To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners What advice the Church Commissioners give to church bodies on raising funds through public appeals. [38094]

Guidance on fundraising for repairs and maintenance is available from the Council for the Care of Churches and its "churchcare" website (www.churchare.co.uk). It is hoped shortly to expand the site to include guidance on the wider use and development of church buildings.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in what month his Office expects to make an announcement on advice to Ministers and Permanent Secretaries. [36623]

This Government have done much to strengthen the system for handling of Ministers' financial interests, including the requirement to provide Permanent Secretaries with a list of their interests on appointment to each new office and the facility to seek external advice if needed. Careful consideration is being given to the recommendation by the Committee on Standards in Public Life and an announcement will be made in due course.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil servants worked from home for at least one day a week in the last year for which figures are available. [38018]

The Cabinet Office does not centrally monitor the number of staff who work from home. However, within the newly launched 10 point plan "Delivering a Diverse Civil Service" there is senior leadership commitment to work life balance and all senior civil service (SCS) and feeder grade posts should be available on a flexible working pattern basis unless robust and objective justification is provided.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff were employed by non-departmental public bodies and agencies for which he has responsibility in 2004–05 in (a) total and (b) each (i) nation and (ii) region of the UK and (c) London. [35963]

Total Executive NDPB staff numbers by Departments at 31 March 2005 are recorded in table 2 of Public Bodies 2005, a copy of which is in the House Libraries and which is available online at: http://www. civilservice.gov.uk/the_future_of_the_civil_service/agencies_and_public_bodies/publications/pdf/public bodies/publicbodies2005.pdf.

The Department does not hold NDPB data broken down by region of the UK.

The number of staff in individual Executive agencies as at 1 April 2004, including a regional analysis, is available in Civil Service Statistics 2004 which was published in February 2005, a copy of which is in House Libraries. It is also available online at: http://www. civilservice.gov.uk/management_of_the_civil_service/statistics/contents_for_civil_service_statistics_2004_ report/number_of_civil_servants/index.asp.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department collects statistics on the number of car accidents where safety air bags are inflated. [38730]

Statistics are not collected on the number of injury car accidents where safety airbags are inflated.

The Department funds the co-operative crash injury study (CCIS) to investigate why car occupants are injured in traffic collisions and to use this information to design countermeasures to reduce the number of casualties in the future. CCIS is an in-depth study that involves specialist teams examining over 1,300 cars per year after they have been involved in police reported injury crashes and correlating the injuries suffered by the vehicle occupants to their causes. The vehicle investigation involves a thorough evaluation of all the cars' safety features, including seat belts and airbag systems. The effectiveness of the airbags once they have deployed is evaluated through this work. CCIS is a representative sample of all the car occupant injury crashes that occur in Great Britain and can be used to predict the number of airbags that are inflated or deployed per year in such accidents. Non-injury crashes where airbags deploy are not routinely investigated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers arrived by air to the UK from (a) Vietnam, (b) Laos, (c) Cambodia, (d) Burma, (e) Thailand and (f) Indonesia in each of the last five years. [36437]

The following table shows estimated number of passengers arrived by air to the UK from Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia in each of the last five years. Reliable data for Laos, Cambodia and Burma are not available but are likely to be less than 15,000 per year.

The International Passenger Survey (IPS). Number of arrivals in the UK by country of overseas airport used Thousand

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the merits of expansion of airport capacity in Northamptonshire. [36632]

The "Future Air Transport" White Paper published in December 2003 sets out a 30-year strategic framework for the development of airport capacity in the UK. The preceding studies and consultations led us to conclude that while a number of airports in the Midlands and the South East serve the Northamptonshire market, there is little demand for a commercial airport located within the county. There is however, nothing to prevent proposals for such an airport being brought forward for consideration through the planning system.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what economic modelling he has undertaken of the impact of (a) different oil prices, (b) emissions trading, (c) an emissions charge and (d) an increase in air passenger duty on the growth of aviation greenhouse gas emissions. [38190]

Our forecasts for aviation and climate change, and the assumptions underlying them, are set out in "Aviation and Global Warming", published by the Department for Transport in January 2004. The "best case" scenario emissions forecasts assumed the introduction of economic instruments to tackle climate change, resulting in improved fuel efficiency. We have not undertaken analysis to consider these specific scenarios.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people the bus network is capable of transporting at any one time. [38467]

Information is not available in the form requested. However, details of the bus and coach stock by size of vehicle are given in annex A table 8 of the "Public Transport Statistics Bulletin GB: 2005 Edition", a copy of which is placed in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers were carried by the bus industry in each year since 1997. [38807]

Information about bus passenger journeys can be obtained from Table C of the "Public Transport Statistics Bulletin GB: 2005 Edition", a copy of which is placed in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport

(1) what estimate he has made of the number of (a) new and (b) second-hand buses purchased in each year since 1997; [38809]

(2) what estimate he has made of new buses purchased in the UK in each year since 1997. [38806]

Information about the number of buses registered for the first time can be obtained from Table 12 of the "Vehicle Licensing Statistics: 2004", a copy of which is placed in the House of Commons Library. There is no information available for purchases or changes of registration for second-hand buses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were employed by the bus industry in each year since 1997. [38824]

Information about staff numbers in the bus industry can be obtained from Annex A Table 6 of the "Public Transport Statistics Bulletin GB: 2005 Edition", a copy of which is placed in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pensioners in (a) Worcestershire, (b) Redditch and (c) Worcester will qualify for free off-peak local bus travel. [39123]

Estimates of the numbers of those aged 60 or over who will be eligible for free off-peak local bus travel are shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) salary bill was and (b) administrative costs were for his Department in (i) each (A) nation and (B) region of the UK and (ii) London in 2004–05. [35865]

The Department for Transport is subject to an administrative budget control system, overseen by the Treasury, which relates to Whitehall Departments only. Figures for estimated administration costs, including paybill, for the Department for Transport in 2004–05 are set out in Appendix A of its Annual Report 2005 (Cm 6527), which is available in the Library of the House. Final outturn figures for total administration costs are contained in the Department's Resource Accounts 2004–05 (HC 476). No separate regional breakdown of these figures is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings he has attended in the past eight months where the Eddington Review was discussed; and what work his Department has carried out as part of the review. [37871]

holding answer 15 December 2005

Sir Rod Eddington was asked by the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Transport to provide advice on the long term links between transport, productivity, growth and stability. His work is being supported by a joint team from the Department for Transport and HM Treasury. The Secretary of State has regular meetings with Sir Rod and his team, and their work is also discussed in the context of other meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the new S92 search and rescue helicopter to be based at the Stornoway and Sumburgh bases will have the same capabilities as the S61 helicopter. [37974]

holding answer 15 December 2005

The Sikorsky S92 offers an enhanced capability over the Sikorsky S61 in terms of speed and endurance. The S92 also offers safety enhancements over the S61 and increased effectiveness in the search and rescue role.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the decision-making process is for the raising or lowering of light dues. [37257]

