To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the debt of (a) the Royal United hospital, Bath and (b) Kennet and North Wiltshire primary care trust is. [188513]

At the end of the financial year 2003–04, the total owed by Royal United hospitals, Bath as a result of previous years overspends was £24.7 million.The comparable figure for Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust was £3.9 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of out-of-hours provision by doctors in North Yorkshire since 1 April. [188514]

It is the legal responsibility of primary care trusts to ensure that patients have access to high quality out-of-hours services which are delivered to nationally set quality requirements. The four PCTs North Yorkshire will be entering into an agreement with North Yorkshire Emergency Doctors, an established provider of general practitioner home visiting services for out-of-hours services, later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the Government's efforts to tackle obesity. [188515]

Representations have been received as part of the Choosing Health, Choosing a Better Diet and Choosing Activity consultations. These responses and the Health Select Committee report on obesity will inform the development of the White Paper on improving health, due to be published later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of arrangements put in place by primary care trusts for out-of-hours services. [188517]

Primary Care Trusts are responsible for commissioning out-of-hours services which are delivered to nationally set quality requirements. Strategic Health Authorities are responsible for performance managing Primary Care Trusts in the delivery of these services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to reduce waiting and delivery times for diagnostic equipment. [188519]

The national health service is committed to reducing the length of time that people wait before their treatment starts. By 2008 patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from general practitioner referral to the start of treatment and this includes access to diagnostics.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the implementation of his Department's alcohol strategy. [188520]

The Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy was published on 15 March 2004, meeting the Government's commitment to publish and implement the strategy from 2004. The Sensible-drinking message will be revised by spring next year and an audit of demand for provision of alcohol treatment will be completed by 31 January 2005

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the guidance he issues to Primary Care Trusts on the funding of children's hospices. [188521]

Standards for the provision of services for children with life limiting or life threatening illnesses who need palliative care will be issued shortly under the National Service Framework for children and maternity services. Decisions on funding are the responsibility of Primary Care Trusts in line with their assessment of local priorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the demand on accident and emergency services. [188522]

A&E attendance numbers are collected and published quarterly. The latest figures were made available on 27 August. There were a total of 4,502,578 new and follow up attendances at major A&Es, minor injury units and walk-in centres between April and June 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of the changes introduced by the new general medical services contract on accident and emergency admissions in the out-of-hours period. [186512]

No information has been put forward to date to the Department suggesting the established pattern of when patients arrive at accident and emergency during each day has generally altered following the changes to the general medical services contract. We are, however, monitoring any possible impact of the changes to the contract on A&E closely and will continue to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of staff in the national health service is engaged in administration; and what the percentage was 10 years ago. [188523]

Current non-medical workforce figures are not directly comparable with pre-1995 figures. As at September 2003, 19 per cent. of the total NHS workforce were managers and clerical and administrative staff compared with 17 per cent. in 1995. Many administrative and clerical staff work directly to health professionals freeing them up to do their job, such as health care support workers and medical secretaries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice he has issued to the NHS about public consultations under sections 7 and 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 in respect of election periods. [188524]

Sections 7 and 11 guidance does not refer specifically to public consultations during election periods. The guidance supporting section 7 makes it clear that the NHS organisation consulting overview and scrutiny committees should agree with them how long the consultation period should last.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the role of pharmacists in preventive health programmes. [188525]

Pharmacists already contribute to health improvement, including through stopping smoking services, emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) and needle exchange schemes. We will significantly expand this role through the proposed new contractual framework for community pharmacy, underpinned by a pharmaceutical public health strategy due in 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on making magnifying equipment more easily available to people who are registered visually impaired with age related macular degeneration; and if he will make a statement. [189038]

We have received representation from hon. and right hon. Members and the Royal National Institute of the Blind regarding the provision of closed circuit television (CCTV) readers to help visually impaired people with certain tasks.The provision of CCTVs and other non-optical aids is a decision that lies with social services departments as they are considered to be aids to daily living. Being registered as visually impaired is not a pre-requisite to receiving services. Social services departments are responsible for assessing an individual's needs and for arranging services to meet those needs; this could include the provision of CCTV. However, hand-held, stand and spectacle-mounted magnifiers are easier to use, more widely available, more accessible and more cost effective.Encouragement is being given to hospital and social service departments to work more closely together, and perhaps operate a joint budget to allow more flexibility in funding equipment, and provide a wider range of services and equipment than has hitherto been available. The overall level of funding for aids to vision will, however, rest with primary care trusts and local councils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual running costs for community health councils were in each year from 1997 onwards. [187759]

