To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the outcome was of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 24 February; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement. [157673]

I represented the United Kingdom at a meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels on 24 February.The Irish Presidency briefly presented its work programme for the first half of the year. Their general priorities were enlargement, simplification and enhancement of food safety.The Council agreed by a qualified majority a regulation providing for tariff quotas for the importation of certain fishery products. Italy voted against because of its view that the quota for tuna loin imports was insufficient and Spain abstained because it felt that the quotas in general were too large. I supported the proposal.The Council noted progress on technical level discussions preparatory to political discussion at the April Council on the proposals for a regulation on the protection of animals during transport. There was a discussion, and I supported the need for an early agreement and for a longer-term objective of moving trade in live animals for slaughter to a meat basis.The Council noted a presentation from the Commission on its proposals for the financial perspective.The Council noted a report from the Greek Minister about severe weather conditions in Greece affecting agriculture and the sympathetic: response from the Commission. Greece and the Commission would pursue the assessment of this situation bilaterally.The Council took note of a report from the Commission on its public hearing on 22 January on organic food and farming. This is preparatory to the tabling of an action plan by the Commission to the Council later in the Irish Presidency.Under any other business, the Council noted a written report on BSE and reports from Commissioner Byrne on the current situation in regard to Avian Influenza in Asia and a recent outbreak in the US. Commissioner Byrne notified the Council that acting under comitology procedures the Commission was to introduce a ban on the importation of live poultry and certain products from the US. The Council also noted a report from Spain and Portugal about the high level of feed grain prices and indications from Finland and Sweden that there remained supplies of oats which could be used.The Council also noted information from Italy and Portugal with support from other wine producing countries about recent changes which had been made to the use of traditional terms for wine imported from third countries. The Council noted that the Commission had explained that these changes were necessary to take account of recent discussions at WTO level.The Council noted information from France about the low level of milk prices. A wide range of views were expressed in subsequent discussion. I made the point that this was to be expected as a result of the changes agreed last June which was reflected in the compensation payments to be introduced shortly. The Commission undertook to produce an analysis of the situation with assistance from the member states.Finally the Commission amplified the terms of a letter which it had recently sent to all member states about the single farm payment to explain that it was simply making the point that member states which chose to operate on regional or hybrid models would need to justify this decision to the Commission as will be clarified in the Commission implementing regulations. This was noted by the Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the prospects of obtaining approval under Article 30 of the Treaty of Rome to ban the live transport of horses to the Continent. [153628]

We have considered very carefully the idea that the Government could seek a ban on the grounds of public morality (Article 30 of the Treaty of Rome), but we do not believe that this would be defensible (a) when horses have always been slaughtered in this country in order for the meat to be exported for human consumption and (b) when horses are exported for a variety of purposes. That is why we have concentrated our attention on issues of horse welfare during transport in order to make sure that we have future arrangements based on horse welfare which are stronger and more robust that the current 'minimum values' rules.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Energy Efficiency Implementation Plan announced in the Energy White Paper of February 2003 is to be published; whether publication of the plan is expected to be within the timescale originally indicated in the White Paper; and when she expects to publish the second annual progress report on the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy. [154580]

As announced in a written statement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 3 February 2004, Official Report, columns 30–31WS, the Energy White Paper first annual report will be published shortly after the Easter recess. This will allow the Government to report on a full year from the launch of the White Paper in February 2003, as we are legally required to do by the Sustainable Energy Act 2003, as well as to capture some key energy statistics for the relevant period. Given the importance of energy efficiency to delivery of the Energy White Paper objectives, the Government intend to publish the Energy Efficiency Implementation Plan at the same time as the Annual Report. The Government also envisage simultaneous publication of the fuel poverty strategy implementation plan and the CHP strategy as well as the second annual progress report on the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance has been issued to the Environment Agency on matching local authority funding for flood defences. [154915]

No such guidance has been issued. From April 2004 the Environment Agency's flood defence service in England will be funded primarily through Defra grant in aid which will replace, in large part, the levies that local authorities have previously paid to the Agency. We have, however, left in place a power for the Agency to levy local authorities to fund works not covered by Defra grant. These levies need to be agreed by the relevant flood defence committee on which the local authorities have a majority.Levies are also subject to a cap of three times the level of Formula Spending Share allocated to each local authority to support the levy payment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much horse meat was exported in 2003. [157263]

In 2003, 1,566 tonnes of horse meat was exported from the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what (a) grants and (b) other public funding she has made available to defray the start-up costs of the National Equine Database; [156652](2) what the

Defra is making provision for funding the start up costs of the National Equine Database for the first two years, and thereafter Defra will be responsible for the on-going maintenance costs of the data that Defra will use.We have invited tenders to supply the database, and until the procurement process is complete the estimated costs for the database have to be treated as Commercialin-Confidence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the business recovery scheme to which the unspent funds from the pig industry restructuring scheme was re-allocated. [155497]

The widely welcomed Business Recovery Fund (BRF) was set up in May 2001 to help small non-farming rural businesses recover from the effects of the foot and mouth outbreak. Pig farmers were eligible to apply for the BRF, but only if they wished to be helped to diversify from farming. The Fund provided a total of some £74 million for allocation to qualifying businesses. £54 million was new money provided by the Government, and the remainder was provided by Regional Development Agencies, who administered the Fund.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) full and (b) part-time staff have been employed in the Rural Payments Agency in each of the last five years. [156046]

The figures for the number of full and part-time staff employed by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) are set out in the following table.The RPA was inaugurated with effect from 16 October 2001.