Light dues rates are reviewed annually and determined following consideration of the expenditure proposals of the three General Lighthouse Authorities and the overall liabilities of the General Lighthouse Fund. The Lights Advisory Committee, representing light dues payers, plays an active role in this process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 565W, on the London Olympics, which transport schemes are funded through Olympic budgets. [37022]

The transport plans for the 2012 games were set out in the candidature file prepared by London 2012. These plans include the following transport schemes funded through Olympic budgets:

The Games-Time Olympic Javelin service

Capacity improvements to the North London line

Additional stopping services on the Great Eastern Mainline at Stratford

Temporary capacity enhancements at London rail termini

Signal alterations and station enhancements at West Ham station

Contribution towards Stratford Regional station upgrade

Extended opening hours on London Underground

Security and resilience measures on London Underground

Temporary service enhancements on the Docklands Light Railway

Station capacity enhancements on Docklands Light Railway

Security and resilience measures on Docklands Light Railway

Olympic Park and Ride schemes

Cycling and Pedestrian facilities, including extensions and connections to the London cycle network

Olympic family transportation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 565W, on the London Olympics, what percentage of the £2.375 billion public sector funding package will be used specifically for developing or improving transport in London; and what percentage of the £2.375 billion public sector funding package will be generated from (a) London council tax and (b) the London Development Agency. [37035]

Of the £2.375 billion public sector funding package made available for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games, £542 million (23 per cent.) has been assigned for Olympic specific transport schemes. London council tax will contribute up to £625 million (26 per cent.) to the £2.375 billion public sector funding package and the LDA will contribute £250 million (11 per cent.).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 565W, on the London Olympics, what estimate he has made of the effect in terms of (a) capacity, (b) cost of operation and (c) administrative organisation of converting the North London Line to Docklands Light Railway. [37037]

The operation and development of the Docklands light Railway is the responsibility of Transport for London (TfL).

Subject to the approval of applications which are currently before the Secretary of State, the planned frequency of the Docklands Light Railway extension between Stratford International and Canning Town prior to the Olympics is some 10 trains per hour, per direction in the peak and six trains off peak. This would mean a passenger capacity of 5,000 per hour, per direction in the peak and 3,000 per hour, per direction off peak. During the Olympics however the frequency of services on this part of the DLR will be increased substantially to accommodate anticipated spectator demand. The converted part of the North London Line to DLR operation will have the capability of up to 30 trains per hour.

It is anticipated that the cost of operation will be met by revenue.

TfL have indicated that they would expect the new extension to be operated within the existing franchise arrangements which currently govern the operation of the Docklands Light Railway.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department and its predecessors have spent on media monitoring activities in each of the last eight financial years. [35634]

It is common practice for organisations in both the public and private sector to undertake media monitoring activities. This is to both understand the effectiveness of their communications but also to ensure that they are aware of media coverage of issues relating to their activities.

The Department for Transport pays for two media monitoring services. As with other Government Departments, the Department pay a subscription for the Cabinet Office's Media Monitoring Unit. The DfT also commissions a press cuttings company to provide a daily set of cuttings of national print media coverage of transport issues.

Since the Department was formed in May 2002, the following costs have been incurred on these two services in each of the completed financial years:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the travel costs are for each Minister in his Department in each month since June, broken down by mode of transport. [25635]

Ministers use a variety of public transport services when undertaking departmental business. Detailed information about the mode of transport used by Ministers on departmental business is not held centrally and cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

However, the following table shows the travel costs incurred by each Minister in the period from June to November 2005. These figures include costs incurred in connection with the UK's presidency of the EU this year.

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.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what checks are made by (a) the Department and (b) the National Parking Adjudication Service on the technical aspects of applications by local authorities for decriminalised parking powers. [37980]

holding answer 15 December 2005

To take on decriminalised parking enforcement (DPE) powers a local authority has to affirm in its application to the Secretary of State that it will comply with the requirements of Local Authority Circular 1/95—"Guidance on Decriminalised Parking Enforcement outside London" as amended. A copy of the circular has been placed in the House Library. The requirements cover a wide range of procedural, operational and other aspects of enforcement, including the need to show that NPAS is content with the relevant local authority's application.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those Private Members' Bills introduced under (a) Standing Order No. 14(6), (b) Standing Order No. 23 and (c) Standing Order No. 57 which were (i) supported and (ii) opposed by his Department in each Session since 1997–98. [36250]

The Department was formed on 29 May 2002.

The Department supported the Aviation (Offences) Act 2003 and the Marine Safety Act 2003 both of which were introduced under Standing Order No. 14(6).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the value was of (a) public opinion research and (b) public relations contracts awarded by his Department in 2004–05 in (i) each (A) nation and (B) region of the UK and (ii) London. [35962]

For details of how much the Department for Transport spent on public opinion research in 2004–05, I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 5 October 2005, Official Report, column 2857W, which lists the research and the costs.

For details of how much the Department for Transport spent on public relations contracts in 2004–05 I refer the hon. Member to a reply to the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Mr. Salmond) on 28 November 2005, Official Report, column 146W, which lists the spend on public relations contracts.

Breaking these figures down between nation, region of the UK and London could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to improve access to public transport for disabled people in Stroud. [38280]

We have introduced "accessibility planning" into the local transport planning process to encourage local authorities and other agencies to assess more systematically whether people can access transport services in their areas. This process covers all forms of transport from buses, coaches and taxis to cycling and walking networks. Making provision for disabled people is a condition against which the resulting Local Transport Plans (LTPs) are assessed.

At a local level, Gloucestershire county council have installed raised kerbs at bus stops in Stroud to make it easier for disabled people to get on an off buses.

At a national level there has been significant progress in making public transport accessible to disabled people through regulations made under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA 1995). We made the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (RVAR) in 1998 and many of the trains calling at Stroud station comply with these.

More generally, disabled people in Stroud as elsewhere in the country will also benefit from the provisions in the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (DDA 2005). We have already laid regulations which will, from 4 December 2006, lift the transport exemption in Part 3 of the DDA 1995 for land-based public transport, vehicle hire, breakdown services and vehicles used on leisure and tourism transport services. We will also be consulting shortly on draft regulations to set an "end date" of no later than 1 January 2020 for when all trains will have to meet RVAR and to apply those regulations to older trains when they are refurbished.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his estimate is of the value of road fuel sales to the road transport sector in each financial year since 1997–98, broken down by (a) petrol, (b) diesel and (c) biofuel sales. [38657]

Historic data on fuel duty rates, fuel sales and on the total amount of duty paid on those sales is available at http://www.uktradeinfo.com.

Total sales of petrol, diesel and biofuels in each of the years in question were as follows (all figures are in millions of litres).

Litres (millions)

The total amount of duty paid on those fuel sales was as follows (all figures in millions of pounds):

Data on the total value of road fuel sales is not readily available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment the Department has made of road humps in Kettering borough against the regulations the Department has set. [36631]

The Highways (Road Humps) Regulations 1999 give local authorities powers to construct road humps without the consent of the Secretary of State as long as they meet the requirements of the regulations.

The Department does not assess road humps against the regulations. It is the responsibility of local highway authorities to ensure that road humps comply with the regulations.

Further advice on the design and implementation of road humps is given in the Department's Traffic Advisory Leaflets (TALs). TAL 2/05 "Traffic Calming Bibliography", lists those relevant to road humps, and a copy is already available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's projected spending on road building is in each of the next five years, broken down by category of road; and how many miles of each category of road he expects to be built over that period. [38448]

We have made indicative budget allocations of £379 million in 2006–07 and £578 million in 2007–08 for major trunk road schemes on motorways and trunk roads categorised as of national importance. In 2006–07 through to 2007–08 we expect to complete two national schemes, which collectively will deliver approximately 6.3 miles of road improvements to the network, and to have started works on eleven others. Expenditure on these roads beyond 2007–08 will be reviewed as part of the next Spending Review and announcements about spending levels beyond 2007–08 will be made after the conclusion of that review.

Future expenditure on motorways and trunk roads categorised as of regional importance, and on roads which are the responsibility of Local Highway Authorities, will be reviewed in the light of the regions' advice on their priorities for major transport schemes within indicative Regional Funding Allocations, which we published in July 2004. The regions' advice is expected in January 2006. However, the Highways Agency is currently working to indicative budget allocations of £262 million in 2006–07 and £328 million in 2007–08 for major trunk road schemes on motorways and trunk roads categorised as of regional importance. In 2006–07 through to 2007–08 the Highways Agency expects to complete 17 regional schemes, which collectively will deliver approximately 58 miles of road improvements to the network, and to have started works on nine others.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the transport spending per person by (a) his Department and (b) all public bodies on (i) light rail, (ii) heavy rail, (iii) bus and (iv) roads has been in (A) Yorkshire and Humber and (B) London in each year since 1997; and what estimates have been made for each year to 2010. [37870]

holding answer 15 December 2005

This information is not held centrally. However, details on overall transport spend per head of population for the two regions, based on certain assumptions as to how this should be attributed, can be found in chapter 8 of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2005—published by HM Treasury, and available on their website at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/economic_ data_and_tools/finance_spending_statistics/pes_publications/pespub_index.cfm

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the risks to the public of the presence of asbestos in textured coatings. [28357]

I have been asked to reply.

There are no risks to the public from asbestos in textured coatings where the material is undisturbed and in good condition.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has recently published research commissioned from the Health and Safety Laboratory on levels of asbestos fibres released during licensed-work to remove textured decorative coatings in domestic premises. As part of the current Health and Safety Commission (HSE) consultation on proposed changes to the UK regulations governing work with asbestos (Proposals for revised Asbestos Regulations and an Approved Code of Practice (CD 205)), HSE has commissioned further research on asbestos exposures arising from work on textured coatings, will consider the risks to the public from such work, and will evaluate this and other available research.

The published HSL research and HSC consultation document are available on HSE's website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many business start-ups have taken place in (a) Tamworth constituency and (b) the West Midlands in the last 12 months; and what steps he is taking to increase the number in each case. [37835]

There is no statistical information available which can accurately record the total number of business start-ups as such. New VAT registrations can be used as a proxy for business start-ups, and these show that in 2004 there were 225 new registrations in the Tamworth district council area and 14,855 in the West Midlands. The Tamworth constituency covers a greater area than that of Tamworth district council but it has not been possible to quantify the number of start-up or VAT registrations at a constituency level as records are not maintained by constituency area.

The Department of Trade and Industry sponsors the regional development agencies (RDAs) which are charged with the responsibility for the economic development of their regions and to work with partners to increase the sustainability of businesses and foster business start-ups. Advantage West Midlands supports a range of regional-level schemes and programmes that support start-ups including Mustard which exists to give new and young business start-ups the right kind of help when they need it the most. It is an initiative offering practical, hands-on expertise to high growth-potential new and young business start-ups in the West Midlands. Mustard is a unique private/public sector collaboration managed by Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry and delivered by the region's Business Links and leading private sector consultancies.

Advantage West Midlands has also established a suite of regional funds available to start-ups including the Early Growth Fund, the Growth Fund and Advantage Business Angels and created a searchable database of all public and private sector sources of finance in the region—www.westmidlandsfinance.com.

The region's three high technology corridors are sites providing more incubation space for high value start-ups. For example, the Wolverhampton to Telford corridor has just completed work on the £5.5 million e-Innovation Centre in Telford, providing start-up premises and grow-on space for companies involved in high-technology businesses such as e-commerce and e-engineering.

To create an enterprise culture in Tamworth and the West Midlands region in general, Advantage West Midlands has established the West Midlands Enterprise Board. One of the targets the Enterprise Board has set itself is increasing the number of self employed people in the region by 35,000 by 2010. To help achieve this, it has recommended reforming the business support network. The new reformed network will include in-depth, specialist support to a wide range of start-ups across the region and ensure that the various initiatives which are already in place to stimulate entrepreneurship and start up activity are effectively brought together to provide cohesive packages of support. Under the current business support regime Business Link Staffordshire has assisted 1,816 start-ups in the county during the period 1 January 2005 to 15 December 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with (a) Cadw and (b) the Countryside Council for Wales in relation to the proposed Tywi Route for the liquefied gas pipeline from Milford Haven to Herefordshire. [35595]

The Department has attended a meeting with key parties on the proposed pipeline from Milford Haven to Aberdulais. It has also attended several meetings on proposed pipeline from Filindre to Tirley at which the proposed route was discussed. I understand the CCW attended all the meetings but not the CADW.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action he has taken as a result of his tackling over-indebtedness action plan of 2004; what further research and monitoring he carried out further to Annex D of the action plan; and what the results were. [38298]

Actions taken as a result of the tackling over-indebtedness action plan of 2004 are set out in "Tackling Over-indebtedness—Annual Report 2005" published in August 2005 (available in the Libraries of the House and on the DTI website: http://www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topicsl/overindebtedness.htmreport2005). Research carried out further to the 2004 plan is summarised in Annex C of the 2005 annual report. Monitoring of progress against the action plan is included in the annual report, with additional monitoring of the high level factors which influence levels of over-indebtedness reviewed on a quarterly basis (and published on the DTI website: http://www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topicsl/overindebtedness.htmmonitorql05). The results of these exercises are set out in the documents referred to and enclosed references.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British armed forces personnel are deployed on (a) expeditionary operations abroad, broken down by country, and (b) in Northern Ireland. [35329]

Data collected manually from operational records show that as at 7 December 2005 the number of armed forces personnel deployed and in country on that day were as follows.

⁽⁹⁾ Due to the founding methods used, figures may not always equal the sum of the parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias.

⁽¹⁰⁾ Indicates less than 10.

As at 30 November 2005 there were 9,790 service personnel in Northern Ireland. This figure includes 3,150 members of the Royal Irish Regiment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the balance sheet value of the Atomic Weapons Establishment was on 31 March; what the (a) carrying charge and (b) applicable depreciation for that establishment is in the 2005–06 financial year; and if he will make a statement. [37636]

As at 31 March 2005, the Gross Book Value of the Atomic Weapons Establishment: (AWE) Balance Sheet was £599.8 million and the associated carrying depreciation was £86.7 million, resulting in a Net Book Value of £513.1 million. The projected in year depreciation to 31 March 2006, is £26.2 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the types of equipment exhibited at the Defence Systems and Equipment International 2005 exhibition which are banned for direct export under British law. [32639]

I have been asked to reply.

The DTI is not responsible for authorising displays at this exhibition, and the question should be referred to the organiser, who worked closely with the Ministry of Defence.

The DTIs role is limited to the issue of export licences where these are required, e.g. for the re-export of goods on display after the exhibition, or the promotion of trade in controlled or restricted goods between third countries. On that basis, we are not aware that any of the goods specified were exhibited at DSEI2005. Beyond that, export licences are not required for the exhibition of such goods in the UK. Firearms licences may however be required from the Home Office.

The Government's 1997 ban on the export and transhipment through the UK of torture goods relates to portable devices designed or modified for riot control purposes or self-protection to administer an electric shock, including electric-shock batons, electric-shock shields, stun guns, and tasers, and specially designed components for such devices, and leg-irons, gang-chains, shackles (excluding normal handcuffs). Since 1998, the import, export, transfer and manufacture of all forms of anti-personnel landmines has also been banned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a Minister in his Department is planned to be nominated to take responsibility for liaison with the Office for Disability Issues; and if he will make a statement. [37059]

The Ministry of Defence is not a key Department in taking forward the recommendations of the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit Report "Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People" with the Office for Disability Issues, and is not, therefore, a member of the cross-government ministerial steering group. We are, however, kept fully aware of the work of the steering group and will be involved as necessary. I am the lead Minister for equality and diversity issues generally within the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Army, (b) Navy and (c) RAF personnel are serving in (i) the Falklands and (ii) South Georgia. [37161]

There are approximately 390 Army, 340 Navy and 680 Royal Air Force personnel serving in the Falklands. The numbers of armed forces personnel serving in the Falklands and South Georgia will vary throughout the year as a result of individual posting plots and unit movements.

There are no armed forces personnel based permanently on South Georgia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 November 2005, Official Report, column 1409W, on HMS Sheffield, what his timetable is for (a) the completion of the departmental review and (b) the publication of the findings; and if he will make a statement. [32367]

The Ministry of Defence review is still continuing but I hope to be in a position to write to the hon. Member in the new year to advise him of the timetable for its completion. At that time, it should also be possible to provide an indication as to when any documents relating to the Board of Inquiry into the loss of HMS Sheffield may be made public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements his Department has made to facilitate the financial assistance offered by the US-based Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund to the families of British personnel lost on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. [36458]

holding answer 14 December 2005

Since June 2003, the Intrepid/Anheusar Busch Fallen Heroes Fund (Intrepid Foundation) has, very generously, been supporting the widows and children of US and UK Service personnel killed while serving on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Support ceased in June 2005 when the Intrepid Foundation decided to concentrate its activities in support of limbless US Service personnel. This decision was taken in light of the recent US Congress decision to significantly enhance the support given to families of personnel killed while on operations.

The Ministry of Defence has a liaison officer in place who regularly communicates with the Intrepid Foundation in New York and facilitates payments through the appropriate single Service casualty organisation. The Intrepid Foundation has paid $10,000 to each widow and $5,000 to each child of a Service person who has died. Where an unmarried partner is involved, the Foundation has paid $5,000 to each child. Forty-eight families have so far benefited from the Intrepid Foundation with payments ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. There are four outstanding cases that the Fund and the Ministry of Defence continue to work on.

When the scheme ceased in June this year the Chief of the Defence Staff wrote to the Chairman of the Intrepid Foundation thanking him personally for his support. I would like to take this opportunity to add my own personal thanks for their very generous and unstinting support.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the identities of the killers of the six Royal Military Police who died at Al Majarr Al Kabir in Iraq on 24 June 2003 are known by the British authorities. [30738]

The identities of individuals suspected of being involved in the incident in which the six Royal Military Policemen died in Al Majarr Al Kabir on 24 June 2003 are known to the British authorities.

Jurisdiction for this case lies with the central criminal court of Iraq and they are responsible for issuing any arrest warrants. Case papers, which take account of the Royal Military Police investigation, including the identity of key suspects, have been lodged with the court. The Ministry of Defence will continue to provide whatever support it can.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value was of (a) public opinion research and (b) public relations contracts awarded by his Department in 2004–05 in (i) each (A) nation and (B) region of the UK and (ii) London. [35891]

The Ministry of Defence placed one contract for a corporate level public opinion poll in Financial Year 2004–05. This research was undertaken at national level and cost £41,736 (inc VAT). Details of other surveys that may have been conducted by the Ministry of Defence and its agencies are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The MOD does not record expenditure on public relations in the form requested, and this information also could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make a substantive reply to the questions tabled by the hon. Member for New Forest, East for Named Day Answer on 22 November 2005, on war-disabled UK veterans who live in former UK colonies, references (a) 29624, (b) 29625, (c) 29626, (d) 29627 and (e) 29628. [36304]

holding answer 12 December 2005

I replied to the hon. Member today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the military use of space. [37922]

The focus of the United Kingdom Government's space policy is on civil and scientific uses. However, we also derive important security benefits from its military use. Like many countries, the UK uses satellites for a wide range of military functions such as secure communications, meteorological predictions and in the effective monitoring of various arms control treaties. This military use of space is distinct from the deployment of weapons in space. The UK Government has no plans to deploy weapons in space.

As one of the Depository States (along with the US and Russia), the UK Government continues to fully support the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which places important constraints on the use of space, including prohibiting the deployment of weapons of mass destruction in space and military activity on the moon and other celestial bodies.

The main forum for discussing the military use of space is the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. We have taken part in informal discussions on the possibility of a further treaty banning weapons in space, although no international consensus has been reached on the need for such a treaty. Notwithstanding this, we continue to support the annual resolution on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) at the UN.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the original estimated cost of each Type-45 destroyer was; and what the current estimated cost is. [38184]

The estimated unit production cost of each Type 45 at Main Gate was £582 million. The latest estimated unit production cost, as at 31 March 2005 and as reported in the National Audit's Office Major Projects Report 2005, is £561.6 million. The unit production cost excludes development costs, which is amortised over the entire class of warships, and cost of capital.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) if he will make a statement on the financial help available to war-disabled UK veterans, or their widowed spouses, who live in former UK colonies; [29624]

(2) what discretion he has to make ex gratia payments to deserving cases of war-disabled UK veterans, or their spouses, living abroad in straitened circumstances; [29626]

(3) what estimate he has made of the number of Second World War-disabled UK veterans, or their spouses, who live in former UK colonies which have failed to pay war-disablement pensions since achieving independence; and if he will make a statement; [29627]

(4) what the criteria are for awarding supplementation payments to war-disabled UK veterans, or their spouses, who live in former UK colonies. [29625]

holding answer 22 November 2005

Regardless of their country of residence personnel who served in the British armed forces, or their widows, may be entitled to receive payments under the United Kingdom war pension scheme in respect of injury or death due to service.

The provision of the scheme extends to those members who served in military units based in the United Kingdom or Isle of Man. Responsibility for pension provision of British Europeans who served with locally raised colonial forces is the responsibility of the Government of the territory in which they were raised, under arrangements made when they gained their independence.

No estimate has been made of the number of Second World War disabled UK veterans, or their spouses, who live in former British colonies which have failed to pay war disablement pensions since achieving independence.

War disabled veterans who served in units raised in certain former colonial territories can have their overseas war pension supplemented, where the responsible government has failed to maintain payment, if they can be certified as an overseas officer in respect of the overseas territory in which they enlisted. The responsibility for certifying them as an overseas officer rests with the Overseas Pensions Departments of the Department for International Development and, in broad terms, an overseas officer is one who was not born in the overseas territory and not normally resident there at the time of his service.

In certain circumstances, where no overseas government pension has been awarded, awards may be made on a statutory basis under the Personal Injuries Scheme and extra statutory awards can be made via Treasury authority given in 1946.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the British Bankers' Association about methods to reduce cheque fraud. [37053]

The Government take fraud seriously. Ministers and officials meet regularly with representatives from the police, retail and banking sectors, including the BBA, to discuss ways of combating fraud, including cheque fraud.

On 27 October the Attorney General announced terms of reference for a wide ranging cross government review of fraud. The review will engage a range of key stakeholders, including the banking industry, and consider the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution/punishment of fraud.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 1 November regarding a constituent, reference M26613/5. [36228]

holding answer 8 December 2005

I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 7 December 2005, Official Report, column 1357W.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Warley of (a) 27 October regarding Mr. Munye, Jordan Close, Smethwick, (b) 13 September regarding Mrs. McBride, Wigon Road, Smethwick, (c) 5 October regarding Mr. Dalvir Singh, Tollgate Shopping Centre, Smethwick and (d) 16 November regarding Mr. Mohammed Hasan, 25 Beacon Close, Smethwick. [37565]

The information requested is as follows:

14 December 2005.(a) The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the right hon. Member for Warley about Mr. Munye on

7 December 2005.(b) The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the right hon. Member for Warley about Mrs. McBride on

13 December 2005.(c) The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the right hon. Member for Warley about Mr. Singh on

14 December 2005.(d) The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the right hon. Member for Warley about Mr. Hasan on

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department will reply to the letter of 15 September from the right hon. Member for Warley regarding (a) Mr. Rolando March, Priory Close, Smethwick and (b) Mr. Tvala, Melbourne Road, Smethwick. [37566]

The information requested is as follows:

13 December 2005.(a) The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the right hon. Member for Warley about Mr. March on

13 December 2005.(b) The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the right hon. Member for Warley about Mr. Tvala on

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department will reply to the letter of 14 September from the right hon. Member for Warley regarding (a) Mr. Kushnau, Woodlands Street, Smethwick and (b) Mr. Mahmoud, High Road, Smethwick. [37567]

The information requested is as follows:

14 December 2005.(a) Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the right hon. Member for Warley about Mr. Kushnau on

12 December 2005.(b) Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the right hon. Member for Warley about Mr. Mahmoud on

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 4 October 2005 from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, regarding Neville Harding, reference H353358. [37671]

The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the right hon. Member for Ladywood, Birmingham about Mr. Harding on 14 December 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he takes if a deportee is discovered to have suffered an unfair trial, torture or ill treatment, in contravention of the UK's agreement with the receiving country. [31155]

We firmly believe that governments are entering into these agreements in good faith, and are confident that they will abide by the terms of any assurances given. Any contravention of a bilateral international agreement between Her Majesty's Government and another government would be a matter of considerable concern.

If there were an allegation suggesting that the terms of an agreement had not been honoured, we would seek an immediate report of the circumstances from the authorities of the receiving state, and would request immediate access to the individual concerned.

Action thereafter would depend on the nature of the breach, and on the remedial action, if any, taken by the authorities in the country concerned; it could include a request for an independent inquiry, and/or a request for the receiving state to take remedial action. Failure to comply with formal political commitments in a Memorandum of Understanding or similar political instrument can seriously damage relations between the signatory states, and the standing of the state concerned in the international community generally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those countries where there are substantial grounds to believe that a person deported would be subject to torture with which the UK (a) has signed a memorandum of understanding and (b) is in the process of negotiating a memorandum of understanding allowing the deportation of individuals who are citizens of that state, including those who pose a threat to national security and public order; and if he will make a statement. [33710]

The Government have signed Memoranda of Understanding with Jordan and with Libya to facilitate the deportation of particular individuals consistent with our international human rights obligations, in particular those in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). We are discussing similar arrangements with Algeria and the Lebanon. We have said we will make public the names of the other countries to which we are talking when the time is right.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which companies have been contracted to provide medical services to each detention centre for asylum seekers in England. [36148]

Three of the nine immigration removal centres in England are directly managed, being operated by the Prison Service on behalf of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. Primary health care services at the centres concerned (Dover, Haslar and Lindholme) are therefore provided under normal Prison Service arrangements.

The six privately run removal centres are operated under separate contracts. The operators are: Global Solutions Ltd. at Campsfield, Oakington, Tinsley House and Yarl's Wood; Serco at Colnbrook; and UKDS Ltd. at Harmondsworth.

Removal centre contracts include requirements to provide specified primary health care services to detained persons. It is for the individual contractors to decide how to deliver their contractual obligations for the provision of primary health care services, whether through "in-house" delivery, via a health care sub-contractor, or a mix of both approaches.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2005, Official Report, column 2317W, on leave to remain, what percentage of postal applications was processed in (a) 20 and (b) 70 working days in the last year for which figures are available. [35821]

Applications under the provisions of the European Community Association Agreements (ECAA) fall in to the category of non-charged casework. The published service standards for this category are 25 per cent. of postal applications to be processed in 20 working days and 30 per cent. in 70 working days.

The average time taken from the date of receipt until the date of decision for European Community Association Agreement (ECAA) applications during the period 1 August to 31 October 2005 was 331 days. This information is provisional management information.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the future prison population; and what plans he has to meet these projections. [34164]

The most recent prison population projections are in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin 10/05 "Updated and Revised Prison Population Projections, 2005–2011, England and Wales"—July 2005. Figures for 10 scenarios can be found in this document. The scenarios range from 'High' to 'Low'. Projected total prison population figures (end of June) for 'High' and 'Low' scenarios for the relevant financial years are presented in the following table.

The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) keeps under review the demand on prison places and the capacity of prisons to accommodate those prisoners sent to them by the courts. The operational capacity of the prison estate is being increased by bringing accommodation back into use and through additional places being built at existing prisons.

Projected prison population⁽¹¹⁾

⁽¹¹⁾ End of June figures.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with foreign Governments on returning to secure detention in those countries of their nationals held in British prisons. [34105]

The United Kingdom is a signatory to two multi-party prisoner transfer agreements; the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, and the Commonwealth Scheme for the Transfer of Convicted Offenders. In addition, the Government have concluded bilateral prisoner transfer agreements with 18 countries. The UK has prisoner transfer agreements with a total of 97 countries and territories and is in regular contact with the Governments concerned about the transfer of individual prisoners.

Prisoner transfer under these agreements is voluntary; the consent of both states involved, and of the prisoner concerned, is required before repatriation can take place. In 2004, 107 prisoners were transferred from prisons in England and Wales to other countries to continue serving their sentences.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the performance indicators are for the monitoring of sex offenders for each police authority area in England and Wales. [36883]

The Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) have been in place since 2001 and have already made a significant contribution to public protection. Under the MAPPA, the police, probation and prison services, supported by additional agencies including housing, health and social services, combine forces to manage the risk to the public posed by sexual and violent offenders. Those "critical few" offenders that pose the highest risk are referred to a Multi-Agency Public Protection Panel (MAPPP), where their cases are regularly scrutinised by senior representatives of local agencies.

From next year police and probation areas have been asked to produce business plans which will aid the monitoring and development of the MAPPA locally. Each area is already obliged to produce an annual report to highlight the work undertaken within the MAPPA to protect local communities. The annual reports published in October showed that only a very small proportion of offenders managed at the highest levels in the community were charged with a serious further offences (SFO), indicating a robust level of management.

The Association of Chief Police Officers are currently developing a public protection manual to provide central guidance to police forces in managing not only sex offenders in the community but covering all areas of public protection. This is due in 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department

(1) how many (a) teachers, (b) IT specialists and (c) engineers from (i) Sierra Leone, (ii) Malawi, (iii) Tanzania, (iv) Ghana, (v) Zambia, (vi) Africa, (vii) South Asia and (viii) other Asian countries have been admitted to the United Kingdom under the terms of (A) the work permits system and (B) the highly skilled migrants programme in each year since 1997; [36945]

(2) how many nurses from (a) Sierra Leone, (b) Malawi, (c) Tanzania, (d) Ghana, (e) Zambia and (f) Africa have been admitted to the United Kingdom under the terms of the work permit system in each year since 1997; [36946]

(3) how many general practitioners from (a) Sierra Leone, (b) Malawi, (c) Tanzania, (d) Ghana, (e) Zambia and (f) Africa were admitted to the United Kingdom under the terms of the (i) Highly Skilled Migrant Programme and (ii) Work Permit Scheme in each year since 2002. [36947]

The requested information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was paid by his Department in 2004–05 in rent for properties in (a) total, (b) Scotland and (c) London. [36007]

The costs for the buildings rented by the Scotland Office in 2004–05 are as follows:

The Office pays a reduced rent for Dover House and consequently an adjustment is made in the resource accounts of the Office to reflect this; the latest net book value of the building is £1.09 million.

In addition, the Office has a small amount of accommodation in Meridian Court, Glasgow and Frederick Street, Edinburgh. These premises are shared with other Departments. The Office pays an agreed share of the overall running costs of each building which includes such items as rent, rates, utilities, cleaning and security and a separate record is not held of the rental element of the costs. The costs of the agreed share in 2004–05 for Meridian Court was £21,797 and for Frederick Street was £7,107.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what initiatives are being taken in his Department to help civil servants with chronic back pain. [34985]

All the staff in the Scotland Office are on loan from the Scottish Executive or the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DC A). Both the DCA and the Executive can arrange for provision of practical and timely support for employees with chronic back pain or other health problems, including mental health.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was paid by his Department in rates in 2004–05, broken down by local authority; and how much was paid in rates in 2004–05 in London. [36002]

The payments for rates for the Scotland Office in 2004–05 were:

In addition, the Office has a small amount of accommodation in Meridian Court, Glasgow and Frederick Street, Edinburgh. These premises are shared with other Departments. The Office pays an agreed share of the overall running costs of each building which includes such items as rent, rates, utilities, cleaning and security and a separate record is not held of the rates element of the costs. The costs of the agreed share in 2004–05 for Meridian Court was £21,797 and for Frederick Street was £7,107.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what agricultural products she plans to designate as sensitive in the forthcoming World Trade Organisation negotiations. [36626]

The issue of sensitive products is a key aspect of the negotiations on agricultural market access. The principle that WTO Members may designate "an appropriate number" of sensitive products was established under the July 2004 Framework Agreement. However, the number and treatment of sensitive products have yet to be agreed under the negotiations. When these issues are agreed, it will be for the EU as a whole, rather than for individual EU member states, to designate the sensitive products. The UK's position in these EU discussions will be guided both by our firm support for the Doha Development Agenda mandate to secure substantial improvements in agricultural market access, and by the position of key UK stakeholders.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much (a) feed barley and (b) feed wheat was produced in the United Kingdom in each year since 2001–02. [37250]

Estimates of the quantity of wheat and barley used for animal feed in the UK are given in the following table:

United Kingdom feed use of wheat and barley Thousand tonnes

For confidentiality reasons home grown barley figures are not available from 2002–03.

Excludes exports of UK produced wheat and barley. Information on the end use of exports is not available and therefore the quantity of exports subsequently used for animal feed is not known.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of tuberculosis testing for bovine tuberculosis was in each of the last three years; and what the costs of culling animals affected by tuberculosis were in each year. [38478]

Summary of GB TB expenditure for periods 2002–03 to 2004–05.

TB expenditure in 2003–04 increased by 18.4 per cent. on 2002–03.

TB expenditure for 2004–05 shows increase of 2.6 per cent. on 2003–04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many secondees there have been to her Department from consultancy firms, including the Big Four accountancy firms, in each of the last three years; and what areas of the Department they have worked in. [37359]

In the last three years there have been no recorded secondments to DEFRA from the Big Four accountancy firms.

DEFRA has though seconded a large number of individuals from a wide variety of other organisations but establishing which of these organisations may have a consultancy strand would be possible only at disproportionate cost.

The term 'secondee' refers to a person 'borrowed' from an organisation outside the civil service for a period of between three months and three years (exceptionally five years), without affecting employment status. During the secondment period the 'secondee' remains an employee of the parent organisation but is expected to abide by the DEFRA Staff Handbook and the Official Secrets Act. Secondees are expected to undertake the full range of duties attached to the post. At the end of the secondment the 'secondee' returns to the parent organisation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was paid by her Department in rent for properties in (a) total, (b) each (i) region and (ii) nation of the UK and (c) London in 2004–05. [35953]

The amount of rent paid by DEFRA in 2004–05 is given in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answers of 29 November 2005, Official Report, column 507W and 29 November 2005, Official Report, column 301W, on departmental transport, why the departmental building in Merrow, Guildford does not yet have a Travel Plan; when the joint Travel Plan will be published; whether car parking by staff and contractors outside the departmental buildings in Merrow has been identified as a significant impact; and if her Department will issue instructions to its staff and contractors not to park in residential roads around the departmental building, with particular reference to Down road, Daryngton drive, Carroll avenue, Gateways, Broadwater rise and Pitt Farm road. [36954]

The Department in Merrow did have a Travel Plan, which was made redundant by the increase in numbers of contractors over the last 12 months necessitating a full re-write of the plan.

The revised Travel Plan will be made available to site users by the end of December and will have been prepared by the Department and IBM.

Car parking by staff and contractors outside the departmental buildings in Merrow has been identified as a significant impact.

Staff and contractors who are unable to park on-site, are requested to avoid parking in Down road, Daryngton drive, Carroll avenue, Gateways, Broadwater rise and Pitt Farm road. A site wide notice to all staff and contractors to re-iterate this request will be issued on 15 December 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers in the South West submitted incorrect data for digital mapping in each year between 2002 and 2004. [36129]

The Rural Payments Agency is responsible for the administration of digital mapping in England. The RPA developed the RLR between 2002 and 2004 predominantly using land parcels previously claimed for subsidy purposes, notably data received with Area Aid Applications. In some cases this included data from on the spot inspections and any information the applicant provided in the form of mapping requests. The following table shows the number of applicants in the South West where an overclaim was found as a result of an inspection.

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

(1) if she will take steps to reduce the amount of paper used in direct mail by encouraging the use of cleared mailing lists; [36124]

(2) if she will assess the effects on the environment of a (a) 5 per cent. and (b) 10 per cent. reduction in direct mail; [36125]

(3) when she last met representatives of the direct mail industry to discuss waste paper. [37239]

In July 2003 the Government signed a voluntary producer responsibility agreement with the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), a trade body representing 890 corporate members of the direct mail industry, to increase the recycling of direct mail to 70 per cent. by 2013 (the level of direct mail recycling was about 13 per cent. in 2002). The first target of 30 per cent. is due to be met by the end of 2005.

As part of the agreement, the DMA have also agreed to reduce waste by improving the targeting of direct mail and by publicising the use of suppression files such as the Mailing Preference Service which allows people to opt out of receiving addressed direct mail.

The signing of the agreement in July 2003 was the last meeting between my officials and the DMA. However, we have had ongoing correspondence with the DMA who have produced an interim report on their progress in relation to the objectives set out in the agreement. We are currently awaiting the publication of the first formal report which will detail whether they have achieved the 2005 recycling target of 30 per cent. I would expect my officials to hold a progress meeting shortly after the publication of this report in the new year.

I do not intend to conduct a quantitative analysis of the environmental benefits of reducing direct mail at this time. However a 5 per cent. and 10 per cent. reduction in direct mail will equate to a saving of 271 million and 542 million items of direct mail per year respectively, (based on the current estimate of 5.4 billion items of direct mail being distributed annually). The Government takes the view that direct mail is a legitimate method of marketing goods and services and has no plans to introduce legislation prohibiting or restricting the distribution of such mail, although it will continue to encourage and support the use of a voluntary opt out service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons she decided to adopt the regional route in determining entry level scheme payments. [37912]

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the Entry Level Stewardship strand of Environmental Stewardship. The regional route and the historic route has not been part of the process in determining Entry Level Stewardship payments.

Entry Level Stewardship has a national payment rate of £30 per hectare, per year. However land parcels of 15 hectares or more in the Less Favoured Area, are eligible for payments of £8 per hectare, per year.

The payment rate for Entry Level Stewardship was determined using a combination of agronomic assumptions based on various farming systems which covers income forgone and costs incurred calculations, along with an incentive element where it was deemed appropriate. A more detailed breakdown setting out the calculations behind each option can be found in the England Rural Development Programme Modification to the Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice she is offering to farmers on whether they will need to register with the Environment Agency for (a) a waste management licence and (b) a pollution prevention and control permit. [35779]

The Environment Agency has issued interim guidance to advise farmers of the regulatory requirements when waste management controls (waste management licensing or waste pollution prevention and control (PPC) permits) apply to agriculture. This guidance was published in 2 December 2005 and will be published in 28 December 2005. The Environment Agency's National Customer Contact Centre (0845 6033113) has launched a dedicated enquiry line for agricultural waste.Farmers Weekly on British Farmer and Grower on

The Defra funded Environment Sensitive Farming programme (ESF) holds event's across all regions of England and Wales for farmers. ESF advises and informs farmers on the new controls. The website can be viewed at http://www.environmentsensitivefarming.co.uk/. In addition, a Recycling Directory that provides recycling and disposal advice to farmers on agricultural waste is available at http://www.wasterecycling.org.uk/. The Environment Agency has set up a Communications Group involving agricultural industry stakeholders. The Communications Group have drafted a plan for a range of activities starting in early 2006 using publications, posters, CDs, pig and poultry events and workshops for intensive livestock operators. These workshops will provide practical assistance to operators in submitting their PPC applications. The Environment Agency has established a website for intensive livestock operators concerning PPC at http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/444304/1224648/1224695/1116263/?version=1&lang=_e

The Environment Agency's "Guide for applicants for pig and poultry rearing units" is already available and was updated in July 2005. The Environment Agency is currently holding a public consultation on new guidance entitled "IPPC—How to comply—Guidance for intensive pig and poultry farmers". The consultation ends on 24 February 2006. It is expected that the final guidance will be published in Spring 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria were used to agree additional EU support for sugar producers in the French Département d'Outre Mer; and if she will make a statement. [36637]

The additional support for sugar producers in the outermost regions of the EU, including French overseas departments, is based on the specific characteristics distinguishing production in those areas and will be integrated into local support programmes as provided for in the relevant Council Regulations in the POSEI (Programme of Options Specific to Remote and Insular Regions) series.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the merits of imposing a levy on farmers to pay for the cost of future animal disease outbreaks; and if she will make a statement. [36967]

The Joint Industry Government Working Group announced 28 November in the "Partners for success—A farm regulation and charging strategy" will assess the merits of a levy on farmers as part of its consideration of the options for sharing the risks of animal disease outbreaks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 November 2005, Official Report, column 1061W, on home information packs, if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's submission. [31834]

A copy of the submission will be made available in the Library of the House. My officials will continue discussions with interested parties on the inclusion of contaminated land reports in Home Improvement Packs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 15 November 2005, Official Report, column 1061W, on Home Information Packs (HIPs), what information on contaminated land she proposes should be included in HIPs; and if she will place the full submission to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (a) in the Library and (b) on her Department's website. [36015]

The submission referred to in the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) has already been placed in the Library of the House. The Department has not put forward proposals of its own on the contents of Home Information Packs, but will continue discussions with interested parties on the possible inclusion of contaminated land reports in these Packs

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her estimate is of how many tons of paper went to landfill in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [36123]

Data are not specifically collected on the amount of paper sent to landfill. However, the Confederation of British Paper Industries estimates the amount of paper consumed in the UK and therefore likely to become waste (shown in the following table). They also estimate that 38 per cent. of paper and board are recycled. The paper materials that are not sent for recycling will be disposed of by some method, but it is not known what proportion of this is sent to landfill.

Estimated consumption of paper and board in the UK Million tonnes⁽¹⁴⁾

⁽¹⁴⁾ Consumption is defined as UK production plus imports minus exports.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 930W, on landfill, if she will make an assessment of the landfill requirement arising from the consumption of bottled water; and if she will draw up a plan of action to encourage the recycling of bottles. [36459]

Glass and plastic bottles are already subject to recycling obligations under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 (as amended), which require businesses that handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year and have a turnover greater than £2 million to recover and recycle specified tonnages of packaging waste.

In 2004, 344,000 tonnes of plastic packaging waste was recycled, of which we estimate that about 10 per cent. or 34,500 tonnes was plastic bottles, some of which would have held water. I understand that the plastic industry expect to recycle 50,000 tonnes of plastic bottles this year. Likewise, in 2004, 1,050,000 tonnes of glass packaging waste was recycled, of which approximately 75 per cent. was glass bottles and again some would have held water. It is worth noting, however, that in 2004 only 32,000 tonnes of glass was used to bottle water. It is much more sustainable for people to drink tap water.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what percentage of (a) closed and (b) operating landfill sites capture methane for electricity generation; what volume in total was captured in the last period for which figures are available; and what estimate she has made of savings in greenhouse gas emissions from (i) non-release of methane and (ii) displacement of fossil fuel generation, assuming all displacement came from such sources. [30924]

In 2004, there were in excess of 200 generating stations utilising landfill methane in the UK. The Government does not hold statistics determining whether these landfill gas utilisation plants are located on closed landfill sites or operational ones. There are about 900 of the latter. According to DTI statistics, the total installed generating capacity at landfill sites in 2004 was 722 MW. Research for Defra by Colder Associates indicates that the volume of methane captured for electricity generation was about 1,070 thousand tonnes (kT) in 2004. An estimated additional 1,307 kt methane was captured and flared at landfill sites. This means that electricity generation and flaring saved greenhouse gas emissions of about 6 million tonnes carbon equivalent (MtC equiv), and about 7.5 MtC equiv, respectively. The total saving from capture was therefore about 13.5 MtC equiv. The generating plant produced about 4 TWh of electricity, equivalent to saving a further 0.5 million MtC equiv due to reduced emissions at power stations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the value was of (a) public opinion research and (b) public relations contracts awarded by her Department in (i) each (A) nation and (B) region of the UK and (ii) London in 2004–05. [35954]

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 7 December 2005, Official Report, column 1294W and 12 December 2005, Official Report, columns 1600–1601W, salient details of which are given as follows.

(a) Public opinion research

Since 2001 Defra's Communications Directorate has commissioned the following omnibus tracking survey to measure public awareness of the Department, knowledge of its responsibilities and opinions on its performance:

Copies of all three surveys are available in the Library of the House.

(b) Public relations

Since 2001 Defra's Communications Directorate has commissioned the following external media relations services.

All agencies provided specialist skills and services not currently available within Defra's Communications Directorate.

Details of public opinion research and public relations contracts broken down by nation and regional are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportional costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the UK's poultry imports came from Thailand in 2004–05. [37634]

holding answer 15 December 2005

Imports of poultry products from Thailand into the UK for the period 2003 to September 2005 are shown in the following table. The final row in the table shows that these represented 9.8 per cent. (by value) of total poultry imports into the UK for the period January to September 2005.

The importation of fresh poultry meat produced on or after 1 January 2004 and cooked poultry meat which has not been heat treated to at least 70°C was banned in January 2004. Poultry meat products which have been cooked to 70°C or more are not considered to be a risk.