To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Greater London, broken down by borough, are eligible for the child tax credit; and what the take-up rate is. [179401]

The estimated number of families in London receiving child tax credit (CTC) is shown in "Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses. April 2004", which is on the Inland Revenue website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm. The estimated number of families in each London borough receiving CTC is shown in "Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. January 2004", at the same site. The estimates are based on a sample of cases, and are subject to sampling uncertainty.No estimate is available of the number of families in London who are eligible for the child tax credit.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Greater London constituencies experienced the greatest fall in electorate between (a) 1990 and 2000 and (b) 1997 and 2004 in (i) numerical and (ii) percentage terms, listed in descending order. [179400]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date he expects a decision to be made on the A30 dualling from Bodmin to Indian Queens. [179581]

The Secretary of State for Transport and the Deputy Prime Minister are currently considering the Inspector's report of the public local inquiry and will issue their joint decision as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Dunstable Northern bypass from the A5 to the M1 will be built; and what funding has been specifically allocated to build it. [179442]

The M1-A5 Dunstable Northern Link Road is in the Department's Targeted Programme of Improvements. The contract is expected to be part of a package, which includes the widening of the M1 between junctions 10 and 13. Subject to statutory procedures and the availability of funds, works could start during 2008–09.The estimated cost of the Dunstable scheme is £48.1 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) private and (b) commercial liquefied petroleum gas fuelled vehicles there are in the UK. [179422]

According to the Liquid Petroleum Gas Association (LPGA), there were 107,000 LPG powered vehicles on the road in the UK on 31 December 2003. Although figures on the breakdown between private and commercial vehicles are not recorded, some 25,000 of these vehicles were vans, and a straw poll of major suppliers carried out in 2003 indicated that of the 82,000 remaining vehicles there were an estimated 250 black taxis in London, and at least 8,000 operating as private taxi hire throughout the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 7 June 2004, Official Report, column 70W, on noise pollution (roads), what other methods are used to reduce noise from road surfaces. [179175]

My answer of 7 June referred to the sound-proofing of residential properties. Quieter road surfaces and noise barriers are other methods that are used to reduce noise from road surfaces on the strategic road network.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pedestrian deaths in road accidents there were where the pedestrian had over 100 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood in each year since 1997; and what percentage of pedestrian road accident deaths in (a) England and (b) each region this represented in each case. [179152]

Not all pedestrians who die in road accidents are tested for blood alcohol level. Among those who were tested, the percentage of pedestrian fatalities in Great Britain who had blood alcohol levels over 100 mg/100 ml are shown in the following table, for the years 1997 to 2001 (the latest year for which this information is available). Figures are not readily available for England or by region.

	Percentage of pedestrian fatalities with blood/alcohol 100 mg/ml: Great Britain
1997	35
1998	35
1999	37
2000	33
2001	38

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatal road traffic accidents there have been in each county in England since 1997. [179423]

The information requested is shown in the following table.

Fatal road accidents, by county: England 1997 to 2002
Accidents
County	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
Avon	46	52	37	43	51	41
Bedfordshire	37	28	44	35	37	44
Berkshire	33	36	44	55	36	46
Buckinghamshire	48	47	44	44	51	59
Cambridgeshire	58	60	63	72	53	56
Cheshire	59	60	68	66	64	63
Cleveland	23	15	21	23	25	18
Cornwall	41	31	27	33	36	48
Cumbria	48	46	54	48	45	45
Derbyshire	62	60	55	55	42	56
Devon	52	51	46	54	51	54
Dorset	40	31	35	39	37	52
Durham	32	38	29	20	26	38
East Sussex	38	40	44	55	39	48
Essex	83	79	104	82	111	85
Gloucestershire	48	36	40	33	47	38
Greater London	263	220	254	270	294	267
Greater Manchester	111	98	84	99	102	81
Hampshire	70	72	86	81	66	84
Hereford and Worcester	58	59	29	43	53	55
Hertfordshire	52	53	47	49	43	54
Humberside	63	58	68	41	52	44
Isle of Wight	4	3	5	6	1	5
Kent	107	83	94	82	96	100
Lancashire	75	81	70	60	74	62
Leicestershire	58	74	82	56	60	71
Lincolnshire	73	75	87	63	74	77
Merseyside	50	48	54	68	42	55
Norfolk	55	62	64	64	56	70
Northants	53	49	61	50	40	50
Northumberland	25	29	25	18	18	24
North Yorkshire	74	75	63	77	73	84
Nottinghamshire	77	81	62	66	77	70
Oxfordshire	48	59	55	55	47	36
Shropshire	29	27	42	42	35	36
Somerset	38	44	34	41	44	41
South Yorkshire	43	53	46	55	46	56
Staffordshire	68	62	52	64	75	56
Suffolk	42	21	45	50	49	42
Surrey	66	56	69	66	48	58
Tyne and Wear	45	26	35	24	24	37
Warwickshire	53	48	42	57	49	48
West Midlands	108	93	78	71	82	77