The information requested is shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will estimate the prevalence of eating disorders among (a) women and (b) men in England; [187867](2) how many

Information about the prevalence of eating disorders in adults is not collected centrally."The mental health of children and adolescents in Great Britain", a survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics in 1999, found that the prevalence of eating disorders among all children aged five to 15 was 0.1 per cent., and the rate for girls aged five to 15 was 0.2 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the maximum travelling distance is for patients with eating disorders to specialist health care services. [187872]

Information is not collected centrally about the travelling distances that may be involved when patients are referred for treatment for specialist treatment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision there is for specialist treatment for eating disorders in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each strategic health authority; and if he will make a statement. [187874]

This information is not centrally available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) average and (b) maximum waiting time for (i) outpatient and (ii) inpatient treatment for eating disorders has been in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [187875]

The information is not available in the requested format.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total expenditure was on the rebranding of the Independent Regulator for Foundation Trusts as Monitor. [187856]

I understand from the chairman of Monitor that the total costs of the design work for the development and implementation of the Monitor brand was £24,465, excluding VAT.The total costs includes £8,200 on re-branding and enhancing the website and £3,000 on the application of the new design to letterhead business cards and presentation material. Monitor timed the introduction of its new name to coincide with its relocation to new offices thereby minimising the additional expenditure required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners there were in the London Borough of Havering in (a) 1997 and (b) 2004; and what the figures are for all other London boroughs. [187730]

The number of general practitioners broken down by boroughs is not collected centrally. However, the tables show the number of GPs broken down by strategic health authority and primary care trust.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he proposes to make a draft order on the Regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture: Proposals for statutory regulation for consultation; and when he proposes to lay the draft order before Parliament; [187484](2) how many responses he has received to the Regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture: Proposals for statutory regulation; and how many were

On 2 March, I published proposals for the statutory regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture practitioners. The consultation period closed on 7 June. An analysis of the responses to the consultation will be published in the autumn. I plan to publish draft legislation for further consultation in 2005.In all, about 700 responses have been received, of which 255 expressed a view about the proposals for collaborative regulation. Of these responses, 93 agreed with the proposals in the consultative document and 162 disagreed. In addition I received over 200 letters as part of a write-in campaign specifically expressing concern about the proposals for collaborative regulation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to set a target for reducing MRSA infections. [188516]

Yes. We published details of this target on 21 July 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes have been introduced to improve the (a) hygiene of wards, (b) speed of response of staff when called by patients, (c) provision of cold water, (d) availability of ice cubes, (e) regularity with which bedding is changed, (f) cleanliness of toilets, (g) availability of plain food for patients and (h) prevention of acquisition and spread of MRSA in King's College Hospital, London, since 29 June. [187816]

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on hospital waiting times for patients diagnosed with myasthenia gravis. [188629]

Waiting times data are collected by consultant specialty and not for specific conditions. Specialty level data would include various conditions as well as myasthenia gravis disorders. Therefore it is not possible to determine the waits for myasthenia gravis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices in the London borough of Wandsworth provide NHS treatment; what the number was in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [187607]

The number of practices providing general dental service in Wandsworth Primary Care Trust (PCT) area between 1999 and 2004 is shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints he received regarding the availability of NHS dentistry in the London Borough of Havering for (a) 1997 and (b) 2004; and what the figures are for all other London boroughs. [187727]

The information requested is not collected centrally. Local trusts, in partnership with their health community, have responsibility for local services and the support systems which they have put in place and a corresponding responsibility to improve upon these. It is, therefore, appropriate that they investigate complains and respond accordingly.However, Ministers received a total of 19 letters on dental access from e London area in the period from 1 January 2004 to the present.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists were operating in the London Borough of Havering in (a) 1997 and (b) 2004; and what the figures are for all other London boroughs. [187731]

The numbers of general and personal dental service dentists in Havering Primary Care Trust (PCT) area and for all other London PCTs at June 1997 and June 2004 are shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 29 July 2004, ref.185963, on NHS IT, if he will publish a summary of the recommendations of the Gateway review. [187890]

I have no current plans to do so. The considerations of confidentiality attaching to Gateway reviews apply equally to any recommendations they may contain.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what reviews his Department has undertaken into the financial viability of (a) contractors and (b) subcontractors of companies working on the NHS National Programme for Information Technology; [187360](2) if the Department will ask Accenture to report on the

