To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the cost of UK agricultural subsidies and price support in areas which are not dependent on the Common Agricultural Policy in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [156602]

Commodities not subject to a Common Organisation of the Market include potatoes, horsemeat, honey, coffee, alcohol, cork and vinegars derived from alcohol. UK subsidies or price support for these areas are negligible or non-existent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what happens to male calves which are refused passports because the owner failed to register them within 27 days.[156044]

In the first instance the animal's keeper has the right to appeal against the decision to refuse a passport if he thinks there are special or extenuating circumstances.If the appeal is unsuccessful, the animal may live out its life on the farm it is on. It may not be moved to other premises and it may not enter the food chain at the end of its life.If the keeper does not wish to keep the calf it may be moved under licence to a knacker's yard or other facility for destruction.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Office of Fair Trading's recent re-examination of the supermarkets' code, with specific reference to milk pricing.[156442]

The report of the review by the Office of Fair Trading of the operation of the Supermarket Code of Practice was published on 20 February 2004. It made no reference to milk pricing which falls outside the scope of the Code.We welcome the publication of the report and the OFTs decision to undertake a focused compliance audit of the supermarkets' dealings with suppliers. We hope that this will provide a firm evidence base for future action.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress the Government are making with the European Landscape Convention; and when it will be (a) signed and (b) ratified. [157480]

Defra has been considering with other interested Government Departments and agencies the possible costs and benefits to the UK of signing and ratifying the Council of Europe European Landscape Convention. No decision has yet been taken as to whether the UK will sign and ratify but I expect a decision to be made later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the accuracy of assessments made by the (a) UK Government and (b) European Commission on the attributes of fish discarded by fishing vessels operating in UK waters.[152369]

These data are obtained by discard officers employed by the UK fisheries research agencies They are collected in accordance with EC Regulation 1639/, which applies to all member states, and the precision levels of data relating to discards are set out in Chapter III E(1)c, H(1)e of that regulation. The European Commission makes use of the estimates made by member states, and may aggregate them when required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how trading of sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxides within the national emission reduction plan proposed by her Department for implementation of the Large Combustion Plants Directive would operate, with particular reference to the Commission's decision that trading of pollutant emissions will only be allowed where emissions fall below best available techniques. [155897]

The general principles of an emissions trading scheme were set out in the National Emissions Reduction Plan submitted to the European Commission in November 2003. The plan is available on the Defra website. The details of any such scheme would be defined in close consultation with the potential participants depending on the Government' final decision on the UK' approach to implementing the Large Combustion Plants Directive.Plants within such a scheme would be able to trade allowances freely but would still have to comply, at all times, with all other relevant legislation, including the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive which requires the application of best available techniques.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what discussions she has had with groups representing users of mechanically propelled vehicles in connection with plans to restrict their use of minor highways and byways; and if she will make statement; [157306](2) what representations she has had from groups representing users of mechanically propelled vehicles regarding their use of minor highways and byways; and if she will make a statement; [157307](3) if she will make a statement on plans to restrict the use of byways and minor highways by mechanically propelled vehicles.[157308]

During the course of last year I met the Trail Riders Fellowship, the Land Access and Recreation Association, the Royal Automobile Club, the Byways and Bridleways Trust Council, and the Auto-Cycle Union last year to discuss the use of mechanically propelled vehicles on rights of way.The Government have subsequently published a consultation paper setting out its proposals for tackling the problems which can arise. So far 10 groups representing users of mechanically propelled vehicles have responded.The consultation period ends on 19 March. When I have had an opportunity to consider all the responses, I will invite representative groups to meet me to discuss the issues. We will announce the Government's intentions on the way ahead in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what amendments have been made to the Concordats between the Scottish Executive and the UK Government on co-ordination of European policy issues concerning agriculture; and what representations she has received from the Scottish Executive to amend the Concordats.[157869]

There have been no amendments concerning agriculture made to any Concordats on co-ordination of European policy issues. Defra has not received any representations from the Scottish Executive to amend the Concordats.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of highly resistant varroa mites have been reported in the last 12 months in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales.[157782]

The number of new cases of pyrethroid-resistant varroa mites reported in apiaries in England and Wales in the last 12 months is 59 and nine respectively. There have been no such cases reported in Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations were made by her Department to the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly concerning the selection of disabled sports for the 2006 Commonwealth Games; and whether she will make further representations on behalf of (a) bowls and (b) other excluded sports.[158832]

None. The programme for elite athletes with disabilities at the 2006 Games was decided by the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly following representations made by the international Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Melbourne 2006 games committee. The General Assembly agreed to increase the number of disability events from 8 to 12 from a list of 17 submitted by the IPC.This Government are committed to promoting disability sport and appreciates the popularity of bowls in this country. However, the selection process was the sole responsibility of the General Assembly and it would be inappropriate for Ministers from this Department to attempt to intervene.The Federation believe that the selection by the General Assembly offers the widest range of opportunities—within a limited programme—for the majority of athletes with disabilities from across the Commonwealth.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to increase the funding of regional museums.[158144]

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport's allocation of resources from Spending Review 2002 already includes a very significant increase in funding for regional museums, from £10 million in 2003–04 to £30 million in 2005–06. One of our aims is to use that funding, which underpins the Renaissance in the Regions programme, to lever in funding from other sources.Recently we have doubled our contribution to the joint DCMS/Wolfson museums and galleries improvement fund, to provide a total annual fund of £4 million, and have extended its coverage to regional museums with designated collections and to museums participating in Renaissance in the Regions. DCMS and the Department for Education and Skills are also investing £2.6 million in the current financial year in education and community projects carried out by partnerships of national and regional museums.In preparing the Departmental submission to the 2004 Spending Review, we will consider the needs of regional museums alongside other priorities and pressures during the 2005–08 period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures she is taking to tackle problems caused to television reception as a consequence of transmissions by TETRA masts.[158566]

