To ask the Prime Minister (1) on what date he issued the direction to set up the Ministerial Committee on Freedom of Information (MISC 28); for what reasons he decided to set up this committee; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the direction setting up this committee; [186606](2) how many times the Ministerial Committee on Freedom of Information (MISC 28) has met since it was set up; on what dates it has met; when it was set up; and whether the committee has discussed the issue of deciding what level of fees should be charged for requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [186607]

It is established practice, as reflected in the Ministerial Code and under Exemption 2 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of the Cabinet and its committees.I announced the establishment of the Ministerial Committee on Freedom of Information (MISC28) to Parliament on Thursday 27 May 2004. The Committee was established to oversee the Government's strategy on Freedom of Information, particularly as Government Departments make final preparations for the full implementation of the Freedom of Information Act in 2005. Details of the membership and terms of reference of the Committee are available in the Libraries of both Houses and on the Cabinet Office website.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to his answer of 22 July 2004, Official Report, column 535W, on public records, under what legal provision files that have passed the normal 30 years disclosure period laid down by the Public Record Act 1958 have been either closed or retained; how many of the closed files have been closed to protect personally sensitive information; for what categories of reason the remainder are closed; and what plans there are for the future publication of the retained files. [187622]

Records may at present be kept closed to public access longer than 30 years under s5(1) of the Public Records Act or specifically to prevent a breach of good faith under s5(2). S3(4) allows for retention in Departments beyond the 30 year period. In all these cases the approval of the relevant Minister and the Lord Chancellor, who takes account of the views of his Advisory Council on National Records and Archives, is required. Variations of the 30 year closure period are authorised by an Instrument signed by the Lord Chancellor.The 1993 Open Government White Paper set out the criteria against which applications for extended closure have been assessed. Since 1993 76.9 per cent. of records which have been closed relate to personally sensitive information. The other criteria for extended closure are described in the White Paper.The Open Government White Paper of 1993 requires Departments to review retained records, and to consider whether actual damage would be caused by their release. These arrangements will continue.Information on Access to Public Records can be found on the National Archives website at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/recordsmanagement/advice/schedules.htm

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the closure on 14 July of the warehouse containing the Metropolitan Police Service's collection of artefacts is permanent; and if she will make a statement. [187475]

This a matter for the Metropolitan Police Authority. I understand that the closure is to allow staff time to carry out work needed to ensure compliance with the Freedom of Information Act when it comes into force on 1 January 2005.Conditions at the storage facility in which the collection and archives are held raise health and safety issues for staff and visitors. I understand the Metropolitan Police Service is committed to looking for a more suitable location for the artefacts and is exploring ways in which the collection can be displayed, without placing a burden on police funds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has held with the London 2012 Olympics bid team on the venue for shooting events. [186934]

London 2012 is responsible for selecting the venues for the bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games and announced on 16 January that Bisley would host the shooting events. Following the report from the IOC Working Group on 18 May which highlighted potential problems that may result from the number and geographical spread of venues, London 2012 have been considering alternative sites nearer to the Olympic Zone.A firm decision will be made for inclusion in the Candidate File that will be submitted to the IOC on 15 November 2004.

To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission when the Electoral Commission's Corporate Plan for 2004–05 to 2008–09 was approved by the Speaker's Committee. [186592]

The Electoral Commission's Corporate Plan for 2004–05 to 2008–09 was approved by the Speaker's Committee at its meeting on 14 July. The Plan was laid before the House by the Speaker, on behalf of the Speaker's Committee, on 22 July as House of Commons Paper No. 797, copies of which are now available in the Vote Office. I understand that the Electoral Commission has also sent copies to all Members.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average number of working days lost per employee through illness was in his Department in each of the last five years; and what targets for days lost were set for each year. [186599]

Information on working days lost per employee due to illness in the Cabinet Office is published each year in "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service". The latest publication covers 2002 and is available in the Library of the House. The figures for 2003 are expected to be published in autumn 2004. Information for the available years requested are set out in the following table.

	Working days lost per employee
1998	6.2
1999	6.8
2000	4.6
2001	5.7
2002	4.8

Cabinet Office targets for reducing levels of sickness absence cover three years as follows:

Target for working days lost per employee
2001	6.4 days or less
2003	6.1 days or less
2010	5.1 days or less

To further reduce short-term sickness absence, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor announced in the Spending Review an examination of the use of self-certification in the civil service.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will withdraw payment for an initial period of absence from working through illness in the Civil Service and public sector; and if he will make a statement. [186537]

My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced during the Spending Review on Monday 12 July 2004 that the Cabinet Secretary and I will consult on, and negotiate changes to the current arrangements for self-certifying absence in the civil service.In such circumstances it would not be appropriate for me to pre-empt this exercise by making changes to the way that payment is made for sickness absence.Although this review will encompass solely the civil service, it is hoped that any change made to the self-certification system will serve as an example of good practice for the wider public sector.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on his Department's role in projects to be funded following the announcement relating to civil contingencies in the Spending Review. [186673]

The Cabinet Office has lead responsibility within Government for local authorities' civil protection activities. It has secured a doubling of the Government's contribution to the cost of local authorities'civil protection work.The wider programme of increased investment in the counter-terrorism anti resilience area falls to a range of Government Departments, and will be overseen by the Home Secretary, who has overall responsibility for domestic security and resilience.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what action he is taking in response to the comments made by the Parliamentary Ombudsman regarding delays by his Department in responding to complaints under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information in her review of departmental performance against requirements of the Memorandum of Understanding published on 30 June; and if he will make a statement. [186611]

The Government take any delays in responding to complaints under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information seriously.The Government regret that delays do unavoidably occur in a minority of complex cases. However, the Ombudsman's review of the first nine months of the Memorandum of Understanding (September 2003 to May 2004) shows that in most cases the requirements of the Memorandum of Understanding were met.In all cases, Departments endeavour to ensure that the time limit of three weeks for Departments to respond to a "statement of complaint" from the Ombudsman is met. In accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding, Departments aim to enter into dialogue with the investigating officer should there be any difficulty in replying by the date set by the Ombudsman.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many contracts the Cabinet Office had with (a) Barclays, (b) the Royal Bank of Scotland, (c) UBS Warburg and (d) the Bank of Scotland for advice on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts in each financial year since 2001–02; and what fees were paid in each case. [186612]

The Department has not entered into any such contracts with any of these companies.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much was spent by his Office on press officers, broken down by grade, in (a) 1996–97 and (b) the last year for which figures are available. [185241]

