To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what projections she has made of the amount of electricity used on the Government Estate which is sourced from good quality combined heat and power; and whether she expects the 15 per cent. target for such electricity to be met in 2010. [205246]

0.8 per cent. of electricity used on the Government Estate when the target was set, around 23 GWh/yr, was Good Quality CHP electricity. Departments are required to put in place strategies for delivering the CHP and other targets in accordance with the Energy chapter of the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate. We project that this will amount to 350–400 GWh/yr for Good Quality CHP in 2010. This assumes the 2010 target of increasing energy efficiency by 15 per cent. is achieved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her most recent estimate is of the daily energy consumption resulting from the use of standby units on televisions; and if she will make a statement. [206025]

The Government's Market Transformation Programme estimates that the 60 million television sets in the UK consume approximately 3 million Kwh per day while they are in standby mode—approximately 8 per cent. of their total average daily energy consumption.

In order to try to reduce the overall energy consumed by televisions the Market Transformation Programme (www.mtprog.com) has been encouraging manufacturers to reduce both the "on" and the "standby" power consumption of televisions through the adoption of design improvements, an EU-wide voluntary code of conduct, and best practice guidelines and targets.

The EU-wide voluntary agreement on televisions has been particularly successful in reducing the average energy consumed by televisions in standby mode with the majority of new televisions sold in the UK soon to consume around 1 watt of power in standby mode rather than the 3–8 watts consumed by older models. We expect this agreement to be extended to cover additional consumer electronics shortly.

In addition, the Government"s initiative on sustainable procurement, announced last autumn, includes a requirement for Government Departments which purchase televisions to specify televisions with standby power requirements of less that 1 watt.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to introduce a policy on the control of feral animals. [206627]

We have no plans to introduce a general policy to cover all feral animals. The management of wildlife, whether feral or not, is dealt with on a species by species basis, as and when control is required, with action being taken by a range of different bodies, and by individual landowners and occupiers.

One of the key recommendations arising from the Working Group report on the Review of Non-Native Species Policy (2003) was that policies should be established with respect to the management and control of invasive non-native species currently present or newly arrived in the wild. To this end research has been commissioned by English Nature to establish an environmental audit of non-native species within England (replicating a similar audit of species in Scotland by Scottish Natural Heritage), and by Defra to develop a standard methodology for carrying out risk assessments on species, pathways and receptor habitats. The results of this research will inform Government policy on the control of non-native species in the wild.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much waste, by (a) tonnage and (b) percentage, has been disposed of by each county council by (i) landfill, (ii) recycling and (iii) incineration in each year since 1997. [200009]

The Department is currently preparing figures for publication on the management of municipal waste at waste disposal authority level. This information comes from the Defra Municipal Waste Management survey and has previously been published at regional level. The more detailed figures are expected to be published on the departmental website and a copy placed in the House Library in February 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) tonnage and (b) percentage of waste has been disposed of by (i) landfill, (ii) recycling and (iii) incineration since 1997–98, (A) in total and (B) broken down by waste disposal authority. [202066]

The Department is currently preparing figures for publication on the management of municipal waste at waste disposal authority level. This information comes from the Defra Municipal Waste Management survey and has previously been published at regional level. The more detailed figures are expected to be published on the departmental website and a copy placed in the House Library in February 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the ratio is of (a) consultants, (b) nurses and (c) general practitioners with a specialism in autism spectrum disorder to autistic children in England; and if he will make a statement. [206971]

The information requested is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) care homes and (b) care home beds there have been in England in each year since 1997. [207154]

Information on the number of care homes and places in England for adults aged 18 and over, at 31 March for the years 1997 to 2001 is shown in the following table.

I understand from the Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that figures for later years were collected by the National Care Standards Commission, and now CSCI, but that comparable details are not available.

Number of care homes and places for adults aged 18 and over in England, 31 March 1997 to 2001 -- Rounded numbers⁽¹⁾

⁽¹⁾ Includes residential homes, nursing homes, mental nursing homes, private hospitals and clinics.

Source:

RA and RH(N).

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each (a) primary care trust and (b) strategic health authority spent on commissioning chiropody and podiatry services in 2003–04. [207625]

This information is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what waiting time targets apply to NHS-funded chiropody and podiatry services; and what plans there are to change these. [207626]

National waiting time targets do not apply to non-consultant led activity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the costs incurred in (a) establishing and (b) abolishing the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health. [206910]

In 2002–03, around £2.5 million was spent establishing the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH). The costs of abolishing the CPPIH and the transitional costs associated with implementing the replacement arrangements will be met from within the CPPIH budget. The CPPIH budget for 2005–06 is being finalised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many overseas trips, and at what total cost, have been made by his Department in each year since 1997; and what the costs of (a) flights, (b) internal travel, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence were of each trip. [206657]

Information on the number of overseas trips and on internal travel within countries is not available.

Other information requested is shown in the tables.

£

£

⁽²⁾ Rail and other travel.

£

⁽³⁾ Including hotel costs.

All travel complied with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Food Standards Agency spent on information leaflets in (a) 2002, (b) 2003 and (c) 2004. [206550]

The Food Standards Agency works to the financial year. For the year commencing 1 April 2002 and ending on 31 March 2003, £503,958 was spent on information leaflets. For 2003–04, £193,219 was spent and for 2004–05 to date, £96,879.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for additional general practitioner surgeries in (a) the West Derbyshire constituency and (b) Derbyshire. [207445]

It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to commission health services to meet the needs of their local populations in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders. It is the responsibility of PCTs locally to determine how best "to use their funds to meet national and local priorities".

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has held with (a) the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (b) the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on the role of natural green spaces in the forthcoming delivery plan on physical activity. [207087]

Both I and departmental officials meet regularly with colleagues from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) to discuss a range of issues. Both Departments are members of the activity co-ordination team (ACT), which I chair jointly with my right hon. Friend the Minister for Sport (Richard Caborn). ACT is co-ordinating Government action on increasing participation in physical activity and sport.

DEFRA and ODPM were both involved in the discussions leading up to publication of the Public Health White Paper, "Choosing Health, Making healthy choices easier", and have an important contribution to make to the delivery plan for physical activity.

The Department is fully involved in the preparations for delivery of the ODPM Public Service Agreement Target 8, concerning cleaner, safer and greener public spaces.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nursing, (b) professional, (c) technical and (d) medical staff were employed in (i) the Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority area and (ii) the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Trust in each year since 1999. [207339]

The information requested is shown in the following table.

NHS hospital, public health medicine and community health services: Medical and dental staff and professionally qualified clinical staff in the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear strategic health authority area and the Newcastle Upon Tyne hospitals NHS trust as at 30 September in each year since 1999. -- Headcount

Sources:

Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census

Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contingency plans for the provision of hospital beds are in place for the winter in NHS trusts in Dorset. [207593]

In line with our policy of "Shifting the Balance of Power", it is now for primary care trusts (PCTs), in partnership with strategic health authorities (SHAs) and other local stakeholders, to plan, develop and improve services for local people. We recognise that health services are better when management is devolved to the frontline. Within the framework set out in the "NHS Plan" and other policy documents, PCTs, with their specialised knowledge of the local community, are effectively able to manage and improve local services.

All national health service trusts, PCTs and social services authorities in the Dorset and Somerset area have developed escalation plans for winter 2004–05, which describe how the organisation will respond to an increase in demand above normal operating levels, but below the level of demand which would be declared a major incident.

The Dorset and Somerset SHA will produce, on a weekly basis, an analysis of the information drawn from weekly situation reports, so that comparative data for key pressure indicators can be recorded and analysed. This analysis will be circulated to all organisations in the local health community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health

(1) what assessment he has made of the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections in (a) NHS community hospitals and (b) other NHS residential settings in the community; [207617]

(2) if he will publish the surveillance data on rates of MRSA in community hospitals; and if he will make a statement; [207618]

(3) how many NHS patients in (a) NHS community hospitals, (b) intermediate care beds and (c) NHS community settings contracted (i) MRSA and (ii) other hospital acquired infections in the last period for which figures are available. [207620]

holding answer 10 January 2005

The mandatory surveillance of hospital-acquired infections, including Methicillin Resistant "Staphylococcus aureus", is carried out only in national health service acute trusts. Data are not collected centrally for community hospitals, intermediate care beds or NHS community/residential settings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what punishments may be imposed upon those found guilty of selling or trading in dirty, diseased and illegal cuts of meat; what assessment he has made of the suitability of the punishments; and what further action he is taking to tackle such trade. [207478]

It is an offence to contravene Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 by placing any food on the market if it is unsafe. In the Crown court, the penalty for doing so is an unlimited fine and/or a maximum of two years' imprisonment. In the magistrates court, the corresponding penalty is a fine of up to £20,000 and/or a maximum of six months' imprisonment. It is also possible to prosecute some such activities for conspiracy to defraud under the Theft Act 1968, for which the penalty is an unlimited fine and/or a maximum of 10 years' imprisonment.

In addition, confiscation orders can be imposed where a defendant has been convicted in the Crown court, or committed there either for sentence or for the issue of a confiscation order to be considered. The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 sets out the strict rules to be met on the procedure, and the requirements to be met, which vary with the circumstances.

The Food Standards Agency is assessing the suitability of the penalties, following consultation with stakeholders on the recommendations of the Waste Food Task Force.

The Food Standards Agency has, with its partners in other Government Departments and enforcement bodies, a wide-ranging action plan to tackle meat crime. This action plan includes measures that have tightened the legislation on animal by-products, improved and provided extra resources for enforcement, and raised the profile of meat crime among sentencers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures his Department recommends for use in infection control in primary care in the NHS. [207621]

holding answer 10 January 2005

In 2003 the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) published guidelines, commissioned by the Department, on "Infection Control: prevention of healthcare associated infection in primary and community care". These guidelines are part of the Government"s consistent approach to support evidence-based practice in infection control. and are a good basis for developing local policies. The guidelines are available on NICE'S website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwife vacancies there were in (a) England, (b) each strategic health authority and (c) each primary care trust in each year since 1997; and what the vacancy rate was in each case in each year. [207628]

Information on the number and rate of vacancies lasting three months or more has been collected by the Department in each year since March 1999.

The vast majority of midwives are employed by national health service organisations other than primary care trusts; information on three month vacancies for midwives in all NHS organisations in England, in each year since 1999, has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pay television subscriptions the Department had in each year since 1997; and what the cost was in each year. [207665]

In 1997–98, a Parliamentary annunciator system was introduced, which provides a direct feed from the Palace of Westminster. This is a free service to hon. and right hon. Members in their ministerial offices,

The only payment the Department makes for a television service is to the Central Office of Information for the viewing of Select Committees, which costs £27,739.40 per year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of possible links between pesticides and prostate cancer. [208243]

The independent Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COC) has recently completed a review of prostate cancer. The COC has concluded that there is some limited evidence to suggest an association between farmers/farm workers, exposure to pesticides and increased risk of prostate cancer. The COC advice is to be considered by the Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) at its meeting on 13 January 2005. The ACP is the principal source of regulatory advice to Government on pesticides.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many psychiatric appointments at Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn were (a) booked, (b) cancelled by the hospital and (c) cancelled by patients in the past 12 months. [206582]

The information requested is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the members of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency's expert working group on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors will be required to publish their interests. [206943]

The interests held by the members of the committee on safety of medicines (CSM) expert working group on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were published in the annual report of the GSM for 2003. A copy is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many studies considered by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's expert working group on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors included (a) raw data from clinical trials and (b) summaries of data. [206944]

The findings of the committee on safety of medicines' expert working group on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were based on detailed analysis of a number of sources of data including clinical trial data provided by pharmaceutical companies, studies on the general practice research database, the published literature and individual reports from health professionals and patients. Full details of the data considered and the conclusions of the expert working group are presented in the report of the group, which is available on the website of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (www.mhra.gov.uk). Copies of the report are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide financial assistance for patients travelling to Bournemouth for surgical urology treatments currently available at Dorchester, if these treatments cease to be available at Dorchester. [207594]

It is now for primary care trusts (PCTs) in partnership with strategic health authorities (SHAs) and other local stakeholders to plan, develop and improve services for local people. We recognise that health services are better when management is devolved to the frontline. Within the framework set out in the NHS Plan and other policy documents, PCTs with their specialised knowledge of the local community are effectively able to manage and improve local services. It is therefore up to the local PCT to agree to reimburse patients' travelling.

Where necessary, patients are free to apply for reimbursement under the Hospital Travel Costs Scheme if they are eligible. Further details of the hospital travel cost scheme have been placed in the Library and are also available at www.dh.gov.uk.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in reducing dental decay for five-year-olds in England since 1997; and whether he expects to meet his targets in the same group for (a) the average number of decayed, missing or filled teeth and (b) the percentage with no dental caries. [206729]

The report of the decennial national child dental health survey 2003 shows that dental decay in 8, 12 and 15-year-old children has decreased since 1983 to its lowest recorded level. 12-year-old children in England have the best oral health of that age group in Europe.

The targets set in 1994 were that 12-year-olds should have no more than an average of 1.0 teeth with decay experience, 70 per cent. of five-year-olds should have no decay experience and that five-year-olds should have no more than an average of 1.0 teeth with decay experience. The 2003 survey found that 12-year-olds in England had an average of 0.7 teeth with obvious decay experience, 59 per cent. of five-year-olds in England had no primary teeth with obvious decay experience and the average number of primary teeth with obvious decay in five-year-olds was 1.5. Therefore the target for 12-year-olds was achieved with a substantial margin, but those for five-year-olds were not met.

The fluoridation of water offers the best prospect for improving the oral health of children. The 2003 Water Act transferred responsibility for deciding whether an area"s water supply should be fluoridated from the water company to the strategic health authority (SHA)—provided that the local population is in favour. We have been consulting on how SHAs should assess local opinion and will shortly be laying regulations before the House on the procedures they should follow.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of implementing the European Working Time Directive for NHS trusts in (a) West Derbyshire constituency and (b) Derbyshire in each of the last three years. [207443]

We do not collect this information centrally.

Implementation of the Working Time Directive is a local matter for national health service trusts, performance managed by strategic health authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his policy towards funding crop sprayer aircraft in support of the Afghan Government's poppy eradication programme. [207097]

The Government of Afghanistan's stated policy is not to use aerial methods to eradicate opium poppy crops. DFID supports this policy position and have no intention of using DFID funds to support aerial crop spraying in any form.

DFID does, though, provide significant assistance to the counter-narcotics effort in Afghanistan, mainly through our support to the provision of alternative livelihoods.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage and deletion of e-mails; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months. [206740]

The Department for International Development (DFID) continues to implement well established policies and procedures for the review and disposal of files in accordance with its administrative needs and the Public Records Acts. DFID has had a clear policy on the retention of significant e-mails on subject files since 1997. E-mails which record significant information or form part of a decision or policy development must be printed and placed on the relevant registered file. These files are retained in line with disposal schedules agreed with the National Archives, which have not been reviewed during the last 12 months.

Insignificant e-mails and those of short term importance are deleted when no longer required and e-mails remaining in staff mailboxes are deleted after 90 days. This position has recently been re-stated in an e-mail policy approved in November 2004. The policy will be revised in 2005 to comply with electronic document and records management.

Further e-mail guidance is available on the National Archives website at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/electronicrecords/advice/pdf/managing_emails.pdf.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development

(1) what assessment he has made of the joint proposal of the Iraqi Interim Authority and the International Monetary Fund to cancel the food ration to Iraqi families and to replace it with a conditional cash payment; [207522]

(2) what discussions he has had with (a) the Iraqi Interim Authority and (b) the International Monetary Fund over their joint proposal to cancel the food ration to Iraqi families and to replace it with a conditional cash payment. [207521]

holding answer 11 January 2005

The Government of Iraq has said that it is committed over the medium term to enhancing the effectiveness of social safety nets in Iraq by moving from a food ration system, which handed out virtually free food to the entire population of Iraq, to a cash distribution system targeted at the poor and unemployed. The aim will be to help domestic agriculture, encourage private trade and remove price distortions, at the same time as ensuring that families in need are properly safeguarded. The details have yet to be determined, and are expected to be followed up by the Iraqi Transitional Government after the forthcoming elections. DFID supports the reform in principle. DFID staff and advisers will continue to maintain contact with the Iraqi authorities, and with interested international organisations including the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Food Programme, to ensure that the interests of poor and vulnerable families in Iraq are protected.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid has been given by the UK Government to the reconstruction in Mozambique following the floods of 2000 setting out (a) the amount of monetary aid and (b) the amount of resources and materials which have been sent to the area. [207808]

DFID provided £37 million to Mozambique in direct response to the floods of 2000. This was composed of £10 million in additional budgetary assistance to the Government of Mozambique, £7 million for the reconstruction of the north-south highway and a total of £20 million channelled through United Nations agencies and NGOs to meet a range of emergency needs, including food assistance, helicopter operations, provision of water and sanitation and logistical support. DFID continues to be an important supporter of Mozambique's development more broadly and our aid programme has grown from £22 million per year in 2001–02 to £47 million in 2004–05.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the UK Government's financial contribution towards the Tsunami relief appeal will come from the contingency fund. [207737]

The UK Government have so far allocated £75 million as an immediate humanitarian response to the Tsunami disaster. The initial £50 million comprised £20 million drawn from DFID's humanitarian reserve, and £30 million from its central contingency reserve. The remaining £25 million, announced on 10 January, is being met through additional provision from the Treasury's reserve. None of this funding has been taken from our existing development programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the nature of European Development Fund support for Zimbabwe. [207125]

Since 2001, the EC has suspended normal development assistance in Zimbabwe and has redirected its assistance to those sectors that directly support the population. The main areas of intervention under the European Development Fund (EDF) are in humanitarian assistance, health, education and community development sectors. Humanitarian assistance focuses on food security and targets support to rural vulnerable households, through seed and fertiliser packs and small-scale irrigation schemes. The health programme contributes to the availability of safe blood and the supply of essential drugs. The education programme provides school improvement grants and the community development support is mainly for micro projects, involving small grants to communities along similar lines to the UK Government's small grant scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers were employed in Hertfordshire schools in (a) 1995 and (b) 2004. [207572]

There were 9,070 regular teachers (full-time equivalent) in the maintained schools sector in Hertfordshire local education authority in January 1995, compared to 9,820 in January 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what capital investment her Department has made in the Dagenham constituency in the last five years. [207161]

The following table includes the capital allocations made to the Dagenham constituency in the last five years.

The figure of £39,925,000 in 2002–03 includes a Private Finance Initiative allocation of £35,000,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the take-up of modern foreign languages at Key Stage 4 following the declassification of modern foreign languages as a foundation subject. [207559]

The changes to the statutory curriculum at Key Stage 4 were only introduced from September 2004, so no assessment of take-up of modern foreign languages has yet been made.

The changes have been introduced to enable schools to offer more choice and flexibility to their pupils, facilitating the introduction of new types of learning—something which proved difficult within the constraints of the previous requirements.

A joint letter from myself and the National Director for Languages was sent earlier this year to all Chief Education Officers reminding them of the statutory requirements at Key Stage 4 and asking them to monitor the situation and promote modern foreign languages within their authority.

While we anticipate a temporary decline in the number of pupils choosing to follow a course in modern foreign languages at Key Stage 4, the introduction of an entitlement to study languages at Key Stage 2 together with the implementation of the Key Stage 3 Modern Foreign Languages Framework—which has already had a positive impact on attitudes and achievement—will engage and enthuse more pupils to continue to learn languages from age 14 into adulthood. By providing opportunities other than the traditional GCSEs and A-levels, we are giving more accreditation opportunities which we hope will motivate more learners to study languages at Key Stage 4.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many qualified teachers were in service at (a) maintained nursery and primary schools and (b) maintained secondary schools in Newcastle upon Tyne in each year since 1998; and what the ratio of teachers to pupils was in each sector in each case. [207340]

The following tables show the headcount and full-time equivalent number of qualified teachers and the pupil-teacher ratio for maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools in Newcastle upon Tyne local education authority in each year since 1998.

Maintained Nursery

Maintained Primary ⁽⁴⁾

⁽⁴⁾ Includes middle schools as deemed

Maintained Secondary ⁽⁵⁾

⁽⁵⁾ Includes middle schools as deemed

Source:

Annual School Census

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the attributable (a) articles and (b) contributions that his Department's special advisers made to (i) newspapers, (ii) journals, (iii) books and (iv) other media in their official capacity between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004. [201455]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 13 December 2004, Official Report, column 836W.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to make changes to planning policy relating to telephone masts. [207367]

Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 on Telecommunications was issued in August 2001 to reflect the changes in the planning regulations that were made at the same time. The Government have a strategy to replace all PPGs with Planning Policy Statements. PPG8 will be replaced by a PPS8 in due course.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to make changes to the planning system in relation to caravan sites for gypsies and travellers. [207368]

On 22 December the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published a draft circular "Planning for Gypsy and Traveller Sites" on which we have invited comments. The aim of the circular is to ensure that the planning system makes provision for more sites to meet the needs of gypsies and travellers.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the merits of moving to a unitary system of local government in Lancashire. [207369]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is satisfied that the recommendations for unitary local government in Lancashire put forward by the Boundary Committee (with a minor modification regarding Ormskirk) would have represented effective structures for local government if an elected Regional Assembly had been established. However, as my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister made clear in a statement to the House on 8 November 2004, following the decision of voters in the North East referendum, there will be no reorganisation of local government arising from our proposals for elected Regional Assemblies.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department is taking to develop a long-term strategy on the role of local government. [207371]

The Government launched a debate on the future of local government with the publication of a discussion paper on the future of local government, and a prospectus for local area agreements, last July. Over the coming months, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister intends to publish further discussion papers on key issues, the first of which will look at neighbourhood engagement and leadership.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department is taking to support professional development of local government staff. [207372]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister offers support for the professional development of local government staff through a number of routes. These include:

A National Graduate Development programme, in partnership with the Local Government Employers Organisation;

A new Future Leadership programme, for middle managers, funded through the National Capacity Building Programme;

A National Centre for Sustainable Communities Skills to promote world class skills sets for everyone engaged in the sustainable communities initiative.

Authorities are also being offered opportunities for focused training to improve their management of projects and programmes and service delivery both generally, through the Capacity Building initiative, and in the specific areas of housing provision, IT and e-government service delivery.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what support is available from his Department to fire and rescue authorities to enable them to provide advice to vulnerable households on how to prevent fire. [207370]

The Community Fire Safety Innovation Fund supports local initiatives to reduce fire deaths; the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is funding free smoke detectors and fire suppression equipment; Revenue Support Grant takes account of authorities' prevention activity; the research programme identifies good practice; the National Community Fire Safety Centre provides publicity material and guidance.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council houses were built in the financial year 2003–04. [207373]

The total number of social homes built in England during 2003–04 was 23,794. Of these, 182 were built by local authorities.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to respond to the letter of 20 December 2004 from the right hon. Member for Birkenhead about the Provisional Formula Grant Settlement for 2005–06 and how it affects Wirral local authority. [208001]

I replied to my right hon. Friend on 11 January 2005.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if his Department will release additional funds to help county councils meet their obligations to pay disabled facilities grants. [207032]

Specified capital grants paid by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to local authorities for disabled facilities grant (DFG) can only be paid to local housing authorities. I announced DFG allocations to local authorities for 2005–06 on 27 December 2004. Devon authorities received an increase in funding of 10 per cent. compared with allocations for 2004–05. Total funds available for the DFG programme in England have also been increased from £103.5 million in 2005–06 to £120.8 million p.a. in 2006–07 and 2007–08. Allocations to individual authorities for these years will be made later this year following completion of the interdepartmental review of the DFG programme which is currently under way.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the percentage change in the environmental, protective and cultural services block of revenue support grant to district councils will be for 2005–06. [207033]

Revenue Support Grant is an unhypothecated block grant. This means that it is not possible to identify the amount of funding that authorities receive for a specific service. Shire districts' formula grant (i.e. Revenue Support Grant plus redistributed business rates) is calculated using the total of their Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services Formula Spending Share and their Capital Financing Formula Spending Share. The increase in formula grant under the provisional 2005–06 settlement on a like-for-like basis for shire districts is £59.797, or 4.0 per cent..

Under the provisional 2005–06 settlement, shire districts will receive an increase of £67.051 million, or 2.2 per cent., in their Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services Formula Spending Share on a like-for-like basis. Formula Spending Shares are neither grant nor are they the Government"s assessment of how much an authority should spend on a particular service.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the meetings that have taken place between (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department and representatives of organisations representing small and independent retailers about Planning Policy Statement 6 (Town Centres) over the last 12 months. [207063]

In May 2004 I and officials of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister met the British Retail Consortium. Among those present were representatives of the National Federation of Retail Newsagents. This meeting discussed a range of issues including draft Planning Policy Statement 6 (PPS6). In January 2004 I made a presentation on PPS6 to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Small Shops, at which representatives of organisations representing small and independent retailers were present.

In addition, during the course of Government business Ministers and their officials regularly attend conferences, seminars and events on retail planning matters at which representatives of organisations representing small and independent retailers are present and general matters of policy are discussed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been breached in each (a) month and (b) year since they were introduced; and what percentage of the total handed out this represented in each case. [205359]

The available information is given in the table. Breach data are currently available for the period from June 2000 to December 2002. The figures are available yearly, they are not produced by month. Data up to 2002 show that two thirds of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) are not breached. Breach and disposal (sentencing) data up to December 2003 will be available shortly.

Courts take ASBO breaches seriously. From Home Office data we know that a significant number of ASBO breaches result in immediate custody.

Number of ASBOs issued, as reported to the Home Office, and breached in each year, by period

From 1 June 2000. Data from 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000 were collected, for the whole period, by police force area on aggregate numbers⁽⁶⁾

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) discussion forums, (b) conferences and (c) focus groups his Department has held on reducing crime against young people since 2001. [200337]

Since 2001 the Home Office has held three focus groups with young people to discuss the ways in which crime impacts on them and how to reduce crime against young people. The Home Office was a partner in the Children and Young People's Unit's (now part of the Department for Education and Skills) major conference "Safely on our Streets" where young people voiced their opinions on four topic areas; alcohol, transport, victims of crime and mobile phone theft.

The Home Office has also held events to tackle specific types of crime against young people. The Home Secretary's Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet, established in 2001, meets on a quarterly basis with additional meetings of the taskforce subgroups and working parties taking place in a regular basis. A series of discussion forums have been held with young people about reducing the likelihood of them being victims of mobile phone theft. In August 2004 Ministers from the Home Office and Department for Education and Skill wrote to Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) encouraging them to hold workshops on youth robbery. Half have already done so, the other half are planning to. A conference on this issue on 4 October 2004 also included a workshop on youth robbery.

In addition to the discussion forums, conferences and focus groups held on crime reduction, other events have been organised to tackle antisocial behaviour and youth crime. For example an International Seminar on Youth Crime held in October 2002, examined the reduction of crime committed both by young people and against young people. Preparations for this included a meeting with the youth crime focus group and the organisation of a focus group in Huntercombe Youth Offenders Institute.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department

(1) what the average time taken for the Criminal Records Bureau to approve individual volunteers was in the last period for which figures are available; [207034]

(2) what action he is taking to shorten the amount of time that staff and volunteers must wait before receiving clearance from the Criminal Records Bureau. [207035]

No distinction is made by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) in relation to the time taken to process an application received from a person from the voluntary sector and from an applicant who pays for his or her Disclosure.

The overall average for completed applications in November 2004, the last month for which figures are available, was 24.1 days. Breaking this down Standard Disclosures took an average of 12.9 days to complete and Enhanced Disclosures took 25.7 days. These figures may be compared against the Bureau's published service standards of completing 90 per cent. of Standard Disclosures within two weeks and 90 per cent. of Enhanced Disclosures within four weeks.

The CRB will never sacrifice the accuracy of its service for speed; however, the Bureau remains committed to improving the overall efficiency and effectiveness of its service.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what purposes the additional expenditure to be funded by the planned increase in his Department's budget for central services in 2005–06, as indicated on page 132 of the Home Office Annual Report 2003–04, will be put. [207692]

The largest element of the reported increase in Central Services is £79 million for additional Accruing Superannuation Liability Charges (ASLC) to cover the cost of increased pension contributions, made by the Home Office, to the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS). When financial allocations are finalised for 2005–06, these amounts will be disaggregated across all business areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of refurbishments in his Department was in each year since 1997; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06. [205677]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 5 January 2004, Official Report, column 382W. Figures before 1990–2000 can be supplied only at disproportionate cost. The additional figures are:

⁽⁷⁾ Anticipated out-turn.

⁽⁸⁾ Not yet known.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of drug testing and treatment orders have been breached in each year since their introduction, broken down by local authority area. [205326]

It is not possible to calculate accurately the total number or percentage of orders breached in any one year. Some orders made in one year were breached in the following year; some cases are subject to multiple breach proceedings; some breach proceedings have been instigated and not yet dealt with by the courts; and 7,640 orders (30 per cent. of the orders made since roll-out) are still running. A completion target for Drug Testing and Treatment Orders (DTTO) of 35 per cent. was introduced from April 2004. The overall completion rate between April—October 2004 was 34 per cent. and each probation area's completion rate for the same period is shown in the table.

DTTO Completion performance 2004–05

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out the offences for which fixed penalty notices can be issued; and what guidance has been issued to authorities by his Department about circumstances in which such notices can be delivered. [206771]

The penalty notice for disorder scheme was extended by the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 (Amendment) and Police Reform Act 2002 (Modification) Order 2004 (SI 2540/2004), made on 27 September this year, to add a further 10 offences to the existing 11 offences. A complete list of the offences and penalties is shown in the table.

Operational guidance is provided to the police on issuing penalty notices for disorder. This has been revised to take into account the new offences and will be published on the Home Office website shortly at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crimpol/police/penalty/index.html

Copies of the revised police operational guidance will be placed in the Library at the same time.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the source is of the figure that about 35 per cent. of terrorists use false or multiple identities, as referred to in the answer of 17 May 2004, Official Report, column 773W, to the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Mr. Gibb). [207467]

holding answer 10 January 2005

During an oral evidence session to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 4 May 2004, the then Home Secretary my right hon. Friend, the Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) said:

"I have been very circumspect and I have indicated what the security services have said to me, which is they believe that in excess of a third of those who are engaged in supporting terrorism use multiple identities in order to be able to evade detection and to evade us being able to disrupt their activities."

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the likely size of the national identity register in (a) 2010, (b) 2020 and (c) 2030. [207623]

The current working assumption is that the following number of enrolments will be recorded on the National Identity Register at the end of the financial year which begins in:

The National Identity Register will continue to hold records of deceased persons and those who have registered and then left the country, to avoid fraudulent use of these identities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions which have resulted in custodial sentences there have been for (a) drink-driving and (b) other motoring offences, broken down by (i) type and (ii) gender in each year since 1997; and what each figure represents as a percentage of the total. [204719]

Information taken from the Home Office court proceedings database on convictions and custodial sentences for drink-driving and other motoring offences by gender 1997 to 2002 (latest available) is given in tables, which have been placed in the Library. Data for 2003 will be available early in 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representation the relevant trade unions have on the National Offender Management Service Board. [204892]

Having initially agreed to accept my invitation to join the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) Board, Ms Judy McKnight (General Secretary of NAPO) and Mr. Colin Moses (National Chairman of POA) recently announced their resignation.

I have made it clear that I strongly support regular and open dialogue with Trade Unions as part of the development of NOMS. The NOMS Joint Consultative Council (JCC) provides a forum for communication, discussion, consultation and information sharing between the NOMS and the Trade Unions representing staff within the National Probation Service, Her Majesty's Prison Service and the core Home Office on those issues that fall outside the remits of the existing service-specific consultation frameworks.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2004, Official Report, column 1507W, to Question 205652, whether the £2.9 million is more than the authority would otherwise have received. [207525]

If police formula grant had been calculated using the police funding formula without application of a grant floor, North Yorkshire Police Authority would have received £2.9 million less than the £75.4 million actually allocated under the provisional settlement. The settlement ensures that all police authorities receive a minimum increase of 3.75 per cent. in general grants next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the parole board dealing with the application of Harry Roberts for parole heard evidence in secret to which neither Roberts nor his representatives had access. [207699]

holding answer 10 January 2005

The hearing of Mr. Roberts' case before a Parole Board panel has not yet taken place as a result of a series of judicial challenges over the non-disclosure of sensitive information in the parole dossier.

The first of those challenges was resolved on the basis of a consent order agreed by all parties that the question of non-disclosure to Mr. Roberts was a matter for the Parole Board. It was also agreed that the material in question should be disclosed to a Specially Appointed Advocate (SAA) who would act on the prisoner's behalf at a Directions hearing before the legal chairman of the Parole Board panel that was to hear Mr. Roberts' case. In May 2003, the chairman subsequently directed that the sensitive material should be disclosed only to the SAA.

Those decisions were then challenged on various grounds before the High Court in December 2003, at which Mr. Roberts was represented by the SAA in closed session. The Court of Appeal heard the case in July 2004. In dismissing the challenges on both occasions, the courts considered that the Parole Board had the inherent power and discretion under Section 32(3) of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 and the Parole Board Rules to adopt the necessary procedures to enable it to perform its risk assessment task. In Mr. Roberts' case, the courts held that the Parole Board's adoption of the SAA process, as a wholly exceptional measure in the circumstances of that case, was proportionate, correct and fair to Mr. Roberts.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to ensure that administrative staff working for police forces receive the same pay entitlement for working on public holidays as police officers, with particular reference to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police Force. [206215]

The setting of pay and conditions is a matter for individual police authorities. Forces who are members of the Police Staff Council (PSC) agree to implement pay awards agreed at the PSC as a minimum, and to take full account of the PSC handbook when setting terms and conditions for police staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average number of days sick leave for prison officers was in each prison region in England and Wales in the most recent year for which figures are available. [201620]

The average number of working days lost due to sickness absence among all public sector prison officer grades for 2003–04 is contained in the following table.

Information on sickness absence within specific grades for privately managed establishments is considered commercial in confidence and is therefore not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department

(1) who is carrying out the survey to identify suitable sites for new, large prisons; and what the terms and conditions of the survey are; [201067]

(2) if he will list the sites available in (a) London, (b) the South East, (c) the West Midlands, (d) the North West and (e) Wales where new, large prisons could be located. [201068]

The Prison Service, acting on behalf of the National Offender Management Service, is responsible for the survey. The purpose of the survey is to identify suitable sites in urban areas, which can serve their local communities and are of a size commensurate with the type of prison required in that area.

The results of the survey are being analysed and further evaluation will take place before any offers or negotiations commence. The size and function of new prison establishments is determined by the size and mix of the projected population.

The details of the sites cannot be disclosed at this stage for commercial reasons.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which private prison companies the Commissioner for Correctional Services has met in the last 12 months. [203027]

The Chief Executive for the National Offender Management Service, Mr. Martin Narey, has in the last 12 months met with a range of companies responsible for running prisons both here and in the United States.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who owns the land on which each London prison is built. [203028]

My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, Secretary of State for the Home Department, owns the freehold of the land for the London prisons of: Belmarsh, Brixton, Feltham, Holloway, Latchmere House, Pentonville, Wandsworth, Wormwood Scrubs, and also the private prison site of Bronzefield (Ashford, Middlesex).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department

(1) if he will list the sites in Yorkshire that have been considered for the building of new prison establishments; [204419]

(2) which sites in the Elmet constituency have been identified as potential sites for a new prison establishment; and when the decision on whether to build a new prison in Elmet will be taken. [204420]

holding answer 13 December 2004

A number of potential new sites are currently under consideration in Yorkshire. No final decision on location has yet been made and I am unable to confirm at this stage when such a decision will be taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) the target and (b) the actual number of drug rehabilitation places available in each prison in England and Wales is. [203023]

The locally-agreed targets for the number of drug rehabilitation programme places (entrants) available during 2004–05, as well as the total number of prisoners who have already entered between 1 April 2004 and 6 December 2004, are shown in the following table.

On current performance, it is envisaged that by 31 March 2005, delivery will be in line with the locally-agreed target total of 7,885—exceeding the National Key Performance Target of 6,500.

Drug rehabilitation programmes—Places (Entrants)