To ask the Prime Minister what costs were incurred at public expense in the production of the film "Day in the Life". [40975]

The production of the film "Day in the Life" cost £900.

So far nearly 55,000 people have downloaded the film via the Downing street website. The film was also available to download on the Sky and BBC News websites.

To ask the Prime Minister what powers of intervention his Government have over the domestic monetary and fiscal policies of (a) Guernsey, (b) Jersey, (c) the Isle of Man, (d) the Falkland Islands, (e) Gibraltar, (f) Saint Helena, (g) Anguilla, (h) Montserrat, (i) Bermuda, (j) the British Virgin Islands, (k) Turks and Caicos Islands and (l) the Cayman Islands. [39117]

.

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what safeguards are employed by the Commissioners to ensure that personal information on Church Commissioners' tenants is not passed to third parties; what measures are in place to provide redress when such information is passed on; and what disciplinary measures are in place relating to staff misuse of tenants' personal information. [40766]

The Commissioners seek to follow best practice regarding the maintenance and use of tenants' personal information, including the sharing of information with third parties where properly necessary. Some such information may be properly shared with professional advisors and managing agents.

Any alleged instances of the improper sharing of tenants' personal information may be reported to the Commissioners' Chief Surveyor. The matter will then be investigated.

All staff of the National Church Institutions are expected to observe standards of conduct and are subject to a formal disciplinary procedure where they fail to do so.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the use of webcam technology as part of the online Legal Advice Direct project. [40824]

The Legal Services Commission is currently in contract negotiations with the firm responsible for Legal Advice Direct. It would therefore be inappropriate to comment on their services at this stage as this could compromise impartiality during the tender process. In general I am keen to embrace and work with new technology in ensuring that services are delivered using methods that best meet client need while demonstrating cost effectiveness.

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

(1) what size of culling area the Department is considering for the control of bovine TB; and what percentage of badgers would have to be despatched in those areas in order for the policy to be effective; [39629]

(2) what restrictions there will be on areas chosen for badger culling to control bovine TB; and whether restrictions will apply to locations where active study of the badger population is under way. [39630]

We are currently consulting both on the principle of culling badgers to control bovine tuberculosis (TB), and on how a badger cull might operate. Options are set out in the consultation document "Controlling the spread of bovine tuberculosis in cattle in high incidence areas in England: Badger Culling". These include possible culling areas ranging from 1 km to 3 km from an eligible farm's boundary to areas of 100 km² or more. Until the consultation is complete no decisions on culling badgers or the detail of how an effective cull would operate can be made.

In deciding whether to introduce a badger culling policy we will take account of scientific evidence, the effectiveness of culling as a way of reducing bovine TB in cattle, and whether this is cost-effective. We will also consider what is practical and sustainable. Copies of the consultation document are available in the House Library or on the DEFRA website at:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/badgers-tbcontrols/index.htm

The deadline for responses is 10 March 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the carbon dioxide emissions of (a) China, (b) India, (c) the US and (d) the UK were as most recently reported for the purposes of the Kyoto and Montreal agreements; and what projections have been made for that purpose for (i) 2020 and (ii) 2050 in each case. [39789]

The following table shows historical and projected carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) emissions in million tonnes of CO ₂ (MtCO ₂ ) for China, India, the USA and the UK.

Emissions estimates are submitted under the United Nations framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC) which is the parent treaty for Kyoto protocol and the Montreal decisions, and also covers the US which has not ratified the protocol.

The USA and UK are annexe 1 parties to the UNFCCC, and submit emissions inventories annually; the most recent year for which data are available is 2003. China and India are non-annexe 1 parties to the UNFCCC; the most recent data they have submitted is for 1994. The table also provides US and UK CO₂ emissions for 1994 from UNFCCC submissions for comparison. The data in the table cover all sectors including land-use, land-use change and forestry as reported by the country. The UK's data have been updated for consistency with the information provided in June 2005 to the European Union.

The USA and UK have submitted projections to the UNFCCC for CO₂ emissions in 2020, but China and India have not. Projections to 2050 are not available for any of the countries, although the UK policy, as set out in the 2003 Energy White Paper, is to put ourselves on a path to a reduction of some 60 per cent. by 2050.

n/a=Not available.

The International Energy Agency provides estimates of projected emissions from use of fossil fuels which indicate, for China and India respectively, increases of about 210 per cent. and about 240 per cent. over the period 1994 to 2020. Fossil fuels account for the majority of CO₂ emissions but do not include land-use, land-use change and forestry which in 1994 reduced emission from China by about +5 per cent. and increased those of India by about 8 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures her Department is implementing to cut carbon emissions from transport; and what the percentage change in emissions from transport was between 2000 and 2005 (a) in total and (b) in each year. [39905]

The UK Government set out its policy on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors in its publication "Climate Change: The UK Programme" in 2000. The Climate Change Programme (CCP) is currently under review, and as part of this review the Government are considering the scope for additional policy measures to further reduce emissions from all sectors, including transport.

The following tables contain carbon emissions from 2000 to 2003, the latest year for which published data is available, expressed as million tonnes of carbon (MtC) equivalent. Percentage changes are shown as a year-on-year change and as a total change from 2000 to 2003.

The first table shows carbon emissions from domestic transport, which includes emissions from road, diesel rail, domestic aviation and domestic shipping. The second table shows carbon emissions from international shipping and international aviation; under guidelines agreed internationally, these emissions are not included in UK total emissions, but are estimated for information purposes and do not count towards the achievement of the UK's Kyoto target.