To ask the Secretary of State for, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions Merseyside local authorities have used their new powers to investigate and tackle fly-tipping since the inception of these powers. [178330]

No data is collated on how often local authorities use the specific stop, search and seizure powers and investigation powers that were extended to waste collection authorities under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003.Information can be derived from returns to the Flycapture database on numbers of prosecutions:St. Helens—182 incidents, 20 investigationsSefton—171 incidents, No actions recorded yetKnowsley—215 incidents, No actions recorded yetLiverpool City—Not yet registered for FlycaptureWirral—Registered but not submitted a return for April

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on progress by Merseyside local authorities in the adoption of the standard classification system for the reporting of fly-tipping. [178331]

The Flycapture database that has been developed between Defra, the Environment Agency and the Local Government Association went 'live' on 5 April. The first returns were due to be sent by 25 May.So far, progress nationally on adopting Flycapture has been good with 92 per cent. of waste collection authorities in England and Wales registering.The progress of local authorities in the Merseyside area is detailed:Liverpool City—Not yet registeredSt. Helens—Registered and submitted dataSefton—Registered and submitted dataKnowsley—Registered and submitted dataWirral—Registered but not submitted data for April.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many abandoned vehicles there were in England and Wales in each financial year since 2001–02 (a) in total and (b) broken down by region. [176937]

Figures for numbers of abandoned vehicles removed and destroyed are compiled from the Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey for 2001–02 and 2002–03 and the Defra Abandoned Vehicle Survey for 2002–03.Figures for England broken down by region are listed as follows:

Thousand vehicles
Region	2001–02	2002–03
North East	3.8	6.9
North West	13.0	18.5
Yorkshire and the Humber	12.7	15.7
East Midlands	17.6	20.5
West Midlands	12.0	26.0
East	42.2	44.4
London	104.5	94.5
South East	57.3	56.2
South West	23.3	27.3
England	286.3	310.1

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many abandoned cars each local authority in England and Wales stated they had removed in their submissions to the most recent Municipal Waste Management Survey. [176938]

The latest data for abandoned vehicles removed and destroyed by each local authority in England are taken both from the 2002–03 Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey and the 2002–03 Defra Abandoned Vehicle Survey. The results from either survey are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government is taking to ensure the success at EU level of the Cardiff process to integrate environmental considerations into sectoral policy. [178704]

The Government has been an active supporter of the Cardiff process since its launch under the UK presidency in 1998. The European Commission has recently produced a stocktaking report of the Cardiff process ['Integrating environmental considerations into other policy areas—a stocktaking of the Cardiff process' COM(2004)394]. This document shows that whilst some progress has been made in important areas such as agriculture (reform of the CAP) and energy (Directive 2004/87/EC on Greenhouse gas emissions) more work is still needed. My department will consider the recommendations in the stocktaking carefully. In the meantime my department has beer considering ways of promoting environmental integration through various other tools. For example, we see a fair and balanced impact assessment of new EU policy proposals as a key tool in promoting environmental integration; my department have commissioned a study investigating the Commission's new impact assessment system and will be sharing its conclusions and recommendations with the Commission. We will also be looking for further improvements in the EU Sustainable Development Strategy which is being reviewed this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the UK ceramics industry about (a) European regulation and (b) the Government's implementation thereof; and what action she has taken as a result. [177449]

[holding answer 7 June 2004]: The Ceramic industry is subject to a range of EU legislation. I believe that, in this case, the hon. Member may be referring to the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). The ceramic industry is one of the sectors covered by EU ETS.Government have held discussions with the ceramic industry in relation to the EU ETS through formal consultation and a sector meeting held on 27 February. A meeting with the ceramic sector was held on 11 May to renegotiate their Climate Change Agreement targets. This work will also feed into the EU ETS allocation process. Representatives from the ceramic industry have also been present at various seminars held by Government, the most recent being on allocation methodology held on 20 May.Officials have also worked closely with the British Ceramic Confederation over the implementation of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive, including their involvement in implementation trials and discussions about interpretation and statutory guidance. Amendments have been made to the guidance in the light of their comments. The British Ceramic Confederation is a member of the Department's Industry Forum concerning the Pollution Prevention and Control regime, which meets twice a year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many UK farm holdings received total annual Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments in excess of (a) £500,000, (b) £750,000 and (c) £1,000,000 in each CAP accounting year in the last five years for which figures are available. [177122]

The number of farm holdings in England that received total annual CAP payments in the requested bands is shown in the following table.These figures have been taken from European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) accounts. The EAGGF financial year runs from 16 October to 15 October.The information for other countries within the UK is a matter for their devolved assemblies.

EAGGF year	Over £500,000	Over £750,000	Over £1,000,000
2000	32	9	4
2001	27	11	7
2002	25	8	5
2003	37	19	11

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in her Department and its agencies were seconded from the (a) private and (b) academic sector in each of the last three years. [174821]

The number of staff in Defra and its agencies seconded from the private and academic sector in each of the last three years is shown in the following table:

	Private sector	Academic sector
2001–02	4	2
2002–03	4	0
2003–04	7	0

The purpose of bringing people into the Civil Service from other sectors is to fill skills gaps and to add dimensions and insights from outside. For the individuals themselves, the secondment provides experience of another sector and an opportunity to enhance existing skills and develop others.Secondments are part of the Interchange Initiative which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the Civil Service and other organisations. Before an interchange can occur, all parties must be satisfied that no conflict of interest arises.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much hazardous waste was illegally dumped in (a) Merseyside and (b) Crosby in each of the last three years; and how many prosecutions resulted. [177861]

Information has been provided for the numbers of incidents involving illegal deposits of hazardous waste recorded by the Environment Agency. While the Agency holds prosecution data for all illegal deposits of waste, hazardous waste prosecutions are not themselves separately recorded.Local authorities may additionally hold records of those incidents and prosecutions that they have taken but this is not held centrally.There are no Agency recorded incidents or prosecutions relating to the illegal deposit of hazardous waste in Crosby in any of the last three years.Those for Merseyside are set out in the following tables.

Table 1—Total incidents of illegal hazardous waste deposits recorded by the Agency
	Merseyside	Crosby
2002	12	0
2003	9	0
2004	4	0

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many speeches she made between 9 June 2003 and 1 February 2004; and where a copy of each speech can be obtained. [156147]

I made 19 speeches during the eight month period from 9 June 2003 to 1 February 2004. Copies of my keynote speeches can be found on the Defra Website: http://defraweb/corporate/ministers/speeches/default.asp [156147]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with English Nature about biodiversity in English orchards. [177784]

Officials have been in discussion with English Nature with a view to finding a way forward within the Single Pay meat Scheme for traditional grazed orchards (that are important in the biodiversity context) to remain eligible for CAP subsidy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the EU about a derogation for (a) some and (b) all English orchards allowing them to be included in the Single Farm Scheme. [177785]

Orchards are not eligible land for the purposes of the Single Payment Scheme and there is no prospect of a general derogation from this rule for any member state. However, officials remain in discussion with the Commission over the status of traditional grazed orchards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to commission research into the environmental impact of the use of radio identifier frequency devices in retail goods. [178245]

We are not aware of any particular environmental concerns relating to the use of radio frequency identification devices and currently have no plans to commission any research into their impact.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to bring forward proposals in response to the Review of Existing Private Sewers and Drains in England and Wales. [178954]

