To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many personnel the Department has recruited under the new deal in each of the past five years. [194478]

The Scotland Office has employed seven staff under the new deal in the past five years. Details are given in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last visited the constituency of Meirionnydd Nant Conwy; and what the purpose was of that visit. [192214]

My last official engagement in Meirionnydd Nant Conwy was in August 1997 as a Welsh Office Minister when I had the great pleasure of attending that year's National Eisteddfod.

More recent visits to North Wales have taken me through the great beauty of the hon. Members constituency and if he has any specific suggestions for a ministerial visit I would be only to pleased to consider these.

My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State stayed in Dolgellau in the hon. Gentleman's constituency during an official visit in January 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many personnel the Department has recruited under the new deal in each of the past five years. [194476]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 25 October 2004, Official Report, column 1052W by the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, Ruth Kelly

The size of the Wales Office and nature of its business means that it does not recruit directly but takes its staff mostly from the National Assembly for Wales and the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission

(1) how many grey visitor passes have been issued to visitors to the parliamentary estate since they were introduced; [194316]

(2) how many grey visitor passes issued to visitors to the parliamentary estate have been lost since they were introduced; and what efforts have been made to recover them; [194317]

(3) what measures are in place to ensure that grey visitor passes issued to visitors to the parliamentary estate are successfully retrieved from visitors when they leave the parliamentary estate. [194318]

It is not the practice of the House of Commons Commission to publish details of the operation of security arrangements on the parliamentary estate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers in the Buckingham constituency have received agrimonetary compensation since 2002; and what the total amount is that has been paid out. [189853]

Agrimonetary compensation payments to farmers in Buckinghamshire in respect of numbers and amount since 2002.

European agriculture guarantee and guidance fund years run from 16 October to 15 October.

Within the regional classification used by the EC (Nomenclature des unites territoriales statistiques (NUTS)) there is no code for Buckingham only for Buckinghamshire.

The figures are therefore for Buckinghamshire.

To ask the Solicitor-General what guidance she gives to the Crown Prosecution Service on prosecutions for illegal trading. [194088]

The term illegal trading covers a range of possible criminal offences which may be prosecuted by a number of public prosecuting authorities, including the Crown Prosecution Service, the Serious Fraud Office and local authorities. The Crown Prosecution Service will apply the guidance contained in the Code for Crown Prosecutors when deciding whether or not to prosecute in individual cases.

To ask the Solicitor-General what studies she has undertaken of recent trends in Crown Prosecution Service prosecutions in criminal cases in Blackpool. [194089]

Measured by unsuccessful outcomes, the CPS Unit responsible for prosecutions in the Fylde/Blackpool area of Lancashire has been performing well in comparison to other parts of the county, and in comparison to England and Wales more generally.

To ask the Solicitor-General what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on increasing the number of specialist domestic violence courts. [194090]

Independent evaluation of five of the existing specialist domestic violence courts has been extremely positive. The Government intends to take forward the recommendation to increase the number of such courts in England and Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage in terms of area of (a) the UK and (b) Scotland will have digital television coverage by 31 December (i) 2004, (ii) 2005 and (iii) 2006. [193679]

Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) coverage figures are calculated by households covered rather than geographical area. At present 82 per cent. of households in Scotland are covered by DTT compared to 73 per cent. for the UK as a whole and this percentage cannot be increased before Switchover.

Though it is not possible to give an accurate prediction of future DTT coverage in Scotland and the UK, public service broadcasters are required to match substantially the same level of analogue coverage (98.5 per cent.), with digital. No specific dates for Switchover have been set, but the Government and Ofcom believe that digital switchover could start to happen as early as 2007 and be completed by 2012.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Football Association regarding sanctions for footballers testing positive for drugs. [194411]

There have been no formal discussions between DCMS Ministers and the Football Association in the last 12 months about sanctions for footballers testing positive for prohibited substances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

(1) what account is taken of the impact that listing particular buildings will have on local regeneration when the decision is made about whether they should be listed; [194038]

(2) what action she is taking to ensure that decisions about listing buildings take into account the impact their listing will have on local regeneration; and if she will make a statement. [194039]

The listing criteria, as set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 15: Planning and the Historic Environment (PPG 15), only allow the Secretary of State to consider the special architectural or historic interest of the buildings.

Local regeneration cannot be taken into consideration.

Comments received in response to our consultation document, Protecting our Historic Environment: Making the System Work Better, supported the principle that the Secretary of State should not be able to take account of wider considerations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many buildings have been listed in each of the last 10 years. [194046]

We are able only to provide reliable figures for the last five years. These are as follows:

⁽¹⁾ To October 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many applications for listing buildings have been turned down in each of the last 10 years. [194047]

We are able only to provide reliable figures for the last five years. These are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) 50-metre Olympic swimming pools, (b) Olympic standard velodromes and (c) Olympic standard running tracks there are in the UK; and where they are located. [194410]

There are 24 50-metre swimming pools in the UK. Of these, four have the necessary swimming and spectator facilities to host Olympic and other major international competitions. They are located in London (Crystal Palace), Manchester, Sheffield, and Glasgow.

The remaining 20 50-metre pools are located at: Aldershot, Bath, Birmingham, Coventry, Ealing, High Wycombe, Hillingdon, Leeds, Liverpool, Loughborough, Millfield School, Norwich, Portsmouth, Stockport, Tyne and Wear, Wigan, East Kilbride, Edinburgh, Stirling, and Swansea.

There are two Olympic standard velodromes in the UK—one each in Newport and Manchester.

There are six running tracks in the UK with sufficient athletics and spectator facilities to host Olympic and other international competitions. These are located in: Gateshead, Sheffield, London (Crystal Palace), Birmingham, Manchester, and Glasgow. The facility in Glasgow is currently being refurbished.

In addition, there are approximately 210 athletics tracks in the UK, which are certified as being of Olympic size and standard but do not have suitable spectator facilities to hold international competitions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the annual Exchequer grant aid awards to (a) UK Sports, (b) the Welsh Sports Council, (c) the Scottish Sports Council, (d) the Northern Ireland Sports Council and (e) Sport England have been in each year since 1996. [194462]

The figures requested are shown in the following table:

Notes:

1. The figures for 2004–05 show plans. All other figures reflect reported outturn

2. The UK Sports Council and English Sports Council became operational on 1 January 1997 when they superseded the Sports Council of Great Britain.

Support for sport in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a devolved responsibility; questions should therefore be directed to each administration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures her Department (a) has undertaken and (b) plans to undertake to comply with the Sustainable Energy (CHP Provisions) Order 2003. [194433]

DCMS is committed to the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate. As part of that Framework we are required under Part E Energy—Target E4 to source at least 15 per cent. of electricity from Good Quality Heat and Power by 2010 (allowances will be made for those Departments that already purchase combined purchase 100 per cent. renewable energy). DCMS is not able to source a suitable supply of CHP and has taken the decision to increase its procurement of renewable energy. Our offices at 2–4 Cockspur Street were supplied with a 100 per cent. Green Energy from January 2004 and our office at 179a Tottenham Road was supplied with Green Energy from September 2003. One of our NDPBs, the Science Museum has a small combined heat and power generating station.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on proposed reforms to the charging system for airlines for the use of air navigation purposes. [193772R]

The Single European Sky (SES) Regulations, which came into force on the 20 April 2004, require the development of a common charging scheme for the recovery of the costs of air navigation services provided to airlines and other airspace users. An Implementing Rule to specify the details of the new charging scheme is under development by the European Commission but has not yet been finalised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research has been done on the possible effects of reform of the charging system for airlines on smaller regional airlines; and what the result was of this research. [193773R]

The Government has undertaken no research on this matter. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has produced a discussion paper outlining the flaws in the existing en-route charging system and presenting a number of key principles against which reform should be judged. A key theme of the work was that the scheme should be more cost-reflective and that the user should pay for any services used.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what position the Government took at the recent meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organisation in respect of (a) the taxing of aviation fuel on planes, (b) the taxing of aviation fuel held in storage at airports, (c) the introduction of en route emissions charges and (d) the proposal that no use of new market mechanisms should take place until at least 2007. [192242]

At the 35th ICAO Assembly (27 September–8 October) the UK acted as spokesperson for the 41 member states of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC). We succeeded in getting recognition for the first time that ICAO policy on the exemption of aviation fuel from taxation has been called into question in some States which impose taxes on other transport modes and other sources of greenhouse gases.

More generally, ECAC States succeeded in their aim of keeping open market-based options to tackle the climate change impacts of aviation. The new Assembly Resolution gives us flexibility to continue to pursue the policies set out in the Air Transport White Paper—to press for the inclusion of intra-EU aviation in the EU emissions trading scheme; as well as to explore and discuss options for the use of other economic instruments.