TETRA systems in the UK are licensed to operate on frequencies within the bands 380 to 385 MHz; 390 to 395 MHz; 410 to 430 MHz; 871 to 876 MHz and 916 to 921 MHz. Television broadcasting operates on channels outside these bands; within the range 470 to 862 MHz. Interference should not therefore occur to TV reception from TETRA transmissions provided that the TETRA systems are operating in accordance with their licence conditions and the standard of installation of the TV receiver including its aerial system are satisfactory.Ofcom, the independent regulator of communications is responsible for managing civil use of the radio spectrum including the investigation of legitimate reports of television and radio interference. Ofcom has published information on improving radio and TV reception to avoid interference, including specific advice on cases involving TETRA. In all such cases reported to Ofcom to date, the problems have been attributable to the performance of the consumers own TV aerial amplifiers which have been found to have a pass band wide enough to boost the TV signal and, inadvertently, the TETRA signals. In most cases a suitable filter between the amplifier and TV aerial will resolve the interference. Consumers in these cases have been advised to take up the problems with their suppliers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what meetings he has had with representatives of the Scottish whisky industry in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003 and (d) 2004. [156802]

The Secretary of State for Scotland met representatives from the Scotch Whisky Association twice in 2001 and 2002, once in 2003 and thus far, once in 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the amount of overpayments made owing to official error in each social security benefit paid by his Department; and if he will make a statement.[158768]

The latest available information is in the table.

Estimates of the amounts of overpayments due to official error in 2002–03
	£ million
Benefit	Official error overpayment 2002–03
Income Support	140
Minimum Income Guarantee	50
Jobseekers Allowance	110
Housing Benefit (see Note 2)	100
Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance	43
Long-Term Benefits (Retirement Pension, Widow's Benefit, and Bereavement Benefit) (see Note 3)
14

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of pensioners he expects to be on means-tested benefits in 2005.[146749]

We estimate that 33 per cent. of individuals aged 60 years or older will be in receipt of either Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit, or some combination of these benefits, in 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints he has received from hon. Members concerning disability living allowance and attendance allowance medical examinations in the areas covered by (a) Leeds, (b) Birmingham, (c) Manchester, (d) Newcastle, (e) Sutton, (f) Bootle, (g) Bristol, (h) Glasgow, (i) Wembley, (j) Edinburgh and (k) Cardiff disability benefit centres in the last 12 months.[156041]

The numbers of complaints from hon. Members, recorded by the Medical Services National Customer Relations Team (NCRT), concerning disability living allowance and attendance allowance medical examinations in the last 12 months is 48. Numbers cannot be broken down by region and relate to inquiries from MPs to the Secretary of State and the Group Director of the DCD.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many days on average his 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.[155919]

The average number of working days is 12.6 and the greatest number of working days is 130. We are committed to providing hon. Members with timely and accurate replies to Parliamentary questions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 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. [157748]

During the period from 1 January 2003 to 31 January 2004 we answered 2,335 ordinary written questions, of which 65 per cent. were answered within 10 working days. During the same period we answered 463 named day questions, of which 66 per cent. were answered on the day specified and 90 per cent. within 10 working days. We are committed to providing hon. Members with timely and accurate replies to Parliamentary questions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) total amount of money lost by pension holders in company schemes where that pension scheme has wound up after the failure of the company and (b) the number of people who have lost pension provision in such circumstances. [158152]

Estimating the value of pensions lost and the number of people affected due to scheme wind-up and company insolvency, is fraught with numerous difficulties. We do not have information that tells us whether a scheme wind-up is due to company insolvency. Nor do we have information at an aggregate level on the fund assets and liabilities of schemes winding-up.The extent of pensions lost depends on many different factors—such as the maturity of the scheme (that is, the age profile and retirement status of members), and the funding position before starting winding-up. The latter in turn is highly sensitive to investment decisions and conditions in the financial markets.Data is severely limited in these areas, and as a result the Government does not have reliable estimates of the amount of money lost or the number of people affected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on delays to processing entitlement to retirement pensions for the recently widowed. [158702]

Where pensioners are recently widowed, they may be entitled to have their pensions increased by virtue of the National Insurance contributions paid by their deceased spouses. The assessment of any entitlement to an increased pension is carried out by the National Pension Centre in Newcastle. While this assessment is being carried out, widows will continue to receive their own pensions and can also apply for interim payments to top this up.The National Pension Centre also deals with new claims for pensions from people who have previously been divorced or widowed, and changes of circumstances for over four million pensioners who have their pensions paid direct into a bank account.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what target has been set for the processing of entitlements to retirement pensions for the recently widowed; and whether this target is being met. [158703]

There is no target set specifically for the processing of entitlements to retirement pensions for the recently widowed. Where pensioners are recently widowed, they may be entitled to have their pensions increased by virtue of the National Insurance contributions paid by their deceased spouses. The assessment of any entitlement to an increased pension is carried out by the National Pension Centre in Newcastle.When notified that a pensioner has been recently widowed, The National Pension Centre will assess whether the bereaved spouse can have their own pension increased, based on the contribution payments of their deceased partner. The National Pension Centre aims to deal with 95 per cent. of such changes within 17 days. As at the end of December performance against this target for the year was at 90.6 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people above state pension age he estimates are not drawing a state retirement pension because they have deferred taking a state pension; and if he will make a statement; [158767](2) how many

It is not possible to say exactly how many people are deferring their State Pension at a single point in time because it is not necessary to inform the Department for Work and Pensions of an intention to defer.However, estimates from the Government Actuary's Department suggest that approximately 120,000 pensioners in total are not drawing their state pension at the moment.Information on current pensioners who have deferred their pension is not available in the form requested, but there are currently around 1.14 million pensioners in total with increments, of whom 893,000 are women. These figures include a small number of people who have inherited increments from their partner's contribution record and will have not actually deferred retirement themselves.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which former officials of the Department have asked for permission to join (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers,(b) Deloitte & Touche, (c) Ernst & Young and (d) KPMG. [156889]

The Wales Office has been staffed entirely by secondees from other Government Departments who would need to seek any necessary permission from their parent Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the value of the capital expenditure on new hospitals built in Wales is in the last five years for which records are available. [156960]

Capital expenditure for building new hospitals in Wales comes from different sources that are not identified in central recording systems as exclusively for building new hospitals.The following table contains information on the total value of capital expenditure on the NHS in Wales for the last five years.

Financial year	£ million
1998–99	110.288
1999–2000	97.713
2000–01	91.611
2001–02	140.176
2002–03	123.388

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the value of the capital expenditure on new schools built in Wales is in the last five years for which records are available. [156961]

Capital expenditure for building new schools in Wales comes from different sources that are not identified in central recording systems as exclusively for building new schools.The following table contains information on the total value of capital expenditure on schools in Wales for the last five years, and includes pre-primary, primary, secondary and special schools.