From	Full-time	Part-time1
16 October 2001	2,946.00	196.50
31 March 2002	3,003.00	241.69
31 March 2003	3,020.00	258.46
31 March 20042	3.336.00	291.70
1 Full-time equivalent.
2 Forecast figure as at 31 March 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to encourage continued use of liquified petroleum gas following removal of road fuel tax support for liquid petroleum gas. [157450]

Liquified petroleum gas (LPG), has and will continue to receive considerable support from Government, not only in the form of a duty incentive (worth £75 million in terms of duty forgone in 2002–03 alone), but also through grants for vehicle conversions (the Powershift scheme), and reduced rates of vehicle excise duty for gas-powered vehicles.As the pre-Budget report made clear, the relative environmental benefits of LPG vehicles have become less significant in recent years as a result of progressively tighter emission standards for new conventional petrol and diesel vehicles As a result the Chancellor announced in the pre-Budget report that he will begin to gradually increase the rate for LPG over the next three years, setting duty differentials on a path towards a level commensurate with the fuel's environmental benefits. Consistent with the Government's commitment to give three-year certainty on duty differentials for alternative fuels, future differentials for the next three years will be announced at Budget 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State will reply to the letter of the hon. Member for Orpington of 2 October 2003, regarding the public safety zone surrounding Biggin Hill airport. [157148]

I regret that the hon. Member's letter had not been answered. I have written to him today explaining that in the light of revised forecasts of numbers and types of aircraft movements we have decided to reduce the size of the public safety zones at Biggin Hill airport. The effect will be that the areas of highest risk will no longer include any residential properties and that the airport company will no longer be expected to purchase any properties in Oaklands Lane or Victoria Gardens.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department is making on establishing a link between existing DVLA and motor insurance databases. [157530]

DVLA established a link with the Motor Insurance Database on 17 February 2004 which allows the agency to confirm that a vehicle is insured prior to relicensing without having to view the insurance documents.The Motor Insurers Anti Fraud and Theft Register is also linked to DVLA and automatically updates the vehicle record when a vehicle is seriously damaged. This allows an identity check to be carried out when such a vehicle is returned to the road.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many overseas hauliers paid to use UK roads in each of the last three years; and how much the Government received in each year. [157718]

There is currently no charging regime in the UK for overseas hauliers. The Government announced in 2002 their intention to introduce a scheme to charge all lorries using UK roads on the basis of distance travelled. The Government remain committed to introducing such a charge and my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the pre-Budget report his intention to publish a farther progress report during this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the (a) procedures and (b) priorities followed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency when issuing a reminder notice in the case of Statutory Off Road Notifications. [157805]

Reminder notices are issued on or around the 15th day of the month of expiry of both the Statutory Off Road Notification and the vehicle licence.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list Whips to whom Government cars have been allocated, indicating in each case the (a) make and (b) engine size. [157852]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 12 February 2004, Official Report, column 1569W.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much the Government plans to spend in the next 12 months on delivering services via interactive television. [158135]

Information on expenditure on delivering services via interactive television is not held centrally and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what Government services projected to be delivered electronically in 2005 will be delivered through interactive television. [158136]

Government Departments continue to work towards getting all Government services online by 2005, and seek to use Digital TV (DTV) wherever appropriate. Flagship services available now on DTV or planned by 2005 include Teacher TV, NHS Direct, Jobcentre Plus and the Pensions Service. In addition, UK online Interactive is a world-first national one-stopservice for Government on DTV, bringing together access to all nationally available DTV services and progressively rolling out access to local government services on DTV.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much the Government expects to save by providing all services through electronic means by 2005. [158137]

The 2005 target aims to widen and facilitate access to Government services.The Efficiency Review led by Sir Peter Gershon is encouraging Departments to review take-up of e-services to deliver savings.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the Government expects to have all its services available online by 2005; and if he will make a statement. [158133]

Departments continue to work towards the target of 100 per cent. availability by 2005.The latest figures on progress towards the target of making Government services available electronically by 2005 show that 66 per cent. of Government services are e-enabled.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Parliamentary Questions have been tabled to his Department since 1 January 2003, broken down by (a) ordinary written and (b) named day; what percentage in respect of (a) were answered within 10 working days; and what percentage in respect of (b) were answered by the specified date. [157518]

The detailed information is not held in the form requested. However, during the period 1 January 2003 to 31 January 2004 the Cabinet Office answered 84 Named Day Questions of which 80 per cent. were answered on time and 341 Ordinary Written Questions of which 43 per cent. were answered on time.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much the Government has spent on its websites in each of the past four years. [158134]

Individual Government Departments are responsible for the management and expenditure of their websites and as such expenditure figures are not held centrally by the Cabinet Office.

To ask the Solicitor-General (1) what steps she is taking following the most recent developments in the London City Bond and Operation Puma cases, in relation to (a) prosecution for perjury and (b) disclosure of documents by HM Customs and Excise to the Butterfield Inquiry into this matter; and if she will make a statement; [154656](2) what steps she is taking following the most recent developments in the London City Bond and Operation Puma cases; and if she will make a statement. [154655]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury on 12 February 2004, Official Report, column 1552W. regarding the investigation jointly known as the London City Bond cases, and the review by Mr. Justice Butterfield that followed them. I also refer you to the Attorney General's statement made on 4 December 2003, Official Report [Lords], column WA32, which announced the Government's intention to establish an Independent Prosecutions Office dealing with Customs and Excise prosecutions. The process will start soon to recruit a new Head to that office who will be directly accountable to the Attorney-General. As well as the developments outlined in that answer, I would draw the hon. Member's attention to some of the steps taken by Customs and Excise Prosecutions Office to improve the disclosure process in the large and complex cases prosecuted by them.

The Head of Prosecutions commissioned two reports on disclosure from CEPO's Quality Assurance team in order to assess and improve disclosure in CEPO cases. Recommendations from those reports are being taken forward.

To ask the Solicitor-General what information the Attorney-General had received on weapons of mass destruction when he prepared his opinion on the legality of war against Iraq; whether this included information on weapons capable of being launched in 45 minutes; and whether it was indicated to him whether there we re battlefield weapons or weapons deliverable to targets outside Iraq. [155417]

The Attorney-General received a briefing from the Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee on the content of the Government dossier published in September 2002 on 19 September 2002. As I explained to the hon. and learned Member for Medway (Mr. Marshall-Andrews) in my reply to him dated 14 October 2003, the Attorney-General did not rely upon any facts or assertions contained in the September dossier as material to his conclusion set out in his statement of 17 March that Iraq had failed to comply with Resolution 1441 and that a legal base for the use of force existed in the combined effect of UN Security Council Resolutions 678,687 and 1441.

To ask the Solicitor-General whether (a) she and (b) the Attorney General had discussions with the Director of Public Prosecutions about the case of Katharine Gun before the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to offer any evidence against her. [157846]

I have not discussed the case of Katharine Gun with the Director of Public Prosecutions.For certain offences, including those under the Official Secrets Act, the Attorney General's consent is required by statute before a prosecution can go ahead. The Director of Public Prosecutions discussed the case with the Attorney General before the CPS took the decision to offer no evidence against Katharine Gun on evidential grounds.

To ask the Solicitor-General for what reasons the Attorney General did not issue a nolle prosequi in the case of Katharine Gun. [158132]

Under the Code for Crown Prosecutors, it is for the prosecution to keep under review the prospects of a conviction as the case progresses. Counsel In this case did so and the CPS decided not to proceed with the case, on the advice of counsel and after consultation with the Attorney General, because the evidence was such that there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.A nolle prosequi would not normally be entered where the reason not to proceed with the case is, as here, an evidential deficiency.

To ask the Solicitor-General what discussions she has had since the Parmalat affair on greater co-operation between regulatory authorities (a) internationally and (b) at EU level; and if she will make a statement. [156884]

I have not discussed, since the Italian police investigation into Parmalat, the issue of greater co-operation between regulatory authorities internationally or at EU level.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the future of aerospace manufacturing and its supply chain in Lancashire. [157713]

We recognise the contribution that the North West of England has made to the UK aerospace industry in the past and the important role it continues to play as part of a highly innovative and competitive defence industry.The Government's Defence Industrial Policy was launched in October 2002 and alms to enhance the industry's competitiveness and sustainability, while continuing to provide high quality equipment at best value for money. As part of that policy the MOD takes a range of factors into account when making major procurement decisions, and a key one is an evaluation of its impact on industrial activity regionally—both at prime contractor level and within the supply chain—and my Department actively contributes to that process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to reduce the 8 per cent. interest rate charged on debts determined by the Judgment Act 1838 which is levied on bankruptcy debts under Rule 6.113 of the Insolvency Act 1986; and if she will make a statement. [157831]

I have no plans to amend Rule 6.113 of the Insolvency Rules 1986 so that a rate of interest other than that specified in section 17 of the Judgments Act 1838 will apply to debts mentioned in sub rules (2) and (3) and outstanding at the date of the bankruptcy order. It is for the Lord Chancellor, with the concurrence of the Treasury, to make any order amending the rate of interest which applied under section 17 of that Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to allow discretion on the charge of an interest rate of 8 per cent. on bankruptcy debts; and if she will make a statement. [157832]

I have no such plans. I consider the interest rate at which judgment debts carry interest to be the appropriate rate to be applied to bankruptcy debts in those cases where the Insolvency Act 1986 provides for section 17 of the Judgments Act 1838 to be applied.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to vary the percentage of debt recovered fee she charges for performance of her general duties under insolvency legislation; and if she will make a statement. [157833]

A new Insolvency Fees Order will come into effect on 1 April 2004 that will include a new rate of 17 per cent. "For the performance by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry of her general duties under the insolvency legislation in relation to the administration of the affairs of each company which is being wound up by the court" and "For the performance by the Secretary of State of her general duties under the insolvency legislation in relation to the administration of the estate of each bankrupt". However, the fee will not be applied to the first £2,000 of receipts in a case and the maximum of this fee in any one case will be limited to £100,000. The new rate will only apply to cases where the insolvency Order is made on or after 1 April 2004.For cases where the insolvency Order has been made before 1 April 2004 the current scales will continue to be applied except in relation to the affairs of companies which are being wound-up voluntarily where the fees will be revoked from 1 April 2004.This is only one of a number of changes being made on 1 April 2004 in relation to fees in insolvency cases. The new Fees Order, which will shortly be signed and be made available on The Insolvency Service's website (insolvency.gov.uk), seeks to simplify the fee structure applicable in relation to insolvency proceedings by reducing the number of fees payable. Hence it is not possible to make a direct comparison between any specific fee that will be prescribed in the new Fees Order with a specific fee charged under the Insolvency Fees Order 1986 or earlier legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which body is responsible for (a) responding to complaints about and (b) reviewing trustees' remuneration under bankruptcy legislation. [157834]