States were urged to refrain from the unilateral implementation of greenhouse gas emissions charges prior to the next regular session of the Assembly in 2007—this was acceptable to ECAC as it represents a realistic time-scale for putting any market-based measures in place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce legislation to address overbooking of flights by commercial airlines. [193459]

On any particular flight there is likely to be a proportion of passengers, mainly from those holding flexible tickets, who do not check in. On the basis of statistical evidence from previous flights, airlines estimate the probable number of no-shows and overbook accordingly. On the great majority of flights no passengers are denied boarding, and by reducing the number of empty seats overbooking keeps fares lower than they would otherwise be. This practice is widely accepted by passenger organisations and by regulators as being in the best interests of consumers generally.

In the comparatively small proportion of cases where denied boarding occurs, existing Community legislation requires Community air carriers to provide prescribed minimum levels of financial compensation, in addition to offering passengers a choice between re-routeing and reimbursement. On 17 February 2005 a new EC Regulation is due to enter force, which will increase the minimum levels of compensation payable to those affected by overbooking and extend cover to passengers on both scheduled and non-scheduled flights.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role Government Offices for the Regions play in (a) the provision of transport and (b) the development of transport infrastructure. [194329]

The nine Government Offices are the primary vehicle through which a wide range of Government policies are delivered in the English regions. The Government Offices promote Government policies and programmes and use their influence to enable communities in their regions to become better places in which to live, through the effective alignment and delivery of national, regional and local priorities.

On transport, the Government Offices assist in accelerating the delivery of the Secretary of State's national objectives for transport, including delivery of PSA targets in the region, through partnership with DfT and relevant national, regional and local bodies. The Government Offices do not have direct responsibility for the provision of transport infrastructure, but they assist in the development of such infrastructure, for example by:

advising local authorities on the development of major transport schemes, helping to ensure that these support local transport plan objectives and the wider objectives of regional planning guidance;

helping to inform Ministers' understanding of local authority performance and of funding priorities;

working with regional assemblies as they develop their regional transport strategies to provide a long-term planning framework for transport in the region; and

informing the development of national policy for transport, by giving the Department for Transport insights into local and regional issues and the practical impact of existing policies and programmes, including across transport modes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many personnel the Department has recruited under the New Deal in each of the past five years. [194474]

The Cabinet Office collects New Deal data centrally on a quarterly basis. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office of 25 October 2004, Official Report, column 1052W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses in York (a) there were in 1997, (b) there are now, (c) started trading between 1997 and now, and (d) ceased trading between 1997 and now. [192405]

Barclays Bank's latest survey of business creation includes non-VAT registered firms and shows that there were 465,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in 2003. This represents a 19 per cent. increase on the year before. There were 1,400 business start-ups in York in 2003. Business start-up data for Unitary Authorities are not available for before 2003. Data on the number of business closures in each Unitary Authority are not available.

DTI figures based solely on VAT registrations and de-registrations for York local authority are shown in the following table for 1997 and 2002. Data for 2003 will be available in autumn 2004.

VAT Registrations, De-registrations and Stock in York Unitary Authority

Source:

Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations

1994–2002, Small Business Service, available from: www.sbs.gov.uk/statistics/vatstats.php

VAT registrations do not capture all start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. Only 1.8 million out of 4 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2003. Data on the total number of businesses trading are not available below the level of government office region.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the Government's assessment of the EU position that the experimental fusion reactor should be built in France. [193161]

The UK Government believe that the ITER (International Tokamak Experimental Reactor) project will have the best chance of success if it is located at the European site in France. The UK will continue to support the European bid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much the Department spent on outside information technology and communication specialist consultants and engineers in and 2003–04 financial year. [191909]

Central records indicate that a total of £24.03 million was spent on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) consultancy in the 2003–04 financial year. Additional expenditure may have been incurred through local contract action. However, this information could be extracted only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the running costs of Ministers' private offices in her Department have been in each year since 1997. [191383]

The running costs for the Ministers' private offices are as follows:

⁽²⁾ Revised figure—previously published as £4.08 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what reports she has received from British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. in respect of the technical possibility of the encapsulation and long-term storage of previously wet-stored Magnox fuel. [193503]

Magnox fuel, which has become wet through storage in the reactor stations' cooling ponds or in the pond of the Fuel Handling Plant at Sellafield corrodes with time with associated release of very soluble materials. This makes reprocessing wetted fuel the preferred technical option.

Should the Magnox reprocessing plant be unable to reprocess fuel, and there were significant quantities of wetted fuel remaining, one option could be to encapsulate intact fuel elements in drums for interim storage. Ongoing research has concentrated on the thermal and corrosion effects of a range of potential encapsulants and the durability of the resultant encapsulated package. Further research, technical and regulatory assessments would be required to provide the assurances necessary to make this option viable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the budget of One North East is in the current financial year. [193335]

The gross expenditure budget for One North East in the current financial year is £271.219 million. This consists of a DTI budget of £213.949 million supplemented by income from own resources and other funding such as ERDF.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what authority the Minister for the Cabinet Office retains over the Shareholder Executive. [192743]

The Shareholder Executive advises me—and is therefore accountable to me—on my Department's shareholder or other financial interest in the following businesses: British Energy plc, British Nuclear Fuels plc, Export Credit Guarantee Department, Royal Mail Holdings plc and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what appointments she has made to the Shareholder Executive. [192782]

A number of appointments have been made at senior civil service level and more junior grades both by the Cabinet Office and the Department of Trade and Industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many small businesses there were in (a) Yorkshire and the Humber and (b) the City of York (i) in 1997 and (ii) at the latest date for which figures are available. [191170]

The information is as follows:

There were 288,650 small businesses (0–49 employees) at the start of 1997 in the Yorkshire and Humberside region.

There were 253,425 small businesses (0–49 employees) at the start of 2001 in the Yorkshire and Humberside region.

At the start of 1997 there were 4,035 VAT registered businesses in York Unitary Authority.

At the start of the 2003 there were 4,440 VAT registered businesses in York Unitary Authority.

There were 72,250 new VAT registrations in Yorkshire and the Humber GOR in the years 1997 to 2002

There were 2,580 new registrations in York UA in the years 1997 to 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many sub-post offices proposed for closure under Post Office Ltd.'s reinvention programme are in neighbourhood renewal areas; how many (a) sub-post offices have been closed, (b) sub-post offices have been saved from closure, (c) proposals have been approved by Postwatch, (d) sub-post offices have been closed against the views expressed by Postwatch, (e) proposals remain under consideration for closure and (f) proposals remain under consideration for closure while being opposed by Postwatch; and if she will make a statement. [194445]

Implementation of the urban post office network reinvention programme is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to respond direct to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps have been taken by the Textile and Clothing Strategy Group since June 2000. [193183]

The Textiles and Clothing Strategy Group's (TCSG) second report "Making it Happen" published in July 2002 records many actions taken by Government and industry to improve the productivity and competitiveness of the sector and looks a the changes to the industry since the report was issued, considering the extent to which they affect the initial's report's recommendations and assesses, the challenges ahead.

Actions by Government featured in "Making it Happen" include:

£1.5 million towards a £3.8 million Textiles and Clothing Industry Forum.

Support for textiles and clothing exporters.

Provided a Designer Manufacturer Handbook, a "toolkit".

Assistance for young UK designers through support to London Fashion Week.

A technical textiles project co-ordinator and £2 million of support granted since June 2000 for technical textile projects activities.

£2 million retraining initiative for the industry: The Strategic Training for Apparel and Textiles (STAT) programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's definition is of agribusiness; and whether it includes agricultural import-export investments. [193318]

An agribusiness is a business in the agricultural sector, including the processing and distribution of agricultural products, and agricultural import-export businesses.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has to contribute to the global fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria. [190994]

The UK played a leading role in setting up the global fund to tackle AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM), and we believe it has a crucial role in fighting AIDS, TB and Malaria.

In July, the UK announced a doubling of its pledge from 2005 to 2008, subject to the GFATM demonstrating its effectiveness. This brings our overall pledge to approximately £259 million (US$449 million, 2002–03 to 2007–08) making the UK the fourth largest donor to the global fund.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports he has received from the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh on the ongoing effect of the recent floods that took place in Bangladesh; what assistance the UK has given to that country; and if he will make a statement. [193489]

Heavy monsoon rain in Bangladesh and surrounding countries in July, led to major flooding over Bangladesh. This was exacerbated by a localised monsoon depression, which swept over Bangladesh in September, bringing three limes the normal rainfall and causing flooding in Dhaka, the southwest and central areas of the country, including several districts, which had not been affected by the previous flood.

Damage assessments, including that undertaken on behalf of the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), estimate that over 33 million people have been affected by the floods, over two million dwellings damaged and some four million inhabitants displaced. Homes, schools, clinics, roads, bridges, small-scale enterprises and crops have been damaged. Many people were forced to sell off their livestock and many days employment, hence income, lost. Tube wells and other water sources were contaminated and up to three million latrines damaged or washed away, leaving the population with limited or no access to safe water and sanitation, increasing the risks of diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases. An Asian Development Bank (ADB)/World Bank (WB) mission in September estimated total damage to assets and output losses at $2.2 billion (£1.1 billion), representing 3.9 per cent. of GDP.

The monsoon season is now nearly over and the flood situation continues to improve. All emergency flood shelters are now closed. However, there remain some rises in the Brahmaputra-Jumuna river water level, with two out of 86 monitoring stations remaining above danger level.

When the floods commenced in July, the UK Government led the international donor community to ensure immediate emergency needs were met. The UK was the first to announce bilateral support for the flood-affected people of Bangladesh. On 26 July the UK Government allocated £10 million through DFID to meet immediate flood emergency needs. £5 million of this was channelled through United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and £5 million through World Food Programme (WFP). Supporting these two organizations ensured that both food and non-food emergency needs of those affected by the flood were met. This initial £10 million has now been fully utilised to provide food packages of rice, pulses, oil, salt and nutritionally fortified high-energy biscuits; and non-food support, including shelter and agricultural support (such as provision of seedlings) to over 900,000 families (4.5 million people) affected by the floods. In particular, the relief was targeted on the six worst affected districts—Brahmanbaria, Habiganj, Kishoreganj, Netrokona, Sirajganj and Sunamganj.

This assistance was delivered by 22 national and international non-governmental organisations with a strong track record in effective relief delivery in Bangladesh. These included Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), Save the Children Fund (SCF) (UK), Oxfam, CARE, Islamic Relief, Concern, Christian Aid, United Nations Food and Population Fund (UNFPA), Action Aid, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases and Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR-B), Gonoshasthaya Kendra, and Handicap International.

The UK Government then turned its attention to the extensive recovery and rehabilitation needs of Bangladesh. On 12 August, the United Nations launched its Consolidated Appeal for $210 million (£117 million) to meet relief and recovery needs for the next 6 months. Again, the UK Government acted swiftly to meet the need. I announced on 18 August an additional £15 million through DFID, for Bangladesh to support the repair, replacement and maintenance of roads and bridges; to provide food, shelter, clean water, sanitation, medial supplies; and to provide funds for cash-for-work programmes to give people affected by the floods the opportunity to earn income to help recover from the floods.

From this £15 million, £1 million has been channelled to the World Food Programme to support their provision of food to those affected by the floods and £2 million has been channelled through UNDP to provide temporary and longer-term shelter to 194,000 flood affected families, working in partnership with the Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED). Another £4 million has been channelled through UNDP to support NGO-managed 'cash for work' programmes. £2 million is being channelled to the World Health Organisation (WHO) through UNDP to provide medical supplies to maternal and child welfare centres and urban clinics. £2 million is being channelled through UNDP to United Nations Children's Fund (UNCIEF) to work with the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) to restore access to safe water and sanitation facilities. DFID's support is contributing to UNICEF's efforts to help up to 30 million people in 40 out of Bangladesh's 64 districts.

The final £4 million will support the Government of Bangladesh's request for emergency financing for roads, bridges and culverts damaged by the recent floods. £3.9 million is for financial aid for emergency repair and reconstruction; and a further £0.1 million for technical assistance to provide oversight to the Roads and Highways Department response.

DFID has also lobbied the EC to increase the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO)'s contribution of €2.9 million (£2 million). The UK Government's support to Bangladesh to ensure it is better able to cope with the impact of disasters, will not stop with the end of this year's floods. The UK Government, through DFID, is providing £6 million over five years to the Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme which is strengthening the Government of Bangladesh's capacity to deliver long-term sustainable risk management practices as an integral part of national development planning, and to increase the effectiveness of the Government's emergency responses and post recovery management.

The UK Government are aware that even this generous support may not be sufficient to ensure Bangladesh can recover quickly and rebuild after the floods. That is why I have approved another £4 million today for the World Food Programme's Emergency Response Programme (EMOP), which is currently only 20 per cent. subscribed. This will enable the poorest flood victims to have continued access to food during the period of scarcity, which has followed the floods and may last up to February 2005.

DFID is also providing £7 million over six years to strengthen the World Food Programme in Bangladesh, to better equip them to meet the food security needs of Bangladesh, including in disasters.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list (a) current and (b) previous CDC investments in China's agribusiness sector by (i) amount, (ii) location and (iii) date. [193288]

CDC has made no investments in the agribusiness sector in China.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the executive performance bonus scheme for CDC/Actis Capital and its objectives. [193289]

CDC has a Short-Term Incentive Plan (STIP) and a Long term Incentive Plan (LTIP) for its staff. The STIP is linked to achievement of the Investment Policy Targets, prudent financial management, and development of CDC's relations with potential partners. The LTIP is linked to financial performance, mobilisation of third-party capital, and development impact.

Remuneration in Actis is managed by its Supervisory Board. The remuneration principles are set out in Schedule 12 of the Members' Agreement, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much capital CDC/Actis Capital has (a) invested and (b) managed in China in each year since 1999. [193319]

The amounts are shown in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to his answer of 14 September 2004, Official Report, column 1518W, on CDC/Actis Capital, whether CDC's investments in China qualify as bilateral aid. [193324]

I confirm that CDC investments in China are classified as bilateral aid.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people are employed by China Capital Partners Ltd.; and if he will list the locations of its offices. [193322]

China Capital Partners employs seven people and has one office, which is in Beijing.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps Her Majesty's Government have taken to provide assistance to (a) Niger, (b) Mauritania, (c) Chad, (d) Gambia, (e) Mali and (f) Senegal, following the recent plague of locusts that has ravaged crops and land. [193818]

The Department for International Development (DFID) has provided £1.5 million to the emergency international appeal for locust control in the West Africa Region, issued by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). This appeal covers operations in all of the above countries. UK funding will assist the immediate emergency control of swarms over the next three months. In addition, the European Commission is providing €23.5 million (£16.3 million) to assist those countries worst affected. The UK's attributed share of this assistance will be approximately £3 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects his Department is supporting in the Kayezi region of Malawi. [192291]

The Department for International Development supports national programmes in Malawi on health (TB, Sexual Reproductive Health Programme, National Immunization and Malaria Programme), primary education, HIV/AIDS, targeted inputs, safety and security and access to justice.

Kayezi falls within the Mzimba district where it benefits from the programmes mentioned above.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the policy programmes undertaken by his Department in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) risk level, (b) cost and (c) purpose of each programme; and if he will make a statement. [194314]

DFID undertakes a large number of projects and programmes involving policy, most of which involves knowledge and research. This ranges from acquisition of knowledge to implementation of programme objectives. In reply to the hon. Member's question of 21 October 2004, Official Report, column 850W, a list of contracts including those involving knowledge and research, issued by DFID over the last five years is being placed in the Library. This includes consultants contracted for the purpose of knowledge and research. The project title in those cases provides an indication of the objective of the activity but to set out the purpose and risk level of each would involve disproportionate cost. In addition to these contracts, much of DFID's policy formulation is carried out in-house through the work of DFID's Policy Division.

Over the last 3 years, DFID has spent £540 million on Knowledge and Research. Of the above total, expenditure on centrally funded research (that is research more concerned with global rather than country issues) is around £85 million per year rising to at least £100 million per year in 2006–07.

DFID funds research, on a wide variety of policy issues. A Research Funding Framework has just been published which is available on the DFID website. www.dfid.gov.uk. This identifies four major themes, which will take some two-thirds of research funding: sustainable agriculture, especially in Africa; killer diseases; climate change; and work to identify policy options in situations where states do not work for the poor. Some research—such as that relating to an HIV vaccine—is high risk, but worth supporting because the potential benefits are also very high.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the Private Finance Initiative arrangements in which the Department is engaged; what the total cost of each arrangement is (a) over its lifetime and (b) in each year of its operation; and how the arrangement appears in the Department's public accounts. [193978]

DFID has no Private Finance Initiative arrangements.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many full-time equivalent jobs (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies had in (i) Yorkshire and the Humber and (ii) the City of York in (A) 1997 and (B) the latest year for which figures are available. [191854]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, West (Ruth Kelly) on 25 October 2004, Official Report, column 1053W.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many Gypsy caravan sites are registered in England and Wales. [194136]

As at January 2004 there were 342 local authority Gypsy and Traveller sites in England. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not collect data on the number of privately-owned Gypsy and Traveller sites, but does conduct a count of the number of caravans on such sites which, as at January 2004, stood at 4,890.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not collect data on Gypsy and Traveller sites in Wales. The Welsh Assembly has responsibility for Gypsy and Traveller policy in Wales.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) genuine and (b) malicious false alarm fire emergency calls were received in (i) Greater London and (ii) each London borough in each year since 1999. [194313]

The number of fire false alarm calls attended by the London Fire Brigade since 1999 is tabled as follows. Genuine false alarms are those generated by automatic equipment and by people believing that there was a fire (good intent).