[holding answer 19 July 2004]: Financial and human resource information for periods, prior to, and including 1996–97 is not held on the Cabinet Office's current databases. Hence, information for 1996–97 could be provided in the manner requested only at disproportionate cost. However, information about the number of press officers working in Cabinet Office press office during this period is available in Appendix 11 to PASC—Sixth Report.Press office provides a service to the Minister for the Cabinet Office; Minister without Portfolio; Leader and Deputy Leader of the Commons; Leader of the Lords; Cabinet Secretary; Security and Intelligence Co-ordinator and the Permanent Secretary Government Communications. It is also responsible for supporting the Managing Director of the Cabinet Office and the Heads of Management Units in the Cabinet Office.The last year for which information is available is 2003–04. At January 2004 the Cabinet Office Press Office had the following press officer posts:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment. Food and Rural Affairs (1) what the estimated amount in tonnes is of horse excrement deposited by police horses belonging to the London Metropolitan Police on public byways and spaces in London in the last year for which figures are available; [187289](2) what the estimated cost to local authorities was of collecting excrement from police horses belonging to the London Metropolitan Police from public byways and spaces in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by local authority; [187290](3) what

There are no figures available for the amount of horse manure excreted by horses belonging to the Metropolitan Police in London, the cost to local authorities for cleaning up horse excrement, nor for the amount of excrement that authorities have collected.The Metropolitan Police have no obligation to clear up horse excrement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by her Department on (a) advertising and (b) public relations consultants in (i) 1996–97 and (ii) in the latest year for which figures are available. [186014]

The Department does not maintain separate records of its expenditure for advertising and promotional literature. The expenditure for publicity by Defra's Communications Directorate, includes marketing, advertising, publications, events, shows and direct mailings, and is recorded for the financial years since Defra's creation in June 2001 as follows:

£ million
2001–02	6.6
2002–03	4.7
2003–04	2.5

This includes communications on a wide range of matters, much of it necessary or beneficial to the public and the wide range of industries in which Defra has an interest, together with local government, voluntary organisations and other bodies.Figures on expenditure on public relations consultants by all sections of Defra are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. There has been no expenditure on public relations consultancy by the Defra's Communications Directorate since the Department was set up. Some firms which include public relations activities among the range of services they provide to clients have been employed by some sections of Defra, but not primarily for that purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of running the Department's canteen facilities was in (a) 1996–97 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available. [184378]

Defra came into being in June 2001. From information held centrally, the cost of running the Department's canteen facilities in financial year 2001–02 was £398,058 and in financial year 2003–04 the cost was £443,025.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by her Department on public relations consultants in (a) 1996—97 and (b) in the last year for which figures are available. [184381]

Defra was formed in June 2001. Figures on expenditure on public relations consultants by all sections of Defra are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. There has been no expenditure on public relations consultancy by the Defra's Communications Directorate since the Department was set up. Some firms which include public relations activities among the range of services they provide to clients have been employed by some sections of Defra, but not primarily for that purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the Hunting Bill. [188252]

The Government intends to fulfil its manifesto commitment to enable Parliament to deal with the issue of hunting with dogs.Some opponents of hunting want this issue to be dealt with as a matter of great urgency, while supporters of hunting want nothing to change and many other people regard it as being less important than many other policies.The Government has made it clear that the issue does not have as high a priority as issues like jobs and schools and hospitals and transport, to name a few. But it is an issue that has absorbed an enormous amount of valuable Parliamentary time, over several years, and before the last election we acknowledged that it was time to enable Parliament to reach a conclusion.The Government has made efforts to find a constructive way forward, based on the evidence, through the Burns Committee Report and my own work which culminated in public hearings in Portcullis House in 2002. The proposals put to the House last year would have banned hunting except where a particular activity could be proved—to the satisfaction of an independent tribunal—to be necessary for pest control and to involve less suffering than available alternatives. The House decided by a substantial majority on a free vote to go further and require a complete ban apart from a few very restricted statutory exceptions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research has been carried out on the cost of creating a series of marine parks around Great Britain. [186283]

A meaningful assessment of the cost of creating a series of marine parks would depend on a variety of factors, including the number, scale and purpose of such areas, as well as the nature of any management, enforcement and monitoring.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what type of intellectual property rights are owned by the Government. [187101]

I have been asked to reply.Intellectual property rights in the UK comprise:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) if he will list the projects (a) initiated, (b) funded (i) partially and (ii) fully and (c) run by his Department since 1997 in Equatorial Guinea; and if he will make a statement; [187266](2) how much

DFID does not have a significant bilateral programme partnership with Equatorial Guinea, but does provide a Small Grants Scheme (SGS) fund co-ordinated at the British High Commission in Yaounde, Cameroon. This fund supports non-governmental and civil society organisation projects which are in line with DFID's development objectives.The Small Grants Scheme has funded eight such projects in Equatorial Guinea since 1997, with a combined value of £53,372. Two projects supported community health centres; four projects provided water and sanitation and one assisted livelihoods work in palm oil production. The SGS also supported the studies of two students from Equatorial Guinea.Of the official development assistance given to Equatorial Guinea through the European Community, the UK's share was £0.2 million in 1998, £0.1 million in 1999, £0.3 million in 2000, and £0.3 million in 2001. Figures for 2003–04 are currently unavailable.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the economic and political developments in Equatorial Guinea since 1998; and if he will make a statement. [187267]

DFID has no significant development partnership with Equatorial Guinea and so makes no formal assessment of economic and political developments. However, DFID does support the EU Declaration of 17 June which states that the Government of Equatorial Guinea must adhere to democratic principles in an internationally accepted manner. HM Government continues to monitor the situation.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action he is taking to ensure that the Government fulfils the commitments it made in the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. [186829]

A fundamental aim of the International Plan of Action is the eradication of poverty. DFID's aim is also the elimination of poverty in poorer countries. A key objective of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing is to ensure that issues relating to ageing are taken into account at all stages in both international and national development plans and policies. DFID's policy is to support developing countries' own development agendas, known as Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs). DFID seeks to ensure that groups representing the interests of older people are included in PRS consultations.Older people are often among the poorest. The problems they face are therefore included in the policy analyses currently being carried out by DFID on chronic poverty and on social exclusion. DFID has also recently funded research at the Centre for Chronic Poverty and Development Policy at Manchester, in partnership with Help Age International, into older people living in poverty; at the University of Wales into migration of older people from South Asia and at Manchester University into non-contributory pensions and poverty prevention.The Action Plan advocates the active participation of older people in society and development. DFID's approach recognises the human rights of poor people, including older people and seeks to ensure that they are consulted on policies and decisions that affect them. This increases understanding of how they perceive their rights and of the obstacles they face in obtaining their entitlements.Examples of projects funded by DFID country programmes include support for the development of services for older people in the Kemerovo region of Russia and projects in the Overseas Territories of Montserrat and St. Helena to provide sheltered housing and other support for elderly people to live in the community.DFID also has a Programme Partnership Agreement with Help Age International (HAI), under which we are providing funding of £2.46 million to HAI over three years. The purpose is to influence the development of policies and practices that promote rights and opportunities for older people and to maximise their contribution to society. HAI's work includes support for setting up effective groups of older citizens in developing countries; strengthening them to monitor how their governments carry out their commitments to reduce the poverty of older people, including the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing; encouraging dialogue between governments, civil society and older people to ensure that effective policies and programmes are developed to reduce poverty among older people; disseminating information about ageing; raising awareness of the impact of HIV/AIDS on older people and supporting work to inform older people of their rights.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has given to the Highways Agency on how to take account, in framing the A40/M40 management strategy, of (a) the environment impact of the motorway on people living in South Buckinghamshire and (b> Wycombe district council's air quality management strategy. [187370]