Domestic transport

International aviation and shipping

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of lakes of more than one hectare in area in England and Wales have been designated as water bodies under the EC Water Framework directive. [40629]

432 lakes were designated and reported to the European Commission in March 2005 as part of the first round of river basin district characterisation under the EC Water Framework directive. Of these 432, a total of 137 lakes were greater than 50 hectares in size and 295 lakes were less than 50 hectares in size (50 hectares being the minimum size threshold required for designation and reporting to the European Commission).

There are 6,247 lakes of more than one hectare in England and Wales. 432 of these lakes were designated as water bodies under the Water Framework directive (WFD), and this equates to 6.9 per cent. of lakes of greater than one hectare.

The Environment Agency and DEFRA are working with English Nature and Countryside Council of Wales to ensure that the designation of smaller waters under the WFD is in line with relevant EU WFD Common Implementation Strategy Guidance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of length of rivers in England and Wales has been designated as water bodies under the EC Water Framework directive. [40635]

A total of 51,182.7 km of rivers were designated as water bodies in accordance with the EC Water Framework directive (WFD) and associated EU WFD Common Implementation Strategy Guidance, and reported to the European Commission in March 2005 as part of the first round of river basin characterisation. The reported length is approximately 31 per cent. of the total river network of 163,837km (at the scale of 1:50,000) which represents catchments greater than 10km2 as specified under the system A typology for rivers under the directive.

As part of the refinement of characterisation, the Environment Agency and DEFRA are working with English Nature and Countryside Council of Wales to ensure that smaller waters are dealt with in accordance with the relevant EU WFD Common Implementation Strategy Guidance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to sustain rural communities in East Yorkshire. [38931]

In its Rural Strategy 2004, the Government announced an ambitious and targeted set of priorities for rural communities and enhancing our natural environment, together with radical reforms for their delivery, all firmly within a sustainable development framework. Since the General Election in May we have reinforced those priorities through actions such as the establishment of the Affordable Rural Housing Commission, the announcement of a new Rural Social and Community funding programme and the introduction of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill. The Bill seeks, among other things, to establish both the Commission for Rural Communities-an expert adviser, advocate and watchdog for rural communities-and Natural England-a new integrated agency to conserve and enhance the natural environment.

All of these activities will impact on East Yorkshire. In addition, the East Riding of Yorkshire benefits from being a LEADER+ rural development area and forms part of the Number Rural Pathfinder area for the Yorkshire and Humberside region.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the administrative costs were of each non-departmental public body for which he has responsibility in the last year for which figures are available; what the total of such costs was in that year; and whether the costs are regarded for the purposes of public expenditure statistical analyses as (a) identifiable and (b) non-identifiable. [40057]

The Ministry of Defence has six Executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and 11 advisory NDPBs.

Executive NDPB gross expenditure costs for reporting years 1999–2000 through to 2004–05 can be found in the supplementary annex to the Ministry of Defence annual report and accounts 2004–05 (http://www.mod.uk/publications/modara04–05/index.html). Figures given for each Executive NDPB are generally non-identifiable. Figures for the Fleet Air Arm Museum are identifiable.

Administrative costs for MOD advisory NDPBs in 2004–05 are listed in the following table.

Notes:

1. Administrative costs may include staff fees, travel and subsistence claims, conferences and advertising.

2. Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors has not met since 1996. There were no costs for 2004–05.

3. The Dartmoor Steering Group incurs no costs. Members are voluntary and no expenses are claimed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) how many of those suspected of committing a serious terrorism-related offence in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan and detained by the British armed forces (i) have been extradited to another state and (ii) have been handed over to US authorities in Iraq since March 2003; and if he will make a statement; [36671]

(2) what the legal status is of those in British custody but not charged in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [36672]

British armed forces have neither extradited to another state nor handed over to US authorities in Iraq any detainees suspected of committing a serious terrorism-related offence in Afghanistan since March 2003. No one is currently held in British custody in Afghanistan.

I refer the right hon. Gentleman to my answer of 9 January 2006, , which gives the numbers of those suspected of committing a serious terrorism-related offence who have been transferred into US custody in Iraq since 2003. British armed forces have not extradited to another state any detainees suspected of committing a serious terrorism-related offence in Iraq since March 2003.Official Report, columns 221–22W

All internees in British custody in Iraq are held under the auspices of UN Security Council Resolution 1546 and Iraqi law.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the public relations companies that have had contracts with (a) his Department, (b) his non-departmental public bodies, (c) his Department's Executive agencies and (d) other bodies funded by his Department and for which he is responsible since May 1997; and what work was undertaken by each. [39190]

Ministry of Defence expenditure on external assistance, of which consultants employed to manage PR is part, is available in the Library of the House for years 1995–96 to 2004–05 contained in the documents "Expenditure On External Assistance for the MOD by TLB/Agency", and "Expenditure On External Assistance for the MOD by Category". Although this is broken down by various categories, my Department does not centrally record expenditure on external PR or other related agencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport

(1) how much was spent on advertising by (a) his Department and previous Departments with his Department's responsibilities, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) Executive agency for which his Department is responsible and (c) independent statutory bodies, organisations and bodies financially sponsored by his Department in each year since May 1997; [39113]

(2) if he will list the public relations companies that have had contracts with (a) his Department and previous Departments with his Department's responsibilities, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) Executive agency for which his Department is responsible and (c) independent statutory bodies, organisations and bodies financially sponsored by his Department since May 1997. [39114]

The requested figures for advertising are set out as follows. However, records of costs from 1997–98 until 2001–02 are not readily available due to departmental re-organisations and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

The majority of advertising investment by my central Department is in support of the THINK! Road Safety campaign. DVLA's main advertising expenditure has been to support the introduction of continuous registration.

Listing the public relations companies that have had contracts with(a) the Department and previous Departments with the Department's responsibilities, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) Executive agency for which the Department is responsible and (c) independent statutory bodies, organisations and bodies financially sponsored by the Department since May 1997 could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the annual expenditure on training and development by (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) Executive agency and (iii) other public body for which he is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland was in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06. [40007]

The Department is committed to developing and improving the way it works to better achieve its business objectives. In order to do this it encourages all of its staff to take part in development activities that will improve their skills. In addition, certain staff maybe required to carry out mandatory training for particular duties.

The information is as follows:

Financial records are not kept in a form which allows the Department to distinguish between country or region.

The Rail Passenger Council was launched on 25 July 2005.

The Railway Heritage Committee transferred to the Department for Transport on 21 November 2005.

There are no records for the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee prior to 2003–04.

The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency was set up on 1 April 2003.

Department for Transport (Central) was set up in May 2002 and the 2002–03 expenditure reflects that.

There is no current Standing Advisory Committee for Trunk Road Assessment set up.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was given in subsidy by his Department to each light rail scheme currently in operation in each year since they commenced operation. [27504]

holding answer 11 November 2005

The following light rail schemes are currently in operation in England.

Blackpool Trams

Croydon Tramlink

Docklands Light Railway

Manchester Metrolink

Midland Metro

Nottingham Express Transit

Sheffield Supertram

Tyne and Wear Metro

Of these, only the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and the Tyne and Wear Metro, have received operating subsidy from the Department for Transport or its predecessors and agencies.

The operating subsidy provided is as follows.

From 2000 the DLR subsidy has been paid by Transport for London (TfL).

For the years prior to 1996–97 it is not possible to separately identify the Metro element within the overall support provided for heavy rail and Metro services in Tyne and Wear.

The concessionaire of Croydon Tramlink, though it does not receive a revenue subsidy from central Government, is entitled to compensation on a 'no better, no worse' basis where fares policy enacted by the Mayor results in revenues per trip falling below those assumed in the 1996 financing plan which underpinned the Private Finance Initiative concession. It received compensation payments of £5.501 million in 2003–04 and £5.812 million (estimated) in 2004–05.

The local authorities which are responsible for the running of these systems may make some contribution to their operating costs depending on the commercial arrangements with the system operators in each particular case. The Department does not hold any central records on this.

The Department's capital expenditure on the construction of light rail systems in England since 1980 is as follows:

Normally this is paid as an upfront capital sum, except in the case of Nottingham Express Transit where the funding is in the form of annual availability payments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the work completed to date by the Mobility and Inclusion Unit; and what issues the unit is working on. [40743]

The Mobility and Inclusion Unit contributes to the delivery of the Department for Transport's aim to

"make transport accessible and affordable to users of public transport, pedestrians and motorists, and to promote diversity in transport provision".

Specifically the current focus of the unit is to:

improve accessibility to transport, in particular through implementation of Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and 2005 provisions, and promote personal mobility;

reduce social exclusion through implementation of recommendations of the Social Exclusion Unit report and promote social inclusion, in particular through implementation of the Race Equality Scheme;

work with partners to reduce crime and fear of crime on the transport network.

Details of the recent achievements and current objectives of the unit can be found in the Mobility and Inclusion Unit Business Plan 2005–06 which is available on the Department for Transport's website.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were diagnosed with (a) prostate cancer, (b) breast cancer, (c) bowel cancer, (d) lung cancer and (e) all other cancers in each of the last 10 years. [41166]

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

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 12 January 2006

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning how many people were diagnosed with(a) prostate cancer, (b) breast cancer, (c) bowel cancer, (d) lung cancer and (e) all other cancers in each of the last 10 years.(41166)

The most recent available information on registration of newly diagnosed cases (incidence) is for the year 2003. Numbers of newly diagnosed cases of selected cancers registered in England and Wales between 1994 and 2003 are given in the attached table.

Number of newly diagnosed cases of selected cancers registered in England and Wales, 1994–2003

⁽¹⁾ Cancers registered in 1994 and 1995–2003 are, respectively, defined by codes in the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (IC.D9) and Tenth Revision (JCDI0). Therefore, prostate cancer is defined by codes 185 or C61, breast cancer by codes 174 or C50, colorectal (bowel) cancer by codes 153–154 or C18-C21 and lung cancer by codes 162 or C33-C34.

⁽²⁾ "All other cancers" are defined by codes 140–208 or COO-C97 (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer 173 or C44 and excluding the codes in footnote 1 above).

Source:

Office for National Statistics

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the mortality rate was for cancer in people under 75 years in each of the last 10 years. [41169]

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

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 12 January 2006

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the mortality rate was for cancer in people under 75 years in each of the last 10 years. (41169)

The latest year for which data are available is 2004. Figures for deaths from cancer in people aged under 75 years are shown in the attached table for each year from 1995 to 2004.

Age-standardised death rate from cancer, in persons aged under 75 years, England, 1995 to 2004^{(12)(13)(14)(15)}

⁽¹²⁾ Age-standardised to the European standard population.

⁽¹³⁾ The cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) for the years 1995 to 2000, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) for 2001 onwards. The codes used are listed as follows:

Malignant neoplasms—ICD-9 140–208; ICD-10 C00 C97.

⁽¹⁴⁾ Data exclude deaths at age under 28 days.

⁽¹⁵⁾ Figures are based on deaths occurring in each calendar year.

⁽¹⁶⁾ The introduction of ICD-10 for coding cause of death in 2001 means that data for cancer are not completely comparable with data for years before this date. The figures presented in this table for the years 1993 to 2000 have been adjusted using comparability ratios to be comparable with ICD-10.

The effect of the change in classification in 2001 on deaths from all cancer and cancer by site is described in an article published in August 2004.*

* Brock A, Griffiths C, Rooney C (2004) The effect of the introduction of ICD-10 on cancer mortality trends in England and Wales "Health Statistics Quarterly" 23, 7–17.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on (a) online and (b) non-online self assessment in each year since 1997; and how much was spent on (i) set up and maintenance of the website, (ii) advertising and (iii) investigation of fraud and error; and if he will make a statement. [38348]

The information requested is as follows:

3 July 2000). Costs provided are for set up and maintenance of that website based service.(i) The Inland Revenue's on-line service for self assessment tax returns went live in 2000–01 (on

18 July 2005, and 19 November 2003, and the reply to the hon. Member for West Dorset (Mr. Letwin) on 5 January 2004.(ii) In respect of costs of advertising attributable to self assessment may I refer the hon. Member back to the answers given to him on Official Report, column.1334WOfficial Report, column 1093W

(iii) HMRC do not separate the costs of compliance for online/non online filers. The information can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the EU's agriculture budget was spent on (a) direct payments, (b) market price support, (c) input subsidies and (d) export subsidies in the last period for which figures are available. [40948]

In 2004, the EU spent a total of €43.7 billion under the "Agriculture" heading of the Financial Perspective. €29.9 billion (68 per cent.) was spent on direct payments and €8.5 billion (19 per cent.) on "interventions in agricultural markets", which broadly corresponds to market price support, of which €3.3 billion (8 per cent.) was for export subsidies (export subsidies are one of the tools used to support market prices). Input subsidies are not separately identified in the budget, but the OECD estimates that €14 billion was spent in the EU in 2004 on payments based on input use and input constraints in 2004, some of which was nationally funded, out of a total of €108 billion support provided to EU farmers by EU taxpayers and consumers.

The EU's agriculture budget accounts for only part of EL market price support, the bulk of which is paid for by consumers. Fuller analysis can be found in DEFRA and HM Treasury's recent paper, "A Vision for the Common Agricultural Policy", in particular in Chapter 2.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the current population of each London borough based on (a) the 2001 census, (b) electoral rolls and (c) health service users; and what projections he has made for the next five years. [39923]

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

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 12 January 2006

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question regarding estimates of the current population of each London borough on(a) 2001 Census, (b) electoral rolls and (c) health service users; and projections for the next five years. (39923)

The Office for National Statistics publishes annual mid-year population estimates. The latest estimates are for mid-2004 and are given in Table 1. These mid-year population estimates are calculated using a robust methodology and are the best estimates of the resident population in an area. They are based on aged-on 2001 Census data adjusted for births, deaths and net migration. Further information on the methodology can be found at: www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=575.

Population projections for each London borough (and the City of London) for mid-2005 to mid-2010, are also given in Table 1. These projections are based on the mid-2003 population estimates and are the latest population projections available. They assume that trends in fertility, mortality and migration at the time of the mid-2003 population estimate will continue into the future.

The 2001 Census provided estimates the number of people usually resident in an area on Census day, 29 April 2001. These figures can be obtained from the published 2001 Census table KS01 a copy of which is held in the House of Commons Library in the published volume Census 2001, Key Statistics for local authorities in England and Wales.

Electoral rolls provide counts of the number of people registered to vote. The latest available data on the local/European electorate for 1 December 2004 can be found in the Table 2. It should be noted that the number of people eligible to vote is not the same as the resident population aged 18 and over. There are numerous reasons for this. For example not everyone who is usually resident is entitled to vote (foreign citizens from outside of the EU and Commonwealth, prisoners, etc. are not eligible), some people do not register to vote and people who have more than one address may register in more than one place. Further there is inevitably some double counting of the registered electorate as electoral registration officers vary in how quickly they remove people from the registers after they have moved away from an area or after they have died. These factors may have a different impact from place to place.

The number of people registered with a GP. living in each London borough (and the City of London), in July 2004. can also be found in the Table 2. It should also "be noted that patient register counts differ from estimates of the usually resident population for a number of reasons..

Some patients may have more than one NHS number and be double counted and people may be on a patient register after having left the country. Patient registers for local areas may be inflated, for example, student areas, due to students who do not quickly re-register after finishing their course of study and moving away from an area. The patient registers also exclude individuals who are ineligible to be registered with a GP, such as persons employed in the armed forces, prisoners that are sentenced for a term of two years or more and certain patients in long stay medical hospitals. Again this has differential impact from area to area.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ask the Tax Office to provide claimants with a full explanation of how the demands for repayment of (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit are calculated. [32421]

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) code of practice 26 "What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?" explains the rates of recovery for overpayments of tax credits. From April 2006 HMRC will introduce an improved version of the tax credits award notice. This will include a section on overpayments and how any overpayment will be recovered.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit applications are being processed; and how many of each were received (i) up to six months ago and (ii) more than six months ago. [36669]