The Department plans to publish a response to the consultation in the summer. This will summarise responses, give the Government's views and set out the issues that need to be addressed before a final decision can be made. A decision paper should be published early next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment she has made of the (a) recycling and (b) incineration of (i) oxo-biodegradable plastic and (ii) conventional plastic; [176907](2) what assessment she has made of the effect of oxo-biodegradable plastic in combating litter; [176908](3) what research she has

The National Non-Food Crops Centre (NNFCC) recently published a review of current knowledge on the environmental profiles of biodegradable polymers (BDPs). The main focus of the review is on BDPs made from renewable feedstocks such as starch, polylactic acid and cellulose and their environmental performance compared to conventional plastics. The summary report, "Biodegradable Polymers and Sustainability: Insights from Life Cycle Assessment", can be viewed on the NNFCC website at: www.nnfcc.co.ukThe Environment Agency will Follow up this work with two Life Cycle Analysis research projects. The first will consider disposable plastic carrier bags from supermarkets and alternative product systems (e.g. paper and bioplastics) and the other will look at food packaging product systems. Oil-based biodegradable (oxo-biodegradable) plastics are included in the scope of the alternative materials. The results of the research will be reported March 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the arm's length bodies for which his Department has responsibility, indicating in each case whether it is an (a) executive agency, (b) special health authority, (c) non departmental public body and (d) other body. [175313]

A list of the Department's arm's length bodies is shown in the tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether a breastfeeding strategy for England will be included in the Children's National Service Framework. [178289]

The national service framework for children, young people and maternity services will set out standards for a wide range of health and social care services and the interface with education. The standards are likely to set out what support should be available to children, young people and pregnant women.The Government encourage breastfeeding as the best form of nutrition for infants and has set an national health service priorities and planning framework target to increase breastfeeding initiation by two percentage points a year between 2003–06, focusing on women from disadvantaged groups.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had treatment in Chorley and South Ribble Primary Care Trust in each of the age groups (a) two to 11, (b) 11 to 18, (c) 18 to 30, (d) 30 to 40, (e) 40 to 60 and (f) 60 to 70 in each of the last five years, broken down by gender. [179281]

Information is not gathered on the number of people receiving treatment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much public money is earmarked for health over the next two years in Chorley. [179282]

The allocations to the Chorley and South Ribble Primary Care Trust are as follows:

	£
2004–05	181,153,000
2005–06	205,458,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes for depression in children and adolescents there were in (a) England and (b) each strategic health authority in each year since 1996; and if he will make a statement. [178480]

The available information is shown in the table. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is currently developing a guideline on the identification and management of depression in children in primary care and specialist services. The guideline is scheduled to be published in 2005.

Primary diagnosis (ICD-10) F32—Depressive episode and F33—Recurrent depressive episode; Count of finished consultant episodes; for age groups 0–15 and 16–17, National Health Service hospitals in England 1999–2000 to 2002–03
	0–15	16 and 17-year-olds	0–17 total
1996–97	190	315	505
1997–98	214	283	497
1998–99	212	251	463
1999–2000	227	263	490
2000–01	189	40	429
2001–02	225	239	464
2002–03	248	270	518
Notes:
Ungrossed Data
Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data.
Finished Consultant Episode (FCE)
An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.
Diagnosis (Primary Diagnosis)
The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners are practising in the NHS in Lincolnshire; and how many people were practising 10 years ago. [177036]

[holding answer 10 June 2004]: The earliest available data shows that in 1994, there were 337 general medical practitioners, excluding retainers, registrars and locums, in the then Lincolnshire Health Authority.The latest data shows that in 2003, there were 375 general medical practitioners, excluding retainers, registrars and locums, in Lincolnshire.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if on divert is a phrase recommended by his Department to be used by hospitals that are unable to accommodate additional patients; and how often in the last three months hospitals in the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust have been on divert. [178438]