The Highways Agency follows a consistent approach for all route management strategies whereby the problems and issues of a route are grouped under five main categories, one of which is environment. Issues such as noise and air quality are considered within this category.Wycombe district council's air quality management area is recorded in the M40/A40 draft route management strategy. Wycombe's air quality action plan includes a number of measures to improve air quality, two of which directly involve the Highways Agency. Layout changes to the Handy Cross junction are already in the targeted programme of improvements for the agency and the draft route management strategy contains possible options to reduce future traffic volumes on the M40.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of people who live up to (a) 50 metres, (b) 100 metres, (c) 250 metres and (d) 500 metres from the M40 between junctions 3 and 6. [187372]

The Highways Agency do not hold figures for the n umber of people who live within 50, 100, 250 and 500 metres of the M40 between junctions 3 and 6.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the accident rate per number of vehicles on the M40 between (a) junctions 3 and 4, (b) junctions 4 and 5 and (c) junctions 5 and 6. [187373]

The Highways Agency publishes accident rates per million vehicle kilometres travelled. On this basis the accident rates for the three sections of the M40 are as follows:

Accident rate
(a) Junctions 3 to 4	0.129
(b) Junction 4 to 5	0.047
(c) Junctions to 6	0.125

These rates have been calculated using accident data for the last five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents there have been in each of the last five years on the M40 between (a) junctions 3 and 4, (b) junctions 4 and 5 and (c) junctions 5 and 6. [187374]

For each of the last five years, the following injury accidents have been recorded on the M40.

	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Junction 3 to 4
Fatal	3	0	0	0	0
Serious	7	5	7	3	6
Slight	21	17	25	21	19
Junction 4 to 5
Fatal	0	2	0	1	0
Serious	4	2	3	1	4
Slight	17	15	21	20	10
Junction 5 to 6
Fatal	0	1	0	0	0
Serious	3	2	2	3	2
Slight	11	17	10	17	16

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his latest estimate is of the average daily flow of traffic on the M40 between junctions 3 and 6. [187375]

The latest annual average daily traffic flows for each section of the M40 motorway between junctions 3 and 6 were collected in 2003 and are shown in the following the table:

Motorway section	Combined Northbound and Southbound traffic flows (vehicles)
Junctions 3 to 4	101,812
Junctions 4 to 5	93,036
Junctions 5 to 6	92,923

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions in each of the last five years traffic has been diverted off the M40 at Junction 5 or 6 to travel along the A40 through Stokenchurch. [187381]

For the five-year period in question, no formal diversions have been implemented by the Highways Agency that required traffic to be diverted off the M40 at Junction 5 or 6 to travel along the A40 through Stokenchurch.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funds he has (a) been asked for and (b) agreed to provide for the A65 bus lane scheme. [186735]

Leeds city council initially asked for £20 million for this scheme, and my Department provisionally accepted it for funding at this cost in December 2001. Subsequently, a revised scheme costing £29 million, along with a lower cost alternative for £21 million, has been submitted which is currently being considered by my Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rooms are set aside for (a) the use of smokers, (b) worship, broken down by religion and (c) nursing mothers and pregnant women in each building and set of offices for which his Department is responsible. [187323]

DfT central has a significant presence in nine buildings shown in the following table, which also shows the number of rooms available for smokers, prayer (non-denominational) or for the use of nursing mothers or pregnant women.

Building	Smoking room	Prayer room	Nursing mothers
Great Minster House, London	1	1	1
Southside, London	0	0	1 (first aid room)
MAVIS Crowthorne	0	0	1 (first aid room)
Ashdown House Hastings1	3	1	1 (first aid room)
Air Accidents Investigation Branch, Farnborough	1	0	0
Marine Accident Investigation Branch, Southampton	0	0	0
Temple Quay, Bristol1	1	0	1 (first aid room)
Ashdown House Victoria, London	1	1	1
Portland House, London1	0	1	1
1 Facilities shared with other Goverma nt Departments (OGDs)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the budget of the Highways Agency in the North East of England was in each of the last three years. [186430]

The budget of the Highways Agency in the North East of England in the last three years was £49.133 million for 2002–03, £52.323 million for 2003–04 and £49.588 million in 2004–05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will delay his decision on the London Gateway Port Harbour Empowerment Order until he is satisfied that a reasonable compensation package has been offered to local fishermen; and if he will make a statement. [187591]

The inspector's report of the Public Inquiry held into the London Gateway proposals is with this Department for consideration as part of the statutory process. I understand that fisheries issues were raised at the inquiry and the Secretary of State will of course take into account all relevant considerations in reaching his decision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport over what length beyond the boundaries of the current Greater London Authority area he expects the Mayor of London to have jurisdiction for the railways. [186790]

"The Future of Rail" White Paper said that we will look at whether it is feasible to give the Mayor the right to specify and pay for services that provide additional capacity in London, and acknowledges that some of these services start or end their journeys outside London. However, the White Paper also made it clear that it would be essential to ensure that the rights and interests of rail passengers outside of London are protected, and will consult fully with the GLA and neighbouring regional and local bodies before reaching a conclusion on this proposal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road maintenance schemes requiring completion are outstanding; and when he expects they will be completed. [186734]

Road maintenance is an ongoing activity for highway authorities, with new schemes starting or completing on time. The Department does not keep central records of what works are planned or are in progress other than for the Highways Agency. Other maintenance is a matter for individual highway authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the eight major schemes listed in the Highways Agency's business plan for 2004–05 scheduled to start in this financial year will proceed according to timetable following publication of The Future of Transport. [187540]

Five of the schemes listed in the Highways Agency's business plan—A 14 Rookery Crossroads grade separated junction, A249 Iwade-Queenborough Improvement, A47 Thorney Bypass, A5 Weeford-Fazeley Improvement and A63 Melton Grade Separated Junction—have already been given approval to start works in the current financial year. Decisions on the other three schemes will be taken shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the use of speed limiters in lorries has been assessed to determine efficiency in preventing traffic accidents. [187404]

The accident involvement rate on motorways (per hundred million vehicle kms) fell from 6.4 for all HGVs in 1991 (before the mandatory fitting of speed limiters was introduced) to 4.3 in 2002—which is a 34 per cent. decrease. This is significant, particularly as traffic volume increased by 33 per cent. over the same period.The above figures include accidents involving currently non-speed limited HGVs between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes. However, the reduction in accidents for exclusively speed limited vehicles may be even more significant. Almost all articulated HGVs are speed limited and the accident involvement rate for that class of vehicle fell from 6.7 in 1991 to 3.9 in 2002—a 42 per cent. decrease.Other contributing factors may also have influenced that decline but speed limiters have clearly played a part.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many lorries are fitted with speed limiters. [187405]

All goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes are required to have speed limiters fitted. As at 31 December 2003 there were 276,000 such vehicles licensed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents involving lorries occurred during overtaking manoeuvres in each of the last 10 years; and how many of these involved lorries fitted with speed limiters. [187406]

The number of accidents occurring during overtaking manoeuvres involving HGVs on motorways for the last 10 years is set out as follows:

Accidents
	Fatal	Serious	Slight	All
1994	6	34	236	276
1995	9	25	214	248
1996	7	38	233	278
1997	7	37	255	299
1998	9	29	259	297
1999	7	40	280	327
2000	11	38	338	387
2001	7	28	291	326
2002	5	35	298	338
2003	8	42	305	355

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how mans people are employed by the Humberside Safety Camera Partnership. [186205]

The Humberside Safety Camera Partnership employs a complement of 49.6 full time equivalent posts. Eight of these posts are filled by police officers, the rest civilians.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he proposes to take to raise public awareness of the guidelines that are in place for Safety Camera Partnerships. [186206]

The Department for Transport website contains information on the rules of the safety camera programme on the deployment, signing and visibility of safety cameras, as does the website of the National Safety Camera Liaison, which provides information on Safety Camera Partnerships' activities. The Handbook of Rules and Guidelines for the next year's operation of the programme is currently being prepared. When it is issued, we will publicise it, and make it available through the Department's website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he intends to implement to make Safety Camera Partnerships more responsive to complaints received from member s of the public. [186207]

Members of the public who have a complaint about an alleged offence caught on a safety camera can challenge it in a Magistrates Court. Partnerships are made up of police, local and magistrates courts authorities, each of which will have a complaint procedure. Partnerships consider, investigate and respond to complaints in line with those. Partnerships also pro vide extensive information on their activities, including information on camera sites, through their websites and local media.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much Government funding has been allocated for transport improvements in Warrington in each of the past five years. [180082]

[pursuant to my reply, 12 August 2004, Official Report, c. 699 W]: Funding for transport improvements allocated to Warrington in the last five years is as follows.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2004, Official Report, column 1461W, on domestic violence, if he will list the radio stations, women's press and supermarkets where the helpline was advertised; and if he will list the sites of the washroom posters. [187072]

The following list contains the radio stations, women's press and supermarkets where the helpline was advertised. A separate list of the washroom sites has been made available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the cost of fraud to Government Offices of the Regions in each of the last five years. [186400]

The cost of fraud to Government Offices for the Regions in the last five years has been £4,618.73.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the equivalent monetary cost of theft to the Government Office of the Regions has been in each year since 1997. [186407]

The equivalent monetary cost of theft from the Government Offices since 1997 is tabled as follows:

£
1997–98	9,400
1998–99	0
1999–2000	653
2000–01	4,137
2001–02	30,000
2002–03	4000
2003–04	8,500
2004 to date	9,550
Total (since 1997)	66,240

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households were living in temporary accommodation in the Bury St. Edmunds constituency in each year since 1997; and how many of those households included dependent children. [187203]

Information is not collected at constituency level, only at local authority level. A summary of information reported by St. Edmundsbury district council about the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation as at 31 March of each year since 1997 is tabled as follows. The number of households in temporary accommodation containing dependent children or expectant mothers has only been collected since March 2002.

Households in temporary accommodation1 arranged by St. Edmundshury district council, as at 31 March
	Total households	Of which: with dependent children2
1997	29	n/a
1998	26	n/a
1999	28	n/a
2000	31	n/a
2001	36	n/a
2002	22	not reported
2003	16	13
2004	36	28
1 Households in temporary accommodation arranged by the local authority pending inquiries, or after being accepted, under homelessness legislation.
2 Includes an expectant mother. Data only collected since March 2002.
Source:
ODPM PIE homelessness returns (quarterly).

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) street warden, (b) neighbourhood warden and (c) neighbourhood management schemes he has approved in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne; what the value of each was; what schemes have been rejected; and which schemes have been bid for but not yet determined. [186856]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister funds one street warden scheme operating in the Byker Ward of Newcastle upon Tyne. The scheme has received 300,000 in ODPM funding, which started in 2001 and will end on 31 March 2005. There are no neighbourhood warden or neighbourhood management pathfinder schemes operating in Newcastle upon Tyne which are funded by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. No other schemes were rejected or bid for but not yet determined.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he has issued concerning the building of residential properties under or near power lines. [186155]

The Government have not issued guidance concerning the building of residential properties near power lines.However, following the publication of the National Radiological Protection Board's (NRPB) new Electromagnetic Field (EMF) guidelines in March 2004 and the associated advice to Government, the Government are committed to taking forward the issue of building near power lines in consultation with all the relevant stakeholder groups.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will outline his plans for a safer and stronger communities fund referred to in paragraph 5.32 of the 2004 Spending Review; whether it will cover Leeds, West; where it will be piloted; and if he will make a statement. [186782]

The Safer and Stronger Communities Fund announced in the Spending Review 2004 will be put in place across England from April 2005. The fund will address the issues of high crime levels, anti-social behaviour and disorder and the frequent poor quality of public spaces, particularly in deprived areas.Guidance on how the fund will operate in practice will be issued later in the year. The administration of the fund will enhance local flexibility and help to reduce bureaucracy through the development of agreements based on the principles for the wider Local Area Agreements, which the Government will also be piloting next year.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has had from (a) local authorities, (b) caring organisations and (c) people with learning disabilities regarding the review of the Supporting People programme; and if he will make a statement. [186727]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister receives representations about the Supporting People programme from a wide variety of stakeholders, including local authorities, MPs, provider organisations and people who receive housing related support, including those with learning disabilities. These representations cover a broad range of issues around the Supporting People programme, from invites to conferences to questions about the current and future workings of the programme following the Independent Review of the programme.The Independent Review was commissioned by the Government to look at value for money and the variation in dwelling costs and services across local authorities. The Review found wide variations in dwelling costs between authorities and that £1.8 billion is too much to pay for the legacy services. Following this report, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister undertook a comprehensive programme of work on Supporting People programme to inform the Spending Review 2004. On this basis it was recently announced that the settlement for Supporting People is £1.72 billion in 2005–06 and around £1.7 billion in each of the following two years. T his is the first time that there has been a three-year settlement in the Supporting People programme. It will create stability for the programme and offer Administering Authorities and providers the opportunity to plan strategically and deliver good quality, value for money services over the next three years and beyond.