The information is not available in the form requested. There is a single claim form for tax credits so it is not possible to differentiate between claims for child tax credit and working tax credit.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his Department will extend the criteria for suspension of the recovery of a tax credit overpayment to include cases where (a) a letter has been sent by an hon. Member to the Paymaster General regarding a case of disputed overpayment, (b) the Parliamentary ombudsman has commenced an investigation into a case where the claimant has been overpaid and (c) a letter has been sent by an hon. Member to the Tax Credit Office in Preston regarding a case of overpaid tax credits. [38626]

holding answer 19 December 2006

Where a claimant wishes to dispute recovery of an overpayment, HM Revenue and Customs will initiate suspension of recovery following receipt of a letter or a form TC846 (request to reconsider recovery of tax credits) from the claimant; or a letter sent on behalf of the claimant, and with their authority.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of not reclaiming overpaid tax credits from those whose incomes rise by less than £25,000. [41714]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Members for Birkenhead (Mr. Frank Field) and Yeovil (Mr. David Laws) on 13 December 2005, .Official Report, column 1836W

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what criteria are used to decide which taxpayers will be subject to tax investigation. [40925]

Cases for direct tax investigation into Self-Assessment returns are selected according to the risk of loss of duty to the Treasury.

The only exception to this is the small proportion of cases that are statistically selected at random in order to police the system while at the same time providing information as to the extent of compliance in the general population.

For indirect taxes, "investigation" is the term specifically used to describe the Department's activity to combat cases of suspected fraud.

The selection of taxpayers for mainstream assurance contact, including visits, is based upon interpretation of the Department's risk analysis systems, past results and other information and intelligence.

The Department focuses its contacts not only on the wilfully non-compliant through tax investigations, but also on those taxpayers needing education and support through an educational and enabling programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total administrative costs for his core Department are; and whether these are regarded as (a) identifiable and (b) non-identifiable for the purposes of public expenditure statistical analyses. [39837]

DFID's provisional outturn for its gross control administration costs limit for 2004–05 is £216,457,000.

DFID's total expenditure, including administration costs, is classified as identifiable, outside the UK for the purpose of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA).

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the threat of famine in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. [41415]

Poor rains in much of the Horn of Africa at the end of 2005 have left many communities who are dependent on farming and raising livestock in serious difficulties. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation has issued a report saying that as many as 11 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti may require assistance in 2006. The severe food shortages in parts of these countries is sadly not a new phenomenon, and DFID has been responding with humanitarian assistance for many years. We are aware of the particular threat this year, the possibility that the current crisis may deepen, and that other areas may come to be affected.

DFID humanitarian advisers visited the worst affected areas in Kenya in November 2005, and visits to Somalia and Ethiopia are planned for early 2006.

This month DFID contributed £1 million to the World Food Programme for Somalia on top of the over £5 million we spent there on humanitarian interventions in 2005. This includes a number of health and nutrition operations in the worst affected parts of Southern Somalia.

In Ethiopia DFID made a commitment of £43 million in March 2005 to the cash and food aid based Productive Safety Net programme. This programme provides assistance to some of the poorest communities in Ethiopia. In December 2005 we announced a further £2.7 million for Kenya in response to the situation there.

DFID will continue to monitor the situation closely and we stand ready to provide additional support if necessary.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what has been the annual expenditure on training and development for (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) Executive agency and (iii) other public body for which he is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06. [39983]

The available information is given in the following tables. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) is not responsible for any training expenditure in bodies in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Expenditure on training in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is split between budgets held centrally in the training and development team and those held by line management. The central budget covers the ODPM's induction programme, performance management training, the learning library and Skills for Life programme, helps deliver the ODPM's Excellence in Delivery programme and supports the implementation of Professional Skills for Government. Expenditure on training by line managers is via the Training Framework which offers over 600 public scheduled courses covering a wide range of topics to ensure staff have the necessary core skills.

With regard to the Audit Commission, this is an operational matter for that body. I will ask the chief executive to write to the hon. Member and to ensure the answer is made available in the Library of the House.

Table 1 £000

n/a=Not available.

Table 2

n/a=Not available.

The Architects Registration Board's accounts operate on an annual basis—from January to December, rather than the financial year from April to March. The training expenditure, in £000 is as follows:

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to publish as an annex to his annual report a list of all publications published by his Department in the preceding year; and if he will make a statement. [41018]

A database of publications issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister since May 2002 is available on the ODPM website at: http://www.publications.odpm.gov.uk/ Information can be accessed by both date and policy area.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to publish this information in duplicate in our annual report.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what action his Department is taking to reduce increases in the cost of auditing to local councils. [40775]

The Audit Commission is responsible for setting the fees for audit. Its current consultation paper "Local Councils—Proposed fee scales 2006– 2011" gives details of proposed reductions on audit fees for many small councils.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the council tax bills for his official residences have been paid out of public funds, in each year since his appointment as Deputy Prime Minister. [39478]

holding answer 9 January 2006

I have reviewed the arrangements for the payment of council tax on the official residence I occupy at Admiralty house.

The Government have paid a discounted amount of council tax on this flat since 1997, continuing the arrangements in place for the previous Conservative Administration. The residence at the time was the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence. Consequently, the following amounts of council tax have been paid out of public funds for my official residence:

⁽²¹⁾ Pro-rata share subsequently taken over by DETR.

I was paying council tax on my Hull constituency home and on a rented flat in London, which I vacated in November 2003. I believed that I was paying council tax on all three properties.

In 1997 I was assigned an official residency at Admiralty house that was deemed as my primary residence in accordance with the House of Commons rules.

As part of this arrangement I paid additional income tax on the benefit in kind arising from the utilities and services associated with my occupancy of the official residence, equivalent to 10 per cent. of my ministerial salary. This is in accordance with legislation first introduced in the Finance Act 1977 and included in the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 and the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003.1 believed that council tax on the official residence was included in this.