Types of fire false alarm attended by London Fire Brigade

Note:

2002–03 excludes strike days

Source:

London Fire Brigade

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many fire-related deaths in dwellings in (a) North Southwark and Bermondsey, (b) Camberwell and Peckham and (c) Dulwich and West Norwood there were in each year since 2000. [194312]

The available information on fire-related deaths in dwelling fires recorded by the London Fire Brigade in the calendar years since 2000 is tabled as follows:

Source:

London Fire Brigade

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many houses are earmarked for demolition (a) this and (b) next year in each of the Housing Pathfinder areas in England. [193234]

The following table outlines the estimated demolitions in the eight pathfinders that have been awarded grant from the housing market renewal fund for the period to March 2006.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the personal indemnity of members and officers of local authorities; and what plans he has to change the Government advice on such indemnity. [194281]

A draft order on indemnities for relevant authority members and officers was considered by Committee on 20 October 2004 and approved by the whole House on 25 October 2004. It is awaiting consideration in the other place.

The order would permit (but not oblige) authorities to provide indemnities and insurance that would provide "cover" for a member or officer:

if the member or officer had acted honestly and in good faith when taking the action giving rise to the liability

if the authority was found to have acted ultra vires, but at the point at which the member or officer acted that member or officer honestly and reasonably believed that the action or advice giving rise to the liability was intra vires the authority;

to cover the costs incurred by a member in relation to defence of proceedings under the Code of Conduct but limited to cases in which the member is found not to have breached the code.

Copies of the draft order are available in the House Library.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussion took place between his Department and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the effects of the landfill allowance trading scheme on local authorities in growth areas. [193753]

Discussions take place between the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regularly to consider issues such as the landfill allowance trading scheme.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what additional funding will be given to local authorities in growth areas through the Environmental protection and cultural services block grant to compensate for the effects of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme. [193754]

The Spending Review 2004 provides £7.2 billion more in general grant for local government programmes by 2007–08 over 2004–05. Part of these resources will support the achievement of significant diversion of waste from landfill during the SR04 period. The Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme is designed to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste that is sent to landfill in England in the most cost-effective way. The Government recognises that certain authorities facing above average population growth may find the implementation of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme challenging and there are a range of measures in place to support local authorities meeting this challenge. In addition, officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are meeting with representatives from certain growth areas to discuss the issues surrounding population growth.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which local authorities have (a) started and (b) completed their consultation with tenants on (i) arm's length management organisations (ALMOs), (ii) use of the private finance initiative and (iii) use of stock transfer in relation to ownership of housing; which of those authorities have held ballots with their tenants on ALMOs, PFI and stock transfer; when those ballots were held; and what percentage was (A) in favour and (B) against each option in each such ballot. [193887]

Consultation with tenants occurs throughout the Options Appraisal process. Local authorities are all required to go through this process, but an Options Appraisal will not be signed off unless the Government Office is satisfied that tenants are properly consulted. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister would normally consider a ballot to be the most formal type of consultation with tenants. These are normally only undertaken for transfer and Arm's Length Management Organisations (ALMOs). Although ballots are not generally undertaken for PFI schemes, tenants are required to be consulted and section 27 consent must be given.

Tabled is a detailed breakdown of the figures requested. It covers all ballots since the Decent Homes Programme began in 2001, including partials, and shows that 73 ballots have taken place for transfer, while 18 have balloted tenants successfully for Arm's Length Management Programmes.

42 local authorities have had their Options Appraisals signed off by Government Offices. 150 local authorities have not had Options Appraisals signed off, and so are either engaging with tenants or about to do so.

Transfer ballots since 2001

ALMO Ballots since 2001

PFI schemes since 2001

Schemes with section 27 consent since 2001

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for North Essex on 20 October 2004, Official Report, columns 879–80, on local government administration in the North-East after the referendum, whether he intends to reduce the number of councils regardless of the outcome of the referendum. [194201]

There are at present no plans to introduce changes to the structure of local government except in those areas where an elected regional assembly is established. Under the Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Act local government change can only be introduced if a referendum has been held and an elected regional assembly is to be established as a result.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what evaluation has been made of the effect of the second section of the Northern Distributor Road on the Church Marshes country park at Kemsley, near Sittingbourne. [194158]