To ask the Solicitor-General what estimate he has made of the legal costs of the case concerning Afghan hijackers at Stansted airport since 2000. [185616]

There have been both criminal proceedings and asylum proceedings arising from the hijack at Stansted airport. In relation to the two criminal trials relating to this matter the costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of Counsel's fees was £428,811.85. This does not include certain costs incurred, such as interpreters fees, as well as fixed costs of the CPS, such as staff. The cost to the Criminal Defence Service of these trials as at 21 July 2004 was £4.32 million.In relation to the asylum applications following the Stansted hijack, litigation services in relation to such claims are provided to the Home Secretary by the Treasury Solicitors Department. Their costs in relation to claims arising from the hijack are £106,109.41 as at 31 August 2004.The Legal Services Commission is unable to give a figure for the legal aid costs relating to these asylum claims. This is for two reasons. First, some of the legal aid paid in respect of these claims was covered by the controlled work contract where funding decisions are delegated to suppliers. Under those arrangements the Legal Services Commission does not maintain details about the legal aid funding of specific cases. Secondly, in respect of the legal aid funding not covered by the controlled work contracts, while in principle the Legal Services Commission will be in a position to state the legal aid costs, they are not in a position to provide final figures at this stage as they are still waiting for the individual solicitors to submit bills to them. Services Commission will be in a position to state the legal aid costs, they are not in a position to provide final figures at this stage as they are still waiting for the individual solicitors to submit bills to them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the total floor space area of buildings owned or leased by his Department was in each year from 1997 to date. [186614]

The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. The Office does not own any buildings. The total floor space area of buildings leased from 1 July 1999 to January 2004 was 3,653m².In January 2004, the Scotland Office gave up accommodation in Glasgow which reduced the total floor space area to 2,850m

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what parts of his Department's estate will not be covered by the commitments set out in the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate. [186585]

The Scotland Office, in common with every part of the Government, is covered by all the commitments set out in the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps have been taken by his Department since publication of the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate to review arrangements for public reporting of sustainable development impacts. [186586]

The Scotland Office is working to ensure that its sustainable development impacts will be reported to the Department for Constitutional Affairs, which is committed to the public reporting of such impacts across its estate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements his Department has to report publicly on its key sustainable development impacts. [186588]

The Scotland Office will report its sustainable development impacts to the Department for Constitutional Affairs, which is committed to the public reporting of such impacts across its estate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what have been identified as the most significant sustainable development impacts in relation to the operation of his Department's estate. [186589]

The Department for Constitutional Affairs is currently reviewing sustainable development impacts across the whole of its estate, including the buildings occupied by the Scotland Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provisions are in place to increase awareness in the criminal justice system of the behaviour patterns of people who have communication-related disabilities, including autism and Asperger's Syndrome, in relation to policy on bringing charges for communication-related offences, with particular reference to (a) section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 and (b) the offence of being drunk and disorderly. [186921]

As regards the police, national training highlights the importance of communicating effectively and sensitively with people suffering from a mental disability (including autism).The aim is to ensure that officers develop awareness and an understanding of mental disorders and the importance of not making assumptions based on a person's behaviour.In West Mercia, I understand that training has been provided to key staff on Autism and Asperger's Syndrome Disorders (ASD), by Autism West Midlands. This covers strategies for working effectively with people suffering from ASD, paying particular attention to the implications for policing.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of community support officers recruited are (a) men and (b) women. [186766]

In the most recent official figures published in September 2003, 64 per cent. of Community Support Officers (CSOs) were male and 36 per cent. female.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers are assigned, on average, to each police officer in (a) London and (b) England and Wales. [186905]

Information about the numbers of Community Support Officers (CSOs) assigned to individual police officers is not held centrally. However, the most recent figures on police numbers released in May 2004 are (a) 30,619 police officers in the Metropolitan Police Service (MRS) and City of London forces and (b) 139,631 police officers in England and Wales. In the most recent figures released at the end of July 2004 there were (a) 1,791 CSOs in the MRS and (b) 3,943 CSOs in England and Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans there are to raise public awareness of female-on-male domestic violence. [185074]

[holding answer 19 July 2004]: The 2001 British Crime Survey's Inter-Personal Violence Module shows that one in four women and one in six men have suffered domestic violence at some point in their lives, though women form the overwhelming majority of those subject to the heaviest abuse in terms of frequency, range of violence and severity of injury. The Home Office information leaflet "You don't have to live in fear of domestic violence" recognises that men can be victims of domestic violence and includes the 'Male Advice Line and Enquiry' run by Devon MALE. Devon MALE is a confidential service which specialises in domestic violence, offering advice and information, safety advice and emotional support via their adviceline. They also have a male outreach worker working in the Devon area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he permits the inclusion in contracts for providers of drugs services in England and Wales of provisions to exclude a specified drugs worker from the provider's premises. [181824]

I have been asked to reply.Individual contracts for providers of drug services are a matter for negotiation between local commissioners and providers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the number of community support officers in Essex. [186316]

[holding answer 7 September 2004]: Home Office officials wrote to all chief officers on 20 August inviting bids for a share of the £50 million which was announced in the Home Office Strategic Plan to kick-start the Neighbourhood Policing Fund. This will allow police forces to recruit additional Community Support Officers (CSOs) in this financial year and we expect that 5,500 will be in place by the end of March 2005. It will be for the chief constable of Essex and his police authority to decide how many extra CSOs they wish to bid for.The Government have set a target of 20,000 additional CSOs by the end of 2007–08 and further details of how we plan to achieve this will be published in time for the 2006–07 planning round.