On divert is an expression used in the national health service to describe a technique used to manage variations in local demand for emergency care. NHS trusts are said to be on divert if they have agreed with their neighbouring trusts and strategic health authority that some or all of the emergency patients who would usually be taken to one of the hospitals within that trust will, for a temporary period, be taken to alternative hospitals. Information on the number of diverts at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust during the last three months, if any, is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department spends money on helping ME sufferers in (a) the North West, (b) Lancashire and (c) Chorley. [179347]

The information is not collected centrally. Allocation of funding for particular treatments are matters for the local primary care trust.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to educate the public about mental illnesses to tackle the stigma associated with these illnesses. [178144]

[holding answer 15 June 2004]: The National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) is about to publish a new five-year strategic plan to tackle stigma and discrimination on mental health grounds. The plan will be launched shortly and will build on the foundation of the Department's "Mind out for mental health" campaign and key recommendations of a scoping review commissioned by NIMHE of what works in anti stigma and discrimination. In line with the evidence, the programme will target key audiences and be underpinned by people affected by mental health problems being at the heart of all work. The brand and first resources and projects will be formally launched I on World Mental Health Day, 10 October 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to compensate victims of MRSA in NHS hospitals. [178106]

We have no plans to award compensation to patients with methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in national health service trusts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many calls have been made to NHS Direct in each month since November 2001. [178455]

The number of calls made to NHS Direct in each month since November 2001 are shown in the table.

Number of calls answered by NHS Direct since November 2001
	Calls answered
November 2001	415,845
December 2001	513,741
January 2002	518,375
February 2002	459,305
March 2002	500,547
April 2002	471,551
May 2002	478,767
June 2002	485,061
July 2002	479,096
August 2002	485,296
September 2002	420,017
October 2002	488,856
November 2002	475,026
December 2002	570,227
January 2003	547,872
February 2003	509,293
March 2003	575,946
April 2003	579,994
May 2003	552,749
June 2003	523,997
July 2003	532,447
August 2003	520,148
September 2003	476,102
October 2003	511,835
November 2003	545,826
December 2003	570,349
January 2004	548,523
February 2004	506,112
March 2004	542,014
April 2004	544,879
May 2004	554,454
Source:
NHS Direct health intelligence unit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the 10 most common reasons for calls to NHS Direct over the last year. [178479]

Information on the most common reasons for calling NHS Direct has only been collected nationally by the NHS Direct health intelligence unit since January 2004. The 10 most common reasons for calls to NHS Direct from January 2004 to March 2004 are shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish the Government's conclusions on proposals to amend the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 1992. [179248]

The Government have considered the report of the expert advisory group set up to advise how best to implement the proposals and we will come forward with further announcements as soon as possible.The Government remain fully committed to reforming the current regulatory regime.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effects of smoking-related diseases as they affect each social class. [178934]

Smoking has been identified as the principal reason for the inequalities in death rates between rich and poor in the United Kingdom. We commissioned the then Heath Education Authority to undertake research into the effects of smoking related diseases. "The UK Smoking Epidemic: Deaths in 1995", published in 1998, provides information on the estimated number and percentage of deaths attributable to smoking related diseases and includes some information on deaths by social class. A copy is available in the Library.We have now commissioned the Health Development Agency to undertake a similar study estimating the number and percentage of smoking attributable deaths by primary care trust and strategic health authority which should be available later this year.There is also a larger proportion of smokers in lower socio-economic groups, therefore a disproportionately high proportion of people in those groups are likely to suffer from smoking related diseases. In England in 2002, 19 per cent. of those in managerial and professional occupations were smokers, compared with 31 per cent. of those in routine and manual groups.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to (a) NHS trusts and (b) social services departments on the expected safe lifetime of electric wheelchairs. [178497]