The Swale borough local plan, adopted in July 2000, proposed bringing the Church Marshes country park into public use as a recreation area and country park and made specific reference to the need to safeguard reserved land for the road proposals. The county council is working closely with Swale borough council and Medway Swale Groundwork who are progressing the country park. As part of the planning application for the new road, an Environmental Statement is being produced and this will cover all the environmental aspects and mitigation measures.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment has been made of the second section of the Northern Distributor Road's proximity to local housing at Kemsley, near Sittingbourne. [194160]

As part of the planning application for the new road, an Environmental Statement is being produced. This will make an assessment of the traffic noise and visual intrusion on properties.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what public consultation there has been on the second section of the Northern Distributor Road in Milton. [194161]

An exhibition has been recently held in the area and comments on the proposal were invited. The responses will form part of the normal consultation undertaken by the planning authority in consideration of the Planning Application about to be submitted.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the average time taken to process planning applications. [193238]

The performance of authorities in handling planning applications is measured both against targets set for the proportion of decisions taken within set time limits, and targets for average determination times. The Government's PSA6 target for planning delivery states that English local authorities taken together will process an average of 65 per cent. of major applications in 13 weeks, 72 per cent. of minor applications in eight weeks, and 87 per cent. of other applications in eight weeks by 31 March 2007.

The latest available data for the year ending June 2004, shows that planning authorities determined 53 per cent. of major applications in 13 weeks, 66 per cent. of minor applications, and 82 per cent. of other applications, in eight weeks. This is an improvement on previous years and these figures show that the Government is on target to meet it's PSA6 target for Planning Delivery by 31 March 2007.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what adjustments in the (a) police funding formula and (b) capping regime he plans to make to take account of strategic development plans for expansion in the South-East and East Midlands. [193638]

The Police funding formula estimates relative need for police resources. Formula grant allocations are currently subject to floors and ceilings.

Decisions on the floors and ceilings for 2005–06 have not yet been taken. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is actively considering the effects of the ceiling policy on rapid population growth areas in advance of the 2005–06 allocation. Looking further ahead, we are committed to delivering three-year settlements for local government, and will be addressing Kate Barker's recommendation to make the grant system more forward looking.

No decisions on capping in 2005–06 and beyond have been made. But the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has made it clear that we expect to see significantly lower council tax increases next year and will take even tougher capping action in 2005–06 if that proves necessary.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what advice is given to London Boroughs on (a) disposal of property assets and (b) meeting the need for social housing in London; and if he will make a statement. [194011]

Section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972, gives authorities discretion to dispose of land in any manner they wish although it is generally expected that local authority property should be sold for the best consideration reasonably obtainable (usually open market value). Consent of the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is required to dispose of land if it falls outside the scope of the General Disposal Consent given in Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Circular 06/2003.

The revised General Disposal Consent that came into effect on 4 August 2003 gave local authorities greater freedom and flexibility to make decisions about land disposals which will contribute to the promotion or improvement of the economic, social or environmental well-being of an area at less than best consideration, providedthat the undervalue does not exceed two million pounds.

For the disposal of housing land and property, whether by sale of the freehold or on leasehold, terms local authorities require the consent of the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister under Section 32 of the Housing Act 1985. The General Consents for the disposal of Houses and Land 1999, issued under Section 32, cover the most common types of small disposal of untenanted stock or disposals to sitting tenants, and includes a commentary giving guidance to local authorities. However, where a proposed disposal falls outside the terms of these General Consents, a local authority may apply to the Secretary of State, my right. hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister for a specific consent under section 32.

Local authorities have both housing and planning responsibilities, and are required to produce local housing strategies and local development frameworks. Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing (March 2000), paragraph 13, states that assessments of housing need that underpin local housing strategies and local plan policies are matters for local authorities to undertake in the light of their local circumstances. Advice to assist local authorities in preparing local housing needs assessments is set out in "Local Housing Needs Assessment": "A Guide to Good Practice (Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions, July 2000)". It is intended to publish an updated PPG3 in the Autumn.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many complaints against councillors he has received in each year since the inception of the Standards Board, broken down by local authority; and whether the complaint (a) was proven, (b) was unproven or rejected for lack of evidence and (c) is pending in each case. [194279]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no remit in the consideration of allegations of misconduct against local authority members. The investigation of such allegations is a matter for ethical standards officers appointed by the Standards Board for England.

The Standards Board does not hold information in the form requested, and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, information in respect of the number of cases received in 2003–04 is tabled as follows, of the total of 3,566 allegations listed in Table 1 about 1,100 cases were referred for investigation. The types of finding made following the completion of investigations are set out in Table 2.

Table 1