To risk the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reported incidents of race hate crimes there hive been in (a) St. Helens and (b) England and Wales, broken down by region in each year since 1997; and what percentage (i) were brought to court and (ii) resulted in a successful prosecution in each case. [186901]

The available information relates to the number of racist incidents in each police force area in England and Wales from 1996–97 to 2002–03. This information is contained in Table 3.1 of the Section 95 publication "Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System—2003", a copy of which is available in the Library and also on the Home Office website. Table 3.2 of the same publication gives the number of racially or religiously aggravated offences recorded by the police by police force area for 2001–02 and 2002–03. Figures for earlier years are available in earlier versions of the Section 95 publication and on the website. Information on racist incidents is not available centrally for St. Helens.

Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for racially aggravated offences—England and Wales 1997 to 20021
	1997		19982		1999
Court/region	Proceeded against	found guilty	Proceeded against	Found guilty	Proceeded against	Found guilty
Magistrates court
St. Helens3	4—	4—	—	—	9	3
Region
East	4—	4—	2	—	230	89
East Midlands	4—	4—	4	1	352	123
London	4—	4—	44	14	1,523	431
North East	4—	4—	1	1	109	34
North West	4—	4—	15	3	451	161
south East	4—	4—	2	1	248	87
South West	4—	4—	1	—	153	54
West Midlands	4—	4—	4	2	248	74
Yorkshire and the Humber	4—	4—	2	1	229	76
Welsh	4—	4—	8	4	272	95
England and Wales	4—	4—	83	27	3,815	1,224

	2000		2001		2002
Court/region	Proceeded against	Found guilty	Proceeded against	Found guilty	Proceeded against	Found guilty
Magistrates court
St. Helens3	16	3	9	3	7	3
Region
East	408	153	567	170	542	200
East Midlands	621	289	621	307	692	297
London	2,073	686	1,657	557	1,684	611
North East	196	78	325	137	419	167
North West	919	354	1,424	532	1,323	527
south East	558	225	602	261	603	260
South West	402	137	454	170	442	195
West Midlands	954	356	1,444	504	1,392	527
Yorkshire and the Humber	456	168	654	237	633	269
Welsh	470	170	540	207	424	187
England and Wales	7,057	2,616	8,288	3,082	8,154	3,243
1 These data are on the all offence basis.
2 The Crime and Disorder Act 1988 introduced a series of new racially aggravated offences from 30 September 1988.
3 Found guilty includes those offenders found guilty at St. Helens magistrates court and the Crown Court where St. Helens was the committing court.
4 Not applicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long a wait for passengers to pass through passport checks at London Heathrow he determines as being compatible with the service standards of the Issuing Section Service. [185393]

I am not familiar with the Issuing Section Service to which the right hon. Member refers. However the UK Immigration Service is committed to clearing bona fide passengers with minimal delay, and has set standards for passenger processing times, which comply with the international standards. These standards, which are embedded in the UK Immigration Service's annual business objectives and are kept under regular review, are to clear:100 per cent. of non-EEA passengers at 45 minutes;

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) dogs and (b) horses are employed by each police force, broken down by species. [187219]

There are 305 horses used by the police in England and Wales and 33 in Scotland.In England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, including the UKAEAC (UK Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary) there are approximately 2,200 dogs used by the police. These are predominately German Shepherd dogs. There are also Malinois (similar to a German Shepherd, but a little smaller, and a handful of Rottweilers. These are generally used for General Purpose and Non-Compliant Attack Dogs. The dogs that are used in connection with scent detection are generally Springer Spaniels and Labradors.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next plans to meet with the heads of police authorities in the UK; and what he plans to discuss. [186819]

My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and I have frequent bilaterals with the Chairman of the Association of Police Authorities, as well as meeting individual chairs rather than heads of individual police authorities, and the discussions cover a very wide range of policing and crime reduction issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment will be made of vetting arrangements in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Scotland in taking forward recommendations arising from the Bichard Inquiry. [186645]

Representatives from the Northern Ireland Office and the Scottish Executive sit on the Bichard Implementation Programme Board and Working Groups, taking forward the programme to implement the Bichard Report's 31 recommendations.The work to enhance vetting procedures in the light of Sir Michael's recommendations will be considered by the Programme Board in the light of the full range of requirements, including those appertaining to Northern Ireland and Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps will be taken to include relevant organisations and bodies in Northern Ireland in taking forward recommendations arising from the Bichard Inquiry, with particular reference to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. [186646]

The Bichard Implementation Programme Board will oversee the work to implement all 31 of the Bichard report's recommendations. The President of the Association of Chief Police Officers has accepted an invitation to sit on the Board, convened by the Home Office as co-ordinating Department, and to liaise with Police Service of Northern Ireland on emerging issues and outcomes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special constables there are in Northampton; and how many there were in (a) 2001 and (b) 1997. [186518]

Figures for the total number of special constables in Northamptonshire police force are contained in the annually published police service strength figures. The latest are contained in Home Office Statistical Bulletin 11/03 and are for the year ending 31 March 2003. They are shown, together with figures for 1997 and 2001. Figures for March 2004 will be published later this year.

Number of special constables
March 2003	189
March 2001	188
March 1997	316

There are no separate statistics published for the number of special constables in Basic Command Units.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on democracy in Belarus. [186748]

Belarus' record on human rights and democratisation is poor. In the past year numerous independent newspapers, NGOs and opposition parties have faced increased harassment, giving rise to concerns that the Belarusian Government is waging a campaign to stamp out any criticism prior to parliamentary elections in October.The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has condemned previous elections in Belarus for failing to meet OSCE commitments for democratic elections. The Belarusian authorities have so far refused to amend unsatisfactory electoral legislation. EU Heads of Missions in Minsk have already conveyed our concerns to the Belarusian Government. We welcome the recent invitation from the Government of Belarus to ODIHR to send an Election Observation Mission. The UK plans to contribute 10 per cent. of the short and long-term observers as well as the Head and Deputy Head of the mission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Tooting (Tom Cox) of 14 July 2004, Official Report, column 1184W, on Cyprus, what matters he discussed with members of the Government of Cyprus relating to the outcome of the referenda held earlier this year. [186988]

My right hon. Friend and I have discussed with the Government of the Republic of Cyprus a variety of issues relating to the outcome of the referenda held earlier this year. These have focused on the future of the island, particularly now that Cyprus has joined the EU; and on how the EU might deliver on its commitment of 26 April to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the effect of EU enlargement upon the UK-EU relationship. [186647]