Financial year	£000
1998–99	55,323
1999–2000	51,727
2000–01	70,421
2001–02	84,215
2002–03	89,926

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what secondments (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte & Touche, (c) Ernst & Young and (d) KPMG have made to his Department since 2001; for what (i) periods and (ii) tasks the secondments were made; whether secondments of staff from his Department have been made to those firms; and for what (A) periods and (B) tasks. [156917]

None.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the relationship between levels of public spending and levels of employment. [158480]

UK public spending as a percentage of GDP is close to the OECD average, but the UK has one of the highest employment rates in the OECD. Across OECD countries there is no systematic relationship between levels of public spending and levels of employment.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department of the Government agreeing to support the Crossrail project following the completion of the Montague Report; and if he will make a statement. [158481]

Crossrail is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport. I understand he is now considering the detailed advice that he has received from Adrian Montague.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the last three years UK economy trend figures for growth and consumer spending; and if he will make a statement. [158482]

Over the past three years real consumer spending has grown at a faster rate than GDP, supporting the economy through a prolonged period of subdued global demand.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the International Monetary Fund regarding expenditure forecasts. [158483]

The Chancellor of the Exchequer and officials from HM Treasury had detailed discussions with representatives from the IMF during December in preparation for the UK's Article IV Report. The concluding statement of the IMF's Mission was published immediately after the visit on 18 December.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the net direct taxation payable in this financial year by a married couple with two children and an income of £20,000 from one partner's work, taking into account the impact of tax credits. [158484]

The direct tax burden on a single earner family with two children and gross earnings of £20,000 per year is 9.5 per cent. in 2003–04.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with officials from (a) the Department for Work and Pensions and (b) the Inland Revenue regarding take-up ratio of tax credits. [158267]

Officials from the Inland Revenue and HM Treasury have had discussions on the size of the population expected to benefit from the Child and Working Tax Credits. The Department for Work and Pensions does not administer tax credits.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his aim to achieve full employment. [158485]

The Government's long-term goal is employment opportunity for all—the modern definition of full employment. Its aim is to ensure a higher proportion of people in work than ever before by 2010. The Government's strategy for delivering employment opportunity for all is based on maintaining macroeconomic stability and ensuring a dynamic and flexible labour market that equips people to adapt to change.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Inland Revenue relating to people with disabilities. [158487]

Treasury Ministers discuss a range of issues with the Inland Revenue, including those relating to people with disabilities.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to extend tax concessions for those who give major works of art to UK national galleries. [158488]

The Chancellor of the Exchequer considers all taxes as part of his annual Budget judgment.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to publish Sir Michael Lyons' report on the relocation of civil servants and other public sector workers to the regions. [158489]

Sir Michael Lyons intends to publish his final report into the scope for relocating public sector activities out of London and the South East later this month. I understand that no specific date has yet been determined.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list his public spending commitments to 2006 for International Development. [158490]

As set out following the conclusion of Spending Review 2002 in July 2002, the Department for International Development's budget for this Financial Year is £3.64 billion. This will rise to £3.78 billion next year and will reach £4.53 billion in financial year 2005–06. This represents the largest ever increase in UK aid levels.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many speeches he has made in the last 12 months in support of the Government's policy on the euro. [158491]

My right hon. Friend the Chancellor said in his EMU statement to the House on 9 June:

"a modern long-term and deep-seated pro-European consensus in Britain about Britain's role in Europe and Europe's role in the world can and will be built."

Since then Treasury Ministers, have held a variety of meetings to discuss the euro in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In addition, Treasury officials have held over 150 meetings with opinion formers in Britain and Europe.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to industry in Scotland of the aggregates levy since its introduction; [157858](2)what estimate he has made of the impact on local authorities in Scotland of the aggregates levy since its introduction; [157859](3)what change there has been in imports of aggregates into the UK since the introduction of the aggregates levy. [157860]

I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for North-West Leicestershire (David Taylor) on 21 January 2004 Official Report, column 1256W).

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the amount of (a) illegal fuel, (b) beer, (c) wine and spirits, (d) cigarettes and (e) counterfeit goods seized in each of the last three years in (i) the UK, (ii) the North West and (iii) Lancashire. [157975]

HM Customs and Excise routinely publish UK seizures statistics for oil, alcohol and cigarettes. The latest published figures are contained in Customs' Annual Report 2002–03 (HC 52). Regional figures are not available.Data on non-excise counterfeit products seized by Customs is contained in the European Commission's annual report on counterfeit and pirated goods, which is available on their website at www.europa.eu.int

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rise in earnings was for each region of the UK for 2002–03, listed in descending order. [157661]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the customs strike force and the level of protection provided in Welsh ports of entry. [155390]

To meet the challenge of 21^st century smuggling, HM Customs and Excise, in Wales and across the UK, have developed their tactics, replacing traditional, predictable and less productive activities with more intelligence-led targeted operations. Experience demonstrates that the most efficient and effective way to do this in many areas is to use flexible mobile strike force teams. With these teams, Customs can deploy larger numbers, less predictably and with greater impact.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the (a) the proposed date for implementation of the Lorry Road User Charge and (b) its tax implications for the UK haulage industry. [158221]

The Government published "Modernising the taxation of the haulage industry—lorry road user charge: progress report two" in May 2003, in which we set out the timescale on which we hoped the Lorry Road User Charge would be implemented, depending on what the market tells us can be delivered by when. We also said that the charge would be offset through fuel duty reductions for lorry operators, so that overall those who buy fuel in the UK will pay no more tax as a result of the introduction of the charge. A further progress report will be issued shortly.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guarantee he is able to give about funding levels for the Supporting People programme in 2004–05. [156878]

I have been asked to replyOn 12 February, the Government announced funding of £1.8 billion for the Supporting People programme in 2004–05.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to public funds would be of abolishing capital gains tax, but charging all gains made in less than two years to income tax. [157573]

The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the financial delegation for the Ministry of Defence relating to running costs and other current administrative expenditure relating to personnel costs of the armed forces. [158776]

I have today placed a copy of the delegation in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the current value of investments held by the (a) Army, (b) Navy and (c) RAF; and if he will make a statement. [142029]