It is a standard precautionary business practice to commission financial and market assessments of prospective business partners. In addition to the financial evaluation of companies as pare of the Official Journal of the European Union competitive process, all organisations tendering to become prime contractors of the national programme for information technology, and relevant subcontractors, were subjected to financial and market assessments before contractual arrangement were entered into. This was undertaken by specialist advisers; themselves and selected by competitive process.The Department has no current plans separately to ask Accenture for a report specifically on the financial standing of its subcontractor iSoft, or on the accounting treatment of revenues and profit by the company. These are matters between iSoft and its auditors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Department has inquired as to why iSoft has suspended one of its executive directors. [187359]

We are aware from press reports that iSoft has recently suspended one of its executive directors and anticipate that a further announcement will be made by the company following the completion of its internal investigations. We do not regard it as the business of the Department to inquire into the circumstances of the suspension. This is a matter for the company to resolve with the director concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes are proposed to the NHS pension scheme; and how many existing contributing members to the scheme there are in each (a) region and (b) county. [188719]

The NHS Confederation is leading a review of the National Health Service Pension Scheme, in partnership with the NHS Pensions Agency, the National Assembly for Wales, the Department of Health and the NHS Trade Unions. The review has made good progress but formal proposals have not yet been finalised. The aim is to have proposals ready for consultation by the end of autumn.The NHS Pension Scheme currently has over 1.1 million contributing members. Unfortunately, it is not possible, due to the way in which the NHS Pensions Agency holds its data, to identify the geographical profile of the membership.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to initiate a register of interests for NHS medical practitioners to declare (a) shares in, (b) gifts from and (c) other interests in pharmaceutical companies. [187519]

All national health service staff are already required to declare interests, gifts and sponsorship which might be seen to compromise their position on local registers. The Department last reviewed this in 2002 and considers the current arrangements to be adequate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what systems are in place to monitor the amount of drugs prescribed to NHS patients which have been donated by pharmaceutical companies as promotional material. [187520]

The supply of samples by pharmaceutical companies is regulated under the Medicines (Advertising) Regulations 1994. These stipulate that a free sample must be of the smallest pack of a medicine available for sale, that it may only be provided to a prescriber in response to a written request and that it should be clearly labelled as a promotional sample not for resale. We expect primary care trusts to act on any local evidence that promotional material is being misused.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many new non-clinical jobs have been created within the NHS since 1997; [186870](2) if he will make a statement on the role of NHS staff in non-clinical posts in improving the health of NHS patients. [186871]

Non-clinical staff perform vital functions within the national health service and make an important contribution to the delivery of healthcare and will continue to do so as the clinical NHS workforce increases. Many of them work directly to support clinicians, leaving them free to work with patients. Others working in NHS infrastructure support perform essential and unavoidable tasks, such as cleaning, paying staff, ordering supplies and recruitment.Between 1997 and 2003, the number of clinical staff and staff working in direct support to clinical staff has increased by 195,059 and the number of staff working in infrastructure support has increased by 29,185.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has met the NHS Plan target of 1,000 nurse consultants employed in the NHS. [186962]

[holding answer 7 September 2004]: Latest figures indicate that, as at December 2003, 870 nurse consultant posts had been approved in the national health service. Responsibility for monitoring progress against this target has now passed to strategic health authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints he received regarding Oldchurch Hospital in the London Borough of Havering for (a) 1997 and (b) 2004; and what the figures are for all other London hospitals. [187728]

The information requested is not collected centrally.Local trusts, in partnership with their health community, have responsibility for local services and the support systems, which they have put in place, and a corresponding responsibility to improve upon these. It is therefore appropriate that they investigate complaints and respond accordingly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies he has received of osteoporosis services in other EU countries. [186143]

No such studies have been received. However, we understand that "Osteoporosis in the European—Members States Policy Progress Report and Action Plan" is due to be posted on the European Commission website for access to all member states.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the Government's public health priorities in relation to passive smoking. [188518]

We have completed a major national public consultation on the best ways to improve people's health, including what can be done to tackle secondhand smoke.We are considering the many responses we have received. These will inform the White Paper on improving health that will be published later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the months in which Patient Environment and Assessment Team inspections have taken place in each year since inspections began. [187408]

Since its inception in 2000, there have been five rounds of patient environment action team assessments, with additional visits to some hospitals in the summer of 2001. Details of when those visits took place are shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assistance is available to postgraduate medical trainees for expenses on (a) text books, (b) medical equipment and (c) examination fees; and if he will make a statement. [187764]