Old nomenclature (pre-2004)	Activity based budgeting nomenclature (2004>)	Recipient group
Equality between men and women
A-3037	04 05 01	European Women's Lobby
A-3046	04 05 03	Women's organisations
Education and Training
A-3010	25 02 01 01	Historical archives of the European Union
A-3011	15 02 01 03	European University Institute, Florence
A-3012	15 02 01 04	European Law Academy (Trier)
A-3013	15 02 01 05	European Institute of Public Administration (Maastricht)
A-3014	19 04 01	European Inter-university Centre
A-3017	03 02 01	Organisations for co-operation in the field of European Law
A-3022	15 02 01 06	Study and research centre
A-3027	15 02 01 07	International Centre for European Training
A-3044	15 02 01 08	European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education
Youth
A-3023	15 07 01 01	European Youth Forum
A-3029	15 07 01 02	Support for international non-governmental youth organisations
Culture
A-3015	15 04 01 01	European Bureau for Lesser-used Languages and Mercator
A-3035	15 04 01 02	Preservation of Nazi concentration camps sites as historical memorials
A-3042	15 04 01 03	Subsidy for cultural organisations advancing the idea of Europe
Promoting European Civic Participation
A-3016	18 06 03	Association of the Councils of State and Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions of the Union
A-3020	15 06 01 02	"Our Europe" Association
A-3021	15 06 01 03	Grants to European think tanks and organisations advancing the idea of Europe
A-3024	15 06 01 04	Associations and federations of European interest
A-3026	15 06 01 05	European think tanks
A-3030	18 03 01	European Council on Refugees and Exiles
A-3036	15 06 01 06	Support for the Jean Monnet House and the Robert Schuman House
Promoting mutual understanding betwe EU and non-industrialised regions
A-3031	19 02 02	Institutes specialising in relations between the European Union and third countries

Organisations seeking A-30 bud get lines submit their bids directly to the Commission and are not required to send copies to member state governments. The Council can amend the funding proposed for each of the former A-30 budget lines during annual negotiations on the general budget of the European Communities.

Enlargement is one of the EU's greatest policy successes, spreading peace, prosperity and stability across the continent. This Government have consistently championed EU enlargement, demonstrating the constructive role we play at the heart of the EU. We will continue to work closely with all our EU partners, including the new member states, to sustain our influence within the enlarged EU.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list (a) youth, (b) campaigning and (c) social groups that received EU monies in the last year for which statistics are available, under the A-30 budget lines; and if he will deposit the (i) audits and (ii) original bids in the Library. [187336]

The groups that received money in 2004 under the budget lines formerly known as the A-30 budget lines were as follows:The European Court of Auditors (EGA) audits the EC Budget on an annual basis though its report will not include separate audits of each organisation receiving A-30 budget line funding. However, the ECA may decide to issue a special report on particular activities—a list of these reports is published at the back of the ECA's latest annual report which has been placed in the Library of the House. Additionally, individual organisations may be required to publish annual accounts under their terms of establishment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what outcomes he hopes will be achieved at the EU summit on 29 October. [186787]

I expect the EU Constitution to be signed by Heads of State and Government of EU member states.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what forecasts he has received of the relative levels of economic output in the EU and the US in 2010. [186652]

GDP per head in the EU has been persistently lower than that in the US in recent decades. This, allied with the significant demographic challenge that the EU will face in coming years, emphasises the need for significant structural reform if Europe is to close the gap with the US in output per capita.The Government's February progress report on European economic reform and recent submission to Mr. Wim Kok's Lisbon Mid-Term Review Group, highlight these challenges and set out the Government thinking on how Europe can successfully rise to those challenges.Copies of both Government papers are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Minister will attend the signing ceremony of the European Constitutional Treaty on 29 October. [186649]

I cannot confirm at this stage which Minister will attend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the impact of the European Union's European Neighbourhood Packages on the UK's diplomatic relations with Russia. [186747]

The UK strongly supports the EU's European Neighbourhood Policy, which offers partner countries closer co-operation in areas of mutual interest, in return for political and economic reform.The UK maintains close relations with Russia, including through the EU-Russia relationship. We have discussed the European Neighbourhood Policy with Russia and explained how we see it contributing to stability on Europe's eastern borders, which is in both our and Russia's interest.These packages complement the UK's bilateral relations with Russia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the decision to exclude Belarus from the European Neighbourhood Policy; what steps the Government have taken since that decision was taken to end the isolation of Belarus from the European Union; and what steps the Government plan to take to address this situation. [186368]

The UK wants Belarus to become a democratic, stable and increasingly prosperous partner for the enlarged EU, However, Belarus's continuing poor record on human rights and democracy is an obstacle to a closer relationship. We and EU partners have set out the steps that Belarus would need to take in return for ratification of a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) and eventual full association with relevant regional EU initiatives, potentially including the European Neighbourhood Policy.While measures such as restrictions on ministerial contact with the regime remain in place, we do not believe in isolating the people of Belarus. We are doing all we can to bolster civil society and promote democracy, using bilateral programme funds disbursed through our embassy and working via multilateral institutions.The EU continues to support the people of Belarus in areas including addressing the consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe, health education, environment, trans-border and regional co-operation, border management and independent media.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Turkish authorities regarding the arrest and alleged torture of Ferhat Kaya. [186730]

UK officials have raised the case of Mr. Kaya with the Turkish authorities on several occasions, most recently at a senior level at the last round of our Human Rights Dialogue with Turkey on 15 July in London. The trial of 11 police accused of beating and torturing Ferhat Kaya on 5 May began on 20 June after a doctor's report certified Mr. Kaya's injuries. Our Embassy in Ankara continues to monitor Mr. Kaya's situation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what research his Department has commissioned regarding the possibility of further former Soviet Bloc countries applying for membership of the European Union. [186738]

No such research has been commissioned.Any European state may apply for EU membership in line with Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the security barrier being built by the Government of Israel on Palestinian communities; what representations he has received from non-governmental organisations on the effects of the wall on their work in the occupied territories; and what representations he has made to Israel about minimising possible detrimental effects. [187070]

We remain concerned about the negative impact of the barrier on communities near it. We note that the Israeli Supreme Court has ordered changes to the route of the barrier because of similar concerns.We receive regular representations on this subject from NGOs working in the Occupied Territories. In response, we encourage the Israeli Government both to consider more seriously the humanitarian impact of its actions there, and to give NGOs clear guidelines to help them maximise the effectiveness of their support for affected Palestinian communities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to renegotiate the EU-Israeli Association Trade Agreement. [187464]

We have no plans to renegotiate the trade elements of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the mid-term review of the Lisbon agenda in 2005. [186623]

The Government set out their vision for a more focused, results-oriented Lisbon process in a paper submitted to Wim Kok, Chairman of the Lisbon Mid-Term Review Group chair and EU partners in June. The Government are pressing for:

• greater focus on economic prosperity as a key to social cohesion;
• increased accountability of national governments in delivering reform;
• better use of Community rules and instruments to deliver reform, including use of non-regulatory approaches, highlighting the role of the state aids rules and showing how Community spending can better be aligned with the Lisbon agenda; and
• key reforms needed to meet Lisbon targets, including reducing the regulatory burden on business, strengthening the Single Market, improving employment flexibility and opening up EU markets to the benefits of global trade.

