To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will meet a delegation of West Sussex Social Services councillors and hon. Members to discuss the situation regarding the Chagossians in West Sussex; [156188](2) what discussions he has had with West Sussex County Council regarding the settlement of Chagossians in West Sussex; [156189](3) for what reasons he has not paid the costs of West Sussex Social Services relating to the settlement of Chagossians in West Sussex; and if he will do so. [156190]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 6 November 2003, Official Report, column 891W. My officials remain in contact with the Department of Health and the Department for Work and Pensions on this issue. Officers from the Department of Health have already met with West Sussex County Council to discuss the situation and offer constructive advice, and both Departments have stated that they will continue to work with the council to address the matter.No final decision on the situation of the Chagossians in the UK, including the payment of costs, can be taken until the judicial review proceedings are complete.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Chinese Government about religious freedom in China. [156235]

We raised the issue of religious freedom with the Chinese during the last round of our regular biannual UK/China Human Rights Dialogue held in Beijing on 10 to 11 November 2003. I personally discussed human rights issues more generally when I met with Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui in Beijing on 17 December 2003.We have repeatedly made clear that harassment of religious groups is unacceptable and not in keeping with the provisions of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, which we continue to urge the Chinese to ratify.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Chinese Government about their treatment of Christians. [156236]

We are deeply concerned about religious freedom in China, including the treatment of Christians, and monitor the situation closely. We regularly raise this issue with the Chinese at the biannual UK/China Human Rights Dialogue; the most recent round was held in Beijing on 10 to 11 November 2003. I personally discussed human rights issues more generally when I met with Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui in Beijing on 17 December 2003.We have repeatedly made clear that the harassment of Christians is unacceptable and not in keeping with the provisions of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, which we continue to urge the Chinese to ratify.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received diplomatic letters from the Mexican Government asking him to clarify whether GCHQ was involved in placing other members of the United Nations Security Council under surveillance in the run up to the war in Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [156196]

The British Embassy in Mexico City has received a Note Verbale from the Mexican Government on this issue. It is the well-established and long-standing practice of successive governments not to respond to speculation about alleged operational activities by the UK Security and Intelligence Services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many speeches he made between 9 June 2003 and 1 February 2004; and where a copy of each speech can be obtained. [156145]

I made 18 substantive public speeches outside the House of Commons in my capacity as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in that period. Copies of them and of future such speeches can be found on the FCO website (www.fco.gov.uk).

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 11 December 2003, Official Report, column 587W, on Mr. Jafar Dhia Jafar, when he will write to the hon. Member. [149479]

I wrote to the hon. Member on 30 January 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the British High Commission in Harare accepts transfer payments in sterling for payment of passport renewal applications. [156675]

No. Consular fees in Harare can currently only be paid in cash, or by bankers cheque, in local currency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the charge for a new 10-year British passport issued in Harare is in (a)sterling and (b) Zimbabwean dollars. [156676]

The current sterling fee for issuing a standard British passport overseas is £56.50 for an adult and £36.50 for a child. The cost in local currency at the British Embassy in Harare is 430,500 Zimbabwean dollars at present, although this will vary as the exchange rate fluctuates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the last 12 months on the priorities the Government intend to pursue when the UK assumes the presidencies of the (a) G8 and (b)EU. [156183]

Detailed planning and discussion are going on within, and between, Departments at ministerial and official level. Formal discussions in Cabinet and Cabinet Committees will take place as necessary. The broad framework for work during the next five EU presidencies (including our own) is provided in the Council's Multi-Annual Strategic Programme, which has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received letters from the Governments of (a) Chile and (b) Mexico regarding surveillance of delegates to the UN Security Council; and if he will make a statement. [1156479]

The British Embassy in Mexico City received a Note Verbale from the Mexican Government on this issue. We have received no such correspondence from the Chilean Government.It is the well-established and long-standing practice of successive governments not to respond to speculation about alleged operational activities by the UK Security and Intelligence Services.

To ask the Advocate-General what the total cost of running the office of the Advocate-General was in the latest year for which figures are available. [R][154170]

The identifiable costs of the office are not limited to the work of the Advocate-General but include litigation and advisory work, including the preparation of Bills, carried out by lawyers from the Office of Solicitor to the Advocate-General on behalf of Government Departments. The figure for 2002–03, in respect of identifiable costs of staff and related administration for my office, was £1,538,154.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects the Advisory Panel on Illicit Trade to (a) report next and (b) be wound up. [155802]

I refer to the Government's response (published on 24 February) to the report (published on 16 December 2003) of the Select Committee for Culture, Media and Sport Cultural Objects: Developments since 2000.

To ask the Prime Minister what action he has taken to implement the recommendations of Sir Anthony Hammond about writing notes of ministerial meetings and telephone conversations. [156375]

Following the publication of Sir Anthony Hammond's report, the then Cabinet Secretary (now Lord Wilson of Dinton GCB) wrote to all Departments enclosing guidance on the management of private office papers It is for individual Departments to determine their own arrangements taking account of this guidance.

To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the last 12 months on the priorities the Government intend to pursue when the UK assumes the presidencies of the (a) G8 and (b) EU. [156185]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe gave him today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost was to public funds of setting up devolved government in Scotland, excluding the cost of building the new parliament building in Edinburgh. [154396]

It is not possible to determine the costs of setting up devolved government in Scotland. Any costs since 1 July 1999 are a matter for the Scottish Executive. There has been no increase in the Scottish block to meet additional costs of devolution.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department and its predecessors spent on branding the Department between 1997–98 and 2003–04, broken down by (a) consultancy fees, (b) design and orders for new stationery, (c) website design and (d) other material featuring new logos. [154070]