In 1997 the Government carried on paying council tax as before on the flat, and claimed a discount (on a second home/company basis). This was not confirmed with me and nor was any advice given to me at the time.

On reviewing the situation, I am now aware that an inadvertent error has occurred, based on a genuine misunderstanding. To avoid any doubt, I have therefore:

issued this answer to a parliamentary question to correct the record and to fully apologise to the House;

instructed my Department to confirm to Westminster City council that Admiralty house is my primary residence;

insisted that future council tax bills should be sent direct and personally to me;

re-imbursed the Department for their payment of council tax since 1997; and

although I have no legal obligation to do so, I will pay full council tax on Admiralty house for the whole of the period since 1997 and have requested that Westminster City council calculate any amounts arising from my decision to do so.

The Commons Fees Office have confirmed that I have acted within the rules at all times.

The Cabinet Secretary has confirmed that for the future he has put in place procedures to ensure that Ministers who are allocated official residences are given clear guidance on dealing with their council tax liabilities.

Dorneywood is owned and managed by an independent trust, which meets the cost of the council tax. There is no cost to public funds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the average cost is per household of (a) digital switch-over and (b) aerial repairs to enable households to receive digital television. [40652]

On 8 November 2005, Ofcom published research by the Generics Group which examined the cost and power consumption implications of digital switchover for UK households. The report estimates that

"for those households that will incur a cost as a result of switchover, the actual cost will depend on the equipment requiring conversion and the level of voluntary conversion carried out before switchover. Typical non-voluntary costs for TVs and recorders in households containing an average collection of reception equipment are therefore estimated to range from £26 to £153."

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of (a) personal and (b) company bankruptcies in (i) London and (ii) each London borough in each of the last three years. [40803]

The following table records the numbers of individual bankruptcy orders and company compulsory liquidations in the London Region classified according to Official Receivers' Office from 2002–03 to 2004–05.

Figures are not separately available for each London borough.

Numbers of compulsory insolvencies recorded in the London Official Receivers offices, 2002–03 to 2004–05 Financial year total^(22)(23)

⁽²²⁾ Croydon Official Receiver's Office is classified under London Region for 2004–05 only, when it accounted for 1,678 of the 4,910 bankruptcies and 209 of the 1,137 company compulsory liquidations.

⁽²³⁾ The 2004–05 figures also include Public Interest Unit (PIU) and Carousel, which together amount to 18 bankruptcies and 139 company compulsory liquidations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to set out the employment legislation relating to pregnancy and maternity for (a) employers and (b) employees. [40672]

A large amount of information is already available to both employers and employees, including guidance provided by DTI, DWP and HMRC. ACAS provides information through its dedicated helpline as well as through guidance. The information on the Businesslink.gov website is being enhanced to provide employers with more support in managing a pregnancy in the workplace. Information for employees has been drawn together on to the direct.gov website.

However, in the context of the changes to maternity leave and pay provisions which will follow the Work and Families Bill, DTI, DWP and HMRC will work together to rationalise the guidance on their own websites and ensure there is comprehensive and coherent information available that is easily accessible and properly signposted. This will include Government working with stakeholders to develop the proposal for a leaflet setting out the rights and responsibilities of both employers and employees which will be provided at an early stage of a woman's pregnancy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to support micro and small businesses to manage pregnancy and maternity within their employee base. [40699]

The Government recognise that small businesses can sometimes face particular difficulties in managing and administering maternity leave and statutory maternity pay (SMP). Additional financial support is available for smaller employers. All employers are able to claim back 92 per cent. of the SMP they pay to their employees but smaller employers—those whose annual national insurance liability is £45,000 or less—are able to claim back 100 per cent. of the SMP they pay out plus an additional 4.5 per cent. Employers are also able to claim this money in advance from HMRC where making the payment would cause them cashflow problems.

Measures in the work and families package will also offer small employers more practical support. To give employers more certainty in managing maternity leave we will be extending, from 28 days to eight weeks, the amount of notice a woman must give if she is changing her plans about returning from maternity leave. We will also be clarifying in regulation that an employer may make reasonable contact with a woman during maternity leave. The introduction of keeping in touch days will enable a woman to do some limited days' work activity for her employer. This will support employers and employees in maintaining contact during maternity leave and will help to ease a woman's return to work after maternity leave.

Government are also changing some of the SMP rules to ease administration for employers. Employers will be able to calculate a daily rate for SMP if this will help them to pay SMP at the same time as a woman's usual payday. Women will be able to choose to begin their maternity leave on any day of the week which will allow maternity leave and pay periods to be fully aligned.

No employer now needs to calculate SMP manually. From February 2005, HMRC introduced and supplied a new SMP calculate to all employers on its employers CD ROM 2005. HMRC has also improved the SMP calculators on its website. To support those less comfortable with electronic solutions, the HMRC employer's helpline will calculate the SMP amounts and dates payable and the amounts recoverable, and follow this up with prompt reassurance in the form of written confirmation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the Department for Regional Development Roads maintenance budget expenditure in (a) Limavady and (b) Coleraine borough council areas was in each of the last three years. [38955]

The chief executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.

Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 12 January 2006

You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what the Department for Regional Development Roads maintenance budget expenditure in(a) Limavady and (b) Coleraine Borough Council areas was in each of the last three years.

I have been asked to reply as these issues fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.

The most recent figures available are up to the financial year ended March 2005 and I can confirm that the roads maintenance expenditure in Limavady and Coleraine Borough Council areas in each of the last three years are as detailed in the table below.

I hope this information is helpful.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what financial investment he plans to make in the Water Service. [1358]

The Priorities and Budget document published on 20 December 2004 provides for the following levels of investment in the Water Service:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the Government of Sudan's co-operation with the work of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in Darfur. [40496]

On 13 December 2005, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno-Ocampo, presented a report to the UN Security Council on the progress of his Office's investigation into the situation in Darfur. The report, available at www.icc-cpi.int/home.html stated that the Office had made good progress in the investigation's first phase, and noted that the next phase would seek the further assistance and co-operation of the Government of Sudan.

However, also on 13 December 2005, the Sudanese Justice Minister made comments suggesting that the ICC would not be allowed to enter Darfur to conduct investigations.

In response, on 14 December 2005, my noble Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth office Minister for Africa, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, said:

"UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1593 referred the situation in Darfur to the ICC and called upon all parties, including the Government of Sudan, to co-operate with the ICC investigation. This referral sent a strong signal to the world at large that there can be no impunity for those guilty of grave human rights abuses. I am therefore deeply concerned to hear the recent statement by Sudan's Justice Minister, Muhammad Ali al-Mardi, that Sudan will not allow investigators from the ICC into Darfur. We expect the Government of Sudan to comply with all the wishes of the international community as set out in UNSCR 1593 and cooperate fully with the ICC should it decide to visit Darfur."

The Government will continue to support the ICC as it takes forward its investigation, and to maintain pressure on all parties, including the Government of Sudan, to provide full co-operation as requested by the ICC.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Sudan concerning its decision not to allow international investigators into Darfur; and if he will continue to seek the Government of Sudan's agreement to sign up to the International Criminal Court. [40648]

In a statement issued on 14 December 2005, available at http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c= Page&cid=1007029391638&a=KArticle&aid= l133774576642 my noble Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Africa, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, said:

"UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1593 referred the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and called upon all parties, including the Government of Sudan, to co-operate with the ICC investigation. This referral sent a strong signal to the world at large that there can be no impunity for those guilty of grave human rights abuses. I am therefore deeply concerned to hear the recent statement by Sudan's Justice Minister, Muhammed Ali al-Mardi, that Sudan will not allow investigators from the ICC into Darfur. We expect the Government of Sudan to comply with all the wishes of the international community as set out in UNSCR 1593 and cooperate fully with the ICC should it decide to visit Darfur."

On 21 December 2005, the British ambassador to Sudan met with Vice President Taha of Sudan and also emphasised the importance of co-operation with the ICC.

The Government will continue to support the ICC as it takes forward its investigation, and to maintain pressure on all parties, including the Government of Sudan, to provide full co-operation in response to any ICC request.

Sudan is a signatory to the Rome Statute of the ICC but has not yet ratified the Statute. The UK believes in a strong ICC with global membership and jurisdiction that can help bring an end to the culture of impunity for the worst crimes against humanity including genocide and other war crimes. To this end, we urge Sudan to ratify the Rome Statute.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent research his Department has commissioned on (a) religious discrimination, (b) church closures and (c) violence in West Java. [41030]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not commissioned any specific research on religious discrimination, church closures and violence in West Java. However, we continually monitor the situation.

We welcome the fact that President Yudhoyono issued an instruction in December 2005 to his Cabinet Secretary, instructing him to ensure that no more places of worship are closed and to assist congregations which no longer have a place of worship.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government supports the proposal for a United Nations Security Council resolution by Vaclav Havel and Desmond Tutu in their report "A Threat to the Peace". [40790]

We fully support any action in the United Nations, including in the UN Security Council, which would help to promote reform and positive change in Burma. UN Security Council members discussed the situation in Burma on 16 December. The United Kingdom took an active role in this discussion, raising our concerns about human rights abuses, including the detention of political prisoners, internal conflicts and the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been non-compliant with their Child Support Agency assessment in each quarter since Q1 1996; and if he will make a statement. [28422]

holding answer 17 November 2005

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 12 January 2006

In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.

You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been non-compliant with their Child Support Agency assessment in each quarter since Q1 1996; and if he will make a statement.

The information requested is provided in the table attached.

It should be noted that, whilst the number of non-compliant cases has nearly doubled between February 1996 and August 2005, the Child Support Agency's caseload has also increased significantly over this period. Over the same period, the Agency's case compliance rate has increased from 58 to 70 per cent.

I hope you find this helpful.

Child Support Agency collection service cases compliance status February 1996 to August 2005

Notes:

1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand.

2. Robust information covering the period May 2003 to February 2004 is not currently available.

3. Compliance is defined as all those cases which are open and have paid money, either regular maintenance and/or arrears via the collection service over the preceding quarter.

4. The above includes only those old scheme cases with a full maintenance assessment, and those new scheme cases with either a full maintenance calculation, or a default maintenance decision. Old scheme cases with a punitive interim maintenance assessment are excluded from this analysis in line with the agency's target definition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many health-related benefit claims by the working age population (a) were made in 2004–05 and (b) have been made in 2005–06 in (i) England, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) Stoke-on-Trent. [37741]

Information is not available in the format requested. The most recent available information on the number of recipients of health-related benefits is in the table.

Working age recipients of incapacity benefit (IB); severe disablement benefit (SDA); industrial injuries disablement benefit (IIDB); reduced earnings allowance (REA); retirement allowance (RA); income support disability premium (ISDP); or disability living allowance (DLA), by area

⁽²⁴⁾ IIDB and REA/RA figures are at March 2005, all others are at May 2005.

⁽²⁵⁾ A customer may be in receipt of either industrial injuries disablement benefit or reduced earnings allowance/retirement allowance or both.

Notes:

1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.

2. IB/SDA 'Claimant' figures include all IB and SDA (including IB credits only cases).

3. DLA totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.

Source:

DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study100 per cent. data and Industrial Injuries Computer System 100 per cent. count.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the charge per minute is of telephoning the Jobcentre Plus contact centre from (a) a land line and (b) from each mobile phone network; and what the average call duration has been in the last 12 months. [38388]

holding answer 20 December 2005

The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to my hon. Friend.

Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 12 January 2006

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning what the charge per minute is of phoning the Jobcentre Plus contact centre from(a) a land line and (b) from each mobile phone network; and what the average call duration has been in the last 12 months. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

To make a claim, the customer calls a contact centre. Contact centre staff ask the customer a series of questions to assess their potential eligibility to Jobcentre Plus benefits and then arrange to call the customer back at a mutually agreed time, to assist in completion of a claim form. This allows the customers to provide information over the phone, rather than completing a lengthy form.

Jobcentre Plus contact centres use 0845 numbers—which is equivalent to local rate when customers use a BT landline. The charge per minute will depend on the service/tariff that customers have signed up to with their phone provider. Customers using mobile telephones or other landline networks are charged at their network provider's normal tariff for 0845 calls.

The average length of an inbound call is 11 minutes. BT call prices for 0845 numbers vary dependent on the time the customer calls, and can range from 1p to 3p per minute. Based on this information the cost of the inbound call using a BT line would be on average between 11p & 33p. Customers can also use "warm phones" in local Jobcentre Plus offices to call the contact centre free of charge.

To complete the information gathering process for a customer's claim to benefit, a call is made from the contact centre to the customer. There is no cost to the customer for this call.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of public expenditure on the new deal for each year from 1997–98 to 2008–09; and if he will make a statement. [36163]

The available information is in the following table.

New deal expenditure £ million

Notes:

1. Figures comprise: programme expenditure; allowance payments, and the New Deal 50 plus Employment Credit (which was subsumed in the Working Tax Credit from 2003–04).

2. Figures also include total administrative expenditure up to 2002–03 but only the staff cost element of administrative expenditure from 2003–04.

3. Figures for 2006–07 and 2007–08 are indicative and subject to change.

4. Figures for 2008–09 are not available.

Source:

DWP Financial Strategy Division

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of (a) men and (b) women aged between 50 years and state pension age who (i) changed jobs, (ii) changed careers, (iii) reduced their hours of work, (iv) took up educational courses, (v) retired early due to ill-health and (vi) retired early for reasons other than ill-health over the last 20 years; and if he will make a statement. [40483]

The available information is in the tables.

Number of people aged 50 to state pension age changing occupation or employer since 1986

⁽²⁶⁾ Since 2001, it has been necessary to use a different method to assess whether people have changed occupation. Direct comparisons can therefore not be made with figures in previous years.

Notes:

1. The Labour Force Survey is a sample survey of private households, student halls of residence and NHS accommodation and is subject to statistical variation.

2. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Source:

Labour Force Survey

Percentage of people aged 50 to state pension age changing occupation or employer since 1986

⁽²⁷⁾ Since 2001, it has been necessary to use a different method to assess whether people have changed occupation. Direct comparisons can therefore not be made with figures in previous years.

Note:

The Labour Force Survey is a sample survey and is subject to statistical variation.

Source:

Labour Force Survey

Number of people between 50 and state pension age who reduced their working hours and number of people who have taken up educational courses since 1986

⁽²⁸⁾ Consists of people who were in full time work a year before the survey interview but were in part-time work at the time of interview.

⁽²⁹⁾ Consists of people who did not report being engaged on an educational course a year before the survey interview but were on a course at the time of interview.

Notes:

1. Information on people enrolling on educational courses is not available prior to 1995.

2. Data does not include people who enrolled on leisure courses or those who participated on short courses within the year ending before the survey interview.

3. The Labour Force Survey is a sample survey and is subject to statistical variation.

4. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Source:

Labour Force Survey

Percentage of people between 50 and state pension age who reduced their working hours and number of people who have taken up educational courses since 1986

⁽³⁰⁾ Consists of people who were in full time work a year before the survey interview but were in part-time work at the time of interview.

⁽³¹⁾ Consists of people who did not report being engaged on an educational course a year before the survey interview but were on a course at the time of interview.

Notes:

1. Information on people enrolling on educational courses is not available prior to 1995.

2. Data does not include people who enrolled on leisure courses or those who participated on short courses within the year ending before the survey interview.

3. The Labour Force Survey is a sample survey and is subject to statistical variation.

Source:

Labour Force Survey

Number of people between 50 and state pension age recorded as retiring early due to ill health and number of people recorded as retiring early for other reasons

Notes:

1. Consists of individuals who recall being in work or laid off or on short-time working one year earlier, who said they were now economically inactive due to long-term sickness or disability in particular year. These individuals are not necessarily 'retired' and could have subsequently returned to work.

2. Consists of individuals who recall being in work or laid off or on short-time working one year earlier, who said they were now economically inactive due to being retired or not needing or wanting work. Some of these individuals may have left their last job due to sickness or disability.

3. Information for men and for the 'All' category in1992 is not included as data is not available on the categories of economic inactivity for 60 to 64-year-old men at this point.

4. The structure of the economic activity questions on the Labour Force Survey was changed in 1992 and data may not necessarily be entirely consistent with future years.