, although such sightings can be useful for establishing the presence of a species in a locality—especially in the case of rare animals.Badger sightings have been used to estimate densities, but only as part of planned surveys following a scientifically robust methodology (Heydon, M. J., Reynolds, J. C. and Short, M. J. (2000);

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the expected date is of completion of the project designed to assess the impact of removing badgers from the ecosystem; what the budgeted cost of the project is; from which institution the project is being managed; and who the lead scientist is. [150474]

The expected date for completion of the project is the end of March 2005. The budgeted overall cost of the project is £1.48 million. The project is being managed by the head of the team at the Woodchester Park site of the Central Science Laboratory.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will seek from the European Commission permission to compensate farmers who have suffered consequential losses as a result of the suspension of badger culling in reactive areas in the randomised badger culling trials. [150496]

I do not plan to seek permission from the European Commission to pay compensation for consequential losses due the cessation of culling in reactive areas of the randomised badger culling trial. The decision to suspend the reactive culling element of the trial was taken because the preliminary results indicated that this action would reduce the risk of TB breakdowns.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will conduct investigations into whether perturbation in badger populations can be eliminated or substantially reduced by improved culling programme design and execution. [150499]

Defra has funded research into perturbation of badger populations subject to culling. The results of the most recent work are yet to be published.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to publish data on the prevalence of TB in badgers in areas of high incidence in cattle herds. [150500]

Details of the incidence of TB in badgers captured during operations of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial will be published once the trial is finished, which is scheduled to be mid-2006.These data will give an indication of the prevalence of TB in the badger population in trial areas; one of the criteria for the selection of these areas was that there was a high level of incidence of TB in cattle herds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs based on the findings from post mortem examinations of badgers and other data, what her best estimate is of the number of TB-infected badgers existing in England and Wales; and what the best estimate was for that figure in 1994. [150507]

It is not possible to give an accurate figure for the number of TB-infected badgers existing in England and Wales because of the difficulty of estimating the size of the badger population and the reliability of the prevalence data available.The prevalence of TB in MAFF-taken badgers collected in England and Wales each year from 1975 to 1996 is given in Appendix 10 of the Krebs Report (PB 3423).

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what level of TB in badgers is sufficient for the disease to be considered as epidemic in the population; and how in this context the term endemic differs from the term epidemic. [150508]

Bovine TB is endemic in badgers in the UK; i.e. it is constantly present in badgers within this geographical area. An epidemic occurs where the occurrence of an infection increases clearly beyond normal expectancy. There is currently no evidence to suggest that levels of bovine TB in badgers have increased substantially in recent years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what factors increase the susceptibility of (a) badgers and (b) cattle to disease following exposure to M. bovis bacilli. [150513]

Factors that increase the susceptibility of cattle to disease following exposure to M. bovis include general health, nutritional status and immunological capability. It is likely that similar factors are important in determining the susceptibility of badgers although no studies have been carried out on this particular subject.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many badger setts that have been sticked have subsequently been found to have been recolonised; and what action is taken in the event that such recolonisation is observed. [150544]

Sticking of a Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) sett is a method used to indicate whether the sett is in active use. The team carrying out the post-cull survey will note the sign and use this information to inform their report. It may be difficult to identify whether a sett has been recolonised or whether there are badgers remaining from the original colony which were not captured during the trapping operation.RBCT design requires culling operations to be repeated annually in Proactive areas to maintain badger numbers as low as possible. During such operations, traps are placed on active setts on premises consenting to culling and additionally at locations indicating the movement of badgers from any adjoining non-consent land.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the Oxford University research on badger perturbation being carried out on behalf of her Department to be completed; when the report will be made available; who the lead scientist is; what the protocols are for this work; and what the budgeted cost is. [150546]

It is expected that the Oxford University research on badger perturbation being carried out on behalf of the Department will be completed at the end of March 2004. It is likely that the final report will be available later this year. It is managed by a member of the university's Zoology Department. The project's protocol investigates whether the spatial and temporal scale of the perturbation processes, the pattern and speed of recolonisation and the relief of density-dependent inhibitions on reproduction and survival observed in the study area may be generalised. The budgeted overall cost for the project is £1.25 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what statutory measures exist for the licensing and authorisation of badger translocations; under what conditions licences or authorisations are issued; which Department is responsible for implementing their provisions; and what the nature and level of supervisions are over persons licensed or otherwise authorised to carry out translocations. [150581]

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 6 January 2004, Official Report, column 249W, and 20 January 2004, Official Report, column 1186W.The specific conditions imposed on any licence are tailored to the particular circumstances of the operation to be undertaken.Licences are issued by the appropriate statutory conservation agency or agricultural department (English Nature and Defra, respectively, in England) depending on the purpose of the proposed translocation. The licensing body is responsible for specifying the conditions and licensee is responsible for complying with them.All licensed translocations are closely supervised by the issuing authority and by wildlife advisers with experience in licensed badger operations from the Department's National Wildlife Management Team.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 8 December 2003, Official Report, columns 214–15W, on bovine TB, and 15 December 2003, Official Report, column 631W. on badgers, what plans she has to revise guidelines to farmers on the height, positioning and protection of feed and water troughs following the findings of the Central Veterinary Laboratory on the climbing capabilities of badgers. [150594]

Recent research has demonstrated that in some circumstances badgers are capable of reaching cattle feed troughs set at least 80 cm above the ground.There are no plans to change the existing height guidelines, as trough heights must be set so that the cattle intended to feed from them can still reach the contents. However, investigation into trough design to deter access by badgers is being carried out.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether persons wishing or authorised to undertake the relocation of badgers are required (a) to carry out tests on those animals and (b) to await the results of any such tests before setting them free in their new locations. [150609]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 20 January 2004, Official Report, column 1186W. To briefly reiterate, all badgers relocated under the authority of a licence are tested three times for bovine tuberculosis and are only released if all three tests are negative. A similar approach is also applied to the relocation of rehabilitated badgers by animal hospitals, only in this case testing guidelines are not mandatory, but are set down in a voluntary code of practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the conclusions were of Professor Solly Zuckerman's 1988 report to the Ministry of Agriculture; and what his recommendations were for future strategy to protect (a) badgers and (b) cattle. [150713]

A copy of Professor Zuckerman's 1980 report, in which he describes in detail his conclusions and recommendations, is available in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the effects of the use of more discrete methods of badger culling on culling results. [150893]

It is not possible to draw an accurate comparison between different methods of culling badgers because there are no reliable methods of estimating badger populations either before or after culling.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage cull of badgers was originally proposed for the Krebs trials; how the culling was to be achieved; and in what ways the protocol was amended in the final version. [150895]

The Krebs report advised that in reactive areas all badgers, including lactating sows, should be removed from all social groups with territories including the breakdown farm. In the proactive areas there should be total removal of complete badger social groups from localised areas at high risk of breakdown, before herd breakdowns occurred. It also recommended that the use of stop-snaring should be explored as an alternative to trapping, and that an expert group should be established to oversee the detailed experimental design and operation of the trial.The group which was established, the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB, considered the possible use of snaring. It decided against this method of capture in favour of cage trapping and recorded the rationale for doing so in its first report (PB3881). That report also records its reasons for introducing a closed season for three months each year, when no trapping takes place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether any behavioural patterns have been observed in badgers showing signs of TB which predispose them to closer contact with cattle. [150944]

The Central Science Laboratory has just finished a research project at Woodchester Park to investigate the behavioural consequences of bovine TB infection in badgers. The findings of this study will be published in the scientific press shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her Answer of 8 December 2003, Official Report, column 218W on bovine TB, how many countries use the current skin sensitivity test as the primary diagnostic tool for bovine TB; and how many have reported problems with this test. [150492]

There are a number of different types of skin test in use around the world. We do not hold comprehensive information on the number of countries using each of these tests nor the way in which these tests are interpreted.All countries that have either eradicated, or have a programme to control, bovine tuberculosis use one or more forms of the skin test. The Government have close links with a number of countries in various stages of eradication and exchanges information and experiences on the use of the tests in the context of these programmes.The Government are not aware of any country that has replaced the skin test as the primary test for bovine tuberculosis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is possible to determine the relative culpability of an owner of a herd in which a TB breakdown is recorded as to why animals become infected. [150502]

In some cases, a TB breakdown may be attributable to a specific event, for example the purchase of an infected animal. In many cases, despite a veterinary investigation, it is not possible to determine the source of the infection with certainty. Defra does not attempt to determine relative culpability but has encouraged all farmers to take sensible precautions to reduce the risk to their cattle through the issue of the yellow "Better biosecurity" card and various booklets which contain guidance on disease prevention and control measures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many deer have been subject to post mortem examinations by her Department for the presence of TB during the least five years; and how many were found to be infected; [150514](2) what historical data are held by her Department on the prevalence of bovine TB in the British deer population; and what those data indicate as to the incidence of bovine TB in that population; [150516]

No statutory body routinely collects information on overall wild deer numbers in England and Wales. Stephen Harris et al. (1995) estimated the pre-breeding population sizes for deer in Great Britain (Table 1).

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) pursuant to her Answer of 8 December 2003, Official Report, column 218W, on bovine TB, whether the occasions of severe interference in the operational Krebs triplets areas represented a significant interference; whether that level of interference affected the conduct and outcome of the trials; and what the effects were of that interference in terms of (a) the outcomes and (b) the costs involved; [150565](2) how many farms were affected during the Krebs trials by a partial clearance of the badger population which was subsequently stopped; how many partial clearances were undertaken after a delayed start; and how the incomplete clearances affected

There has been a level of illegal activity and interference with the operation of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial which is certainly undesirable and could be considered significant. The cost of replacing stolen, lost and damaged traps is estimated to be approximately £400,000. Other costs relate chiefly to the loss of staff time, which cannot be provided at proportionate cost.At the time of cessation of the reactive strategy one premises was in the process of being trapped and the operation was concluded with only half the number of trapping nights completed. A number of other operations have been stopped early for a variety of reasons, for example bad weather or activity by animal activists. If an operation is not able to start as scheduled, it is extended to ensure that the standard period of two weeks' trapping is maintained.Standard Operating Procedures take account of the possibility of interruption to trapping operations. Although interference varied across trial areas, the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB found that the increase in the incidence of TB in reactive culling areas when compared with control (no culling) areas was consistent across all triplets.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the percentage increase was in the number of TB reactor herds reported in 2003 compared with 2002; and what factors are believed to be responsible for this increase. [150576]

In 2003, up to the end of November, there had been 2,880 new cattle herd TB incidents in Great Britain. In the same period in 2002, there were 3,035 new TB herd incidents reported.It is difficult to draw comparison between 2002 and 2003, because the testing effort in 2002 was very much increased to clear the backlog of testing after the foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many herds required 60-day tuberculosis tests in 1988. [150586]

In 1988, 351 herds required short-interval ('60-day') tests.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated infective dose is of TB bacilli (var bovis) in respect of cattle, by reference to infection portals; what the peak load is of bacilli that can be excreted in the urine of infected badgers; and what the predicted die-off rate is of the TB bacilli on grassland. [150591]

Determination of the minimum infectious dose of Mycobacterium bovis in cattle is part of the TB pathogenesis research programme. Early indications are that the minimum infectious dose for cattle via the respiratory tract is relatively small; the lowest infectious dose recorded so far is 70 colony forming units CFU, when introduced by the intracheal route or 9,600 CPU by the intranasal route.Relatively high levels of

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 8 December 2003, Official Report, column 216W, on bovine TB, what other rapid assay techniques are (a) available and (b) in the course of development which have the potential to speed up the detection of M. bovis in suspected TB lesions submitted for laboratory analysis. [150597]

Several liquid culture methods are commercially available for the isolation of bacteria of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex from clinical samples. These methods are mainly used in medical laboratories for the diagnosis of TB in humans. Although the liquid culture media can significantly shorten culture times, they have not been optimised for isolation of M. bovis. The growth requirements of M. bovis and M. tuberculosis are slightly different and culture media that work for one mycobacterium may not work so well for the other.The Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) is evaluating the

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what costs were incurred by her Department and its predecessor in relation to the proposed carcase burial pits at Ash Moor in Devon, broken down by (a) costs in relation to the acquisition of rights of way, (b) costs of construction including materials and off-site works, (c) security costs, (d) costs of restoration, including off-site works, (e) legal and professional fees and costs and (f) consultants' fees and costs. [151086]

[holding answer 26 January 2004]: The site was declared closed by Defra in late 2001. Costs incurred prior to 12/2001 relate to site construction, costs after 12/2001 relate to site management and restoration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department has spent in each of the past three years on training for environmental health officers under the Contaminated Land Regime, Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990; and if she will make statement. [150612]

With grant-in-aid from the Department, the Environment Agency enables training in procedural and technical aspects of the regime to include places for both local authority and Agency staff, in a joint approach. The latter often make up 75 per cent. or more of those attending.The Agency spent around £180,000 on developing such training in 2003–04, and an estimated £120,000 to £150,000 per annum in earlier years. They work closely with the National Society for Clean Air, and the Chartered Institute for Environmental Health who also provide training for local authority staff. The Agency has made materials available for use by other training providers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial and practical assistance her Department has given to environmental health officers since the Contaminated Land Regime, Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 came into force; and if she will make a statement. [150613]

The Department has been providing financial assistance to English local authorities for contaminated land capital projects for many years. Since the introduction in April 2000 of the contaminated land regime in Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, a total of £33.083 million capital funding has been provided, covering the financial years 2000–01 to 2002–03. Final figures are not yet available for 2003–04, but approvals to local authorities total a further £10.8 million, although the final outturn may be lower. Our project assessors frequently give advice to individual authorities which can save money and improve results.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what impact she expects the increase in the Scottish North Sea fleet haddock quota will have on landed prices; [150322](2) what the effect on market prices is of major quota increases for a fish species. [150323]

The price for an internationally traded species of fish, such as haddock, will tend to be influenced by the world price.The processing industry imports substantial quantities of fish to meet its needs and over time can adjust its import needs for species such as haddock, if the price and quality of domestic landings are considered appropriate.However, in the short term, prices for fish landed at UK ports may be affected by a number of factors, including the quality and size of fish, and whether exceptionally heavy or light concentrations of fish, are landed at particular times.Prices can also be affected by marketing activities. I understand that Seafish and Seafood Scotland, with the support of Scottish fishermen, are about to begin a consumer campaign for marketing haddock.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government's response to the farm scale evaluations of GM crops will be published. [151642]

[holding answer 29 January 2004]: The Government have received, advice from the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) on the implications of the farm scale evaluation results. We are consulting with the devolved Administrations before deciding whether to accept ACRE'S advice.The Government are now considering their overall policy on GM crops in the light of all the available information, including ACRE'S advice. We are aiming to set out our conclusions shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for further scientific tests of GM crops following the farm scale evaluations. [151643]

[holding answer 29 January 2004]: The Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) will advise on a case-by-case basis for each individual GM crop whether we have enough scientific evidence to enable us to make decisions. If further evidence is needed then we would expect the applicants to provide it. We are currently considering priorities for further publicly funded research in light of science review report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what cost savings have been made in her Department since the introduction of the Information Technology procurement Centre of Excellence; and how these were calculated. [151042]

A Centre of Excellence was formally established within Defra in June 2003 to integrate the essential functions which underpin the successful delivery of all types of acquisition based programmes and projects. As cost benefits will not accrue until improvements start to take effect, it is too early to measure cost savings. All Centres of Excellence are currently developing future plans, and as part of this process measurement of savings will be defined and reported.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on the proposed sale of ivory stockpiles by (a) Namibia, (b) Botswana and (c) South Africa under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. [150963]

[holding answer 28 January 2004]: It was agreed at the 12th Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Chile in 2002, that any one-off ivory sales would be supervised through a strict control system. It was also agreed that no sales would take place before May 2004 at the earliest to provide time for baseline data to be gathered on population and poaching levels and for information to be obtained on whether potential importing countries can effectively regulate their domestic ivory markets. The aim of these controls is to prevent any illegal ivory from entering into legal markets and to discourage an upsurge in poaching.The Government are strongly opposed to the illegal and unsustainable trade in elephant ivory. We will therefore insist at the CITES Standing Committee in Geneva in March 2004 that all of the strict conditions governing the one-off sale are met in full before any trade is allowed to go ahead.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her Answer of 11 December 2003, Official Report, column 539W, what the detailed protocol was for the wildlife survey undertaken as part of the Krebs trials; and whether landowner participation was invited for the specific surveys carried out in pursuance of this survey. [150569]

Survey techniques employed on this project to assess abundance of wildlife include spotlight surveys of hedgehogs, foxes, rabbits and brown hares and count surveys of ground-nesting birds. Radiotelemetry is also used to study the behaviour and mortality of hedgehogs, and video and still camera surveillance to monitor predation of birds' nests. Fox diet has been investigated through the collection of faecal samples. Detailed protocols of these techniques will be documented in scientific publications which are currently in preparation. All landowners were contacted to request their permission for access to land before surveys were carried out.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of appeals against the Rural Payments Agency were successful in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2002–03. [151957]

The Rural Payments Agency is responsible for the administration of the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) Appeal Procedure in England. The procedure was introduced on 1 April 2002 to provide IACS scheme applicants with easy access to an independent review of decisions on their claims. Those appellants who are unsuccessful at the first stage of the procedure have the opportunity to progress to a second stage. The percentage of successful appeals under each stage of the appeal procedure is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to pay interest on the late settlement of rural payments due to appeals. [151959]

The Rural Payments Agency will consider on a case-by-case basis requests for the payment of compensation in lieu of interest in successful appeals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) total number and (b) average value of appeals under consideration by the Rural Payments Agency is. [151960]

There are currently 28 Stage 1 and three Stage 2 appeals under consideration by the Rural Payments Agency under the Integrated Administration and Control System Appeal Procedure in England. Information on the average value of appeals under consideration can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment of flood risk in the Thames Gateway Development Area has been made by the Environment Agency; and if she will make a statement. [150902]

[holding answer 26 January 2004]: The Thames Gateway Development area is currently protected from flooding to a standard in excess of 1:1000 (or a 0.01 per cent. chance).This standard will be maintained until 2030 by the existing defences. The Environment Agency is now starting to consider the longer-term strategy for the whole Thames estuary beyond this date including mitigation for the impacts of climate change.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the rationale is behind the cut-off point of £14,200 for household income above which a family in receipt of working tax credit will not qualify for assistance through the Warm Front scheme. [150436]

This cut-off point was established to help target those on low incomes and therefore more likely to be in fuel poverty.The eligibility criteria for Warm Front are broadly in line with the low income priority group for the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC). In a consultation document on the changes to the tax credit system affecting the priority group for the EEC, published by the Department in December 2002, a cut-off point of around £14,000 was proposed for child tax credit and working tax credit.Following that consultation and consideration of the responses received, a cut-off point of £14,200 was set for the EEC. To maintain consistency, this was also introduced to the eligibility criteria for Warm Front.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the monthly cost of the Office of the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly (a) was in the six months before suspension and (b) has been since suspension, broken down by (i) staff costs and (ii) administration costs. [150833]

The average monthly expenditure for the Office of the Speaker for the six months prior to suspension—from 1 May 2002 to 31 October 2002—was £15,234 of which staff costs accounted for £12,067 and administrative costs for £3,167. For administrative purposes figures have been included for the period up to and including 31 October 2002.The average monthly expenditure for the Office of the Speaker for the eight months following suspension—from 1 November 2002 to 30 June 2003—was £18,881 of which staff costs accounted for £13,392 and administrative costs for £5,489. This included the costs of a number of events already planned prior to suspension of the Assembly.The average monthly expenditure for the Office of the Speaker for the last six months—from 1 July 2003 to 31 December 2003—was £13,401 of which staff costs accounted for £12,846 and administrative costs for £555.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to increase the number of children's home places in the province. [151185]

In recent years the total number of available residential places has increased from 332 (2001) to 409 (January 2004). Plans for a further increase in the number of residential places and a continuing programme of replacements for unsuitable and substandard facilities are currently being developed but have not yet been fully finalised. It is expected that these further plans will involve an increase of around 50 in the number of residential places available over the next three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in negotiating a pay settlement within the Northern Ireland Civil Service following the recent industrial action; and what steps the Department of Finance and Personnel have taken to engage in pay negotiations with union representatives. [151621]

Extensive negotiations over several months did not result in an agreed pay deal for the 11 departments of the Northern Ireland Administration this year. Management Side presented an offer worth 3.67 per cent. on 5 November. As this could not be agreed, and Trade Union Side declined to negotiate within the 3.67 per cent. envelope, we took the decision to proceed to pay the award and communicated this to staff and Trade Union Side on 27 November. I have made clear to Trade Union Side that the 3.67 per cent. deal is the maximum that can be paid. We are however open to exploring other reasonable means of resolving the dispute. A further meeting of the Central Whitley Council between Trade Union and Management Sides has been arranged.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) part-time and (b) full-time classroom assistants were employed in Northern Ireland's schools in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement on (i) the recruitment and (ii) the retention of classroom assistants in Northern Ireland. [150678]

The information requested is as follows.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the full-time equivalent staffing complement at Armagh College of Further and Higher Education was at the end of academic years (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03. [151620]

The full-time equivalent staffing complements for Armagh College of Further and Higher Education for the specified academic years are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent steps he has taken to improve services for those who develop dementia early in life. [151183]

The Health and Social Services Trusts provide a range of hospital and community-based services to people with dementia, including those who develop this condition early in life. However there are some younger people whose needs are not being fully met and Trusts are therefore working with this group to determine their specific requirements. The emphasis will be on maintaining people with dementia at home with adequate support from qualified and trained staff.Dementia services will be included in a comprehensive evaluation of policy and services being undertaken by the Review of Mental Health and Learning Disability.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what means are used to assist disabled persons in gaining employment in Northern Ireland. [151181]

The Department for Employment and Learning through the Disablement Advisory Service provides advice, guidance, training and a job-placing service for people with disabilities and health issues. The service assists disabled people who wish to obtain or retain employment and is delivered by a team of Disablement Employment Advisers based in JobCentres/Jobs and Benefits Offices across Northern Ireland.The Department provides a range of programmes which have been designed to assist people with a range of disabilities enter and keep employment. These include the Job Introduction Scheme, Access to Work, Employment Support and New Deal for Disabled People. The Department also administers European funding under the Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity and the EQUAL Community Initiative which support people with health problems and disabilities return to employment.The Special Needs Careers Service provides a service to young people with disabilities in full-time education and training and after completion of these.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to promote e-government services within his Department. [150666]

The electronic delivery of services is central to our commitment to providing modern, efficient services and to making government more open and accessible to the public.The publication of the OnlineNI Strategy in April 2003 provides a framework for the future development of e-government and electronic service delivery in Northern Ireland. Both Northern Ireland Departments and the Northern Ireland Office have a target to have 100 per cent. key services capable of being delivered electronically by the end of 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many women from outside the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland gave birth at each maternity unit in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [150753]

One woman from outside the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland gave birth at a maternity unit in Northern Ireland during the last 12 months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many women from outside Northern Ireland gave birth in the province in each of the last 12 months who were from (a) Great Britain, (b) the Republic of Ireland, (c) other EU countries and (d) outside the European Union; and if he will make a statement. [150754]

The table shows the number of women from (a) Great Britain, (b) the Republic of Ireland, (c) other EU countries and (d) outside the European Union who gave birth in Northern Ireland in each of the last 12 months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) successful and (b) failed MOT tests were performed at each test centre in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months. [151208]

Information on successful and unsuccessful MOT tests could be provided from the manual test records of the Department of the Environment's Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency (DVTA) only at disproportionate cost. However, new information technology recently installed in all DVTA test centres will allow this information to be extracted in the future.In the meantime, the table shows, by test centre, the number of all tests and re-tests (previous test failures) for all vehicle categories for which roadworthiness certificates are required, including those generally referred to as MOT tests. It should be noted that the retest figures can include multiple re-tests on a single vehicle, that the re-test may not take place at the same centre as the original test and that re-test numbers may be affected by the proportion of tests on different categories of vehicles at individual test centres. The retest figures do not include vehicles which fail the full test but are not subsequently presented for re-test.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the relocation of the Moylinn General Practitioner Co-operative. [150732]

I can advise that the out-of-hours facility at Moylinn will be moved to new purpose built premises on the Craigavon Area Hospital site. Building work is set to begin in the spring with the transfer of the out-of-hours services from Moylinn due to be completed early autumn this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what input he has sought from service users into plans for redevelopment of the Muckamore Abbey Site. [151186]

The redevelopment of Muckamore Abbey Hospital was first identified in strategies for services for people with learning disabilities produced by the Eastern and Northern Health and Social Services Boards in the mid-1990s. These strategies were the subject of extensive consultation, including public meetings held in number of venues throughout the Boards' areas.In July 2000, North and West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust distributed 800 copies of a consultation document on Muckamore Abbey Hospital. A number of public meetings were held, including a briefing meeting held by the Chief Executive for MLAs. A team of social workers visited the families of every inpatient in the hospital to hear their views on the proposed changes to the hospital.A service users' focus group has been set up which has been independently facilitated from outside the hospital. The focus group is made up of people who are currently hospital patients and people who are ex-patients. This is informing the modernisation process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what charges are in place for people using NHS services in Northern Ireland who do not reside in the United Kingdom; and whether these charges extend to citizens from (a) the Republic of Ireland and (b) other EU member states. [150669]

The responsibility for calculating charges for private patients, or for patients who are not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, lies with Health and Social Services Trusts, each of which maintains its own list of charges. Residents of countries within the European Economic Area (EEA) are entitled to free treatment if they are taken ill while visiting Northern Ireland. Patients may also be referred to Northern Ireland for treatment of a specific condition under formal contractual arrangements between individual hospitals or health boards. With the exception of cross-border workers, visitors from the Republic of Ireland have the same entitlement to treatment as those from any other EEA country.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment the Community Relations Council has made of the level of race hate crime in Northern Ireland; what remedies they recommend; and what action he has taken as a result. [149245]

I have asked the Chief Executive of the Community Relations Council to write to my hon. Friend and I shall arrange for a copy of the letter to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average waiting times are for (a) inpatient admission and (b) outpatient assessment in each of the Province's orthopaedic centres. [151212]

The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many racist incidents involving victims from the Chinese community occurred in Northern Ireland in (a) each of the last three years and (b) the current year to date. [148257]

I am sorry for the delay in replying.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in (i) his Department and (ii) departmental agencies in the last 12 months. [147988]

Since January 2003 a total of 12 passes have been reported lost and two stolen by staff in my Department; and during the same period five were reported lost and two stolen by staff in departmental agencies. The likelihood of any increased threat to the Department or Agency as a result of the loss of a pass is assessed on each occasion and any appropriate action is taken.This reply relates only to the Northern Ireland Office and does not cover the 11 departments of the Northern Ireland Administration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in his Department in the last 12 months. [150403]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to the hon. Member for Winchester (Question Ref. 147988).

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals in Northern Ireland are trained in sign language. [151220]

There are 17,000 people in Northern Ireland who have severe or profound deafness. Approximately 4,500 of these people use sign language. Hearing people who associate with signers in business or personal life also use sign language. Statistics are not available on how many individuals are trained in sign language, however, there are currently only five fully qualified registered BSL interpreters in Northern Ireland and one ISL interpreter.The Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People (CACDP) in Northern Ireland have provided details of the BSL and ISL training given at each level from 2000 to 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil servants have applied under new Working Time Regulations to work from home, broken down by gender; and how many requests have been successful in each case. [149214]

The number of applications to work from home made by civil servants employed in NI Departments and the Northern Ireland Office under the Employment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 (which came into effect on 6 April 2003), and the number of successful requests, are shown in the table.The procedures and timescales to be followed are specified in the Flexible Working (Procedural Requirements) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003.Also shown are the number of applications received since 6 April 2003 under existing work-life balance provisions, made outside the scope of the legislation, and the number of successful requests.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the application of section 1(1)(d) of the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended); [143172](2) if he will make a statement on whether cleft palate or cleft lip are regarded as serious handicaps for the purpose of section 1(1)(d) if the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended). [143173]

Parliament decided in 1967 that a pregnancy could be terminated by a registered medical practitioner if two registered medical practitioners are of the opinion, formed in good faith that there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped. The term "seriously handicapped" has not been interpreted by any court decisions.Permission to proceed to a judicial review on these matters was granted on 1 December 2003 and will be considered by the courts at a hearing starting on 24 May 2004. The claimant is also seeking a declaration as to the incompatibility of section 1(1)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department plans to complete its evaluation of the SunSmart campaign; and when he will decide the amount of funds Cancer Research UK will receive to continue the campaign. [152010]

Evaluation of the SunSmart campaign is being undertaken on an on-going basis. Cancer Research UK is working on a plan for future activity on the basis of lessons learned from the underpinning qualitative research by the University of Strathclyde, which was completed in September 2003. Decisions on the funding of a future campaign will be taken in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much space, expressed in square metres, the Department occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. [150286]

The Department and its Executive Agencies occupies 71,369 m² in Central London for the offices of civil servants and an additional 1,904 m² in Greater London.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of deaths from ectopic pregnancy; and if he will make a statement. [150771]

The Department is currently preparing a national service framework for children, which will include standards for maternity care, including the management of problems in early pregnancy. It also currently provides Section 64 support for the organisation The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, which provides information, support and advice to those affected by ectopic pregnancy, and works to raise awareness. Details of the grants provided are shown in the following tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether the Minister for Public Health has set a date for his proposed meeting with Commissioner Byrne to discuss the interpretation of Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive;. [144870](2) if he will list the dates when he expects that Ministers from his Department will meet their counterparts in each of the Member and Candidate States of the European Union to discuss the interpretation of Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive; which officials will accompany Ministers at each of those meetings; what main points he expects will be made; and if he will make a statement. [144871]

Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive lays out a framework for the future setting of maximum permitted levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements, The European Commission has not yet made a proposal listing European Union maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements and we do not expect it to do so for another two to three years.The United Kingdom continues to take every opportunity to press its view that maximum levels should be set on a safety basis. I am seeking to arrange a discussion with Commissioner Byrne at the earliest practical opportunity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what definition the Department uses of an influenza epidemic; [142961]

The numbers of influenza-like illnesses reported to the Royal College of General Practitioners in the past five winter seasons are shown in the table.In none of these years did the level of general practitioner consultation rate reach 400 per 100,000 of the population, which is the level required to be classed as an epidemic.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the forecast outcome for the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust is for 2003–04; what assessment has been made of its level of financial risk; and what loans it has (a) taken and (b) applied for from the NHS Bank in 2003–04. [151239]

[holding answer 27 January 2004]: Audited information on the financial position of national health service trusts will be published in their individual annual accounts. These data will be available centrally in the autumn.At the Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) Board meeting on 20 January 2004, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust reported a deficit of £1.7 million as at the end of December 2003. The SHA has assessed the financial risk and is forecasting a break even position for the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust at the end of the financial year 2003–04.The SHA has not made an application to the NHS Bank on behalf of the trust in 2003–04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to his answer of 20 January 2004, Official Report, column 1110W, on personal care charges, what the sources of the estimate are; and if he will place in the Library the assumptions and analysis from which this estimate was derived; [151468](2) pursuant to his answer of 20 January 2004,

The estimate for the cost of introducing free personal care was prepared by Department of Health economists using a variety of data and assumptions. An explanatory note has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the relationship between the criminal guardianship powers in the Mental Health Act 1983 and the community treatment orders proposed in the Draft Mental Health Bill 2002. [149798]

Like the guardianship order, the proposed power—that the courts would make a mental health order without requiring residence in hospital—could enable people who needed treatment subject to sanction to receive it without resort to detention in hospital. Unlike the guardianship order, the proposed power would enable the admission of the person to hospital for compulsory treatment in the event of that becoming necessary for his own health or safety or that of others.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the target groups of people with mental health problems who will be helped by the introduction of community treatment orders. [149800]