The total value of MOD investments as at 31 March 2003 was some £430 million. Further information is published in Note 9 of the Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts 2002/03 (HC1125 of 30 October 2003). This document is available in the Library of the House and on the MOD's website. The investments are mainly managed centrally and therefore are not attributed by Service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether his Department classifies the Future Rapid Effects System programme as (a) a system and (b) a vehicle; [157596](2) whether the winner of the Future Rapid Effects System Systems House competition will be disqualified from playing a major role on the industrial side of the programme; [157597](3) whether the proposed Systems House approach is the preferred way forward for the Future Rapid Effects System programme. [157598]

The Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) will provide a family of network-capable armoured vehicles that will form a key part of network enabled capability. We expect to make an announcement on the assessment phase for the FRES programme shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on (a) the future of Gurkha regiments in the British Army and (b) back filling by Gurkhas in other regiments. [158262]

There are currently no plans regarding the future of Gurkha regiments. The Defence White Paper published last December provides the policy context for shaping the structure of the armed forces. Subsequently, the details of individual units within that structure will need to be further developed, but presently no decisions have been taken.Gurkhas are not routinely tasked as individuals to back fill other army regiments. Previously, specific Gurkha sub-units, known as Gurkha Reinforcement Companies, were established in order to fill a specific operational manning requirement during a period of under-recruiting. However, improved manning levels have since reduced this requirement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many aircraft were hired to help with heavy lift in each of the last three years; and what types of aircraft were hired. [158260]

The following heavy-lift aircraft have been chartered in the last two financial years and in the current financial year to date:

	Antonov AN-124	Ilyushin IL 76
2001–02	86	23
2002–03	176	23
2003–04	52	7

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints against UK troops in Iraq have been upheld; what action has been taken; and if he will make a statement. [142178]

[holding answer 9 December 2003]: Complaints against UK troops in Iraq are dealt with by local commanders in accordance with established disciplinary procedures. The vast majority of complaints are of a minor nature and are, as a result generally not recorded centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement concerning the death in British Army custody in September 2003 of Baha Mousa in Basra; what action has been taken or is pending against the soldiers involved; whether compensation has been (a) offered to and (b) accepted by his family; and whether he will accept an independent inquiry into the circumstances of Mr. Mousa's death. [147706]

The death of Baha Mousa is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Royal Military Police who, in exercising their constabulary powers, are fully independent of the Army chain of command. It would be inappropriate to comment until their investigation is complete.The UK has not admitted liability for Baha Mousa's death but a payment has been accepted by Mr. Mousa's family.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent to repair and reconstruct civilian infrastructure by UK forces within the first 100 days of the end of high intensity fighting in Iraq. [150220]

In collecting the costs incurred by UK forces, we do not separately identify those incurred on repair and reconstruction of civilian infrastructure. However, it is estimated that, in 2003–04, some £9.9 million will be spent on quick impact projects, which enhance the security of UK forces. Such projects include the refurbishment of schools and health clinics, renovation of police stations, supplying oxygen to hospitals, and the repairing and re-supplying of water and sewerage works. This is separate from the cost of reconstruction, on which the Department for International Development is leading.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what budget his Department has allocated for entertaining troops in Iraq. [158223]

There is no specific budget set aside for the entertainment of troops in operational locations. Instead, an assessment, based on the number of troops deployed on the operation, is made to determine how many events should be provided.Just over £0.5 million has been approved to be spent on entertainers visiting troops in Iraq in 2003–04. No costs were incurred in 2002–03. In addition to this cost, entertainers may be provided with some limited non-cash assistance, such as transport, accommodation or food, should this be possible given operational pressures. The Services Sound and Vision Corporation incur an additional cost, extending their normal peacetime service to the United Kingdom forces stationed overseas, to those deployed operationally in Iraq. For 2003–04, the additional cost for that activity is estimated at around £4 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the Permanent Secretary in his Department was first informed as to which Iraqi weapons the 45 minute claim in the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction dossier applied. [158773]

The Permanent Secretary first became aware of the intelligence which indicated that chemical and biological munitions could be with Iraqi military units and ready for firing within 45 minutes in early September 2002. He became aware that the intelligence referred to battlefield weapons soon after the publication of the Government's dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the plans for the United States Emergency Hospital planned for RAF Colerne in 1984 were ever implemented; and whether there are similar plans now. [157923]

[holding answer 2 March 2004]: I am not aware of any plans for a United States Emergency Hospital at Colerne in 1984, and there are no such plans for the future. The army took over the site from the RAF in 1978, and it is now the base for the 21 Signal Regiment (Air Support).

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the Royal Yeomanry. [158775]

There are currently no plans to change the role of the Royal Yeomanry. The Defence White Paper published last December provides the policy context for shaping the structure of our armed forces. The detailed roles, function and tasks of individual units within that structure are being developed, but no decisions have been taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Second World War (a) veterans and (b) war widows he estimates are resident in the Irish Republic; and if he will make a statement. [158833]

This information is not available in the format requested.Available data shows that the number of war pensions in payment in respect of post 1939 service, for those where residence is recorded as being in the Republic of Ireland, is as follows; War Disablement Pension 825 and War Widows Pension 255.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the contracts let by the Coalition Provisional Authority for selling Iraqi oil and gas. [155286]

The State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO) sells all exportable hydrocarbons on behalf of the Ministry of Oil. SOMO forms part of the Ministry of Oil.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the balance of trade between Greater London and (a) the rest of the United Kingdom, (b) the European Union and (c) the rest of the world was for each year since 1997. [158433]

According to information published by HM Customs and Excise, the balance of trade in goods between the London region and EU and non-EU countries are given in the following table. Information on trade between regions of the United Kingdom is not available. Information on trade in services cannot be cross-classified by UK region and partner country.

