To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list (a) the number of council housing stock option appraisals signed off by the Government to date and (b) the number of these which have involved (i) retention of the stock, (ii) transfer of the stock to a registered social landlord, (iii) delegation to an arm's length management organisation and (iv) mixed solutions, (c) the number of local authorities that have submitted an options appraisal which has not yet been signed off and (d) the number of authorities that have not yet submitted an appraisal to be signed off in (A) London and (B) England. [178472]

Local authorities were only required to have signed off option appraisals from April 2003. Prior to that date 157 local authorities had already opted for transfer or Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) of which 11 are in London.The table as follows shows the position regarding the sign-off requirement as of 9 June 2004, as reported by Government Offices for the Regions

	England (including London)	London
(a) Total number. of OAs signed off	27	2
(b)(i) Number of these that have involved retention	13	Nil
(b)(ii) Number of these that have involved transfer	13	Nil
(b)(iii) Number of these that have involved ALMO	10	2
(b)(iv) Number of these that have involved mixed solutions	2	Nil
(c) Number of LAs that have submitted an options appraisal without sign off as of 9 June 04	6	1
(d) Number of LAs that have not yet submitted an options appraisal as of 9 June 2004	164	19

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answers of 15 March 2004, Official Report, columns 59–60W and 29 April 2004, Official Report, column 1227W, on Coverage Care (Gloucestershire Ltd.), what estimate he has made of the maximum contingent liability to be borne by (a) council tax payers in Gloucestershire and (b) the general tax payer; if he will list the information which the county council has resolved should remain confidential; under what circumstances a specific consent would need to be sought by the county council; and what discussions he has held on the county council's invocation of confidentiality provisions in local government legislation in relation to this matter. [173029]

The bulk of Government support is paid as block grant, so local authorities have considerable freedom to determine their spending priorities and decide how to apportion their revenue budget between services. The provision of local authority services is for individual authorities, bearing in mind their statutory responsibilities. The Government does not have a power to intervene in local authorities' day to day decisions.It is for local authorities to determine the level of council tax. Local authorities should be consulting their local tax payers on issues about levels of council tax and what the money is spent on.Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 describes the types of "exempt information" which a local authority can decide to keep confidential. Gloucestershire county council has resolved to keep confidential the types of information specified in paragraphs 5, 7 and 9. These paragraphs cover information relating to financial assistance provided by the authority, the financial or business affairs of other parties and terms proposed in the course of commercial contract negotiations. No discussions have been held between the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the county council about the council's use of confidentiality provisions in local government legislation. The circumstances under which a specific consent would need to be sought by the county council are set out in sections 24 and 25 of the Local Government Act 1988.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what financial support was given by his Department to each of the areas designated as a priority area for economic regeneration as defined by Regional Planning Guidance 9 in 2003–04. [179230]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister funds a large number of programmes either through its agencies, such as English Partnerships, or directly. In 2003–4 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's direct initiatives which assisted economic regeneration in the South-East included the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, Wardens Schemes, Neighbourhood Management Pilots, New Deal for Communities, the Community Empowerment Fund, Community Chest, Community Learning Chest, Single Regeneration Budget and European Structural Fund Objective Two. The information on how much was given in 2003–4 in each of the priority areas for economic regeneration is not held centrally, and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many recruits there were to each fire authority in England and Wales in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) gender and (b) ethnicity. [178770]

Information in the form requested is not readily available for the years 1999–2001. Information on the number of successful applicants for each fire authority in England and Wales from 1999 to 2001 by gender and ethnicity is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.Information on the number of successful applicants for each authority in England and Wales in each of the last two years by

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what receipts there were from stock transfer of council housing, broken down by local authority and

Local authority	Date of transfer	Number of dwellings	Price per dwelling (£)	Gross transfer price (£ million)	ERCF grant paid for negative valuation X
Cotswold DC	28 February 1997	4,282	12,818	53.45	—
South Staffs C	7 March 1997	5,273	7,998	42.67	—
Lichfield DC	19 March 1997	4,921	8,416	40.88	—
South Oxfordshire DC	7 July 1997	5,018	13,618	68.33	—
Eden C	22 September 1997	1,510	11,253	16.99	—
LB Lambeth * Moorlands	5 January 1998	515	-24,660	-12.80	X
LB Bexley	9 February 1998	4,118	11,996	49.40	—
LB Bexley	9 February 1998	4,097	8,540	34.99	—
Congleton BC	2 March 1998	4,061	7,939	32.24	—
Oldham BC* Limehurst	9 March 1998	642	-8,941	-5.74	X
Liverpool CC * Windermere	19 March 1998	493	-13,164	-6.49	X
LB Merton* Pollards Hill	23 March 1998	1,018	-13,635	-13.88	X
LB Tower Hamlets* Poplar 1	23 March 1998	1,852	-19,006	-35.20	X
Kerrier DC	23 March 1998	3,732	8,579	32.02	—
LB Hackney * Kingsmead	30 March 1998	951	-11,199	-10.65	X
LB Brent * Fortunegate/Church End	30 March 1998	1,481	-16,874	-25.00	X
Basildon DC* Vange	30 March 1998	708	-9,562	-6.77	X
West Somerset DC	30 March 1998	1,869	13,750	25.70	—
Stoke-on-Trent CC * Bentilee	31 March 1998	917	-11,221	-10.29	X
Tewkesbury BC	27 April 1998	3,066	7,985	24.48	—
Rother DC	1 May 1998	3,058	10,072	30.80	—
LB Lambeth * Lansdowne Green	20 July 1998	681	-12,555	-8.54	X
LB Tower Hamlets* Poplar II	7 December 1998	2,431	-7,805	-18.97	X
Wirral* Leasowe	25 January 1999	1,082	-4,799	-5.19	X
Tameside * West Ashton	1 February 1999	901	-10,655	-9.57	X
West Devon BC	22 February 1999	1,446	9,200	13.52	—
South Somerset DC	1 March 1999	8,883	7,795	69.25	—
East Lindsey DC	1 March 1999	5,102	8,820	45.00	—
Liverpool CC* Pinehurst	5 March 1999	646	-9,505	-6.14	X
Manchester CC Darnhill	8 March 1999	1,030	82	0.85	—
LB Hackney* Morningside	15 March 1999	1,084	-9,339	-10.12	X
South Hams District Council	22 March 1999	3,096	13,243	41.00	—
LB Hammersmith and Fulham* Old Oak	17 March 1999	668	-14,027	-9.37	X
LB Hackney * Upper Clapton	22 March 1999	1,000	-19,975	-19.98	X
Telford and Wrekin C	25 March 1999	13,081	9	113.37	—
LB Enfield	29 March 1999	1,194	n/a	0.00	—
Worthing BC	29 March 1999	2,525	14,095	35.59	—
Bath and North East Somerset C	29 March 1999	9,887	8,040	79.49	—
Manchester CC* East Wythenshawe	29 March 1999	6,667	-3,165	-20.81	X
LB Greenwich* Charlton Triangle	29 March 1999	1,280	-14,077	-18.02	X
LB Hackney* Haggerston	29 March 1999	661	-20,030	-13.24	X
Allerdale BC	31 March 1999	3,704	8,261	30.60	—
Allerdale BC * Salterbeck	31 March 1999	727	-5,451	-3.96	X
Preston BC * Avenham	14 June 1999	1,121	-8,576	-9.61	X
LB Lambeth* Central Stockwell	5 July 1999	2,358	-6,667	-17.53	X
Birmingham CC* Central Areas	21 June 1999	2,813	-17,401	-50.55	X
LB Islington* Barnsbury	26 September 1999	647	-6,646	-4.29	X
LB Islington* Ten Estates	26 September 1999	739	-24,898	-18.41	X
Liverpool CC* Speke Garston	4 October 1999	4,382	-9,990	-43.78	X
West Lindsey DC	18 October 1999	3,929	7,814	30.70	—
LB Lambeth* St. Martins	25 October 1999	1,033	-6,805	-7.03	X
Boston BC	29 November 1999	4,871	8,907	43.40	—
Tynedale DC	20 December 1999	3,564	9,5	33.86	—
Newcastle under Lyme BC	31 January 2000	9,887	5,462	54,00	—
Restormel BC	7 February 2000	3,577	7,018	25,11	—