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has specific responsibility on behalf of the Secretary of State to safeguard public health where medical devices are involved. Electric powered wheelchairs come within this overall remit.MHRA has issued guidance, which is available to health and social services. This guidance relates to the management, purchase, repair and maintenance of medical devices. This guidance has also been incorporated into the NHS Controls assurance Standards for medical devices.The wheelchair manufacturer should provide information on the expected safe lifetime of his product. This is dependent on the use, repair and maintenance being carried out in line with the manufacturer's instructions.Many manufacturers base their lifetime information on the results that they obtain from the international standards for impact and fatigue testing of wheelchairs during their product development. This standard is generally taken to equate to approximately five years of moderate use of an occupied wheelchair.Infrequent light usage of a wheelchair combined with appropriate maintenance may allow the lifetime to be extended. A lower quality wheelchair and inappropriate or heavy usage combined with inadequate maintenance will shorten the expected safe lifetime of the wheelchair.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to (a) NHS trusts and (b) social services departments about the use of reconditioned motors in electric wheelchairs. [178498]

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has specific responsibility on behalf of the Secretary of State to safeguard public health where medical devices are involved. Electric powered wheelchairs come within this overall remit.MHRA has issued guidance, which is available to, health and social services. This guidance relates to the management, repair and maintenance of medical devices. This guidance has also been incorporated into the NHS Controls Assurance Standards for medical devices.Within this guidance the use of reconditioned parts such as motors for electric wheelchairs is acknowledged as an option that can be cost effective. However, the source and specification of the reconditioning process is a critical element. It is generally recommended that reconditioning is carried out by the original equipment manufacturer. If it is to be carried out by another source then it is essential that the reconditioner can prove that the process has produced the same level of safety, technical specification and performance as the original equipment. The fitting of the reconditioned motor and any subsequent changes that are required to the maintenance process for the wheelchair itself will also need to be recorded in the equipment records for the wheelchairs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to reach a decision on the effect on the entitlement to carers allowance of receipt by carers of supporting people payments. [179353]

Supporting People payments made to carers contracted to Supporting People service providers count as earnings for the purpose of entitlement to carers' allowance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people were committed to prison because they had committed offences relating to the work of the Child Support Agency in each year since the Agency was established; [177532](2) how many parents have failed to pay Child Support in each year since 1997; and of these how many have

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people (a) have claimed and (b) are eligible for council tax benefit in Greater London, broken down by borough, in each of the last three years. [179357]

The information is not available in the format requested. Estimates of the number of entitled non-recipients are not available below national level. The national level estimates can be found in a series of DWP reports entitled "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up". The latest publication relates to the financial year 2001–02; copies of this and previous reports are available from the Library.The available information is in the table.

Council tax benefit recipients by London borough
Thousand
Local authority	2002	2003	2004
London GOR	610.4	625.4	646.7
Barking and Dagenham	18.0	18.4	18.7
Barnet	20.0	20.3	21.7
Bexley	13.0	13.0	13.4
Brent	21.5	22.9	24.4
Bromley	15.0	14.1	16.2

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what mechanisms exist to distinguish between those matters which are his Department's responsibilities and those which are directly those of the Prime Minister. [179463]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 14 June 2004, Official Report, column 703W.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate he has made of extra costs arising from problems with distribution of ballot papers in regions for which all-postal ballots are being held for elections on 10 June. [178403]

Returning officers have the contractual relationship with suppliers of ballot packs. They will be submitting claims for their costs of the all-postal ballots to the Elections Claims Unit in due course. When those claims have been received, it will be possible to make an estimate of any costs falling to Returning Officers arising from any problems with printing and distribution.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) how many applications for judicial review relating to environmental matters were granted permission to proceed in each year since 1997; and what proportion of the total number of applications this represented in each year; [179559](2) how many applications there were for judicial review in the High Court relating to environmental matters in each year since 1997; and what proportion of the total number of applications this represented in each year; [179560](3) how many cases relating to environmental matters were granted leave to appeal to the House of Lords in each year since 1997; and what proportion of the total number of cases heard by the legal committee of the House of Lords this represented in each year; [179561](4) how many cases relating to environmental matters were granted leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal in each year since 1997; and what proportion of the total number of appeals to the Court of Appeal this represented in each year. [179562]

The Administrative Court Office's case management system does not identify cases by the category of "environmental" matters. The Administrative Court cannot therefore provide the information requested without incurring disproportionate costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many greyhounds were bred for racing in the UK in 2003. [179233]

There are no precise figures available for the number of greyhounds bred for racing in the UK in 2003.However, 10,709 greyhounds were registered with the English Stud Book in 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many licensed premises serving alcohol in England there were in each year since 1997. [179432]

Statistics on the number of licensed premises and clubs serving alcohol are collected on a triennial basis. Figures are available for 1998 and 2001—all figures are as at 30 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the Treasury on tax on pre-owned assets. [179180]

Changes to the taxation regime are a question for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Measures to amend the tax treatment of pre-owned assets, intended to deter abuse of the inheritance tax "gift with reservation" rules, were announced on 10 December 2003 in the pre-Budget report.The Minister for Media and Heritage—my right hon. Friend, Lord McIntosh of Haringey—wrote to the Paymaster-General in February to ensure that consequences for heritage assets were taken into account in the detailed workings of the income tax charge on pre-owned assets.Details of the charge, and proposals for further consultation on valuation and the rates of return for chattels and intangibles, are included in Inland Revenue 'Budget Notice 40: Tax Treatment of Pre-Owned Assets'.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many horses were bred for racing in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years. [179514]

The numbers of thoroughbred horses bred for racing in the UK in each of the last five years is as follows:

	Number
2003	5,432
2002	5,156
2001	4,977
2000	5,194
1999	5,363

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consultations were conducted by his Department before publication of the British Indian Ocean Territory (Immigration) Order 2004 and the British Indian Ocean Territory (Constitution) Order 2004. [179520]

Before the British Indian Ocean Territory (Constitution) Order 2004 and the British Indian Ocean Territory (Immigration) Order 2004 were submitted to Her Majesty the Queen in Council, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave very careful consideration to all relevant interests and concerns, including the feasibility of the re-settlement of a civilian population in the British Indian Oct an Territory and the likely financial and other commitments which that would entail, and also its impact on the availability and effective use of the territory for defence purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Ministry of Defence flights adhere in all respects to the requirements of the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques. [179458]

Yes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Battle of Britain memorial flight aircraft will take part in the 300th anniversary celebrations of British sovereignty in Gibraltar. [179285]

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many army regiments will take part in the 300th anniversary celebrations of British sovereignty in Gibraltar; and what role they will play. [179293]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 16 March 2004, Official Report, column 200W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cases of death, injury or ill-treatment in Iraq have been referred to the Attorney-General or the Crown Prosecution Service for review. [179010]

One.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Statement of 8 June 2004, Official Report, columns 4–5WS, on Iraq, what the names are of the individuals concerned in the cases where investigations are still in progress where individuals died. [179029]

The names of the individuals concerned are Tanik S. Mahmud, Ather Khalaf Mohammed, Ahmed Jabber Kareem, Said Shabram, G. G. H. D. Roomi, S. Kazim, R.Z. Habib and F.T. Zaab. There are also nine cases where the identity of the individual remains unknown.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Written Statement of 8 June 2004, Official Report, columns 4–5WS, on Iraq, what deficiencies in the recording and investigation of civilian deaths and injuries as a result of actions by armed forces personnel were identified as a result of the verification exercise. [179034]

No deficiencies in the recording or handling of investigations by service police have been revealed by the verification exercise. The exercise has, however, served to illustrate shortcomings in the arrangements for the central reporting of information relating to investigations into the death, injury or alleged ill-treatment of Iraqi civilians as a result of actions by UK Service Personnel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has examined in relation to the deaths of (a) Hazim Jum'aa Gattel Al-Skeiri, (b) Baha Ahmed Al-Awari, (c) Abbas Kuhdayar Gatteh, (d) Kasber Farhoud Jasim, (e) Laffeh Ahmed Awdeh and (f) Riyadh Turthi Taha Haseen. [158877]

The deaths of the individuals named were all raised by Public Interest Lawyers and form part of the Judicial Review to be held in July and therefore it would be inappropriate to give details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Ministers from his Department have visited prisons run by the British coalition forces in Iraq; what the dates of the visits were; what report was made of the visit; and whether he read that report and discussed with the Minister his impressions of prison conditions in British-run prisons in Iraq. [177248]