Greater London Balance of Trade in goods
		£ billion
	1EU	Non-EU
1997	-5.8	-12.1
1998	-7.5	-13.1
1999	-8.5	-13.8
2000	-8.0	-13.2
2001	-5.0	-12.4
2002	-0.8	-12.1
1Figures for trade with the EU refer only to traders above the Intrastat threshold. Nationally, such traders account for over 97 per cent. of the value of UK trade in goods.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial and other inquiries were made by (a) her Department and (b) the South West Regional Development Agency before it announced the conditional grant made to Peninsula Power in respect of the proposed Biomass Electricity project at Winkleigh, Devon; and what inquiries are being made now. [157144]

[holding answer 27 February 2004]: South West RDA made no financial inquiries into Peninsula Power since it is not funding the core operation costs of that company. The RDA purchased 36 acres of land at Winkleigh Airfield to ensure that the opportunity to build the proposed biomass plant is not lost before the issues are properly considered as part of the planning process. The RDA has undertaken the necessary due diligence in relation to the acquisition of the land.The RDA has also provided further funds to ensure feasibility studies are comprehensively carried out and fully available to the public. It will insist that the consultants appointed to undertake the studies provide a "Deed of Warranty" to ensure the quality of the work undertaken.The DTI grant to the developer from the Capital Grants Scheme is an arrangement under which payments are only made in arrears of agreed milestones and where matching funding has been provided. As yet no payments have been made under the DTI grant. When assessing the original application for the grant, the DTI followed its laid-down procedures and which involved the advice of independent advisers.Should the plant obtain all the necessary planning and environmental consents, then Peninsula Power has an option to purchase all or part of the site from South West RDA at market value. At that point, the RDA will not dispose of the land to Peninsula Power unless it is satisfied that all the necessary funding to complete any approved project is in place, necessitating the undertaking of financial checks at the appropriate time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps (a) she and (b) the South West Regional Development Agency have taken to satisfy themselves that the advanced gasification and turbine technology for the proposed Biomass Electricity project at Winkleigh, Devon is proven and will not fail; and what their findings were. [157143]

[holding answer 27 February 2004]: The DTI has considered the technology as part of its Bio-Energy Capital Grant scheme which allows development of technology processes. The South West RDA does have a wider interest in gasification technology in the region and will be appointing independent consultants to appraise the technology. The consultants will specifically report on the gasification technology proposed at Winkleigh and will liaise closely with DTI. The findings will be made available to the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the payments (a) authorised and (b) paid by (i) her Department and (ii) the South West Regional Development Agency towards the proposed Biomass Electricity Generation project at Winkleigh, Devon. [157146]

[holding answer 27 February 2004]: The South West RDA authorised project funding of £623,900 to acquire 36 acres of land and pay for feasibility studies (an Environmental Impact Assessment, a Biomass Feedstock and Market Development Study and an Economic Impact Assessment) and limited technical costs (including costs towards a public consultation exercise).The feasibility studies and technical work will provide results that will have wider implications for other, similar, projects in the region. The studies will also be made fully available to the public, including the local community, key regional partners and other developers.To date (26 February 2004) the SWRDA has paid £338,200 for the acquisition of the land. In total £384,391 has been paid to date (26 February 2004) including other associated costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of UK domestic broadband connections use services with downstream specifications in excess of 2Mbps. [157189]

The proportion of UK domestic broadband connections using services with downstream specifications in excess of 2Mbps is not held by the Department.Telecommunications operators have assured the Department they review regularly their range of broadband services to see whether they are meeting consumer demand for higher speed services. It is estimated by Analysys Consulting Ltd. that by end December 2003, mass-market asymmetric 4Mbps services were available to 11 per cent. of the UK population from exchanges where the local loop has been unbundled.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with representatives of other political parties concerning her strategy to encourage growth in the broadband and third-generation mobile phone sectors; and if she will make a statement. [156179]

There have been no formal discussions with representatives of other political parties concerning our strategy to encourage growth in the broadband and third-generation mobile phone sectors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of the current levels of (a) prompted and (b) unprompted awareness of Business Link branded services among small businesses. [157197]

In December 2002, prompted awareness of Business Link was 74 per cent. and unprompted awareness was 17 per cent. A further survey measuring awareness of Business Link is currently being undertaken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action the Small Business Service can take in relation to an underperforming Business Link operator. [157206]

The actions available to the SBS, under the terms of section 5 of the Business Link Operator (BLO) Operator Agreement, in full to address underperformance by BLOs are:

to write formally to the BLO highlighting concern over performance levels and advising them that should performance not improve further action would be taken; requiring the BLO to undergo a Business Performance Review (BPR), that examines the problems faced by the BLO and recommends actions to resolve the problems. The BLO would then need to agree a remedial plan with their SBS or RDA contract management team based on the outcome of the BPR, the implementation of which is closely monitored by the SBS or RDA contract management team;

not automatically extending the BLO's contract to a third year and serving notice that unless performance significantly improves, the contract Hill terminate in two years;

if an agreed remedial plan has not been fully implemented the SBS can withhold funding from the BLO until it is satisfied the plan has been implemented in full. The amount of withheld funding can be up to 33 per cent. (depending on the extent of the failure to implement the remedial plan) and;

in extreme circumstances the failure to implement a remedial plan can be considered a material breach of the contract and a written notice to terminate the contract served.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of businesses helped by each of the UK business link organisations are still operating. [157209]

While information is not collected from individual business link organisations regarding the survival of businesses that they have assisted. A tracking study of a group of Barclay's bank business customers demonstrated that businesses that received help from Business link organisations and business agencies had a higher survival rate, with 76 per cent. still trading after two years, compared with 63 per cent. of the control group.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are in place to encourage businesses to use Business Link; and what proportion of applicants for (a) the, Smart Scheme and (b) the Grant for Research and Development has (i) discussed their application with their local Business Link operator and (ii) maintained dialogue with Business Link throughout the period of their project. [157227]

Businesses are encouraged to use Business Link by a nationally-undertaken programme of paid advertising, including online advertising, sponsorship, events, public relations activity and publications distribution. Businesses are also encouraged to use Business Link through partnerships with third parties and intermediaries, such as banks.In addition, businesses are encouraged at a local and regional level to use Business Link through promotional activity undertaken by individual Business Link Operators.(a) The most recent, independent evaluation of Smart, which published its finding; in 2001, found that 50 per cent. of those surveyed had used public business service providers, including Business Link, as a source of additional support in relation to their projects, either at the application stage or subsequently,(b) The Grant for Research and Development was introduced in June 2003 and early indications are that two fifths of applicants have used Business Link services in preparing their applications. The proportion which has maintained a dialogue is not known.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of time her Department's Business Link staff spent on managing the Business Link Network in each year since its inception. [157229]

The current Business Link network of 42 Operators over 45 areas in England was launched in April 2001. The Small Business Service's nine regional teams (around 50 staff), with support from their Head Office set up and managed the contracts. The majority of their time was spent working with Business Link Operators and regional partners to develop the network. The Small Business Service is now increasingly concentrating on influencing policy and delivery decisions across government both in Whitehall and in the regions, and up to a third of the regional staff will be undertaking different roles in line with this new strategy by the end of March 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people are employed as part of the national network of e-business advisers located in the Business Link. [157247]

151.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many firms have been helped by the Small Firms Loan Guarantee scheme since its introduction. [157192]

Since the Small Firms Loan Guarantee began in June 1981, up to the end of January 2004, 88744 loans have been guaranteed. Some small firms may have benefited from more than one loan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money has been spent on (a) grants for research and development, (b) grants for investigating an innovative idea and (c) knowledge transfer partnerships since they were introduced; and of each total, how much has been spent on administration. [157193]

(a) and (b) expenditure for the Grant for R and D and Grant for III from 1 June 2003 to 31 January 2004 is as follows:

	Programme spend (£)	Administration1 (£)
Grant for R and D	950,000
Grant for Investigating an Innovative Idea	270,000	3,189.000
Former Smart scheme1	32,768,000
1From 1 April 2003 to 31 January 2004
Note:
Administration of all three programmes is unified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 5 February 2004, Official Report, column 998W, on business support schemes, if she will list the (a) service costs to run and (b) cost of the programme delivered by (i) the Small Firms Loan Guarantee, (ii) Grant for Research and Development, (iii) Grant for Investigating an Innovative idea and (iv) Knowledge Transfer Partnerships between 2003–07. [155357]

The forecast costs of the new Business Support Products for the financial years 2003–04 and for 2004–05 are listed in the table below. Allocations for future years will be agreed as part of the 2004 Spending Review process. Grant for Research and Development and Grant for Research and Development and Grant for Investigating an Innovative Idea were introduced on 1 June 2003 to replace and enhance the

£million
	2003–04	2003–04	2004–05	2004–05
Business support product	Service costs	Cost of programme	Service costs	Cost of programme
Small Firms Loan Guarantee	0.702	52.85	0.702	65
Grant for Research and Development (including Smart)	3.83	40	3.83	26
Grant for Investigating an Innovative Idea		0.6		3
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (formerly TCS)	2.4	25.6	2.4	25.6

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2004, Official Report, column 998W, on business support schemes, (1) if she will list the new business support products that are due to be made available in April; and how much money is to be spent on these products;. [157178](2) she will list the new products that have replaced business support schemes that are

Four new business support products are already in place. These are: Grant for Investigating an Innovative Idea, Grant for Research and Development, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, and Small Firms Loan Guarantee.Five further new business support products will be introduced in the first half of this year. These are Knowledge Transfer Networks, Grant for Collaborative Research and Development, Access to Best Business Practice, Support to Implement Best Business Practice, and Finance to encourage investment in specific areas of England.The timing of the introduction of the tenth business support product, Enterprise Capital Fund, is dependent upon the current notification to the European Commission for State Aids Clearance.The Department's annual expenditure on each product will be kept under review by the Investment Committee to ensure products' impact on productivity and value for money.The Business Cases presented to the Investment Committee currently project expenditure to be as follows:

	£ million
Grant for Collaborative Research and Development	134
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships	36
Grant for Research and Development	133
Knowledge Transfer Networks	17
Grant for Investigating an Innovative Idea	3
Small Firms Loan Guarantee	49
Access to Best Business Practice	10
Support to Implement Best Business Practice	20
Finance to encourage investment in specific areas (provisional title)	125
Enterprise Capital Fund	Subject to EU notification
1£100 million over three years

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on (a) call centres and (b) call centre jobs in (i) the North West and (ii) Lancashire. [157083]

The Government is well aware of the heightened interest and concerns expressed about the offshoring of UK service operations, including call centre operations. 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., 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.The North West Development Agency is working with the University of Central Lancashire and a wide range of other private and public sector partners on a new initiative, Call North West, in an aim to drive up the skills and productivity of the region's contact centres. Call North West will be formally launched on 24 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many jobs in (a) the north west and (b) Lancashire in call centres have relocated abroad in each of the last three years. [157084]

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.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support her Department has offered to BP for its exploration activities in Colombia; and what meetings have been held with company representatives in the last six month [157711]

Through the British embassy in Bogota, in particular, UK Trade and Investment offers a range of services to UK exporters and to UK investors in Colombia. While London based officials have had little contact with BP there, officials in Bogota have regular contact with the company (the largest foreign investor in Colombia) on a range of issues of mutual interest. In October 2003, the embassy's First Secretary (Trade and Investment) made an introductory call on the new company president offering support to their activities in Colombia and, in February, the ambassador hosted a dinner, offered to the Minister of Mines and Energy where BP's president, and heads of other British companies were present.Further meetings at various levels will continue to be held with BP over the coming months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions her Department has had with (a) other Government departments and (b) the EU to develop a strategy promoting an enterprise culture. [157235]

The Small Business Service has recently co-ordinated and published a cross government action plan for small business based around seven strategic themes, one of which relates to the development of an enterprise culture. The development of that strategic theme involved discussions with a number of other departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Education and Skills, and the Home Office.At EU level, we responded to the European Commission's Green Paper on Entrepreneurship at the end of June 2003, including references to actions which could raise the level of awareness of enterprise, such as an enterprise day or week across the EU, which would complement the UK strategy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what initiatives her Department is supporting to encourage entrepreneurial attitudes among young people; what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Education and Skills about building enterprise awareness in schools and universities; and whether her Department expects to implement the recommendations of the Davies review on enterprise activity offered to pupils by 2005–06. [157236]

The DTI has supported Enterprise Insight in developing a national campaign to promote enterprise to young people and those who influence them (including teachers, careers advisers etc). This campaign will have as its focal point an annual Enterprise Week the first of which will be from 15 to 21 November this year. Enterprise Week will include national and regional activities and celebrations of entrepreneurial achievement.The DTI also supports the activities of Young Enterprise, in offering young people practical experience of what enterprise entails through simulated entrepreneurial situations. Specifically, through the SBS it supports YE's Graduate Programme, Masterclass and Innovation Awards.The DTI is also working closely with the DfES and the Treasury in taking forward the recommendations of the Davies Review. From 2005–06 all Key Stage 4 pupils will receive the equivalent of 5 days enterprise activity, which develops enterprise capability—innovation, creativity, risk-management and risk-taking, and financial and business understanding. 151 Enterprise Pathfinder projects were launched last September, covering nearly 400 secondary schools in England, from which DfES will derive guidance for all schools prior to launching the £60 million enterprise education entitlement in September 2005. A second wave of Pathfinders will start in September 2004.The two Departments are also supporting the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship. Building on existing good practice, the aims of the council will be to raise the profile of entrepreneurship and starting a business as a career option within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), including both universities and other higher education establishments, with the objective of increasing the numbers of students and graduates who give serious thought to this. It will therefore work with all interested parties to encourage and create an entrepreneurial culture amongst students and graduates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry where enterprise shows have been held this year; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of enterprise shows in encouraging business start-up. [157234]

As stated in the Government's¹ Action Plan for Small Business, we are collaborating with the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) to run a programme of enterprise shows which are being planned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many export licences have been granted for the delivery of gas centrifuges or parts thereof over the last five years; and in respect of which countries. [158063]

Since May 1997, the Government have published an Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls containing details of all goods authorised for export from the UK and to which destinations. Copies of the Annual Report (up to and including 2002) are available from the Libraries of the House. Details of export licences approved in 2003 will be published later this year in the 2003 Annual Report. The annual report summary for the goods in question is 'Uranium isotope separation equipment'.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures her Department is taking to ensure that small businesses are adequately protected from internet hackers and fraudsters. [157809]

I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien), on 1 March 2004, Official Report, columns 633–34W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the death of a miner after a filed compensation claim changes the claim's level of priority, with particular reference to the status of the miner's wife. [157218]

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list (a) executive non-departmental public bodies and (b) advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by her Department; and what budget was set for each year between 1998 and 2008. [155323]

The Department's Executive and Advisory NDPBs are listed in the Cabinet Office's annual publication "Public Bodies".The following bodies have been formed as Executive or Advisory NDPBs since 1 April 2003 and will be included in the Public Bodies 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the cost of (a) building, (b) operating and (c) decommissioning (i) next generation nuclear and (ii) combined cycle gas turbine facilities. [158561]

The Department has published estimates of the cost of electricity generation from a variety of technologies, including next generation nuclear and combined cycle gas turbine facilities. These are contained in a report published in February 2002 available at: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/greenhousegas/index. shtml.The Performance and Innovation Unit at the Cabinet Office also published similar estimates in its 2001 Energy Review. These are available at: www. number-10.gov.uk/su/energy/1.html

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value was of the assets of One North East which were included in the partnership deal with UK Land Estates; and what the value of contracts placed with UK Land Estates by ONE has been since its commencement. [157047]

The contractual documentation for the limited partnership, which is proposed will be called North East Property Partnership, is not yet complete.The Agency has placed no contracts with the partnership to date as it has yet to come into existence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many parliamentary questions have been tabled to her 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. [157746]

The following figures are for the whole of the 2002–03 sessions, Of the 2,867 ordinary written questions, 2,706 (94 per cent.) were answered within 10 working days. Of the 723 named day written questions. 247 (34 per cent.) received a substantive reply on the named day.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average percentage decline in post office business between March 2000 and March 2003 was for post offices in (a) the top 10 per cent. of urban deprived wards and (b) urban areas; and what percentage of the decline during that period she attributes to changes in the benefits system. [156482]

[holding answer 26 February 2004]: The information sought relates to operational matters and I have asked the Chief Executive of Post Office Ltd. to reply direct to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money has been paid in compensation to sub-post masters and mistresses of closing post offices; and how many post offices have been closed in each of the last five years. [158586]

I understand from Post Office Ltd. that net closures of post offices in each of the last five years were:

Year to end March
1999	233
2000	382
2001	547
2002	262
2003	1345
1Including 102 closures under the urban reinvention programme which commenced in October 2002.

Compensation is paid only to those subpostmasters whose office close under the terms of the urban reinvention programme. Post Office Ltd. produces data on branch closures, including those under the urban reinvention programme, on a quarterly basis. The total amount paid in compensation to subpostmasters in respect of the 694 post offices closed under the urban reinvention programme to end December 2003, the latest quarter for which this information is available was £38,111,410.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the part played by (a) Postwatch and (b) Post Office Limited in the Urban Network Reinvention Programme. [158594]

Post Office Ltd.'s urban reinvention programme is essential if a viable and sustainable countrywide post office network is to be maintained and to meet the changing needs of customers. The company will ensure that at the end of the programme, at least 95 per cent. of the population in urban areas will still live within a mile of their nearest post offices.Postwatch has an important role in the programme in examining each individual closure proposals and monitoring the programme overall. I understand that, of some 1,600 closure proposals notified to them, over 200 have been withdrawn, deferred or modified during or after the consultation process.Although the vast majority of urban reinvention closure proposals have attracted little criticism, concerns expressed about the consultation arrangements led me to ask Post Office Ltd. to review the arrangements and to propose changes to make them more inclusive and responsive. These changes were announced in my written statement of 5 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether regulatory impact assessments undertaken in relation to EU legislation are full assessments. [155259]

All regulations, including those resulting from EU legislation, that have a cost to or benefit for business are required to have a full Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA). Copies are placed in the Libraries of the House.While EU legislation is being developed, a partial RIA is prepared in order to inform the policy development process. The RIA remains a partial RIA while the legislative proposal itself is under development.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 2 February 2004, Official Report, column 649W, on regulatory impact assessments, what assessment she has made of the frequency with which the costs and benefits of regulations to consumers are considered in the course of regulatory impact assessments. [155490]

The Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) process requires policy makers to assess the impact on all areas of society affected by a proposal. Where appropriate, therefore, the impact on consumers will be assessed in the RIA.An estimate of the frequency with which consumers are referred cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.All RIAs must include a competition assessment which looks at the impact of a proposal on UK customers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which regulatory reform order have been used to amend burdensome primary legislation since 2001. [155319]

The Department is currently committed to a total of 10 Regulatory Reform Orders by the end of 2005.The Department has completed one Regulatory Reform Order removing the 20 Partner Limit on business partnerships. A further two removing the Sunday Trading Reporting Requirements for large stores and Patent Law improvements are undergoing Parliamentary scrutiny.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority was involved under the G8 Global Partnership Programme or its predecessor bilateral nuclear co-operation agreements with Russia in the towing of the Russian nuclear submarine K159 (November Class SSN) to the breaker's yard. [157498]

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the secondees from outside organisations working in her Department, stating in each case (a) the name of the person, (b) the name of the organisation, (c) the post held and (d) the start and finish dates of the secondment; and which are involved in drafting parliamentary answers. [158052]

The following table shows all secondees from external organisations presently working in the Department of Trade and Industry. The table indicates the name of the secondee, their employer, the position of the secondee and the name of the DTI directorate to which the secondee is attached, and the secondment start and finish dates.