The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Since then, there has been no expenditure on consultancy fees relating to branding the department and expenditure on new stationery or material featuring logos was minimal. The office spent £2,988 on branding in 1999–2000, relating mainly to new building signage. The Scotland Office website was set up in 1999 by departmental staff.In the period 1 May 1997 to 30 June 1999, the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency, now an agency of the Scottish Executive, spent £57,156 in respect of its agency logo and associated branding. Since 1 July 1999 expenditure on branding within the Scottish Executive or its agencies has been a matter for the Executive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much (a) his Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department spent on (i) advertising and (ii) information campaigns in each year since 2002ߝ03. [149915]

[holding answer 22 January 2004]: The Scotland Office spent £10,390 on advertising in 2002–03. There has been no expenditure on advertising to date in 2003–04.The Boundary Commission for Scotland spent £54,613 in 2002–03 on advertising statutory notices. Expenditure to date in 2003–04 is £62,557.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his Department's expenditure on recruitment advertising was in each of the last three years, broken down by publication; and what proportion of such expenditure was (a) to advertise vacant posts and (b) in the form of other general recruitment advertising. [155527]

There has been no expenditure on recruitment advertising by the Scotland Office.

To ask the Minister for Women what the latest statistics are on the differential between male and female earnings for (a) men in the upper 10 per cent. of male earnings and women in the upper 10 per cent. of female earnings, (b) average male earnings and average female earnings and (c) men in the bottom 10 per cent. of male earnings and women in the bottom 10 per cent. of female earnings. [156273]

The full-time hourly gender pay gap is 19.8 per cent. at the upper decile of the earnings distribution, and 9.11 per cent. at the bottom decile. The mean average hourly pay gap is 18.0 per cent. compared to a median average pay gap of 12.9 per cent.

To ask the Minister for Women if she will make a statement on female employment in social care. [156274]

Social care has a predominately female workforce. Employers need policies that recruit, develop and retain women in these important roles.

To ask the Minister for Women what steps she has taken to ensure the safety of children whose parents have separated as a result of domestic violence. [156278]

Children who grow up in homes where there is domestic violence will always be affected by it. In, 'Every Child Matters', the government's consultation document, we outline proposals that will give:

Improved support to parents through better universal and targeted services for families.

Early intervention and protection. with improved information sharing between agencies, a common needs assessment framework, assignment of a lead professional in cases where a child faces multiple risk factors, and multi-disciplinary teams in and around schools.

Greater accountability and integration of services locally, regionally and nationally, with a Director of Children's Services in every local authority and Local Safeguarding Children Boards.

A workforce reform strategy which will help the recruitment and retention of key professionals.

To ask the Minister for Women what action she proposes to close the pay gap between men and women in the south-east of England. [156277]

The pay gap in the south-east is the second largest in Great Britain. This is in part because some men's earnings are particularly high there.The pay gap problem is, however, a national one, and we are taking forward a number of measures to address it. These include the introduction of the national minimum wage, benefiting around one million women, and provisions in the Employment Act spreading good practice on equal pay.

To ask the Minister for Women how many days on average her Office took in Session 2002–3 to give a substantive answer to a parliamentary question for ordinary written answer; and what the greatest number of days taken to answer such a question was. [155930]

The Department's database has not separately identified figures for questions that I have answered as Minister for Women. Therefore, these figures are included in the answer to my hon. Friend's question 155390.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she last met leaders of the construction sector of the energy efficiency industry. [156263]

The Secretary of State attended the Better Buildings Summit on 21 October 2003 and met many people with an interest in energy efficiency issues and construction. In addition, in my role as Construction Minister I regularly meet with a range of organisations with an interest in this area including CIBSE, CPA and BSRIAS. Actions agreed at the Better Buildings Summit are being taken forward by the Sustainable Buildings Task Group. This includes action on energy efficiency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the likelihood of reaching the Government's energy targets for 2010. [156264]

The Government remain confident that their target of 10 per cent. of electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2010 will be met. The target is challenging but we have established a framework of policies and measures for expansion, and industry has responded favourably to these.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the balance of trade with the EU was in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available; and what the balance was (a) five and (b) 10 years ago. [156265]

In the year to the third quarter of 2003, the UK's balance of trade in goods and services deficit with the European Union was 2.5 per cent. of GDP. In 1998 and 1993, the deficits were 0.7 and 0.9 per cent. of GDP respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on regional support for manufacturing in Yorkshire and Humber. [156266]

The Government are committed to supporting manufacturing in the UK. The Government's Manufacturing Strategy (published in May 2002) focuses on building a strong and successful manufacturing sector—supporting good quality jobs. Within Yorkshire and the Humber, Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency for the region has made manufacturing a key priority in the Regional Economic Strategy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to promote new ways of working in industrial relations. [156269]

My Department has introduced various initiatives in recent years to promote new ways of working in industrial relations. The Employment Relations Bill, currently before Parliament, includes provisions to implement the information and Consultation Directive and an amendment to provide funding for the modernisation of trade unions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to promote innovation in UK manufacturing. [156270]

The recently published Innovation Report, "Competing in the Global Economy: The Innovation Challenge", sets out an action plan to drive up levels of innovation in UK-based businesses. We are also taking forward a range of actions, as part of the Government's Manufacturing Strategy, to promote innovation in manufacturing to help our companies compete effectively in the global marketplace on the basis of high-skills and high-value products. These actions include the highly successful Manufacturing Advisory Service we have established in every region; the extension of the R&D tax credit; and our work with the RDAs to help manufacturers exploit the UK's strong science, engineering and technology base. We will publish a progress report on the implementation of the Manufacturing Strategy in May 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her Department's annual (a) staff and (b) car budget was for each year since 1997. [153547]

Total spending by Department of Trade and Industry from its gross controlled Administration Budget on its staff and car budgets was as follows:

	Staff costs (£)	Car charges (£)	Car charges as a percentage of staff costs
1997–98	227,000	—	—
1998–99	229,000	714.5	0.31
1999–2000	225,000	560.6	0.25
2000–01	261,000	597.4	0.23
2001–02	221,000	652.2	0.30
2002–03	276,000	749	0.27

The staffs costs figures can be found in the Department of Trade and Industry's Expenditure Plans 1999–2000 to 2001–2002 (Cm 4211) and the 2003 Departmental Report (Cm 5916).The car charges exclude the ministerial car service. The figure for 1997–98 is not readily available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to amend the Government's UK emissions targets for carbon dioxide; and if she will make a statement. 154221]

The Government plans to move towards a 20 per cent. reduction in CO2 emissions by 2010. There has been no change in this intention.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the margin of electricity capacity to meet winter peaks was for each year since 1993. [155266]

Based on data published by the National Grid Company in its annual "Seven Year Statement" and quarterly updates, out-turn figures for the total installed generating capacity, the average cold spell peak demand and the corresponding plant margin in England and Wales since the winter of 1993–94 are shown in the following table.