I visited Shaibah, the UK's only detention facility in Iraq, on 14 June. The facility is run to exacting standards to meet the requirements of the Geneva Convention. The International Committee of the Red Cross have inspected the arrangements in place and have declared them satisfactory.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to send a fisheries protection vessel to the seas off Namibia. [179266]

The Ministry of Defence has no plans to deploy fisheries protection vessels to the seas off Namibia. This would not address the root causes of the problem. UK fisheries protection vessels are currently deployed elsewhere We are, however, supporting the British High Commissioner in Windhoek and his Defence Attaché in developing proposals to assist Namibia with Economic Exclusion Zone management training.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans have been agreed to allow the US Third Air Force and USAFE to take responsibility for the operation of RAF Menwith Hill; and if he will make a statement. [179207]

[holding answer 17 June 2004]: There are no plans for the United States Third Air Force and USAFE to take responsibility for the operation of RAF Menwith Hill. However, discussions are taking place concerning the possible provision, by USAFE, of an administrative and logistic support unit. This will not have any impact on the current management of the base nor the mission, which will remain unchanged.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has held with the US Air Intelligence Agency about its operation of the RAF Menwith Hill Station. [179209]

[holding answer 17 June 2004]: Ministry of Defence officials work closely on a daily basis with their counterparts in the United States Air Intelligence Agency regarding the operation of RAF Menwith Hill.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he permits US forces based in the UK to hold (a) chemical and (b) biological (i) weapons and (ii) counter-weapon material. [178707]

[holding answer 14 June 2004]: There are no United States chemical or biological weapons held in the United Kingdome. Both the US and UK are States Parties to the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC). The BTWC prohibits the development, manufacture, acquisition, and stockpiling of any biological weapons.The US is a declared possessor of chemical weapons under the terms of the CWC and is in the process of destroying its stockpiles under Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons supervision.Both the CWC and BTWC provide for States Parties to maintain programmes to protect against chemical and biological weapons.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advertising campaigns his Department has run since 2001 to make eligible parents aware of their child's entitlement to free school meals. [179060]

The Department for Education and Skills has not run any advertising campaigns to make eligible parents aware of their child's entitlement to free school meals. My officials provide local education authorities (LEAs) with the eligibility criteria for free school meals and LEAs disseminate this information to parents and schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what instructions have been given to (a) local education authorities and (b) head teachers to ensure that children are not exposed to (i) racist opinion expressed by and (ii) policy decisions taken by elected representatives. [176829]

There are safeguards in sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996 against politically partisan activities or teaching in schools. LEAs and schools must take reason able steps to ensure that where political or controversial issues are covered, teachers offer pupils a balanced presentation of opposing views. Guidance for teachers from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority on teaching citizenship education, a national curriculum subject which covers these issues, has been s to all schools. As part of local authorities, LEAs are bound by duty under the Race Relations Act (2000) to promote race equality, tackle unlawful racial discrimination and promote good race relations when carrying out all their relevant functions, even where those functions is are carried out by other representatives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the computer/student ratio is for (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special schools in England, broken down by region; and if he will make a statement. [179091]

The information requested is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many secondary schools conduct drug testing on pupils. [176785]

We do not collect these data centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what guidance his Department has issued to (a) schools and (b) local education authorities in relation to the health and safety of pupils on educational visits; [179103](2) if he will make a statement on the legal obligations and standards of care that apply to teachers participating in an educational visit. [179104]

My Department has issued:

"Health and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits" (1998)

"Standards for LEAs in Overseeing Educational Visits, Standards for Adventure" and "A Handbook for Group Leaders" (2002)

"Group Safety at Water Margins" (2003)

"Swimming Charter" (2003)

Teachers must take reasonable care of their own and others' health and safety; co-operate with their employers; carry out the activities in accordance with training and instructions; and inform the employer of any serious risks. The good practice that helps teachers fulfil their statutory obligations is set out in the above documents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will estimate the proportion of (a) primary school age and (b) secondary school age pupils who have home access to computers; and if he will make a statement. [179089]

The latest figures on child access to ICT at home are shown in the table. These figures are derived from the Young People and ICT 2002 survey which was a sample survey of households with children in England, carried out in September and October 2002.