Postgraduate medical trainees are usually salaried employees of the national health service. As such, they do not receive specific help with their textbooks, equipment and examination fees. They do have access to postgraduate centres and libraries. They also have access to funded study leave, which enables postgraduate trainees to access specific courses and programmes. which enhance the training they receive through the NHS. Much of the equipment they will use is of course available through their employers. Trainees should have access either to standard texts and/or to the internet within the workplace.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for accident and emergency department services in St Helens and Knowsley Hospital Trust was for each year from 1997 to 2004. [184619]

The information requested is not collected; information is collected for the percentage of patients spending four hours or less in accident and

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action can be taken in the domestic courts against NHS Trusts that fail to comply with the Working Time Directive. [187407]

Individuals may take a case to an employment tribunal where the employer has failed to let them exercise their entitlement to daily and weekly rest, including compensatory rest.Complaints can also be raised with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in relation to individuals having to work in excess of the maximum working week. As a result of investigating the trust, the Health and Safety Executive is likely to serve improvement notices where claims are upheld. Further action beyond this, including possible criminal proceeding; in the lower or magistrate's court, depends on actions taken by the employer in response to the notice served.In addition, individuals may take a case to a county court in instances where there has been a breach of contract, for example, where they have been made to work over the averaged hours limit or where an employer has failed in his/her duty of care.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will provide a written ministerial statement outlining the key points on the agenda for each of the Council of Ministers' meetings at which his Department is represented in advance of each meeting; [188210](2) if he will provide a written ministerial statement outlining for each meeting of the Council of Ministers at which his Department is represented as soon as is practicable following that meeting

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Foreign Secretary dated 13 September 2004, Official Report, column 1451W.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value of applications made to the Crown Estate's Research Committee for research proposals has been for the financial year 2004–05; how many applications have been made for funding; what the total value of research funding allocated is for the financial year 2004–05; and how many applications for research funding in 2004–05 have been successful. [185971]

[holding answer 22 July 2004]: Since September 2003, The Crown Estate Fish Farming Research Committee has become part of the independent Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum (SARF). The Crown Estate has committed £100,000 per annum to SARF for 2004–05 and 2005–06.Additional marine based research funding is also available from The Crown Estate. This includes other aquaculture funding, the offshore research fund, the marine stewardship fund, and the renewables and communities fund. The Crown Estate expects to spend around £650,000 on these projects for the year 2004–05.For the financial year 2004–05, 32 applications (17 of which were not costed) have been received for the marine stewardship fund. Three have been successful and a further seven are still under consideration. Two applications have been made for aquaculture projects, of which one has been successful and the other is under consideration. Three applications have been made for marine aggregate research projects, of which one has been successful and the other two are under consideration. Finally, two applications have been made to the renewables and community fund and are still under consideration.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) when he will announce the results of the consultation on his plans to amend the gift aid rules on day memberships; [187948]

The consultation period ended on 11 June. We are evaluating the responses to that consultation and will announce the results in due course.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the latest available 12 month figures are for the proportion of the Department's redundant documentation, waste paper and card that is recycled; and if he will make a statement on the Department's recycling policy. [188687]

It is the policy of the Treasury to recycle all waste paper and card. The figures for the period 1 September 2003 to 31 August 2004 were 160,820 kg of paper, and 10,420 kg of cardboard.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths then, were of patients suffering from eating disorders, broken down by (a) age and (b) gender, in each year since 1997. [187870]

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

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people who are eligible to claim compensation for the mis-selling of endowment mortgages; and what proportion of those who have claimed have been successful. [188662]

Given the passage of time since the majority of endowment policies were sold and the lack of contemporaneous records of the advice given at the time, it is difficult to be certain of the number of consumers who may have been mis-sold their policy. The Government supports moves by the FSA to take forward a programme of research to form a better understanding of the numbers of endowment policies facing shortfalls. The FSA had received a total of 452,201 complaints on this subject by 31 March 2004. Information provided by the FSA indicates that the proportion of consumer complaints upheld by firms is now approximately 60 per cent. in favour of consumers, and from those complaints reaching the Financial Ombudsman Service, the figure for cases decided in favour of the consumer is 42 per cent.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the growth rate has been in environmentally sustainable economic activity in each year since 1997; [188164](2) if he will make a statement on