Winter	Total installed capacity (GW)	Average cold spell peak demand (GW)	Plant margin (Percentage)
1993–94	60.8	48.5	25.4
1994–95	59.5	48.9	21.7
1995–96	57.2	49.7	15.1
1996–97	61.4	50.9	20.6
1997–98	62.3	51.3	21.4
1998–99	63.3	51.5	22.9
1999–2000	64.7	52.4	23.4
2000–01	66.6	53.2	25.3
2001–02	68.0	54.1	25.6
2002–03	66.8	55.5	20.3
2003–041	68.0	55.9	21.6
1Provisional

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with electricity generators regarding the supply of electricity. [155387]

Department of Trade and Industry Ministers hold regular meetings with electricity companies, including generators, to discuss a wide range of issues affecting the electricity industry, including the supply of electricity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will mike a statement on plans to invest in infrastructure to reduce instability of power in rural areas. [155471]

Ofgem's principal objective under the Electricity Act 1989 (as amended) is to protect the interests of consumers and, in performing that duty, it has regard to, among others, individuals in rural areas. Ofgem also has duties to promote efficiency and economy on the part of the distribution network operator (DNO), and the operators themselves have duties under the Act to maintain an efficient and economical system. Ofgem are required to balance these duties and so improvement in rural stability as a consequence of network investment is balanced against the additional costs involved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what regulations are in place to ensure a reliable electricity supply to consumers. [155482]

Legal responsibility for energy security is shared by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Ofgem. My right hon. Friend is responsible for setting the overall regulatory framework for the supply of electricity. A key part of that framework is set out in section 3 A of the Electricity Act 1989 as amended by the Utilities Act 2000 and includes the objectives "to protect the interests of consumers". To this end the Secretary of State has made a statutory instrument (The Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002) requiring electricity distribution companies to prevent interruption of supply as far as is reasonably practical. These regulations are enforced by DTI Engineering Inspectors.Electricity for domestic consumers is provided through their contracts with electricity supply companies which must meet standard licence conditions including the need "to secure that all reasonable demands in Great Britain for electricity are met".The infrastructure and the flow of electricity between generators and consumers is the responsibility of National Grid and electricity distribution companies. They are both regulated by Ofgem and also have licence conditions and objectives. For example, National Grid has a licence condition to operate the electricity system in an economic, efficient and coordinated manner. The Secretary of State lays down the Standard Licence Conditions. Enforcement of the licence conditions is for Ofgem.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the estimated number of customer minutes lost of electricity was in (a) Dumfries and Galloway, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK in 2003. [155470]

The average customer minutes lost of electricity during 2002–03 for the three areas are:

(a) Dumfries and Galloway: 147

(b) Scotland: 79

(c) UK: 110

The average minutes lost per connected customer in the respective regions reflects the reliability of supplies averaged out between those living in rural and urban settings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Government's policy is on Article 10 of the draft EU Enforcement Directive. [155941]

We support the compromise text for the draft EU Enforcement Directive sent by the Council to the European Parliament on 16 February.In this text Article 10 (provisional measures) provides for a right holder to apply for an interlocutory injunction:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the protection of intellectual property rights afforded by the draft EU Enforcement Directive to UK businesses. [155942]

We have been assessing the EU Enforcement Directive as it has developed in discussions in the Council Working Party on Intellectual Property and the Permanent Representatives Committee taking account of the various views expressed by interests in response to the Patent Office consultation and informal discussions.We intend to present a report on the compromise text for the EU Enforcement Directive to the Parliament's Scrutiny Committees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what reasons underlie the Government's decision to seek amendments to Articles 10 and 15 of the draft EU Enforcement Directive. [155943]

We support the compromise text for the draft EU Enforcement Directive sent by the Council to the European Parliament on 16 February.We believe this text preserves the balance achieved in the earlier Copyright Directive 2001/29/EC and between the interests of right holders and intermediaries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations the Government are making to other EU member states to ensure that the draft EU Enforcement Directive offers the best possible degree of protection to UK businesses. [155944]

The compromise text sent by the Council to the European Parliament on 16 February was the result of intensive discussions with the Council Working Party on Intellectual Property and the Permanent Representatives Committee together with informal discussions with other member states and the interests in general.As stated in the Council's letter, the compromise proposal received broad support in the Permanent Representatives Committee, and I believe that if this text is adopted, it will significantly assist UK businesses with the enforcement of their intellectual property rights across the European Community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Government proposals for EU regional policy after 2006 (a) falls within existing EU treaty obligations and (b) has been accepted by the Commission. [155224]

The Government considers that its proposals for EU regional policy after 2006 do fall within existing Treaty obligations. Our proposals aim at reducing disparities between regions, with a focus on the needs of the poorest Member States.The Commission's proposals for the future development of EU regional policy is set out in its Third Cohesion Report, which was published on 18 February. This report will provide an important contribution to the ongoing debate. We shall want to assess the policy and budgetary implications of the proposals in the report carefully against the Government's objectives for reform.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people are receiving the minimum wage in the Workington constituency. [156267]