Concerns regarding the remuneration of a trustee in bankruptcy should be addressed to the court dealing with the bankruptcy in question by making an application under either section 303 of the Insolvency Act 1986 or Rule 6.142 of the Insolvency Rules 1986.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the likelihood of achieving 100 per cent. broadband coverage by non-wireless connection by the end of 2005; and if she will make a statement. [156464]

The Government's call in November 2003 for Government, public bodies and broadband providers to bring broadband to every community in the UK by the end of next year was supported by BT and other industry stakeholders.By January 2004, broadband either by cable or ADSL was available to 85 per cent. of households and that is almost certain to rise to 90 per cent. this year. Decisions on the type of networks to be deployed are predominately for the market. It is likely that wireless will make a contribution to 100 per cent. availability.The Government are making a significant contribution to ensure 100 per cent. broadband coverage is achieved. Between 2003 and 2006 public services will be spending £1 billion on broadband connectivity. The Regional Aggregation Bodies (trading as Adits) are using their buying power to bring broadband to new and previously untenable areas and the Regional Development Agencies will be spending or committing a further £235 million to broadband development by 2006. This will provide opportunities for further investment by industry using a range of appropriate technical solutions, including alternatives to ADSL and cable—for example, powerline and satellite in addition to wireless.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of (a) call centres and (b) call centre jobs in Leeds. [156240]

Existing information does not enable us to provide reliable figures. However, my Department has commissioned research on the key factors contributing to the relative competitiveness of UK call centre operations to help identify any appropriate actions which need to be taken by industry or Government in response to the increasingly global market for call centre services. This will include an examination of the main product areas in the UK call and contact centre industry that are vulnerable to growing competition from lower-wage economies; and which types of call and contract centre activity and which regions have been most affected or are most likely to be affected in the near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of call centre jobs relocated abroad in the last five years. [156241]

Existing information does not enable us to provide reliable figures. Official statistics do not generally separate call centre activities from the main activity of a firm or enterprise (e.g. banking). The term "Call Centre" can be used to describe a broad variety of functions and activities across a wide range of commercial, industrial and public sectors. Difficulties and differences in definition are reflected in commercial market research on call centres where estimates on the number of call centres and call centre employees vary substantially. In light of this my Department has commissioned research on the key factors contributing to the relative competitiveness of UK call centre operations to help identify any appropriate actions which need to be taken by industry or Government in response to the increasingly global market for call centre services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Office of Fair Trading will report on its investigation into the complaint from the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux regarding cold calling. [157476]

The Office of Fair Trading expect to report in April. They expect to make public their position on legislative options for tackling bogus traders in advance of the full report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of UK retail was represented by on-line shopping in each quarter since January 1999; and what targets her Department has set for on-line shopping as a proportion of all UK retail. [157214]

Official statistics separately identifying online orders within the retail sector are not available. In 2002, the value of online orders received from households by the UK wholesale, retail, catering, travel and telecommunications sectors was £5.2 billion (excluding the financial sector). This represents an increase of 63 per cent. from the 2001 estimate of £3.2 billion. Figures for the period prior to this are not available (Source: Office for National Statistics experimental statistics¹). These figures represent 0.3 per cent. of total sales by UK businesses (excluding the financial sector) in 2002 and 0.2 per cent. in 2001. Total UK retail sales were £230 billion in 2002 and £219 billion in 2001.The Department does not set targets for on-line shopping.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimates her Department has made of (a) the number of spam e-mails sent to UK companies and (b) the cost to business associated with tackling spam e-mails in 2002–03. [157804]

The Government do not have an estimate of the number of spam e-mails sent to UK companies or the cost to businesses here in tackling spam e-mails in 2002–03, although business recipients of spam point to the impact of time spent in deleting spam messages and paying for anti-spam and anti-virus protection. The UK is actively involved in a current exercise by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development which aims to develop better techniques for measuring spam and estimating its impact.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what savings she estimates will be made by the ending of the supply of printed employment information booklets (a) URN 03/595, (b) URN 03/597, (c) URN 00/632, (d) PL 517, (e) PL 699, (f) PL 700, (g) PL 704, (h) PL 707, (i) PL 711, (j) PL 712, (k) PL 714, (l) P1716, (m) PL 718, (n) PL 724, (o) PL 808, (p) PL 810, (q) PL 833 and (r) PL 958; and how much additional grant funding will be made available to citizens' advice bureaux to cover the extra costs to their offices of receiving the booklets electronically. [156781]

The Department estimates savings in the region of £140,000 per annum. Booklets (a),(b),(1) and (m) (replaced by PI 718x) remain available in hard copy.Acas produces leaflets on individual employment rights. These can Ix obtained free of charge from the Acas distribution centre on 08702 429090. Therefore I do not consider it necessary or appropriate to provide additional grant funding to Citizen's Advice Bureaux.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when her Department intends to introduce legislation on the consumer credit market in the UK. [157215]

On 8 December 2003 we published a White Paper setting out our proposals on the consumer credit market. This was the culmination of the first major review of the regulation of this market in 30 years. The regulatory proposals in the White Paper will be implemented by a combination of Statutory Instruments, which will be brought forward during the course of this year with the first coming into force in October 2004, and a Bill, which will be introduced when parliamentary time is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to promote the reporting by financial services companies of suspected cases of money laundering. [157216]

HM Treasury and the Home Office are jointly responsible for the UK's money laundering reporting regime. Financial service s companies, along with other businesses in the "regulated sector", are required to have in place formal systems for deterring, detecting and reporting money laundering and to train their staff accordingly. The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and the Money Laundering Regulations 2003 substantially strengthened these requirements, for example by making it a criminal offence to fail to make a disclosure where there are reasonable grounds to know or suspect money laundering.This Department works closely with the Treasury and Home Office in supporting this regime.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when her Department expects to conclude its review of the legislation on flexible working. [157220]

Following on from the detail I provided in my answer to my hon. Friend on 3 February 2004, Official Report, columns 777–78W, we continue to gather data which will form the evidence base for the review scheduled to commence in 2006. However at such an early stage it is inappropriate to speculate on the nature of the review itself, and therefore the length of time it may take.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what responsibilities her Department has in relation to the Scottish football industry; and if she will make a statement. [156854]

My Department has no responsibilities in relation to the Scottish football industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her policy on the development of gas storage facilities in underground caverns formed within deep rock salt deposits. [157500]

As Great Britain becomes increasingly dependent on imported gas it will be important that the market continues to provide sufficient flexibility to meet demand. Gas storage projects help do this. The Government therefore welcomes proposals for new projects. They must, of course, obtain necessary planning and other regulatory consents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money was spent on the first round of the Higher Education Innovation Fund. [157248]

Around £78 million has been awarded to 89 applicants under the first round of the Higher Education Innovation Fund. A further £1 million has already been allocated to organisations to train more knowledge-transfer professionals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the budget is for the second round of the Higher Education Innovation Fund; and how many organisations will be eligible for this funding. [157249]

£187 million will be available to higher education institutions through the second round of the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF 2).132 higher education institutions in England are eligible for HEIF 2 funding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what grants were awarded to local authorities in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley in each of the last three financial years that fall outside the revenue support grant. [157085]

The Department of Trade and Industry provided the following grants:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what Government schemes and initiatives have been enacted to retain the skills base in the United Kingdom following manufacturing job losses. [156984]

The Government's Manufacturing Strategy, which we developed in partnership with industry, trade unions and other stakeholders, aims to create a high-value manufacturing sector in the UK with a highly skilled and well paid workforce, moving away from competing on the basis of low skill and low wages. We are continuing to develop a range of initiatives under the Skills Strategy such as employer training pilots, modern apprenticeships, the growing network of Sector Skills Councils and other measures to better deploy and retain skills to improve business performance.Where there are significant redundancies in the manufacturing sector, the Rapid Response Service works to move people quickly into new jobs, preventing them from becoming detached from the labour market. Although a trend to declining manufacturing employment has been a feature of advanced economies over the last 30 years, new jobs are still being created all the time. Around 250,000 manufacturing vacancies were reported to Jobcentre plus in the last year. Overall the UK labour market is performing well, with total employment rising by nearly 1.7 million since spring 1997, and unemployment falling in every region in Britain over the past year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will maintain the level of service provided by the (a) National Near Earth Object Information Centre and (b) the Spaceguard Centre. [155368]

The British National Space Centre (BNSC) has contributed funding to the setting up and maintenance of the Near Earth Object (NEO) Information Centre based at the National Space Science Centre in Leicester. It provides information to the public and monitors NEO activity. This follows the recommendations of the Near Earth Object Task Force Report. The BNSC contract expires on 31 December 2004. The Government has not contributed funding to the Space Guard Centre in the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions her Department has had with the banking sector to combat internet hackers and fraudsters from obtaining customers' online banking details through deception and other means. [157807]

Lead Institution	Partner Institutions	Award (£)
Public Sector Research Establishment Round 1
Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC)	Defence Science and Technology Laboratory	4,000,000
	Natural Environment Research Council
	Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council
	UK Atomic Energy Authority
CCLRC		475,000
Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust		510,000
Central Science Laboratory	Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Veterinary Laboratories Agency	231,860

The Department has no direct responsibility for the banking sector. As part of our normal discourse with business we do speak with the banking sector, including discussion of recent attempts to gain customers' passwords and other details. The results of these discussions are reflected in our promotion of information security best practice to business.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what procedures govern the categorisation of rural and urban post offices. [157810]

The decision to classify a post office branch as urban or rural is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. The company classifies as rural any post office within a community of less than 10,000 inhabitants. Above that the post office is classified as urban. I understand that the company has a geographical mapping model that enables it to adopt a consistent approach to classification across the country.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money has been spent on the Public Sector Research Exploitation Fund in each year since its inception; and how many organisations have received assistance through this fund. [157250]

An award totalling over £10 million was made through the Public Sector Research Exploitation (PSRE) fund in October 2001. A second round of the PSRE fund worth almost £15 million was announced in the Science Budget for 2003–06. Money spent so far in Round 1 is as follows:

Financial year	£
2001£02	287,500
2002£03	7,521,860
2003£04	300,000
Total	8,109,360

A further £2,000 000 of funding has been approved but not yet drawn down.19 applications received funding through PSRE round 1 and 16 in PSRE round 2. The organisations that have received assistance through the fund in rounds 1 and 2 are listed as follows, with their funding allocation. In collaborative applications to the fund, institutions nominate a lead establishment, shown as follows.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many organisations have been helped by the Public Sector Research Exploitation Fund in each year since its inception. [157251]

The Public Sector Research Exploitation Fund has been awarded through two competitive funding rounds. PSRE Round 1 awards were made in October 2001 with over £10 million going to 19 lead institutions. The allocation of Round 2 funds was announced in January 2004. Almost £15 million went to 16 lead organisations. For a list of organisations that have received assistance from the fund, please refer to PQ No. 157250 answered today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff are employed in her Department to tackle problems arising from information security breaches. [157257]

Fourteen staff employed in my Department may potentially be involved in investigating, and tackling problems arising from, information security breaches. Others from across the Department and from our key service suppliers may assist these staff when dealing with individual cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reason she has accepted responsibility on behalf of the taxpayer for the costs of clearing up the Springfields site in the United States; what steps she is taking to identify those individuals responsible for generating this environmental and financial liability; and if she will make a statement. [157865]

Springfields, the BNFL fuel manufacturing facility is located near Preston in Lancashire. The NDA on formation will become responsible for its clean-up.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to respond to the letter to her from the Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery Alliance concerning reform of the sugar regime; and for what reason she has not yet responded. [157095]

My office has no record of having received this letter. If the hon. Member writes to me again I will ensure that a response is sent as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what products her Department intends to introduce to rationalise the activities of UK online for business; how these will encourage the effective use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies by small and medium-sized companies; and what the projected costs are for each new product; [157241](2) what the budget is for the forthcoming year to promote effective use of information and communication technology by businesses. [157246]

Under its programme of reform of business support products my Department is launching two new products under the theme of "Achieving best practice in your business". These bring together the best of a number of existing schemes such as "UK online for business" and "Fit for the Future", as well as offering direct support for implementation of best practice business projects. The promotion of effective use of information and communication technology will underpin these products, which will have a programme budget, in the first year, of £20 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made in amending the Weights and Measures Act 1985 to facilitate electronic communications. [157198]

The Government are in the process of identifying provisions in consumer legislation, including the Weights and Measures Act 1985, which may need to be amended. The Government aims to start public consultations on any proposed changes by March 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement made by the Minister for Energy, E-Commerce and Postal Services on 5 February 2004, Official Report, column 48WS, on Post Office Urban Reinvention Network, (1) what his definition of dense network is; [156483](2) what percentage of post offices in urban deprived areas are situated in dense networks. [156484]

Post Office Ltd. defines a dense network of surrounding offices, in the context of offices in the 10 per cent. most deprived areas, as being several accessible branches in the 0.5 to one mile range travelling distance. Each proposal will however be considered on an individual basis with regard to reasonable transport links between the branches and travel across the area generally needed for retail needs. In addition, the role of Postwatch in the consultation process ensures that each proposal is analysed on a case-by-case basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) how much money his Department has provided to the Burma Border Consortium in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04; [157474](2) what steps his Department has taken to meet the food needs of refugees in camps on the Thai-Burmese border in 2003–04; [157618](3) what support his Department has made available in

The Department provided £600,000 to the Burmese Border Consortium in 2002–03 and 450,000 in 2003–04 to help meet the food needs of refugees in Thailand. £220,000 is being provided in 2003–04 for a border areas health programme of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which covers refugees in Thailand.The Department is also providing support to refugees from Burma through the European Commission (EC). The EC has so far allocated 2 million euros (£2.8 million) for the Burmese Border Consortium, over the period 2002–04, 20 per cent. of which is attributable to the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money has been provided by his Department in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04 to assist internally displaced people in Burma and to provide education for Burmese refugees in refugee camps on the Burma-Thailand border. [157620]

The Department did not support programmes specifically focused on internally displaced people in Burma in 2002–03 or 2003–04. However, internally displaced people may be among the beneficiaries of other DFID programmes during this period, such as a UNICEF-led immunisation programme in Burma for which DFID provided £567,000 in 2002–03, work by the International Committee of the Red Cross for which DFID provided £1.5 million in 2002–03, and some small grants to civil society organisations in both years.Our support in these years to Burmese refugees in camps on the Thai- Burma border focused on meeting basic food needs. Some support for education activities has been provided in the past through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as detailed in my reply to another question from the hon. Member for Buckingham.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what the projected level is of expenditure by his Department in 2004–05 on wildlife projects in Burma; and how the money will be allocated; [157621](2) what funding has been provided by his Department in 2003–04 for wildlife projects in Burma; and how the money was allocated. [157622]

The Department has not funded wildlife projects in Burma during 2003–04 and currently has no plans to do so in 2004–05.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the world's rainforests has been destroyed in each of the last 10 years to provide land purely to provide food for animals; and how much grain for humans this land could provide per year. [156966]

A recent Food and Agriculture Organisation study sampled 10 per cent. of the world's tropical forests in 1980, 1990 and 2000. The key changes noted were a loss of 'closed forest' (i.e. rain forest) amounting to 70–80 million hectares per decade, and a gain in "other land cover", primarily cultivation and pastures, of an almost identical area.It is not possible to state the proportion of forest destroyed to provide food for animals, since deforested land often has a sequence of changing uses. For example, in South America land cleared for cattle ranching is often later used for soy bean cultivation. In Africa, land cleared for small-scale landholdings is often used for both cultivation and raising livestock.It is not possible to say how much grain for humans deforested land could provide per year owing to huge variations in land fertility.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the forthcoming Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific population and development meetings in (a) Santiago in March and (b) Puerto Rico in June. [157780]

This year the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean will be holding a 10-year regional review of progress against the commitments made in the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994 (ICPD). The process will consist of two parts: Firstly there will be a technical open-ended meeting of an ad-hoc working group in Santiago, Chile in March. The outcome of this will be a report of key lessons and challenges in relation to further implementation of ICPD. Secondly there will be a high-level regular meeting of ECLAC in Puerto Rico in June, which will consider the outcome of Santiago.The UK Government will be represented at both these meetings as members of ECLAC. We are keen to emphasise the importance of the ICPD commitments and to support countries that do not wish to weaken the consensus of ICPD. DFID is particularly concerned with maintaining wording on reproductive health, rights and sexual health and avoiding unproductive arguments about issues that have already been agreed. The emphasis of the two ECLAC meetings should be on monitoring of progress of the ICPD) commitments in the region and discussion around enhancing progress for the next 10 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on progress on human rights in Ethiopia; what indicators he is using to monitor human rights in Ethiopia; and when he expects the Ethiopian Government to set up the Human Rights Commission promised in 2000. [156828]

When I visited Ethiopia in February I spoke to Prime Minister Meles and members of his Government about how respect for human rights can be improved. The Prime Minister accepted there are problems, but told me of his commitment to improving this situation. He gave an undertaking to build the capacity of the judiciary and security sectors to help protect constitutional rights for all.The Government of Ethiopia have agreed to link progress with human rights to our UK budget support agreement. The 'Establishment of a Human Rights Commission and Ombudsman' will be one indicator of progress. The target for June 2004 is for the commissioners of both bodies to be appointed. By June 2005, both bodies will be expected to produce a report outlining cases and complaints handled.We will be monitoring progress carefully.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the amount of grain required to provide an adequate level of sustenance for those people living in famine. [156965]

DFID follows the international guidelines as set by the World Food Programme and the World Health Organisation for the provision of food in emergency situations.The guidelines recommend a minimum of 2,100 Kcals per person per day. This is equivalent to approximately 600 g of grain. However, wherever possible, we seek to ensure a diet with an appropriate balance of nutrients. Rations are therefore not usually provided as grain alone, but typically consist of 400 g of grain, 50 g of corn soy blend, 25 g of oil, 60 g of pulses and 15 g of sugar per person per day.Different degrees of under-nourishment require different feeding regimes. For example, severely malnourished children are usually taken into a therapeutic feeding regime that will provide 200 Kcal per kilogramme of body weight per day. The rations are usually made up of a mixture of fortified flour, oil, sugar, vitamins and mineral complex and other local foods as appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in HIV/AIDS rates in countries identified by UNAIDS as the worst affected countries. [156398]

DFID provides support to UNAIDS, and looks to them to provide information on the global status of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Last December, UNAIDS launched the Global Epidemic Update (available at www.unaids.org) which provided a synthesis of trends in the epidemic in all regions. They will be producing detailed country information to launch at the World AIDS Conference in July 2004 in Bangkok.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what representations his Department has made to UNAIDS about changes to future exercises estimating HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in sub-Saharan Africa, to include population-based surveys as opposed to surveys which indicate trends in HIV prevalence; [156438](2) what representations his Department has

We have not received any representations from non-governmental organisations on over-estimates of HIV/AIDS rates in sub-Saharan Africa. This Department does not plan to commission research into the differences between data based on population-based surveys and on ante-natal clinic-based surveys in giving reliable estimates of the level of HIV/AIDS infection in sub-Saharan Africa. UNAIDS has the mandate to provide information on the status of the epidemic.UNAIDS included information about methodological issues relating to differences between data taken from these two different sources in the Global Epidemic update, which was released last World AIDS day. They concluded that population based surveys are likely to underestimate true HIV prevalence in most cases, because some respondents are absent from the household at the time of a survey and some refuse to participate. UNAIDS also recognise that most antenatal clinic-based surveillance systems have limited geographical coverage, which can lead to wide variations in the quality of the national estimate of HIV prevalence.UNAIDS is now doing some analysis linking behavioural data to the surveys, to see whether and how that has affected the result of the population-based surveys. They will convene a meeting in May to analyse different results across a number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa from the two sources of data. They aim to report findings at the World AIDS Conference in Bangkok in 2004.We have not made any specific representations to UNAIDS about changes to future exercises estimating HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in SA, to include population based surveys as opposed to surveys which indicate trends in HIV prevalence. DFID is in dialogue with them on issues around data sources for HIV estimates. UNAIDS contend that conducting ante-natal clinic-based surveys and population surveys at three to five year intervals can serve as valuable components of surveillance systems and can help improve estimates of the levels and trends in HIV prevalence. This Department supports UNAIDS in their efforts to analyse the different results from different sources, rather than relying on one source alone. All HIV estimates need to be assessed critically. Using different sources for data and interrogating the results will always provide more robust analysis than relying on one source.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support the Department is providing for research into developing vaccines to prevent HIV/AIDS. [157486]

DFID have agreed to provide a contribution of £14 million over the period January 2000 to December 2004 in support of the work of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI).IAVI is a global non-profit making organisation that is working to speed the development and distribution of preventive AIDS vaccines through: mobilising support through advocacy and education; accelerating scientific progress; encouraging industrial participation in AIDS vaccine development; and assuring global access. IAVI's stated mission is to ensure the development of safe, effective, accessible, preventive AIDS vaccines for use throughout the world.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the UK's contribution to the Humanitarian Operations Centre in Kuwait is; and if he will make a statement. [156358]

The Humanitarian Operations Centre in Kuwait was established prior to the conflict by the Coalition military and the Kuwaiti Government to support the coordination and facilitation of humanitarian operations from Kuwait into southern Iraq. The UK military contributed human resources. DFID has not contributed financially to the centre but is involved closely with it, including through the sharing of information. We have benefited from its information and coordination functions.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many Parliamentary Questions have been tabled to his Department since 1 January 2003, broken down by (a) Ordinary Written and (b) Named Day; what percentage in respect of (a) were answered within 10 working days; and what percentage in respect of (b) were answered by the specified date. [157749]

Since 1 January 2003, DFID has been asked 2,358 Written Parliamentary Questions. We are unable to break this down into Ordinary Written and Named Day Questions without incurring disproportionate cost.DFID try to respond to Parliamentary Questions within the Parliamentary deadlines whenever possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department intends to offer Swaziland in respect of the recent declaration of a state of national emergency. [156782]

DFID is supporting the work of the Vulnerability Assessment Committee in Swaziland, and has provided funding to the Food and Agriculture Organisation to run a series of "seed fairs" providing tools and seeds to families to enable them to grow food. We have also provided emergency funding to UNICEF to improve water and sanitation in schools. We have no immediate plans to provide further assistance following the emergency declaration.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department will offer to Swaziland in relation to its HIV/AIDS policy. [156783]

DFID supports Swaziland's efforts to combat HIV/AIDS through two regional programmes—the International Partnership against AIDS in Africa (implemented by UNAIDS and ActionAid), and a programme implemented by the Southern African Development Community.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 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. [156187]

I refer the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington to the response given by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs my hon. Friend the Member for Rotherham (Mr. MacShane) on 26 February 2004, Official Report, column 483W, regarding the same matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has held with representatives of the French government about future carrier requirements and co-operation thereon. [154661]

Defence Ministers routinely meet with their French opposite numbers and the UK's Future Aircraft Carrier programme has frequently been discussed in that context. There is s high level steering group which helps to facilitate UK French co-operation and, in addition, there have been regular meetings on the subject both between project officials from the UK's Defence Procurement Agency and their equivalents in the DGA and on a navy-to-navy basis. These meetings have identified several areas for potential co-operation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many claims under the Armed Forces compensation scheme were successful in each of the last five years; what estimate he has ma de of the number of likely successful cases per year under the proposed new scheme; and if he will make a statement. [153877]

The Ministry of Defence provides benefits for death, injury or illness due to service through the War Pensions Scheme and the Armed Forces Pension Scheme. The number of awards for new claims under the War Pensions Scheme in the last five years is set out as follows (the figures are taken from Table 2.5 of the recently published March edition of the War Pensions Quarterly Statistics). This includes awards where a pension was paid and those where only a gratuity was paid:

	Number
1998–99	6,810
1999–2000	7,445
2000–01	6,385
2001–02	6,955
2002–03	5,440

Current Information Technology systems do not enable us to identify the numbers who have also received attributable pensions from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme. However, the overall figure will be lower as the benefits can only be paid to those who are medically invalided.The new Armed Forces Compensation Scheme will provide benefits for currently serving personnel for injury, ill-health or death which is caused after 5 April 2005. The number of claims is expected to build up gradually over an extended period but to remain lower than the current level of claims against the War Pensions Scheme. This is because the latter covers periods of conscription, of worldwide conflict and of much larger than at present armed forces.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the planned laser simulation facility at AWE Aldermaston. [156642]

The Ministry of Defence are considering a new laser facility (Project ORION) at AWE Aldermaston to replace the existing laser facility which is more than twenty years old. The project is currently in the Assessment Phase.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage by weight of current beef supply contracts for his Department and its agencies are sourced from (a) British and (b) Scottish herds. [157870]

46 per cent. of the beef and beef products purchased for consumption by the armed forces in the United Kingdom is British. Of that total, in the past 12 months, 70 per cent. came from Scottish herds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the rate of failure of large general purpose machine gun ammunition supplied by Belgium. [155135]

There was a problem reported on the Browning 0.5" Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) when firing standard Ball (M33) and Tracer (M17) rounds on training overseas prior to Operation Telic. The ammunition was manufactured to NATO standards by the Belgian contractor FN Herstal. A thorough and immediate investigation by the contractor could not replicate the reported problem. However, it was identified that a minor increase in the loaded propellant charge, still within NATO specifications, would increase the performance of the ammunition in the weapon. This change was immediately implemented by EN Herstal, at no cost to the MOD, and the new ammunition was available within four weeks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of the Defence Export Services Organisation was in 2002–03; what his estimate is of the projected cost in each year to 2005–06; and if he will make a statement. [156710]

Operating costs for Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) for the last and current financial years are as follows:

Financial year	Net operating costs (£ million)
2002–03	11.944
2003–041	15.583
1 Figures for 2003–04 are forecasts for the year.

The DESO budgets for financial years 2004–05 and 2005–06 have not yet been finalised, and I am withholding projections of the costs in these years under exemption 2c of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.The costs of DESO are more than offset by benefits to the Defence budget arising from defence exports. Savings to the defence budget come from spreading the fixed overhead costs of equipment over the longer production runs generated by exports, from the sale of surplus military equipment to overseas governments, and from Commercial Exploitation Levy on exports of equipment developed using public money.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many Eurofighter Typhoons have been delivered to No. 17 Squadron, Royal Air Force; [156951](2) how many Eurofighter Typhoons he plans to be delivered to No. 17 Squadron, Royal Air Force; when the squadron will receive the final aircraft of its intended complement; and if he will make a statement. [156952]

It is planned that four aircraft will be delivered to No. 17 Squadron, Royal Air Force. The final aircraft of its intended complement is expected to be received by April this year. To date, two have been delivered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to re-form No. 29 Squadron, Royal Air Force to conduct the first Eurofighter Typhoon pilot training course at RAF Coningsby; when the first Typhoon pilot training course will start; and if he will make a statement. [156953]

The Eurofighter Typhoon Operational Conversion Unit is currently being re-formed as 29 Squadron at the BAE System facility at Warton, Preston, Lancashire. Re-formation of 29 Squadron will be complete when it moves to RAF Coningsby next year. Present plans are for initial instructor pilots to commence training this summer.