The Government are committed to developing and implementing policies that will simultaneously deliver social, economic and environmental progress. We do rot separately measure the growth rate in 'environmentally sustainable economic activity' but in 1999 we established a set of 15 headline indicators and a wider set of core indicators to provide a baseline against which progress on sustainable development could be measured. Economic, social and environmental indicators are included and are reported on in the "Achieving A Better Quality of Life" annual reports. The indicators are being reviewed as part of the review of the UK Sustainable Development Strategy.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his projection is of the percentage of gross domestic product the UK will pay to the European Union budget under the post-2006 financial settlement. [188798]

The new Financial Perspective for the period from January 2007 will not be agreed by member states before next year. The Government's latest forecast of UK net contributions to the EC Budget, which covers the period to 2007–08, was included in a footnote to Table A1 of the Statistical Annex to the 2004 Spending Review (Cm 6237) published on 12 July 2004. This forecast is used for public expenditure planning purposes and assumes an appropriately uprated roll forward of the status quo. It is without prejudice to the Government's assessment of the likely outcome of the negotiations on the new financial perspective.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made towards an IMF programme for Iraq. [188347]

The Iraqi authorities are currently engaged in regular and ongoing discussions with the IMF on a possible programme for Iraq.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to assist economic reform in Iraq. [188348]

The UK aims to support economic reform in Iraq in the short term by working towards rapid agreement on an IMF programme, and by securing agreement in the Paris Club to write off the vast majority of Iraq's foreign debt by the end of the year. The UK will continue to support the efforts of the Iraqi authorities to develop a sustainable, stable and appropriate fiscal and monetary framework for Iraq, and to develop and implement policies to achieve and sustain rapid growth, high employment and poverty reduction.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to permit Muslims to buy leasehold property on the same or similar basis to freehold within the provisions in the Budget to prevent double stamp duty and allow purchases without payment of interest as a consequence. [188013]

The Government want to see consumers benefit from a wide choice and innovation in the financial services market. The Finance Act 2003 introduced two reliefs (s72 and s73) for purchases funded by "alternative property financing", which enables individuals to finance a property without paying interest. The combined effect of these reliefs is to place the amount of stamp duty land tax due when purchasing property using these arrangements on a level footing with the amount due on the purchase of property when using 'conventional' mortgage products. This will remove a significant barrier to the development of alternative property financing, thus benefiting a range of consumers with increased choice in the mortgage market.The legislation does not discriminate between freehold and leasehold properties, so both can be purchased using alternative property financing without a greater quantity of stamp duty being incurred than under a conventional mortgage.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue implication of restructuring stamp duty on residential property sales to charge marginal rates of (a) 0 per cent. on property sales of £120,000 or less, 3 per cent. on sales between £120,000 and £249,999, 4 per cent. on sales between £250,000 and £499,999 and 8 per cent. on sales of £500,000 and above, (b) 0 per cent. on property sales up to £100,000, 3 per cent. on sales between £100,000 and £249,999, 5 per cent. on sales between £250,000 and £499,999 and 8 per

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) the value and (b) the interest paid on the national debt has been in each year since 1990. [188953]

The measure used in this Government's sustainable' investment rule and in international comparisons of debt is Public Sector Net Debt as a percentage of GDP.Figures for public sector net debt and central Government debt interest payments in current prices are available on the Office for National Statistics website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/tsdtables1.asp?vlnk=fsf. Table 1.1A: Public Sector Finances (series RUTN and RUTO) shows figures for public sector net debt in £ billion and as a percentage of GDP. Table 1.1C: Central Government (series NMFX) shows debt interest payments in £ billions. No data is available for debt interest payments by local authorities or public corporations.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) set retirement age applying to all or most personnel and (b) maximum age beyond which applications for employment will not be considered is in (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies. [186372]

The in formation requested is available in the following table:cent. on sales of £500,000 and above,

[holding answer 13 September 2004]: The estimated revenue cost, in 2005–06, of restructuring stamp duty on residential property sales according to the five schemes described in the question is given in the following tables:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in which neighbourhoods in Newcastle exemptions and remissions of stamp duty apply what the value of the exemptions and remissions so far granted has been; and whether the boundaries of the neighbourhoods will be revised in the light of the new index of multiple deprivation. [188711]

The list of wards in Newcastle which qualify for deprived areas relief are Walker, Monkchester, Elswick, West City, Byker, Scotswood, Benwell, Woolsington, Moorside, Fawdon, Blakelaw, Kenton, Wingroye, Fenham, Newburn, Walkergate and Denton.The value of relief given in the listed Newcastle wards between inception of the relief at the end of November 2001, and the end of March 2004, is estimated at around £4 million.There will be no changes to the qualifying areas before December 2006.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in (a) 2003–04 and (b) the current financial year to date have been overpaid tax credits; what proportion of the cases of overpayment