Copies of the Government's submission to the Lisbon Mid-Term Review will be made available in the Library of the House and can be accessed at: http://www.hmtreasury.gov.uk/media/9A9DB/Mid-term_review_of_the_Lisbon_strategy062004.pdf)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures he will take in order to achieve the targets of the Lisbon Agenda. [186651]

The Government set out their priorities for European economic reform in their progress report in February. Copes are available in the Library of the House. Priorities are to:

• promote effective EU regulation—reduce the burden on EU business and ensure that any new legislation encourages not stifles economic growth;
• strengthen the Single Market, with a more pro-active competition policy, further reform of the state aid rules, and by making the Single Market a reality for services as well as goods;
• to improve the functioning of Europe's labour markets to deliver more and better jobs, including through implementation of Mr. Wim Kok's Employment Taskforce recommendations;
• promote enterprise and innovation, including through new European Centres of Enterprise—local centres of excellence in enterprise policy;
• promote a successful conclusion to the Doha Trade round; and
• strengthen the transatlantic economic relationship, by tackling the barriers to trade and investment between the EU and the US.

The Government continue to work closely with their partners to promote action on all of these priorities, including through the mid-term review of the Lisbon strategy, chaired by Mr. Wim Kok. We submitted our vision for a more focused, results-oriented Lisbon process to the Mid-Term Review Group in June (copies will be made available in the Library of the House and can be accessed at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/9A9DB/Mid-term_review_of_the_Lisbon_strategy062004.pdf)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what relationship the Government has with the Government of Moldova; and if he will make a statement. [187043]

The UK enjoys a constructive relationship with Moldova and has a strong interest in its security and development. Since independence, Moldova has achieved progress on promoting human rights and democracy. However, we have concerns in some areas. We have stressed the importance of the parliamentary elections in early 2005 for the Government of Moldova to demonstrate its commitment to the values of democracy, rule of law and human rights.We remain concerned about the situation in Transnistria, and want to see negotiations on a political settlement brought to an early and successful conclusion. The EU continues to call on the two parties, in particular the Transnistrians, to negotiate constructively and in good faith.Together with our EU partners we will continue to raise any concerns we have with the Moldovan Government, bilaterally through our embassies in Chisinau, in multilateral fora and through public declarations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department is giving to (a) the economic progress of Moldova and (b) the development of democracy there. [187044]

The UK supports economic reform and democratic development in Moldova, including through EU programmes. Moldova is a priority country for the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), launched by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary in spring 2002 as the Wider Europe initiative. The ENP offers the new neighbours of the enlarged EU greater integration, including deeper trade and economic relations, in return for economic and political reforms.Our embassy in Chisinau continues to support democratic development and good governance and will support several projects in the run up to elections in early 2005.In addition to Foreign and Commonwealth Office assistance, the Department for International Development's bilateral programme for Moldova contributed £8.4 million between 2000 and 2003. The planned programme contribution for 2004 is £2.3 million. The UK also supports the IMF, World Bank, and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in their efforts to promote economic reform in Moldova.Since 1991, the EU has provided assistance to Moldova totalling Euros 253 million including technical assistance under the TACIS programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received regarding the Russian forces based in Moldova. [187045]

Several groups have raised their concerns about the dispute in Transnistria and the continuing presence of Russian forces in Moldova with my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary. The Government share these concerns. We want Russia to fulfil commitments made when signing the Adapted Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe Summit in Istanbul in 1999. These commitments include the full withdrawal of arms and ammunition from Transnistria, or their destruction in situ, and the withdrawal of Russian forces. Together with NATO allies we have stated that:

we can envisage ratification of the Adapted CFE Treaty only in the context of full compliance by all State Parties with agreed treaty limits and consistent with the commitments contained in the CFE Final Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many contracts his Department had with (a) Barclays Bank, (b) the Royal Bank of Scotland, (c) UBS Warburg and (d) the Bank of Scotland for advice on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts in each financial year since 2001–02; and what fees were paid in each case. [186658]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has had no contracts with Barclays Bank, the Royal Bank of Scotland, UBS Warburg and the Bank of Scotland for advice on private sector finance initiative and public private finance partnership contracts during the period specified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the conditions of employment for union staff will be decided by qualified majority voting under the European constitution. [187033]

The staff regulations and conditions of employment for officials of the European institutions are currently decided by qualified majority voting under articles 210, 247(8) and 283 of the treaty establishing the European Community. They will continue to be decided by qualified majority voting under articles III.306 and III.333 of the EU constitutional treaty.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the penalties available to the European Court of Justice will be decided by qualified majority voting under the European Constitution; and whether this represents a change from article 229 TEC. [187034]

Article 229 of the treaty establishing the European Community has been reproduced in essentials in the new constitutional treaty as article III-268. The procedures for determining penalties will therefore remain as now: that is, they will depend on the legal base for the specific legal instrument under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on whether ethnic Albanians are being refused entry to Serbia; and if he will make a statement. [187518]

We are not aware of any reports of the authorities in Serbia and Montenegro refusing to allow ethnic Albanians into the country if they have a valid passport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the political climate in Sierra Leone. [186751]

The UK continues to make a significant political, military and financial investment in Sierra Leone to tackle the root causes of the conflict and to ensure sustainable peace.Sierra Leone has now enjoyed over two years of peace under a democratically elected government. In May, the first local elections for 32 years took place. In the same month, the Special Court for Sierra Leone started its first trials to bring to justice those who bear the greatest responsibility for war crimes and atrocities committed during the conflict.Following extensive security sector reforms, UN peacekeepers expect to withdraw by the end of 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the US Administration on the changes requiring UK visitors to obtain a visa in person due to unavailability of biometric data passports; and if he will make a statement. [186422]

We have had regular ministerial and official contacts with the US Administration and members of Congress about maintaining the UK's position within the US Visa Waiver Programme (VWP).The United States amended its border security legislation on 9 August, extending the deadline by one year to 26 October 2005 for countries in the VWP to introduce a biometric identifier in new passports. The non-availability of biometric passports would have no impact on visa requirements for British passport holders before that date.The UK's biometric passport programme, on which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is working closely under the Home Office's lead, involves the introduction of cutting edge technology. It is important we get this right. Along with other VWP countries, the UK may need to approach the US for a further extension in the new year to allow adequate time for development and testing before UK biometric passports are issued.