It is not possible to provide estimates specifically for Workington. However, based on the Office for National Statistics' Low Pay data released in 2003, the DTI estimates that around 140,000 people in the North West stood to benefit from the introduction of the national minimum wage in April 1999.The DTI estimates that between 130,000 and 160,000 people in the North West benefited from the increase in minimum wage rates in October 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to tackle music piracy. [156259]

Commercial scale piracy is clearly having a serious impact on the music and film industry, which makes an important contribution to the British economy.The White Paper, "Competing in the Global Economy: The Innovation Challenge Innovation Report", published by the Department in December 2003 (copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House), gave the Patent Office a mandate to agree a new national strategy for intellectual property crime. Development of that strategy is now in hand.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the Government's contribution to the European Space Agency's planned near earth object mission study. [155360]

The UK was involved in, and contributed under European Space Agency (ESA) General Studies funding towards, the ESA's Near Earth Object (NEO) mission studies including the "Remote Sensing of NEOs from Space" study and the "Simone" study which looked at options for an inter-planetary intercept mission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on steps the Government have taken to promote multi-disciplinary studies of the consequences of impacts from near earth objects on the earth. [155362]

The Government supports the findings of the OECD Global Science Forum (GSF) Workshop held in Frascati in January 2003. These include a recommendation for multidisciplinary activity by the International Council for Science (ICSU). That activity has since been approved and is underway. The UK will be involved in the execution of the ICSU activity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on steps the Government have taken to establish studies to look into the practical possibilities of mitigating the results of impact and deflecting incoming objects. [155363]

Through the current OECD Global Science Forum activity on Near Earth Objects (NEO), the Government are involved in studies to look into the practical aspects of assessing the risk of impacts as well as the related mitigation planning. The UK has actively encouraged the European Space Agency to carry out studies on NEOs and is involved in missions such as the Rosetta mission to the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. This will provide significant experience adding to the already substantial knowledge base that will help in the preparation of any deflection mission that may be required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the hazard from near earth objects. [155366]

Near Earth Objects (NEO) remain a continuing risk and one which the Government takes seriously. The NEO Information Centre based in Leicester will continue to provide up to date information on the risks to Government and the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on arrangements that have been made for observational data obtained for other purposes by wide-field facilities to be searched for near earth objects on a nightly basis. [155370]

The two main new wide-field survey facilities (ESO VISTA in Chile and the WFCAM instrument facility in Hawaii) are currently under construction and plans for their observing programmes are under discussion between PPARC (Particle Physic and Astronomy Research Council) and its partners. In order to undertake routine examination in near real time of the data stream from these facilities, a dedicated software suite would be required.There are no resources available to provide such a capability. Nevertheless, observing programme managers will exchange information on targets of opportunity, such as Near Earth Objects, on a best efforts basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on negotiations to establish an arrangement for small amounts of time to be provided under appropriate financial terms for spectroscopic follow-up of near earth objects; and what financial support she has provided. [155372]

I refer to the reply to PQ No. 155371. The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) has provided some £2,000 pa to the follow-up and spectroscopic analysis activity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many days on average her Department took in Session 2002–03 to give a substantive answer to a parliamentary question for ordinary written answer; and what the greatest number of days taken to answer such a question was. [155928]

According to the Department's PQ database, the Department answered 2,867 Ordinary Written Questions in the session 2002–03. Of these, 2,293 (80 per cent.) were answered within five sitting days. 172 (6 per cent.) took longer than 10 days to receive a reply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) urban and (b) rural post offices have closed in East Devon since 1997. [155298]

Decisions on post office closures are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and 1 have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many consultations on post office branch closures have been carried out in the 12 months to 31 January; and how many such consultations have resulted in a branch remaining open. [155883]

Decisions on post office closure proposals following public consultation are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the closure programme for post offices in urban areas. [156268]

Post Office Ltd. reports on the urban reinvention programme on a quarterly basis. As at the end of December 2003:

694 offices had closed under the programme;

46 proposals had been withdrawn or delayed for reworking during the advance notification process agreed with Postwatch;

a further 66 proposals had been withdrawn or amended as a result of public consultation.

Post Office Ltd. had approved 388 applications for investment grants to modernise remaining post offices.On 5 February, I announced a number of changes, agreed between Post Office Ltd. and Postwatch, to the public consultation arrangements to ensure confidence in them and, by maximising the quality of judgment and transparency, to produce a fair result for customers and the company.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the progress of arrangements for opening post office card accounts. [156011]

The post office card account is proving popular with customers. So far, over 2 million people have chosen the card account.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many state aid applications were received in each of the last five years, broken down by region; how many were allowed in each case; and how many are awaiting decisions. [147859]

The following table sets out the best available information on the number of UK notifications made to, and approved by, the European Commission over the past five years excluding agriculture, fishery and transport cases. It would not be possible to break the figures down to regions within England except at disproportionate cost. Where a notification is not clearly regionally specific it is recorded as UK-wide. In addition there were 10, 58 and 61 cases in the years 2001, 2002 and 2003 respectively deemed approved under the Block Exemption Regulations and Multisectoral Framework 2002.

	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Notified	20	26	25	40	35
Pending	—	2	1	2	24
Withdrawn or negative	1	—	—	1	—

	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Approved	19	24	24	37	11
of which:
UK	10	11	11	32	9
England	4	9	4	2	—
Scotland	—	2	3	1	—
Wales	3	—	—	1	1
Northern Ireland	2	2	6	1	1

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to initiate further consultation on the Office of Fair Trading report on "The Regulation of Licensed Taxi and PHV Services in the UK"; when she intends to make her final response to the report; and if she will make a statement. [153334]

[holding answer 23 February2004]: Both Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Transport have received responses relating to the OFT report. These will be taken into account when the Government respond. When the OFT published their report on 11 November we agreed to respond within 120 days.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to facilitate the (a) decommissioning, (b) upkeep and (c) removal of (i) turbines and (ii) transmission facilities from wind farms; and if she will make a statement. [155478]

The decommissioning, upkeep and removal of turbines and transmission facilities from wind farms and the restoration of the land are matters for the developer and the relevant planning authorities with appropriate arrangements for these activities being agreed at the planning stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on Government financial support to firms looking to establish wind farms. [155479]

The Government's main instrument for supporting the establishment of wind farms is the Renewables Obligation. The Obligation is a market based support mechanism that requires licensed electricity suppliers to provide a specified proportion of their electricity from renewable sources. This provides an assured market for renewable electricity and that it attracts a premium.To date, the Government have committed £117 million in grant support to early offshore wind farm development. No direct grant support is provided for onshore wind farm development except for some small household or community installations under the Clear Skies scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Scottish Executive on planning policies for wind farms. [155480]

Planning policy in Scotland is a matter devolved to the Scottish Executive and therefore no such discussions have taken place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the number of working hours that would be lost per year by (a) all employees, (b) male employees and (c) female employees if legislation were passed to prevent them from working longer than an average 48 hours per week. [153917]

Employers are likely to respond in a variety of ways if legislation were passed to prevent employees from working longer than 48 hours on average. This makes any estimate of the total number of hours worked per year that could be lost difficult.However, what can be estimated is the total number of hours per year that employees usually work over an average of 48 hours per week. For all employees it is estimated at around 990 million hours per year above 48 hours were worked as of spring 2003. This is equivalent to around 2¼ per cent of total hours usually worked by all employees. For male employees it is around 820 million hours per year and for female employees around 170 million hours per year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information she has received on progress made by BNFL to resolve problems with the superheater penetration welds in the Wylfa Magnox reactor. [144507]

I understand from the company that the issue dates back to 2000 and is now resolved with the plant fully operational.Wylfa power station was shut down in mid April 2000 when a routine inspection of 64 welds in the boiler system revealed flaws in a number of welds. The welds hold 'superheater headers' (64 pipes that carry steam, which is not radioactive, from the station's boilers to its turbines to make electricity) in position. The integrity of the pipes themselves was never in question. A major project to fit restraints to steam pipes at Wylfa was completed at the start of July 2001.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to his answer of 26 January 2004, Official Report, column 73W, on special advisers, what the cost of the Knowledge Network was in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [156249]

In the financial year 2002–03 the Knowledge Network cost £1.5 million in current expenditure and £1.7 million capital. (These figures do not include capital charges or Cabinet Office overheads such as accommodation).The costs represent the provision of ongoing infrastructure support and the development of web solutions and new systems to facilitate cross-government working.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to his answer of 9 February 2004, Official Report, columns 1135–36W, on the Strategy Unit Fisheries report, what the reasons are for the delay in the publication of this report. [156579]

We aim to publish the Strategy Unit report on 25 March 2004, a year from its announcement. Copies will be placed in the House Libraries.The report has been the subject of a detailed consultation with the key stakeholders in the fishing industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to receive the report he has commissioned on the availability of body armour during the conflict in Iraq. [154983]

The Department has carried out a comprehensive analysis of Operation TELIC and presented its findings in reports published in June and December last year. The availability of Enhanced Combat Body Armour (ECBA) was discussed in these reports. However, in the light of lessons identified during Operation TELIC, policy on the issuing of ECBA to troops on operations is now under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for what advice is given to troops in Iraq about the dangers of depleted uranium. [156560]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms Walley) on 5 January 2004, Official Report, column 26W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to achieve multilateral decommissioning of nuclear weapons. [156076]

As a signatory to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) the United Kingdom is committed to Article VI in which each State Party to the treaty

"undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament…"

The UK anticipates that multilateral nuclear weapons decommissioning would take place within that context. Negotiations to implement Article VI have not yet commenced and are not scheduled. The way forward agreed by NPT States Parties at the 2000 NPT review conference is set out in the final document produced by that conference. The UK has made considerable progress on measures contained in the final document and will play a full role in the third session of the NPT Preparatory Committee in April this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum-seekers have been detained pending removal at the Oakington Immigration Reception Centre during 2003. [145365]

Information on the number of people detained pending removal from the United Kingdom and on the total number of detainees held under the Immigration Act during 2003 is not available and could be obtained only by examination of individual case-files at disproportionate cost.

Applications1 received for asylum in Europe, including dependants, by year of application, 1988 to 2003
	1998	1999	2000	20012	20023	20033
Austria	13,800	20,100	18,300	30,100	39,400	32,400
Belgium4	25,000	40,800	48,700	28,000	21,400	19,300
France4	25,500	35,100	44,200	53,900	58,100	69,300
Germany	98,600	95,100	78,600	88,300	71,100	50,400
Greece5	3,000	1,500	3,000	5,500	5,700	8,200
Italy6	9,500	33,400	18,000	9,600	7,300	n/a
Luxembourg5	1,700	2,900	600	700	1.000	1,600
Netherlands	45,200	39,300	43,900	32,600	18,700	13,400
Portugal5	400	300	200	200	200	100
Spain	6,600	8,400	7,200	9,200	6.200	5,700
Denmark7	5,700	6,500	10,100	12,500	5,900	4,600
Finland7	1,300	3,100	3,200	1,700	3,400	3,100
Ireland	4,600	7,700.	10,900	10,300	11,600	7,900
Sweden7	12,800	11,200	16,300	23,500	33,000	31,400
United Kingdom8	58,500	91,200	98,900	91,600	103,100	61,100
Total EU	312,300	396,700	401,900	397,600	386,100	308,400
1Figures rounded to the nearest 100.
2Provisional figures.
3Revised figures.
4Figures based on IGC data but adjusted to include an estimated number of dependants.
5Figures based on UNCHR data, including dependants.
6UNHCR data.
7Signed up to the Schengen agreement but not operating its provisions.
8Figures have been adjusted to include an estimated number of dependants between 1998 and 2001,2002 and 2003 figures based on actual data.

Annual data on asylum applications to EU member states are published in quarterly web pages and in the Home Office annual statistical bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom, copies of which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration 1.html.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his forecasts are for asylum applications for each of the next five years; and what the comparable figures are for each EU member state. [155509]

We have already reduced the monthly intake of asylum applications by half since October 2002. Current policy initiatives, such as juxtaposed controls in France and the deployment of detection technology at continental ports, are designed to prevent those who seek to circumvent our controls at specific ports of entry from doing so. The Government are confident that this and further measures will continue to reduce misuse of the asylum system and the numbers of unfounded asylum claims. The measures we

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applications the UK has received for each of the last five years; and what the comparable figures are for each country in the European Union. [155508]

The table shows the number of asylum applications received in each European Union country in each of the last five years.introduced in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and the subsequent robust measures to ensure the integrity of our borders are testament to that.Population and migration projections are published by the Government Actuary's Department, available from the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) financial and (b) other support services are available to an asylum seeker aged between 16 and 18-years-old who is in the UK without family. [155641]

Services for unaccompanied asylum seeking children aged between 16 and 18-years-old are the responsibility of local authority social services departments. Their needs are assessed and support services provided accordingly in ways that are the equivalent of any other child in need. In all but a very few cases the local authority will make all necessary financial provision for them. In the few cases, for example, where leave to remain has been granted and their individual social services pathway plan permits, they may access benefits as part of an overall range of provision.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied children he estimates arrived in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years from out side the EU. [155797]

I regret that reliable information on the entry routes of unaccompanied children to the UK is not available. The available information which relates to the number of asylum applications made by unaccompanied asylum seeking children in the last five years is given in the table.

Asylum applications from unaccompanied children aged 17 or under1
	Number of principal applicants
Year	Total	Port	In country
19982	3,035	1,085	1,955
19992	3,350	1,500	1,850
20002	2,735	1,395	1,340
20012	3,470	1,645	1,820
20023	6,200	1,240	4,955
20033,4	2,800	555	2,245
1Figures rounded to nearest five. Unaccompanied at point of arrival, aged (or if no proof) determined to be 17 or under and not known to be joining a relative or guardian in the UK. Figures exclude disputed age cases.
2May exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices.
3Not comparable with manual counts data prior to 2002.
4Provisional figures.

Information on the number of asylum applications from unaccompanied children is published in quarterly web pages and in the annual statistical bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom. Copies of these publications and others relating to general immigration to the UK are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research Development arid Statistics Directorate website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigrationl.Html

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the schedule of advertising was for the 2004 cannabis advertising campaign; and what the full cost of the campaign was, broken down by media outlet. [153984]

[holding answer 9 February 2004]: The schedule and costs for advertising are as follows:Radio advertising started on the 22 January for four weeks, on 48 national and regional commercial radio stations in England. Total costs including production, media and research: £387,000.Press advertising consisted of two insertions in five national press titles (Sun, Mirror, News of the World, Guardian and Telegraph) and one insertion in each of the 108 regional titles. These insertions were on or near the reclassification dated 29 January. Total costs including production, media and research: £305,000.Other costs including briefings for police, teachers and other professionals; 2.5 million leaflets to be distributed through youth clubs, schools and community groups; postcards appearing in 660 pubs acid bars in England and Wales and a contingency fund for reprints: £300,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much (a) has been spent in the last 12 months and (b) will be spent in the next 12 months on public information advertising relating to cannabis. [155475]

The costs for public information activities relating to cannabis are as follows:Radio advertising for four weeks. On 48 national and regional commercial radio stations in England. Total costs including production, media and research: £387,000.Press advertising consisted of two insertions in five national press titles (Sun, Mirror, News of the World, Guardian and Telegraph) and one insertion in each of 108 regional titles. These insertions were on or near the reclassification dated 29 January.Total costs including production, media and research: £305,000.Other costs including briefings for police, teachers and other professionals; 2.5 million leaflets to be distributed through youth clubs, schools and community groups; postcards appearing in 660 pubs and bars in England and Wales and a contingency fund for reprints: £300,000.No decision has been made to date as to how much will be spent over the next 12 months.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 6 January 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Raymond McGinty. [154062]

I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 25 February 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on recent staff turnover at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, with particular reference to caseworkers dealing with asylum applications; [153700](2) what measures his Department is taking to minimise disruption to asylum applications resulting from turnover of Immigration and Nationality Directorate caseworkers. [153702]

Staffing levels in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate are continually monitored so that staff turnover can be anticipated and planned for to minimise disruption.The Asylum Casework Directorate utilises business planning forecast models to anticipate and plan for staff turnover. Staff turnover has, as a result, been carefully managed to minimise disruption to the processing of asylum applications. About 80 per cent. of new applications are currently decided within two months (against a target of 75 per cent.).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Prison Service review of the open prison estate; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [155065]

In his statement on 6 January, in response to concern about prisoners absconding from open prisons, my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary said that he had asked the new chief executive of the National Offender Management Service to "report on the operation of open prisons". This was a request for advice from officials not for a formal report or review. I am at present considering the advice but it would be inappropriate to publish it and I have no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the Venezuelan nationals admitted to the United Kingdom during 2002 returned to their country of origin within the period of their visa requirements. [155404]

No data are available on the numbers of persons who return to their country of nationality before their leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom expires. We do not routinely manually count passengers into and out of the United Kingdom.We are keeping the option for embarkation controls under review while exploring the extent to which new technology could provide us with more efficient ways of checking those leaving the country.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2004, Official Report, column 269W, on visa requirements, whether anti-trade union activity is regarded as not being conducive to the public good. [155561]

Each case is considered on its individual merits. A person engaged in anti-trade union activity may be refused entry if their presence in the UK was not considered to be conducive to the wider public good.