The total number of (a) 2003–04 and (b) current financial year awards that are overpaid will be available only when all the awards for the years in question are finalised.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in the Tamworth constituency aged between 16 and 24 years were both economically inactive and not in further or higher education (a) in 1997 and (b) in the latest year available. [188096]

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

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in the Bridgwater constituency aged between 16 and 24 years are both economically inactive and not in further or higher education. [186501]

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

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the ratio of workers to pensioners in the (a) United Kingdom, (b) each region of England, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales. [188129]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to ensure that AIDS/HIV prevention is given a high priority during the UK presidency of the (a) G8 and (b) EU. [187465]

The Government's strategy on AIDS "Taking Action: The UK's strategy for tackling HIV and AIDS in the developing world", published in July, signals that HIV and AIDS, with a special focus on Africa, will be a centrepiece for our Presidencies of both the G8 and of the EU in 2005. DFID is currently developing ideas about how best to use our G8 and EU Presidencies to promote accelerated international action on HIV and AIDS.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) financial and (b) humanitarian assistance Russia has received from the UK in relation to the recent terrorist atrocities in Beslan. [188296]

Following a crisis, DFID assesses whether needs can be met within a country before deciding to respond. To date there has been no specific funding request to DFID relating to the terrible events in Beslan, largely because needs seem to have been adequately met by resources within the country. Indeed, agencies such as the World Food Programme, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children Fund and the Red Cross who responded to needs in Beslan, halve recently received support from DFID for their programme in the region.DFID has a long-standing programme of humanitarian assistance in the North Caucasus. Last year DFID channelled approximately £3.5 million largely through United Nations agencies and the International Confederation of the Red Cross to meet immediate humanitarian and protection needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the International Labour Organisation about breaches of its standards by the Government of Burma. [188339]

The UK plays an active part in the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and fully supports its efforts to end the use of forced labour in Burma. DFID's embassy in Rangoon maintains regular contact with the ILO liaison office there. The EU has repeatedly condemned Burma's lack of progress on forced labour, most recently on 5 June, at the International Labour Conference in Geneva. The EU issued a statement at the ILO's Governing Body in March. The ILO will consider what progress Burma has made at its Governing Body meeting in November.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether CDC investments qualify as bilateral aid. [189061]

I confirm that CDC investments still qualify as bilateral aid and full details of these investments are set out in Table 7 of Statistics on International Development, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if ho will list the items that his Department has reported to the police as lost or stolen from his Department's buildings or property in the United Kingdom and overseas since 1997. [188319]

The number of items reported lost or stolen to the police in the UK and overseas is as set out. Information for 1997 is not readily available and could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on replacing light bulbs in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement on energy efficiency in his Department's buildings in the UK and overseas. [188330]

DFID spent £4,311 in its London offices on replacement light bulbs during 2003–04. No information is available for our East Kilbride offices, as it is currently being refurbished and the lighting system is therefore being replaced. Information on expenditure on light bulbs in our overseas offices is not centrally available and could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.DFID is committed to implementing the standards set out in the Government's Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate. The recent refurbishments of our UK offices have given us the opportunity to improve the energy efficiency of our buildings, for instance with installation of Building Management Systems which allow us to monitor and manage energy usage to a much greater extent than in the past.The design for the refurbishment of our East Kilbride office has received an "excellent" rating under the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM); for instance, DFID has installed energy efficient heating systems, and also lighting systems which are movement sensitive and take account of natural lighting levels. Through our green awareness programme DFID is encouraging overseas offices to consider the implementation of similar energy efficiency measures wherever appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money his Department has spent on (a) opinion polling and (b) focus groups in each year since 1997. [188332]

In 1998, DFID commissioned Opinion Leader Research (OLR) to undertake baseline focus group research among the UK public. In 2003, DFID commissioned OLR to undertake further focus group research to explore ways of increasing understanding and support for international development in the UK. DFID also commissions two annual opinion polls on public attitudes to development. One poll, undertaken by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), monitors the opinion of the UK adult population, and the second, undertaken by Market and Opinion Research International (MORI), monitors the opinion of schoolchildren. In 1999, we also undertook a readership survey of "Developments" magazine, in order to test its impact and reach. The results of the focus group research and the opinion polls are used to inform, and monitor the impact of, our work on development awareness and education.The annual cost of focus group research and opinion polls is detailed in the following table: