To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her written statement of 15 November 2005, Official Report, column 48WS, on avian influenza (epidemiology report), what species or sub-species the mesias from the quarantine facility in Essex were from; and whether that species or sub-species is indigenous to Taiwan. [30748]

The species of mesia was Leiothrix argentauris." This species is indigenous to Taiwan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the pooling of samples of different species and different origins delayed the determination of the source of the H5N1 avian flu virus detected from samples taken from dead birds in the quarantine facility in Essex. [30749]

The pooling of samples for virus isolation does not cause any delays.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the reasons for the presence of H5N1 infection in mesia birds from two cages separated by five other cages and for the absence of infection in the birds of other species in the intervening cages. [30973]

The two cages housing the mesias were not separated by five other cages.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Surinam caiques were sampled by her Department's staff from the quarantine facility in Essex in which the avian influenza virus H5N1 was isolated. [31065]

One caique from Surinam was examined for the presence of avian influenza virus, including the H5N1 strain. No virus was detected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

(1) what assessment she made of the merits of requiring all sales of birds to be recorded before introducing the ban on sales at bird fairs; [31861]

(2) for what reasons she has prohibited the sale of birds at bird fairs. [31859]

holding answer 28 November 2005

Following a veterinary risk assessment and discussions with stakeholders, a precautionary approach to gatherings which involve the sale of birds was taken as these increase the risk of dissemination of infection and present a high risk. This is because when ownership changes hands, birds will be spread over a wider area in comparison to gatherings where birds are merely exhibited and returned to the premises of origin. Therefore sales from exhibitions, shows, fairs or other gatherings are not allowed. Recording sales would not help to prevent the spread of avian influenza in the event of a disease outbreak.

We are able to licence gatherings if following a veterinary risk assessment, they can be classified as presenting a low risk of transmission of avian influenza.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the dates on which inspectors visited the bird quarantine centre in Fambridge, Essex during (a) each of the last three years and (b) the quarantine period of the mesias which died in quarantine. [32875]

holding answer 28 November 2005

The information is as follows.

20 December 2004. In addition the premises would have been visited by an LVI at least three times during all quarantine periods at the premises.(a) The premises were inspected by SVS as part of the annual licensing process in November 2002, December 2003, and on

18 September, 29 September and 20 October. In addition a pre-quarantine visit was undertaken on 7 September 2005.(b) An LVI visited the premises on

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

(1) how much chlorofluorocarbon has been (a) recovered and (b) released into the environment from (i) refrigerators and (ii) other sources in the UK in each year since 1997; [30996]

(2) what data the Environment Agency collects on (a) chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) recovery levels and (b) the quality of CFCs released; [31003]

(3) what the average chlorofluorocarbon recovery levels were in each year since 2000. [31002]

The following information is available relating to recovery of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) from all equipment:

387 tonnes in 2002

494 tonnes in 2003

427 tonnes in 2004.

It is not possible to calculate how much CFC has been lost in the UK since 1997, or the quality of any CFCs released, as the quantity of CFCs in use in various applications over this period is not known.

The average quantity of controlled substances recovered from the refrigerant and blowing agent that was subsequently destroyed in England and Wales for 2003 was approximately 236g per fridge. It is not possible to state what percentage of potential CFC available for recovery that the destroyed amount represents. One of the reasons for this is CFC loss during a product's service life and further loss that may occur in storage and transit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many recycling operations are recovering chlorofluorocarbons. [30997]

A number of facilities hold waste management licences for the treatment of waste refrigerators. Not all licensed facilities will be operational. Typically, there are a dozen specialist facilities recovering CFCs from domestic refrigerators.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many investigations the Environment Agency is carrying out into the (a) mishandling and (b) failure to recover chlorofluorocarbons. [31001]

Licensed fridge treatment sites are regularly inspected by the Environment Agency. Operators of licensed facilities that do not comply with their licence conditions face enforcement action in line with the Environment Agency's Enforcement and Prosecution Policy. Over the past two years, the Environment Agency has successfully prosecuted several site operators. One prosecution in July 2004, resulted in a four-month prison sentence, others have resulted in substantial fines. The Environment Agency does not comment on investigations that are currently on-going.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent to date by the Environment Agency on its plans to alter the nature of the Cuckmere Valley; what the budget is for the preparatory stage of this project; and if she will make a statement. [33697]

I understand the Environment Agency has spent £394,000 out of a budget for preparatory work of £444,000. These figures include an allowance for agency internal staff costs.

The preparatory stage should be completed in April 2006 after which the Regional Flood Defence Committee will consider the appropriate way forward for future flood risk management. The agency will then undertake wider consultation on options with the intention of reaching agreement for the future management of the estuary, identifying necessary future works and possible funding routes to implement these.

Existing flood defences are reaching the end of their life and are increasingly ineffective against sea level rise. The Environment Agency spends between £30,000 and £50,000 per annum maintaining the defences in this area and ensuring that the river can adequately discharge into the sea.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will visit Shrewsbury to discuss the need for further flood prevention measures. [30993]

I am always keen to see how Government policy and funding can contribute constructively to effective flood risk management in practice. I visited Shrewsbury in 2000 with the Prime Minister and on other occasions. I am interested in the flood risk problems there and in finding solutions to them as far as possible.

I understand the Environment Agency recently invested £3.5 million as part of an overall £6 million flood risk management improvement project in Shrewsbury, is considering carefully the case for further investment which is however problematic in some areas, and has explained the position to people affected by flood risk.

The agency has distributed its draft fluvial severn strategy to a broad range of consultees, including Members of Parliament for the affected areas, for comment prior to finalisation in 2006. This considers a number of options for all flood prone areas along the River Severn and, together with the agency's River Severn catchment flood management plan, will provide the agency with a framework for the management of flood risk. Given all avenues either have been or are being explored and the limited scope for further works in the immediate future, I see little point in raising people's hopes by another Ministerial visit at this time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to prevent flooding in the Underdale area of Shrewsbury. [30825]

Following completion of the Environment Agency's £3.5 million Frankwell flood alleviation scheme, the scope for further flood risk improvement works in Shrewsbury in the immediate future is limited by benefit cost issues and the relative priority of these works against the need for investment in other locations.

I understand the agency assessed Underdale Road for inclusion in trials of temporary" defences (that is flood defences which would remain permanently at hand, to be raised temporarily during periods of heightened flood risk). However the benefits from such works proved insufficient in relation to justification of costs in the region of £460,000.

The agency's draft fluvial severn strategy considers a number of options for all flood prone areas along the River Severn and, together with the agency's River Severn catchment flood management plan, will provide the agency with a framework for the management of flood risk in the longer term.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will produce an annual report on greenhouse gas emissions and present it to Parliament. [33176]

If passed, the Private Member's Bill entitled Climate Change and Sustainable Energy would require such a report to be made to Parliament by the Prime Minister.

The Bill successfully received its Second Reading on 11 November and has been sent to Standing Committee. During that debate, the Minister for Energy indicated that the Government would support the relevant clause subject to it being amended to the effect that producing such a report would be the responsibility of the Secretary of State.

DEFRA produces an annual inventory of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions and various other reports to comply with our international obligations both to the EU and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will introduce legislation creating legally-binding targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. [33179]

The UK already has a legally binding target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5per cent. during the 2008–12 period under the Kyoto protocol.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research has been conducted (a) by and (b) for her Department relating to the recycling and reuse of (i) mobile phones and (ii) printer cartridges. [27889]

No research has been conducted by or for the Department relating specifically to the recycling and reuse of mobile phones or printer cartridges.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what complaints her Department has received on the inappropriate and illegal use of walking trails by quad bikers. [33194]

I am not aware of any specific complaints about the inappropriate and illegal use of walking trails by quad bikers.

However, we have received a significant number of representations regarding the illegal use of other motorised vehicles on rights of way and off road land.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department has taken to enforce laws regarding proper trail and land use by quad bikers. [33195]

We have received a significant number of representations regarding the antisocial and illegal off-road use of motorised vehicles.

There already exists a range of statutory powers that, when used as part of a co-ordinated strategy, can prove effective in dealing with the inappropriate use of motor vehicles off-road. The Government will shortly be issuing guidance to help the police and local authorities tackle motor vehicle misuse. The guidance will set out the range of powers already available and will draw on existing best practice examples of police and local authorities working in successful partnerships.

Copies of this guidance will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

(1) what target her Department has set for the amount of chlorofluorocarbons that should be recovered from refrigerators in each year; [30995]

(2) how many refrigerators were recovered with their reservoir of chlorofluorocarbons gas (a) empty and (b) intact in each of the last 10 years. [30994]

The Government do not set a target for the amount of CFG that should be recovered from refrigerators in each year because it is not possible to know in advance how many refrigerators will be presented for treatment, the proportion that contained CFCs when manufactured, or the proportion of CFCs that will have been lost in use, storage or transit.

The recovery facilities do not record whether or not each fridge presented for treatment has a full charge of CFG in its coolant circuit. This is because the operator of the facility will not always know how much CFG an individual fridge contained when it was manufactured, and CFG recovery is measured over a large batch of units and it is not practical to record recovery on a fridge by fridge basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made under the UK's presidency in relation to the sustainable development agenda. [30270]

Defra is seeking to promote sustainable development through the full range of its business by ensuring that all its dossiers fully address environmental, economic and social impacts. Our approach is underpinned by the need to make progress on Better Regulation. The European Commission's proposal for a Review of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy—a UK priority—will not be published until mid-December but we will be supporting the forthcoming Austrian Presidency to achieve their aim of completing the review by June 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to reduce the amount of illegal timber entering the United Kingdom. [33942]

The UK is taking a range of steps to reduce the amount of illegal timber entering the United Kingdom.

The European Commission published its Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan in May 2003. This describes a package of measures to tackle illegal logging, including proposals that the EUenters into partnership agreements with timber producing countries to establish a licensing system designed to identify products and license them for export to the EU.

The UK is delighted that the proposal for a licensing system received political agreement at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 24 October 2005, under the UK's Presidency of the European Union. This will be adopted in December 2005. The UK, with other EU partners, is already discussing possible agreements with timber producing countries, including Ghana and Malaysia. It is hoped that these agreements will be finalised soon. This will mean that the amount of illegal timber entering the United Kingdom from these countries will reduce.

The FLEGT Action Plan also proposes that the Commission look at other options to tackle illegal logging, including using Government procurement and introducing legislation to prevent the importation of illegally logged timber at a member state or EU level. Government awaits the European Commission's report, which will allow us to take this work forward, including the options for action at the UK level.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many diagnoses made by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Weybridge were found to be incorrect in (a) each of the last three years and (b) this year to date; and what these figures represent as a percentage of overall diagnoses. [31857]

holding answer 28 November 2005

Diagnoses are a matter of veterinary judgment, usually made on the basis of a combination of clinical signs and test results. In some cases post mortem finding are also available. The following figures give the total number of tests completed and the number of complaints recorded that relate to test results. Some errors in test results are detected by the VLA ISO17025 UKAS quality system after reporting (eg during audit). These are notified to customers but do not necessarily result in a complaint. Estimates of these are also provided.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many diagnoses made by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Weybridge were contested in (a) each of the last three years and (b) this year to date; and what these figures represent as a percentage of overall diagnoses. [31858]

holding answer 28 November 2005

Diagnoses are a matter of veterinary judgment, usually made on the basis of a combination of clinical signs and test results. In some cases post mortem finding are also available. The following figures give the total number of tests completed and the number of complaints recorded that relate to test results. Instances when customers contact the VLA to discuss a test result or diagnosis but make no complaint are not recorded in a manor that permits analysis. In some of these cases it may be that customers are questioning a result or diagnosis but are content with the explanation given and make no complaint.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Brent, East dated 22 March on behalf of MsChristine Hilder and Mr. Carl Ernsting. [33857]

The Department had no trace of receiving the letter from the hon. Member for Brent, East dated 22 March at the time but a copy was obtained from her office on 30 November. The subject matter is one for which Ministers at HM Treasury have responsibility and they will be replying to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will amend regulations to prevent the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency from providing names and addresses of vehicle owners to private companies and individuals. [33695]

I will be making a written statement on Friday 2 December.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce a decision on the Integrated Kent Franchise. [33462]

I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made to the House by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State on 30 November 2005, Official Report, columns 33–34WS, advising that the Integrated Kent Franchise Agreement had been signed by GoVia, who are now contracted to run the franchise from 1 April next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will conduct a full evaluation of traffic flows at Junction 12 on the M5, including (a) queuing on the slip road and (b) related use of the B4008. [33150]

holding answer 30 November 2005

A study of the operation of Junction 12 on the M5 is due to be completed by May 2006. The study will incorporate a survey to evaluate traffic flows at the junction, including use of the B4008. This initial survey is programmed for completion during January 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the costs of maintenance on the rail network have been in each winter since 1999–2000, broken down by region. [32646]

Network Rail is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the rail network. Network Rail will respond directly to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what subsidy the Government have given to the railway industry in each year since 1997. [34154]

Details of historic Government support to the rail industry are set out in table 6.2a of the latest edition of National Rail Trends, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his policy on duty rates on fuel from pure vegetable oil in relation to duty rates on conventional fuels. [33791]

A reduced rate of duty for biodiesel was introduced in July 2002 in recognition of its environmental benefits and its higher production costs than conventional diesel. Fuel produced from vegetable oil is eligible for this lower rate (currently 27.10 pence per litre) if it meets the legal definition of biodiesel for tax purposes set out in section 2AA of the Hydrocarbon Oil Duties Act 1979.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research his Department has carried out into the income levels of eligible families who have opened child trust fund accounts relative to eligible families who have not. [33612]

Parents have up to a year from the issue of the Child Trust voucher in which to open an account for their child and this period has yet to expire for the first vouchers issued. The income level of eligible families who do not open accounts is something that the Government will want to look at alongside other research. This includes qualitative research with parents in lower income households to make sure that the materials sent to parents are likely to appeal to the target audience.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many child trust fund accounts have been opened in England, broken down by ethnicity of the child. [33613]

This information is not available. Information on the global number of Child Trust Fund accounts opened is available at:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_trust_funds/child-trust-funds.htm

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many child trust fund accounts have been opened since the programme began, broken down by region. [33614]

This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The latest quarterly Child Trust Fund statistics were published on 30 November 2005 at:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_trust_funds/child-trust-funds.htm

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in Paisley and Renfrewshire North have opened child trust fund accounts. [34308]

Child trust fund information at constituency level would be available only at disproportionate cost. UK-wide information on the number of child trust fund vouchers issued and the number of accounts opened are published on the HMRC website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_trust_funds/child-trust-funds.htm. Data showing activity to 20 November was published on the 30 November 2005.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much corporation tax was raised from businesses in Lancashire in each year since 1997. [34068]

The information is not available to estimate the amount of corporation tax raised from businesses in Lancashire in each year since 1997.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on endowment mortgage complaints that are upheld by the Financial Ombudsman Service and rejected by insurance companies. [33672]

For the last full financial year (ending 31 March 2005), the Financial Ombudsman Service received 69,737 mortgage endowment complaints. In the same period, the ombudsman service resolved 48,018 of these cases, of which 47.3 per cent. were upheld (either wholly or in part) in the consumer's favour.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints about endowment mortgages were made to the Financial Ombudsman Service in each of the last five years; and how many were upheld. [33673]

The Financial Ombudsman Service brought together eight separate dispute resolution schemes covering the financial services sector and assumed its powers under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 on 1 December 2001. The following table shows the number of mortgage endowment cases received by the ombudsman service in each full financial year since year ending 31 March 2001 and shows the percentage breakdown of resolved cases upheld (either wholly or in part) in the consumers favour.

n/a=Not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints about endowment mortgages were upheld by the Financial Ombudsman Service but were then rejected by the insurance company in each of the last five years. [33762]

Once an ombudsman has made a final decision it is binding on the firm, if the consumer accepts it. Where a final decision has been issued and a firm has failed to comply with an award made by an ombudsman, the ombudsman's decision is then enforceable in court. No records are available on the number of enforcement actions of this nature that are taken.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the recent auditing of the EU accounts. [33426]

As always, we are studying the European Court of Auditors Report on the 2004 EC Budget carefully as we attach a great deal of importance to financial management. It is disappointing that, for the eleventh year in succession, the European Court of Auditors has been unable to give a positive statement of assurance on the EC Budget for 2004. It is encouraging, however, that there have been noticeable improvements since 2003 with pre-accession expenditure once again being cleared, as it was in 2002, and, for the first time, certain areas of agricultural expenditure also gaining clearance. This has meant that around 35 percent. of EC Budget expenditure was cleared in 2004 compared with only 6 percent. in 2003. The council, led by the UK presidency, has for the first time taken action, agreeing conclusions on 8 November 2005 that will contribute to bringing about a step change in financial management and control.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many deaths in Sandwell illegal drugs were the primary cause in each year since 1997. [33281]

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

Letter from Karen Dunnell to Mr. John Spellar, dated 1 December 2005

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking in how many deaths in Sandwell, illegal drugs were the primary cause in each year since 1997. (33281)

Figures readily available from death certification relate to deaths due to drug poisoning, not the total number that were attributable to drug use. These figures are produced from a special database which contains deaths where the underlying cause was drug poisoning. Deaths that may be caused indirectly by drug use, for example HIV infection or road traffic accidents, are not included. Death registration data are not the best source of information on these indirect" deaths, because information on the role of drug use in the death may not be provided on the death certificate.

The most recent year for which figures are available is 2003. There were 12 deaths certified as due to drug poisoning¹ and involving drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act to residents of Sandwell ² in the seven years 1997 to 2003.3 A further breakdown by year is not possible because of the small numbers of deaths involved.

¹ Defined using the following codes from the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision for 2001–2003: F11-F16, F18-F19, X40-X44, X60-X64, Y10-Y14, X85 and the following codes from the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision for 1997–2000: 292, 304, 305.2–305.9, E850-E858, E950.0-E950.5, E962.0 and E980.0-E980.5.

² Usual residents of Sandwell. ³ Data are for deaths occurring in each calendar year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to encourage saving among families on low incomes. [33715]

In addition to tax-relief on savings offered to all adults, the Government are using the Saving Gateway to explore how matching can encourage families on lower incomes to start saving. As announced in Budget 2005, the second Saving Gateway is now up and running and accounts will run for 18 months. Evidence gathered through this pilot will be used to inform the development of matching as a central pillar in the Government's strategy for promoting saving and asset-ownership.

Additionally, the Government have introduced the child trust fund, a groundbreaking initiative designed to strengthen the saving habit of future generations. Every child born on or after 1 September 2002 receives a £250 voucher from the Government to invest in a long-term savings and investment account with families on lower incomes receiving £500. Family and friends can add up to £1,200 a year to each account and there is no tax for them to pay on any interest or gains made on this money.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent since 1975 on land purchase and infrastructure to enable the development of Milton Keynes; and what payments have been returned to his Department through (a) the Milton Keynes Development Corporation, (b) the Commission for New Towns and (c) English Partnerships in that period. [28193]

I have been asked to reply.

The information requested will take some time to collate, I will write to my hon. Friend in due course and a copy will be published in the Official Report.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he consulted (a) the Musicians' Union, (b) the Association of British Orchestras, (c) individual major orchestras, (d) the Arts Council for (i) England, (ii)Scotland, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland and (e) Ministers in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on requirements for freelance self-employed musicians and the orchestras and ensembles that engage them to pay Class 1 national insurance contributions. [33623]

The changes were introduced on 17 July 1998 following a press release by the Social Security Minister, John Denham on 15 July 1998. At the time responsibility for national insurance liability for entertainers which included actors, singers or musicians fell to the Department for Work and Pensions, or as it was known then the Department of Social Security. The Department of Social Security consulted interested parties before the changes were introduced.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when (a) the Musicians' Union, (b) the Association of British Orchestras, (c) individual major orchestras and (d) the Arts Council for (i) England, (ii) Scotland, (iii)Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland were informed of requirements for freelance self-employed musicians and the orchestras and ensembles that engage them to pay Class 1 national insurance contributions. [33624]

The Department of Social Security, which was then responsible for policy on national insurance contributions issued a press release on 15 July 1998 to announce the revised national insurance arrangements for actors and musicians and changes to legislation from the 17 July 1998.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps were taken between 1988 and 2004 to recover extra revenues from orchestras and ensembles resulting from the 1998 requirements for freelance self-employed musicians and the orchestras and ensembles that engage them to pay Class 1 national insurance contributions. [33625]

When the regulations were introduced in 1998, employers (including orchestras) engaging entertainers covered by the regulations were expected to comply voluntarily with their obligation to pay Class 1 national insurance contributions.

HMRC ensures employers' operation of their statutory obligations through its employer compliance programme. Employers are selected for visits on the basis of risk profiling. The potential widespread failure of orchestras to deduct Class 1 national insurance contributions did not become evident until 2004, when HMRC undertook customer support activity in the orchestra sector.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he expects the Government to be paid by Nigeria under the debt settlement agreed at the Paris Club in October; and what proportion this represents of 2006 UK overseas development assistance to Nigeria, excluding debt cancellation. [34179]

On 20 October 2005, the Paris Club of official creditors agreed with Nigeria to write off approximately $18 billion, or 60 per cent., of Nigeria's debt to those creditors. Nigeria will use part of its oil windfall to pay the remaining $12.4 billion of debts to creditors. As a result of this deal, at least $1 billion a year will be freed in Nigeria, which the authorities intend to use for poverty reduction including employing an extra 120,000 teachers and putting 3.5 million children into school.

As part of the deal, the UK will cancel approximately £2.8 billion and receive payments of £1.66 billion. As the debts owed to the UK are denominated in a mix of currencies, these numbers may shift with exchange rates. DFID is supporting Nigeria by scaling up its assistance from £70 million in 2005–06 to £100 million in 2007–08 and encouraging the international community to increase its support to the country.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government are taking to reduce the tax burden on old-age pensioners. [33713]

Around half of pensioners pay no income tax.

For those pensioners who do pay tax, individuals over 65 benefit from the more generous age-related personal allowances up to an income of £19,500. In 2005–06, these allowances are £7,090 for those aged 65 to 74 and £7,220 for those aged 75 and over.

These allowances mean that no pensioner aged 65 or over will be required to pay tax on income of less than £136 a week in 2005–06.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will answer questions 9840 and 13874 on tax credits from the hon. Member for Yeovil due for reply before the summer recess. [33940]

I have done so.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the bank accounts which have been frozen since 11 September 2001 on the grounds of terrorist associations. [33651]

Since 11 September 2001, 58 accounts have been frozen in respect of individuals and entities suspected of involvement in terrorism. The aggregate value of accounts frozen is just under £400,000.

A consolidated list of individuals and entities subject to UK financial sanctions is available from the Bank of England website at:

http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/financial sanctions/current/index.htm

Freezing action also prevents the flow of funds to listed individuals and entities asset freezing is part of theGovernment's overall strategy to create a hostile environment for terrorism and safeguard financial systems. A value cannot easily be put on those wider effects.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer

(1) what proportion of average household expenditure is (a) taxable at the standard rate of VAT, (b) taxable at the reduced rate of VAT, (c) taxable at the zero rate of VAT and (d) exempt from VAT; and what the equivalent figure was in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002, (iii) 2003 and (iv) 2004; [33647]

(2) what changes in the rate of value added tax havebeen introduced in each year since 1 January 1995;and what the rate of value added tax was in each year. [33648]

Estimates of the proportions of household expenditure on goods and services subject to different VAT rates are available up to 2003. These estimates and changes in VAT rates and principal goods and services covered by different rates are published by HM Revenue and Customs in the VAT Factsheet which can be found at www.uktradeinfo.co.uk

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will widen the vehicle excise duty bands to encourage use of more efficient vehicles. [33662]

The Chancellor considers relevant economic, social and environmental factors when deciding taxation policy. Any changes will be announced in the context of the Budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what expenditure was incurred by the Wales Office on entertaining in each year since 2002–03. [31921]

The expenses incurred by the Wales Office on entertainment for the following years were:

Figures for financial year 2005–06 will be available in April 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what (a) land and (b) property his Department (i) owns and (ii) rents in each constituency; and if he will make a statement. [33256]

The Wales Office owns the land and property at Gwydyr House, Whitehall in London—constituency Westminster. The Department also leases office space at Discovery House, Scott Harbour in Cardiff Bay—constituency Cardiff South and Penarth.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department and its agencies have spent on (a) the design and production of new logos and (b) employing external (i) public relations and (ii)graphic design agencies in each year since 2000, broken down by project. [33203]

The Wales Office was established on 1 July 1999. The only expenditure during the financial year 2000–01 was when the Department spent(a) £2,728 on designing of the Wales Office Logo; (b) (i) Nil; and (b) (ii) £13,566 on developing its website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what research projects commissioned by his Department are being undertaken; and what the publication arrangements are in each case. [32988]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many individuals in Cardiff were homeless in each year since 1995; and if he will make a statement. [33769]

Information is not available in the form requested. The number of unintentionally homeless households in each year was:

Source:

WHO12 returns, Welsh Assembly Government

Extra priority needs categories were added in 2001, resulting in an increase in the figures from that year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the recent Office of Fair Trading report on magazine distribution arrangements. [33384]

In response to a request from parties in the industry, the Office of Fair Trading is in the process of providing an opinion on the compatibility with competition law of distribution agreements for newspapers and magazines. A provisional opinion was published in May 2005. A final opinion is likely to issue in the early part of 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the effect of energy prices on high energy users. [33385]

The high spot prices for gas in the past weeks have meant very tough times for high energy users such as the chemicals industry, paper and steel. Some have responded by curtailing production or switching to alternative fuels.

Prices for small and medium-sized businesses, and domestic consumers, despite increases over the past year, are still some of the most competitive in Europe.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what funding he proposes to allocate from the science budget for the Government's science cities initiative. [33386]

There are no plans to allocate dedicated funding for science cities from the science budget. However, existing funding streams for science and innovation can potentially support science cities, including the Higher Education Innovation Fund, worth £100 million per annum, supporting universities' collaboration with business; and the Science Research Infrastructure Fund, which provides capital funding of £500 million per annum to renew university infrastructure. These funding streams already require universities to develop their implementation strategies in light of regional priorities. In addition, the Regional Development Agencies, who lead on the development of science cities, have their own science and innovation funding programmes, from which science cities can be supported. The Government will continue to work with the RDAs to consider how local, regional and national policies can best work together to support science cities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on negotiations with the USA in preparation for the World Trade Organisation ministerial conference in Hong Kong. [33387]

The Government are in regular contact with the United States at all levels, official and ministerial, on a range of trade issues, including prospects for progress at the forthcoming ministerial conference in Hong Kong.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the EU negotiating position for the forthcoming World Trade Organisation ministerial conference in Hong Kong. [33392]

The European Union will adopt a constructive and active approach to the negotiations at the forthcoming WTO ministerial conference in Hong Kong.

The parameters of the EU's negotiating position are laid out in a succession of council conclusions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the creation of the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights. [33390]

The Commission for Equality and Human Rights will be established through the Equality Bill, which is currently making good progress through Parliament. Work is under way looking at the practical issues before the Commission opens its doors in October 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the staffing implications of the establishment of the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights. [33388]

The staffing arrangements of the Commission will be clarified as the organisational structure is developed. This detailed work will start shortly and will be developed in close consultation with key stakeholders, including the existing Commissions and their staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action he is taking to protect vulnerable people from unscrupulous lenders. [33389]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow North West earlier today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact of the level of insurance premiums on small and medium-sized businesses. [33391]

I have not made a recent assessment. In Northern Ireland, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment's last assessment of insurance costs for firms there showed a 16.1 per cent. fall in the cost of premiums in 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to provide incentives for the private sector to improve its cyber security. [33376]

None. This is an essential aspect of doing business in the information age and there is no case for offering incentives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to heighten public awareness of (i) the dangers of fireworks and (ii) the effects of fireworks on animals; and if he will make a statement. [33546]

The Department produces a number of resources for stakeholders and intermediaries to use in raising awareness of the dangers of fireworks; a safety toolkit for fire brigades, trading standards and safety practitioners, educational resources for teachers and safety leaflets for the general public, for retailers and for the organisers of public displays. The Department has also worked with The Blue Cross (a pet charity) to publish a leaflet giving advice on reducing the effects of fireworks on animals. In the run-up to 5 November, these resources were supported by a PR campaign, which secured coverage in the press, radio and broadcast media. DTI TV fillers were also given airtime by all the main broadcasters. We will review this publicity activity in the light of the fireworks injury statistics in order to plan future fireworks awareness activity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are being taken to reduce the importing of illegally logged wood. [32754]

I have been asked to reply.

The UK is working to reduce the importation of illegally logged wood through domestic, EU and international action. This action includes, at the domestic level, implementing a progressive timber procurement policy where central Government seeks to procure timber and timber products that are legal and sustainable. This is having an impact on the wider UK timber market.

At the EU level, the UK was delighted that the EU Forestry Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) dossier received political agreement at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 24 October 2005, under the UK's presidency of the European Union. This will allow the EU to enter into agreements with developing countries that export timber. These agreements will provide assistance to tackle illegal logging and back this assistance with a licensing scheme where the EU commits to only import timber licensed as being legal from those countries.

At the international level, the UK, with other EU partners, is in discussion with a range of timber producing countries, including the Russian Federation, Ghana and Malaysia about action they could take to tackle illegal logging. The UK is also working with other major timber consuming countries. This included getting G8 countries to commit to a range of actions to tackle illegal logging at the G8 Environment and Development ministerial on 17–18 March 2005, part of the UK's G8 presidency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he plans to introduce legislation to prevent the importing into the United Kingdom of wood illegally logged elsewhere. [32755]

I have been asked to reply.

The European Commission published its Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan in May 2003. This describes a package of measures to tackle illegal logging, including proposals that the EU enters into partnership agreements with timber producing countries to establish a licensing system designed to identify products and license them for export to the EU.

The UK is delighted that the proposal for a licensing system received political agreement at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 24 October 2005, under the UK's presidency of the European Union. Government believes that as a first step to address illegal logging, it is necessary to build consensus with producing countries and make sure that we do not discriminate against legitimate trade. The EU FLEGT licensing scheme, with its innovative approach of bilateral trade agreements and development assistance for improving forest governance, will achieve this in the first instance.

The FLEGT Action Plan also proposes that the Commission look at other options to tackle illegal logging, including using Government procurement and introducing legislation to prevent the importation of illegally logged timber at a Member State or EU level. Government awaits this European Commission's report, which will allow us to take this work forward, including the options for action at the UK level.

To ask the Secretary of State for Tradeand Industry if he will make a statement on the recent Office of Fair Trading report on independent schools. [33374]

The Office of Fair Trading is the United Kingdom's independent competition regulator. It has a duty to investigate and address anti-competitive conduct and enforce competition law. It has investigated the exchange of information between independent schools about the fees they charge. Its provisional findings are that 50 schools have breached Chapter One of the Competition Act which prohibits anti-competitive agreements. This is a matter for the Office if Fair Trading. The Government have no substantive role in individual cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent in each year from 1 May 1997 on ministerial travel, broken down by (a) provision and running costs of vehicular transport, (b) first class travel by rail, (c) standard class travel by rail, (d) first class travel by air, (e) club or equivalent class travel by air and (f) economy class travel by air. [27796]

All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the 'Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers', copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

My hon. Friend and Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office has asked Roy Burke, chief executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) to write to the hon. Member with details of the costs of ministerial vehicles provided to Departments in 2004–05. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

For information for the financial years 2000–01 to 2003–04 I refer the hon. Member to the letters from the chief executive of the GCDA to the hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow) dated 10 January 2005 and to the then hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs dated 13 September 2003. Copies of these letters are available in the Libraries of the House.

A breakdown of costs of domestic ministerial travel by rail, air and car, except for vehicles provided by the GCDA, is available for April 2004 to March 2005 and includes the cost of private office staff travelling with the Minister.

In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing£500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. These report information for the financial years 1995–96 to 2004–05. Information for 2005–06 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the current financial year.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what measures will be taken to ensure small businesses have the necessary information and time to adapt to provisions in the Equality Bill and the equality provisions of the Work and Families Bill. [33396]

Government will provide high quality guidance and information on relevant provisions in both Bills, including on the introduction of the CEHR, provisions protecting against discrimination on grounds of religion, belief and sexual orientation, and new work and families measures. Small business will be involved in any further consultation, including on additional paternity leave and pay.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent discussions she has had with theDepartment for Work and Pensions on women's pensions. [33397]

I had a constructive meeting with the Department for Work and Pensions and am pleased that fair outcomes for women is one of their principles for reform.

Now that the Pensions Commission have reported, we will build on our previous discussions to tackle pension inequalities.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps the Government is taking to encourage women to start their own businesses. [33398]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North West Norfolk some moments ago.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what measures the Government has in place to encourage more women entrepreneurs. [33395]

Giving more women the option of starting a business provides clear economic and social benefits. The Government are working closely with the Women's Enterprise Panel and all nine Regional Development Agencies to improve business support services to female entrepreneurs. Our strong commitment to and strategy for encouraging women's enterprise is clearly stated in 'Promoting Female Entrepreneurship'.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps the Government are taking to tackle pregnancy discrimination in the workplace. [33399]

Employers who discriminate against women because of their pregnancy or maternity leave are breaking the law and damaging their own businesses. In October this year we amended the Sex Discrimination Act so that it is clear to all that treating women in this way is sex discrimination. measures in the work and families package will offer further practical steps to addressing pregnancy discrimination.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps the Government are taking to reduce the gender pay gap in the small and medium-sized business sector. [33400]

Action to date includes sponsoring the Equal Opportunities Commission to design an equal pay review kit specially for SMEs. We will build on this progress once Women and Work Commission report, and I am pleased that a Commissioner was brought in for her particular expertise on SMEs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether Mr. Andrew Cunningham's statement at a recent conference on the drinks industry, the liberalisation of licensing laws and the nanny state" reflects Government policy. [33463]

Mr Cunningham's statement as reported in the media was part of a presentation given by him on licensing reform on behalf of the Department to a regional conference, hosted by the British Institute of Innkeeping for its members, at Cheltenham Racecourse on 29 October 2002. Mr Cunningham's comments then about the reform of licensing law were an explanation of current Government policy. His comments about nanny staters" were not a statement of policy. They were a personal observation made in response to a debate within the industry about, in particular, the merits of transferring the control of alcohol licensing from the licensing justices to local authorities. Mr Cunningham made the observation that if the industry allowed such an issue to divide them or to dilute their support for licensing reform, then opponents of reform could be expected to exploit that division. In referring generally to opponents of reform, Mr.Cunningham had used the expression nanny staters" in his speaking notes which were subsequently handed to representatives of the trade press attending and he subsequently apologised for this use of injudicious language. Mr Cunningham did not refer to any Members of Parliament or any other individuals during the course of the conference.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment the Government have made of the potential impact on crime and disorder of reducing the legal drinking age to 16 years. [32497]

The licensing White Paper, Time for Reform" set out the reasons for the Government's view that the legal age for purchasing and drinking alcohol should not be lowered. This included the danger of too early an exposure to alcohol in unsupervised circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what factors will be examined by her Department when assessing the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 on the 10 named scrutiny local authority areas; and when she expects to publish the results. [32386]

holding answer 28 November 2005

The Scrutiny Council initiative is one strand of the Government's wider monitoring and evaluation programme to measure the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 against the four licensing objectives:

prevention of crime and disorder;

prevention of public nuisance;

public safety; and

protection of children from harm.

The initiative will be active for about six months and will deliver real time indicators of how the new regime is operating. It will also provide evidence to support the initial review of the statutory Guidance, due by the end of February 2006, and full Guidance review due around autumn 2006.

The following local authorities have been invited to become Scrutiny Councils:

Birmingham City Council

Blackpool Borough Council

Brighton and Hove City Council

Bristol City Council

Cardiff County Council

Havering London Borough Council

Manchester City Council

Newcastle Upon Tyne City Council

Nottingham City Council

Taunton Deane District Council

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what advice the Government have given to (a) local authorities and (b) the police on planning enforcement for licensed premises opening at times permitted by their licensing consent when their planning consent does not permit them to open. [32482]

Guidance issued to licensing authorities under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003, which was also circulated to every Chief Constable of police, includes advice on the integration of planning and licensing regimes. It emphasises that applications for premises licences should normally be made by businesses with planning consent; should not be a re-run of the planning application; and should not cut across decisions taken by the local authority planning committee or following appeals against decisions taken by that committee. The Guidance also notes that the giving of a temporary event notice does not relieve the premises users from any requirements under planning law for appropriate planning permission where it is required. The enforcement of planning law is a matter for individual local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what dates since July 2003 her Department's Licensing Advisory Group has met; at which of these meetings the establishment of a central database of personal licence holders was discussed; and if she will make a statement. [28393]

The Licensing Advisory Group has met on approximately a monthly basis since July 2003. Issues around the Licensing Act 2003 and its implementation have been fully discussed during these meetings and did include the issue of the establishment of a central database of personal licence holders. However, these meetings are held under the Chatham House rule with no formal agenda or minutes taken of the discussions by the Group so it is not possible to be specific about when this particular issue was discussed.

In 2004 the Group met on 15 January, 18 February, 15 April, 16 June, 13 July, 17 August, 15 September, 26 October, 25 November and 15 December. In 2005 it met on 19 January, 16 February, 15 March, 19 April, 16 May, 22 June, 27 July, 24 August, 28 September and 22 November.

The establishment of a central licensing register is a matter which continues to be considered and discussed between the Government and representatives of the licensing authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Government expects to announce the (a) size, (b) location, (c) names of senior management, (d) budget and (e) operating procedures for the National Sports Foundation announced in the 2005 budget. [33430]

The Government, along with Sport England and the national governing bodies for football, cricket, tennis, rugby union and rugby league, are continuing to discuss and examine options on how most effectively to deliver the National Sports Foundation. A further announcement will be made shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what definition she uses of high quality physical education and school sport as required by 2004 public service agreement target number one. [29202]

The document High Quality PE and Sport for Young People" (DfES/DCMS, March 2004) provides a detailed description of the outcomes of high quality physical education and school sport For the purposes of the joint DCMS/DfES PE and school sport public service agreement target, high quality PE and school sport produces young people with the skills, understanding, desire and commitment to continue to improve and achieve in a range of PE, sport and health-enhancing physical activities, in line with their abilities.

A further document, Do you have high quality PE and sport in your school?" (DfES/DCMS, January 2005), helps teachers to use the pupil outcomes of high quality to carry out self-evaluation of the quality of PE and sport they provide. Copies of these documents have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she uses (a) averages over several years and (b) a straight comparison between two specific years for the purposes of measuring performance against 2004 public service agreement target 4. [30290]

The public service agreement target 4 performance measurement will focus on the change from one year to the next. In addition a cumulative average is used for evaluation purposes. In each case, the comparison is with the performance of the service sector as a whole.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact of regional casinos on problem gambling. [33607]

The Government have taken a cautious approach to the development of new casinos, so that their impact in terms of problem gambling can be properly assessed. That is why the Gambling Act 2005 allows for the establishment of only one regional casino, eight large and eight small casinos. We will ask the Gambling Commission to advise on whether the introduction of these new types of casino has led to an increase in problem gambling no earlier than three years after the award of the first casino premises licence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households in East Lothian are exempt from requiring a television licence under the exemption scheme for people over the age of 75 years. [34005]

People aged 75 or over are not exempt from the television licensing requirements but are entitled to a free licence. TV Licensing, who administer the concession as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, the number of households with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming the winter fuel payment in the East Lothian constituency in 2004–05 was 4,745, according to Department for Work and Pensions records.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the rules of engagement of the latest NATO deployment into Southern Afghanistan. [32475]

It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment in detail on the Rules of Engagement under which our armed forces operate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Army Base Repair Organisation Bovington site contract servicing of individual sections of a vehicle will be carried out off-site by other contractors. [33582]

Wherever appropriate and cost effective, ABRO Bovington will undertake servicing of all major sections of vehicles. There may however, be times where it is necessary to carry out work through off-site contractors, particularly if capability or capacity is being created or upgraded to deliver new tasks.

Some specialist tasks, notably on sub-assemblies will continue to be carried out using specialist off-site contractors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) when he expects to confirm the total number of Astute-class submarines to be built; [32171]

(2) when he will decide the final total of (a) Type 45 destroyers and (b) Astute-class submarines to be constructed. [33053]

holding answer 30 November 2005

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 July 2005, Official Report, column 1760W.

Orders for the procurement of future Astute boats are being considered and announcements will be made at the appropriate time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the additional capabilities originally intended for the second tranche of Astute-class submarines which have been brought forward into the first tranche; and what the reasons were for this change. [33049]

holding answer 30 November 2005

We are currently considering a number of possible technology enhancements for later Astute-class submarines, which it may be possible to fit into the earlier Astute-class submarines, but no decisions on this have been taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the 10 most valuable (a) movable and (b) immovable assets owned by his Department. [27380]

The 10 most valuable movable and immovable tangible fixed assets owned by the Department, based on the current net book values (NBV) recorded in our asset registers, are as follows:

£ million

£ million

⁽¹⁾Figure withheld for reasons of commercial sensitivity as site is about to be marketed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of his Department's monthly financial submissions to the Treasury's general expenditure monitoring system for (a) financial years (i)2002–03, (ii) 2003–04 and (iii) 2004–05 and (b) the first six months of 2005–06. [24600]

Copies of the General Expenditure Monitoring Systems (GEMS) returns for 2002–03 and 2003–04 are available in the Library of the House. I will place a copy of the GEMS return for 2004–05 and the first six months of 2005–06 in the Library. The data on this return is broken down by requests for resources and includes resources within departmental expenditure limits, within annually managed expenditure and outside departmental expenditure limits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of the monthly forecasts of payment and receipts provided by his Department to the Treasury under its cash management scheme for (a) financial years 2002–03 to 2004–05 and (b) the first six months of 2005–06. [32706]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 February 2005, Official Report, column 963W to the hon. Member for Mid-Norfolk (Mr. Simpson). Copies of the forecasts for February 2005 to October 2005 will be placed in the Library of the House shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) existing and (b) former Ministry of Defence (i) Ministers and (ii) officials have taken up offers of employment with companies involved in the arms trade in the last (A) 10, (B) five and (C) two years. [32355]

Defence Ministers, members of the armed forces and the Ministry of Defence officials, like other Crown servants, are required to comply with rules on the acceptance of outside business appointments if they wish to take up other employment—whether in the defence industry or elsewhere—within two years of their retirement or resignation. It is not possible to determine whether those personnel that have joined companies in the defence industry have taken up specific employment in the arms trade.

Information on the number of former Defence Ministers and senior MOD personnel who have taken up appointments with outside companies after leaving office is contained in Annual Reports that have been produced since 1996 by The Prime Minister's Advisory Committee on Business Appointments. Copies of these reports are available in the Library of the House.