Name	Employer	DTI post held	Secondment start date	Secondment finish date
Christine Adams	SIRA Ltd.	Project Manager, Technology Transfer Best Practice Project in Technological Innovation and Sustainable Development	1/8/03	31/3/04
Lew Adams	Strategic Rail Authority	Export Promoter in UK T&I	1/4/02	31/3/04
Colin Ager	National Physical Laboratory	Programme Supervisor in Technological Innovation and Sustainable Development	16/12/02	31/12/04
Silu Ali	Oracle Corporation UK Ltd.	Assistant Director in Business Relations	4/8/03	3/8/04
Martyn Allen	BAE Systems	Export Promoter in UK T&I	4/2/02	3/2/05
Helen Almey	dstl	Assistant Director in Office of Science and Technology	11/8/03	12/8/05
Haakan Andresen	Tripleplay Services Ltd.	Assistant Director in Business Relations	5/11/02	31/3/04
Erica Antonelli	BT	Policy Advisor in Environmental Technologies	29/4/03	31/3/04
Alan Baldwin	BT	Export Promoter in UK T&I	26/7/99	25/4/04
Malcolm Barents	UKAEA	Deputy Director in the Nuclear and Coal Liabilities Unit	22/4/02	22/4/04
Natasha Barnett	BDO Stoy Hayward	Investigator in Corporate Law and Governance	2/12/02	31/5/04
David Basford	Smiths Aerospace	Assistant Director in Business Relations	31/3/03	30/3/05
Frederick Bassnett	Raylian London	Export Promoter in UK T&I	25/4/00	24/4/04
Fahima Begum	BT	Policy Analyst in Business Relations	9/2/04	8/11/04
James Benn	SBAC	Project Co-ordinator in Business Relations	6/10/03	5/10/04
David Bill	Balfour Beatty	Export Promoter in UK T&I	1/1/02	2/1/04
Norman Bolton	TUV NEL	Programme Supervisor in Technological Innovation and Sustainable Development	1/7/02	30/9/04
Debbie Boswell	British Jewellery and Giftware Federation	Export Promoter in UK T&I	15/7/03	11/7/05
Edwin Bowles	Exploration Consultants Ltd.	Export Promoter in UK T&I	2/1/02	31/3/04
Carol Brady	Kent County Council	Assistant Director in Consumer and Competition Policy	19/1/04	31/10/04
Christopher Bruce	BT Group plc	Assistant Director in Business Relations	2/6/03	28/5/04
Geoff Cathcart	Cambridgeshire County Council	Assistant Director in Business Relations	20/11/02	31/3/04
Mike Chadwick	Shared Intelligence	Senior Research Officer in the Small Business Service	2/6/03	30/6/05
Jeff Chapman	Combined Heat and Power Association	Export Promoter in UK T&I	1/4/00	31/3/04
Jennifer Churchward	Ernst & Young	Export Promoter in UK T&I	3/2/03	2/2/05
Jos Cleare	Hill & Knowlton	Assistant Director in Business Relations	1/1/04	5/10/04
Peter Concannon	FaberMaunsell	Assistant Director in Business Relations	6/5/03	31/10/04
Hugh Crooks	Enterplan Ltd.	Export Promoter in UK T&I	5/11/01	2/4/04
Adam Dawson	Shell Information Technologies International	Director in Business Relations	29/7/02	31/5/04
Alexander Stewart	Barclays Bank plc	Consultant in the Consumer Credit Review	10/11/03	30/4/04
Dickey		Team in Consumer and Competition Policy
Mark Donougher	PricewaterhouseCoopers	Deputy Director, Entrepreneurial Inward Investment in UK T&I	25/3/02	31/3/04
Ian Downey	Science Systems (Space) Ltd.	Head of Applications of Market	4/12/01	3/12/04
		Development in the British National Space Centre
Fabien du Fraisse	Bio-Industry Association	Deputy Director and Bioscience Industry Adviser in Business Relations	1/10/02	31/3/04
Lynn Duggan	London Borough of Camden	Senior Policy Adviser in Consumer and Competition Policy	2/2/04	31/7/05
Peter Dunkley	Leicestershire City Council	Senior Policy Adviser in Consumer and Competition Policy	1/2/03	1/8/04
Alan Eastwood	Chemical Industries Association	Assistant Director in Chemicals Unit, Business Relations	4/1/00	31/12/04
Louise Edwards	Rolls-Royce plc	Policy Advisor In Employment Relations	1/9/03	27/8/04
Tony Emes	Mott MacDonald Group Ltd.	Export Promoter in UK T&I	1/6/99	31/5/04
Philip Evans	British Nuclear Fuel plc	Liabilities Manager in the Nuclear and Coal Liabilities Unit	1/4/02	31/3/04
Andy Feest	AEA Technology plc	Assistant Director in the Technology and Innovation Team, Business Relations	21/1/04	20/1/06
John Fitton	Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd.	Export Promoter in UK T&I	3/4/00	2/7/04
Simon Ford	British Telecommunications	Telecomms and e-business specialist in UK T&I	30/5/00	29/5/04
Christian Franceschi	DSL Consultants Ltd.	Export Promoter in UK T&I	18/11/02	17/11/04
Richard Francis	RWE NUKEM Ltd.	Assistant Director in the Nuclear and Coal Liabilities Unit	2/5/00	30/4/04
Tony Godley	UKAEA	Assistant Director in the Nuclear and Coal Liabilities Unit	6/1/03	5/1/05
Paul Gower	Financial Services Authority	Assistant Director in Corporate Law and Governance	5/1/04	31/12/05