To reflect the intended continued use of the properties for social housing and the need for capital investment, the price paid to each local authority per council dwelling and reflected in the following table, accords with a Tenanted Market Value (TMV) rather than an open market value. Where there is a negative value a grant equal to this amount was paid by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister as part of the Estates Renewal Challenge Fund (ERCF) programme. The table shows the receipts from stock transfer, broken down by local authority, showing the number of dwellings, price per dwelling and the gross transfer price in each year since 1997.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many lone parents aged 16 and 17 years are resident in local authority accommodation with (a) on-site support, (b) floating support and (c) no specialist support. [177542]

Information obtained from the 2002–03 Housing Investment Programme (HIP) statistical returns shows that on 1 April 2003 the following number of lone teenage parents under 18 were occupying local authority non self-contained accommodation: 201 in accommodation with on site support; 393 in accommodation with floating support. There were 2,869 lone teenage parents in supported accommodation provided by a housing association. The HIP returns for 2002–03 show that 1,242 lettings were made to lone teenage parents under the age of 18 in unsupported accommodation.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will examine whether there is a conflict of interest in the Government's adviser on geographic information being Chief Executive of the Ordnance Survey. [148478]

Ordnance Survey is a Government Department. As the National Mapping Agency it has an aim, agreed with Government, to satisfy the national interest and customer need for accurate and readily available geospatial data and maps of the whole of Great Britain in the most effective and efficient way.It is entirely appropriate that the Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey should be adviser to Government on matters of geographic information.Proposals for a wider advisory panel as recommended by the Select Committee are currently under consideration.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 28 April, Official Report, column 1141W, on the Advisory Group on Home Buying, how much the minimal cost was which he refers to for financial years (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04. [179025]

Meetings of the Home Buying and Selling Advisory Group are hosted by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister which take place in one of our buildings and the costs fall within our general administration and staff budget. The Group met once in each of the years 2002–03 and 2003—04. We estimate that the staff costs were approximately £1,000 per meeting. The catering costs were £41.40 per meeting.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of planning decisions were delayed by more than eight weeks in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003. [178530]

For district planning authorities in England, the average percentages of planning decisions determined outside of eight weeks from the date of receipt of application in 2001, 2002 and 2003 were:

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reasons the recommendations of the Stewart Report on the Precautionary Approach on the placement of masts near schools have not been carried forward, with particular reference to recommendation 1.42; and if he will make a statement. [172312]

The Government gave careful consideration to recommendation 1.42 on the beam of greatest intensity. We have sought to address the concerns that the Stewart Group identified in the following ways.Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 on Telecommunications recognises that when operators are siting mobile phone base stations schools must be given special consideration. It makes clear that, where it is proposed to install, alter or replace a mobile base station near a school or college, operators should discuss the proposed development with the relevant body of the school or college concerned before submitting an application for planning permission or prior approval to the local authority.Department for Education and Skills has issued advice to local education authorities and schools about base stations in and around school premises and the use of mobile phones by children. Where parents and/or schools wish to know whether the beam of intensity falls on school grounds or buildings, the school should contact the base station's operator. The operators have agreed to provide schools with information on the level of intensity of radio frequency radiation. If there is major concern from the school or parents, they could ask the network operator to adjust the antenna.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on the comprehensive spending review with regard to a timetable to reach the 0.7 per cent. of gross national income target for development aid by 2008. [179138]

We remain committed to reaching the 0.7 per cent. target as demonstrated by our record on aid spending since 1997. This induces the largest ever increase of UK development assistance to nearly £5 billion by 2005–06.We will announce in the 2004 Spending Review what we will do up to 2007–08, but at this stage I cannot preempt the final announcement.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on the comprehensive spending review with regard to the timetable to reach the overseas development assistance target of 0.7 per cent. of gross national income by 2008. [179140]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Maryhill, (Ann McKenchin) earlier today.

To ask the Chancellor of Exchequer, what progress has been made on the international finance facility. [179139]

I refer the right hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave to the hon. Member for Bristol Eest, (Valerie Davey) earlier today.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made in persuading the G8 to support his plans for further debt relief for the poorest countries. [179141]

Further cancellation of debt for the world's poorest countries was an important item of discussion at the recent G8 Summit in Sea Island.The UK pressed for, and secured, G8 support for the extension of the HIPC initiative by another two years, potentially allowing another 10 countries to benefit from debt relief in excess of $30 billion.Finance Ministers will report back by the end of the year on progress, and on further measures to ensure that the poorest countries have a sustainable exit from debt.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the current level of the consumer price index. [179142]

Thanks to the macro-economic reforms this Government put in place upon coming to power, the UK economy is enjoying the longest period of sustained low inflation for 49 years.CPI inflation stood at 1.5 per cent. in May. The 2004 Budget forecast is for it to rise back to its symmetrical 2 per cent. target by the second half of next year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence regarding the efficiency review being conducted by Sir Peter Gershon. [179143]

Treasury Ministers meet their Ministry of Defence counterparts frequently to discuss a range of issues, including the Efficiency Review. The Ministry of Defence is working closely with Sir Peter Gershon and his team to maximise the benefits of the efficiency review for front-line services.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to moderate the rise in house prices. [179144]

In Budget 2003, the Chancellor noted that a reduction in housing market volatility would enhance macro-economic stability. He asked Kate Barker to review housing supply in the UK, and David Miles to review the UK mortgage market.At the time of Budget 2004, both reviews presented their final reports. The Government have welcomed their analysis and recommendations for action.As recommended in the Barker Review, the Government are implementing a programme of change to the planning system and to the delivery of development, consulting with stakeholders as necessary.The Government endorses David Miles' conclusion that urgent reform is desirable to make the UK mortgage market work better for consumers in a number of areas. The FSA has in train reforms in the mortgage market, which will move to statutory regulation on 31 October. The Chancellor has asked the FSA to consider and report on the further reforms proposed by David Miles.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to use the tax system to improve the fuel efficiency of vehicles. [179145]

The Chancellor considers all relevant environmental, economic and social factors in deciding taxation policy. He will announce any changes to taxation policy in the context of his Budget statement.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his plans to set a timetable to reach the 0.7 per cent. of gross national income target for overseas aid by 2008. [179146]

I refer to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Maryhill (Ann McKechin) earlier today.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 27 May 2004, Official Report, column 1727W, on Regulation, (1) what assessment he made of the recommendation of the Mandelkern Group on Better Regulation Final Report of 13 November 2001 that simplification does not mean deregulation; and what his assessment is of the adoption of this recommendation in the Better Regulation Action Plan published by the European Commission in June 2002; [178859](2) which section of the European Commission's Better Regulation Action Plan provides for the removal of existing legislation which is in force; and if he will make a statement. [178861]

The Government is working with its partners, through the joint initiative on regulatory reform, to ensure that the framework of existing European law is subject to thorough review.In doing this it is building on the Commission's Better Regulation Action Plan, which was developed in response to the Mandelkern Report as well as the Commission's White Paper on European Governance, and other submissions.The simplification workstream of this Action Plan covers a broad range of tools. Its aim is to reduce the costs of regulation while preserving overall policy objectives. This can include removal or revision of existing legislation. The Commission's progress report stated that simplification includes "efforts to simplify the substance of a policy … in such cases it may be necessary to adapt or to entirely rethink the legislative approach,"

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value of imports of (a) marine products, (b) shrimp and prawns and (c) timber from Burma has been in the past five financial years; and which companies import each type of product. [179228]

I refer my hon. friend to the answer I gave her on 5 March 2003, Official Report, column 1104W. The value of imports requested is shown in the table as follows.

£ million
Goods	Financial year	Value
Marine products	1999–2000	1.787
(exc shrimps and prawns)1	2000–01	3.362
	2001–02	4.359
	2002–03	4.082
	2003–04	3.372
Shrimps and prawns2	1999–2000	2.433
	2000–2001	3.324
	2001–2002	3.462
	2002–2003	4.025
	2003–2004	1.547
Timber3	1999—2000	2.022
	2000–2001	3.434
	2001–2002	3.624
	2002–2003	1.637
	2003–2004	1.541
1 Live fish; fish and fish fillets, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates fresh, chilled, frozen, smoked, dried, salted or in brine; fish products not fit for human consumption
2 Fresh, chilled, frozen, boiled, salted, dried or in brine.
3 Rough, worked, planed, moulded etc, including plywood, fibreboard etc, but excluding made up artless of wood
Source:
Overseas Trade Statistics, HMCE

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value of imports from Burma was in 2003, broken down by import. [179231]

The total value of imports from Burma in 2003, broken down by commodity is published in the Overseas Trade Statistics and is available on Customs' website www.uktradeinfo.com). It is shown in the table as follows:

Imports from Burma to the United Kingdom: General Trade: 2003
	Value (£)
Articles of apparel and clothing accessories	51,313,636
Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic invertebrates and preparations thereof	5,881,650
Power generating machinery and equipment	1,153,475
Furniture and parts thereof, bedding, mattresses etc.	1,055,213
Cork and wood manufactures (excluding furniture)	998,606
Cork and wood	968,649
Vegetables and fruit	439,924
Parcel post	195,853
Miscellaneous manufactured articles not elsewhere specified	109,966
Textile yarn, fabrics, made up articles etc.	78,304
Footwear	13,983
Non-metallic mineral manufactures not elsewhere specified	13,621
General industrial machinery and equipment and machine parts not elsewhere specified	7,806
Other transport equipment	7,088
Manufactures of metal not elsewhere specified	5,793
Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and manufactures thereof	4,227
Tobacco and tobacco manufactures	1,482
Machinery specialized for particular industries	704
Elsewhere specified	625
Total	62,250,605
Source:
Overseas Trade Statistics, HMCE

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many compensation payments were made to members of the public by his Department and its agencies in each year since 1997–98, broken down by the (a) amount paid and (b) reason for payment. [172895]

Compensation payments made to members of the public by the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments and agencies are made in a wide variety of circumstances, including:

costs following Tribunal/Court rulings and those arising from Adjudicator and Ombudsman reviews;

property damage;

compensation paid by HM Customs and Excise, VAT, tax regimes;

compensation paid to meet out of pocket expenses, inconvenience or hardship caused by officials failure or delay.

Losses and special payments are required to be published in Departmental Annual Accounts in accordance with the Resource Accounting Manual.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on UK investment in tackling poverty in developing countries. [1791361

UK investment in tackling poverty has doubled in real terms since 1997 and will rise to nearly £5 billion by 2005–06—the highest ever level of UK development aid.By 2005–06, 90 per cent. of the aid budget will be spent in the world's poorest countries, including a record £1 billion bilateral aid programme in Africa. We are also working closely with do eloping countries to ensure that aid is spent effectively and reaches those in greatest need.As I announced in the Budget, we will not cut aid in the new spending round, but will continue to increase the resources that we give to the developing world.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of (a) men, (b) women and (c) men and women in total of working age were in employment in each quarter since 1984. [177958]

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

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received about Equitable Life. [17913]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Bracknell (Mr. Mackay) earlier today in the House.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the latest Eurostat figures for state unemployment rates among young people in each EU country are. [177970]

[holding answer 10 June 2004]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he intends to make specific funding available for security arrangements for the G8 summit in Scotland next year. [179204]

It is too early to say what the actual costs will be. The Treasury and Scottish Executive will assess and agree what the additional costs are. Extra funds will be made available by the UK Government to help meet the agreed additional policing costs.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what stamp duty is payable on large-scale voluntary stock transfer of council housing. [179112]

Section 71 of Finance Act 2003 exempts such transfers from Stamp Duty Land Tax provided the transfer is to a Registered Social Landlord.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what life expectancy in the UK was in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) region, (b) sex and (c) social class. [178935]

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