To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee if he will recommend to the Refreshment Department that it stocks Fairtrade fruit and chocolate bars in all catering outlets on the Parliamentary Estate. [155813]

The Refreshment Department was one of the first organisations to support the Fairtrade movement and has done so for many years. We already stock chocolate made by The Day Chocolate Company throughout our cafeterias, and purchase Fairtrade bananas whenever they are available from our suppliers. All fresh coffee served by the Department is made from beans approved by the Fairtrade organisation, and we stock fairly traded "Clipper" teas and "Geobars" (a cereal snack bar).The Refreshment Department will be actively supporting the Fairtrade Fortnight, which is being held from Monday 1 March to Sunday 14 March, by promoting our Fairtrade Mark products under their banner "A taste for life". We will also be selling other fairly traded goods, including dried fruits, cookies, pasta, oranges and grapes, which are not always available to the catering market. We believe that these will prove popular with our customers and we hope by this means to encourage our suppliers to stock these products.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the national level workshop in Nicaragua supported by his Department in 2003. [155244]

The Nicaraguan workshop took place on 3 March 2003. It brought together, for the first time in Nicaragua, Government officials, the private sector, labour organisations, representatives of international certification programmes and retailers. Its aim was to identify possible ways to strengthen the implementation and monitoring of corporate codes of conduct in Nicaragua and thereby improve both the conditions of workers in export industries and the ability of these industries to be competitive internationally.The workshop made a number of recommendations for action to be taken by the Government, private sector and civil society in Nicaragua: the need to clarify the roles of those involved in monitoring corporate codes of conduct, to improve cooperation between national government officials and international certification programmes, to rationalise monitoring to avoid duplication and conflicting recommendations to factories, and to increase the knowledge of workers of corporate codes of conduct and national labour legislation.One impact of the workshop was that the women workers association (the Maria Elena Cuadra Movement of Women Workers and Unemployed) integrated the recommendations into its training, advisory and policy work to improve the conditions of workers in the garment industry of the tax free zones.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the instruments of agricultural market price support; and how each is (a)defined and (b)calculated. [151647]

The Common Agricultural Policy includes several instruments whose objective is to support market prices for agricultural products. These are: (i) intervention storage, where public intervention agencies guarantee to buy products at a set price; (ii) export refunds, which bridge the gap between EU internal market and world market prices, (iii) import tariffs which are a fixed or variable levy on each unit of imported product, and (iv) aid for private storage.The OECD produces annual estimates of the transfers to agricultural producers which result from market price support in the EU. The estimates are calculated as the difference between the EU domestic price and the equivalent world price multiplied by the level of EU production. The OECD estimates EU market price support for the major commodities in 2002 at around Euro 61 billion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 5 February 2004, Official Report, column 1012W, on avian influenza, what varieties of poultry have been imported from (a) Thailand, (b) Pakistan, (c) Indonesia, (d) Vietnam and (e) other countries in South East Asia in each of the last 24 months for which records are available. [155974]

Information on imports of poultry meat by species is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on Common Agricultural Policy reform. [155186]

The EU agreed on 26 June 2003 to a radical shift in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). In future, the bulk of subsidies will no longer be linked to production, freeing farmers to produce the safe, high quality food which people want and bringing environmental improvements.On 12 February my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, announced how she proposed to implement key features of that groundbreaking reform in England. We will decouple fully in 2005 and move over an eight year transition period towards a fiat rate Single Farm Payment to farmers. England will be split into two regions—land in the severely disadvantaged areas (SDAs) of the less favoured areas (LFAs) and all other eligible land. Different rates will apply in these regions. This represents a decisive irreversible and forward-looking shift consistent with the direction that we have already set in the Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy (SFFS) and in the June 2003 CAP reform negotiations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the reports her Department has published in each of the last five years; and what the cost has been to public funds of producing each one. [155406]

A list of publications produced by Defra is on the departmental website Defra, UK—publications home page, and this includes many of the reports that Defra produces. To collate the information requested and to establish the individual production costs would be disproportionate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much Government funding has been provided for the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in each year since 1996 at current prices. [153871]

Government grant in aid (including capital) to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew for each of the years since 1996 was:

	£000
1996–97	18,936
1997–98	20,951
1998–99	17,551
1999–2000	17,219
2000–01	16,935
2001–02	19,729
2002–03	16,629

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of the increase in price noted in her Department's milk price survey raw milk producers will receive; and what steps she has taken to ensure that raw milk producers receive a fair share of this increase. [154890]

The milk price survey run by the Department records the price paid by the purchasers of raw milk to raw milk producers. Therefore, by definition, all of the increase in price recorded by this survey is received by raw milk producers.The Office for National Statistics also produce data on the retail price of milk. Transmission of changes between retail and farmgate prices is more complex. This issue was looked at in depth by London Economics for KPMG its report on "Prices and Profitability in the GB Dairy Chain", which was commissioned by the Milk Development Council. London Economics examined the UK milk market for the period from January 1995 to December 2001. On the basis of a rigorous statistical analysis, it concluded that adjustments to retail prices for liquid milk were fully passed back to the farmgate price, although there was a lag of five months before the retail price change was fully reflected in the farmgate price. There were no differences in the impact of retail price increases and decreases on farmgate prices, both were fully transmitted. In contrast a 1 pence increase in the farmgate price resulted in only a 0.6 pence increase in the retail price of liquid milk whereas a 1 pence decrease in farmgate price reduced the retail price by 0.7 pence.London Economic also looked at the market in cheddar cheese. They found some evidence of a widening gap over the seven year period to 2002 between the retail price and farm gate price on a milk equivalent basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research she has conducted on the relationship between net mesh sizes required in commercial trawls and minimum landing sizes. [150939]

For the main commercial species research has established the general relationship between cod-end mesh size and the average size of fish that can escape through those meshes, on which the minimum landings size is based.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many days on average her Department took in session 2002–03 to give a substantive answer to a parliamentary question for ordinary written answer; and what the greatest number of days taken to answer such a question was. [155923]

Records for session 2002–03 were not maintained in such a way to enable the Department to extract the information requested without incurring disproportionate costs but this sort of information will be available in the future following the creation of a new database.Defra endeavours to reply to all parliamentary questions within parliamentary deadlines wherever possible. None of the 5,444 questions tabled to the Department during the 2002–03 session were left unanswered at Prorogation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government' policy towards (a) turf farming and (b) the restoration of land used when turf farming has ceased in a particular area. [154815]

The Government encourage diversification of agricultural businesses but recognises that this must be done in a sustainable manner. Turf farming involves the cutting and inevitable removal of some topsoil. The use of modern machinery, which removes only a very thin layer of root matter and soil, is encouraged.There is no specific policy directly addressing this issue but the guidance provided in the Codes of Good Agricultural Practice for the Protection of Soil should be adhered to. The formation of fertile, rich topsoil with high organic matter content is a very slow natural process. Removal of topsoil reduces the productivity of the land by reducing the water and nutrients available to plants and making soil more likely to suffer structural damage. Shallow compact soils are also less able to absorb rainfall and the risk of water erosion and associated diffuse pollution may be increased. Therefore the loss of topsoil should be kept to a minimum in any turf farming operation.Due consideration needs to be given on the likely risk of compacting the soil and leaving it in a bare condition that could encourage erosion and runoff of water and associated soil materials to water courses, roads etc. To minimise this risk. land formally subject to turf farming should be re-vegetated as soon as practicable. The soil should not be mined of available water and nutrients such that it cannot support the previous agricultural land use once restoration activities are complete.It should be noted that removing large amounts of surface soil could be regarded as a development as defined by section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act (1990). As such the business will need planning permission. If businesses do not receive planning permission it is an offence under the Agriculture Land (Removal of Surface Soil) Act 1953 to remove for sale, more than five cubic yards of surface soil from agricultural land in any three-month period unless the removal is reasonably necessary for cutting turf or peat. Advice is available from the local planning authority (usually district council or unitary authority) about commercial turf cutting from agricultural land when planning permission is required. The Local Planning Authorities are required to consult with Defra before granting permission for a planning application which is not in accordance with the development plan and would involve (1) the loss of 20 ha or more of grades 1, 2 or 3a agricultural land or (2) a loss which is less than 20 ha but is likely to lead to further losses amounting cumulatively to 20 ha or more.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her reasons for grant aiding the proposed development of a Victorian Theme Park at Holliers Farm, Branstone, Newchurch, Isle of Wight; and what account she took of the proximity of the Isle of Wight Observatory. [155666]

If the question refers to the Rural Enterprise Scheme 16/020/8002, submitted by Mr. Paul Smith of Jayland Ltd. on 23 December 2002, for the development of Jubilee Park, I can confirm that the application was formally withdrawn on 4 July due to the absence of planning consent. The application was never formally presented to the Defra Regional Appraisal Panel to consider approval for grant aid.Impacts on the Isle of Wight Observatory would be a matter for consideration by the Local Planning Authority, I understand the authority has received correspondence from the Observatory in respect of potential light pollutions.

To ask the Leader of the House how many meetings he has had in his capacity as Leader of the House in the past eight months. [153624]

I undertake a wide range of meetings with interested parties. These include meetings with Mr. Speaker, Members of the House, House officials and Cabinet colleagues.

To ask the Leader of the House (1) for how long (a) the Opposition front-bench speakers, (b) the Government front-bench speakers and (c) other front-bench speakers spoke in Opposition Day debates in each year since 1974; [157062](2) how many back-bench members were called to speak, excluding interventions, in Opposition Day debates in each year since 1974; [157063](3) how much parliamentary time was allowed for Opposition Day debates in each year since 1974; [157064](4) how much parliamentary time was taken by backbench speeches, excluding interventions, in Opposition Day debates in each year since 1974; [157065](5) how many interventions to their speeches were granted by

This information is a matter of public record, but could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the loss of duty payable to the Government consequent on the purchase of (a) beer, (b) wine and (c) spirits in France by United Kingdom residents in the last year for which figures are available. [155233]

The most recent estimates of the loss of duty and VAT payable to the Government consequent on purchases of beer, wine and spirits made in all EU member states and on ferries by UK cross-border shoppers during 2001–02 are contained in "Measuring and Tackling Indirect Tax Fraud" (December 2003), a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's policy is on developing business skills in young people; and if he will make a statement. [155586]

The Government are implementing a range of policies to develop business skills in young people, including the recommendations of the Davies Review of Enterprise and the Economy in Education. Enterprise Learning Pathfinders began in this academic year and, from September 2005, all pupils will experience at least five days of enterprise education before they leave school. The Government also provide funding for Enterprise Advisers for disadvantaged schools and in Enterprise Areas, supports organisations such as Young Enterprise and Enterprise Insight, and is setting up a National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will change the policy of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise that genuine mistakes made in good faith are not reasonable excuses for surcharge purposes. [156047]

The VAT system aims to encourage payment of the right tax at the right time. As well as safeguarding revenues, this provides equity for all taxpaying businesses. A business may be penalised if it does not pay the right tax at the right time: the misdeclaration penalty penalises significant or repeated errors in the amount of tax paid and the default surcharge penalises late payment.The VAT penalty system has safeguards to ensure that businesses are not treated over-harshly. For the smallest businesses, several warnings are issued before a late payment penalty is issued—so that a business would not be penalised until its fifth default. Both misdeclaration penalties and default penalties can be withdrawn if there is a reasonable excuse for an error or delay. In this context, reasonable excuses can include compassionate circumstances or unforeseen events. However, this would not include mistakes of the type to which the hon. Gentleman refers since the penalties are, in part, designed to encourage accuracy.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of (a) male, (b) female and (c) all full-time workers in (i) Scotland, (ii) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland and (iii) Great Britain had hourly gross earnings (A) including and (B) excluding overtime of below (1) £7.58, (2) £5.68 and (3) £4.20. [156219]

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