To ask the Prime Minister

(1) what role the Police Service of Northern Ireland underwater search unit is playing in the investigation of the disappearance of Lisa Dorrian; [49421]

(2) what recent discussions he has had with senior Police Service of Northern Ireland officers on the investigation into the disappearance of Lisa Dorrian. [49422]

I understand that the Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) have employed a number of resources, including the PSNI underwater search unit, over the past year in the investigation into Lisa Dorrian's disappearance. This remains an on-going police investigation and my hon. Friend the Policing and Security Minister for Northern Ireland (Mr.Woodward) receives regular updates. Given the hon. Lady's interest in this case, I have asked my hon. Friend to keep her updated, within the necessary constraints given that this is an ongoing police investigation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on human rights in China. [49010]

The Government has serious concerns about a wide range of human rights issues in China. These are set out in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Human Rights report. We raise our concerns with the Chinese Government regularly, including through the UK China Human Rights Dialogue, ministerial engagement and EU mechanisms. We acknowledge that the Chinese Government has recently done much to reduce poverty and promote economic development.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on human rights in China. [49014]

China has done much in recent years to reduce poverty and promote economic development. But serious human rights problems remain.

The Government raises these concerns with the Chinese Government regularly, including through the UK China Human Rights Dialogue, ministerial engagement and EU mechanisms.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the work of Caleb McCarry, US-Cuba Transition Co-ordinator, on UK-Cuban relations. [49011]

The UK, with EU partners, adopted a Common Position on Cuba in 1996. This has not changed. It is a clear statement of the UK/EU policy of constructive engagement to achieve political and economic reform in Cuba, including human rights.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 20 January 2006, Official Report, column 1702W, to the hon. Member for Houghton and Washington East, on Cuba if he will name the main non-official Cuban human rights organisation referred to; where it is based; and from what sources it receives its funding. [48976]

holding answer 6 February 2006

The main non-official Cuban human rights organisation referred to of 20 January 2006, Official Report, column 1702W, on Cuba, is the Comision Cubana de Derechos Humanos y Reconciliacion Nacional (CCDHRN). This is a long-standing, independent organisation, which presents up-to-date information on human rights in Cuba, particularly on political prisoners and the death penalty. CCDHRN is based in Havana and run by Elizardo Sanchez Santacruz, Cuba's best known human rights monitor and a former political prisoner. It is not recognised by the Cuban state. CCDHRN has developed close links with the international media and human rights NGOs, including Amnesty International, and we understand it has a number of funding sources although its running costs are very small.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what account he has taken of the Hamas charter in assessing Hamas's acceptability as a partner for peace in the middle east. [49015]

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House on 1 February: We will not be able to take the process forward if one of the partners has in its constitution the desire to get rid of the other partner. Hamas faces a fundamental choice. If they choose democracy and peace, and work side by side with Israel, then we stand ready to take the process forward.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on democracy in the middle east. [49016]

We are working hard, bilaterally and multilaterally through the EU and G8, to support democratic political and economic reforms in the middle east and strengthen civil society's role in public life. Almost every Arab country now has some form of democratic legislative assembly, and more women in Government positions. It is in our interest to promote democracy and freedom as essential ingredients for economic success and the reduction of poverty.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with EU colleagues on the results of the elections in the Palestinian territories. [49019]

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the results of the Palestinian election with his EU counterparts on 30 January.

The EU expects the new Palestinian Government to be committed to a peaceful and negotiated solution of the conflict with Israel based on existing agreements and the Roadmap as well as to the rule of law, reform and sound fiscal management.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the political situation in Afghanistan. [49017]

Afghanistan has made remarkable political progress since 2001. Last year saw parliamentary and provincial elections and the inauguration of the National Assembly, building on the presidential election in 2004. This progress was recognised at last week's London Conference on Afghanistan. The Afghanistan Compact, launched at the Conference, commits the Afghan Government and international community to an ambitious progress of further reconstruction.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the political situation in Afghanistan. [49022]

Afghanistan has made remarkable political progress since 2001. Last year saw parliamentary and provincial elections and the inauguration of the National Assembly, building on the presidential election in 2004. This progress was recognised at last week's London Conference on Afghanistan. The Afghanistan Compact launched at the Conference, commits the Afghan Government and international community to an ambitious progress of further reconstruction.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the strength is of (a) the Afghan National Police and (b) the Afghan Border Police; what the expected rate is of annual increase in manpower for each; and what assessment his Department has made of what additional crime-fighting equipment will be required to meet the target of a fully functioning combined force of 62,000 personnel by 2010. [49280]

As of 31 December 2005, 49,300 national police, 1,500 highway police, 5,600 border police, and 500 Counter-Narcotics police (CNPA) had been trained and deployed. At 31 December 2005, 2,367 national police, 79 highway police, 597 border police and 25 CNPA were undergoing training. On current schedules, by 1 June 2006, 55,650 national police, 1,850 highway police, 9,600 border police, and 600 CNPA will have been trained, a combined force of 67,380.

Germany, which is responsible for co-ordinating international assistance to the Afghan Government's police reform programme, the Afghan Government and Qatar, are co-hosting an international conference on police reform in Afghanistan, in Doha on 27–28 February. The focus of the conference is regional police co-operation and the role of the Afghan Border Police in managing Afghanistan's borders. The conference also aims to reach agreement on priority activities to support the further development of the combined Afghan National Police, in terms of institutional capacity-building and the provision of equipment to meet current and future needs. The UK will participate in the conference and will subsequently consider how it can continue to support reform of the Afghan National Police.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of (a) the number and (b) the total strength of illegal armed groups in Afghanistan. [49281]

We have made no independent assessment of the numbers or strength of Illegal Armed Groups in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan New Beginnings Programme (ANBP), the mechanism through which the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, the United Nations Development Programme and the international community support the Government of Afghanistan's efforts to disarm, demobilise and reintegrate former Afghan Military Force members, estimates that there are 2,000 groups with a total strength of up to 100,000 members. 579 of these groups are already engaged in the disarmament and demobilisation programme. The UK is represented on the ANBP international co-ordinating body and has contributed over £12 million to the ANBP and separate weapons destruction programmes since 2002. Further information is available on the ANBP website at http://www.undpan.bp.org.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what quantity of drugs was seized in Afghanistan during 2005, broken down by type of narcotic. [49282]

We estimate that the Counter Narcotics Police of Afghanistan and the Afghan Special Narcotics Force have seized around 165 tonnes of opiates since November 2004. However, seizure figures since 2001 have been unreliable, due to difficulties in collating data centrally within Afghanistan. Additionally, forensic facilities are not yet widely available in Afghanistan and so Afghan police are often unable to accurately identify substances or record the quantities. We are unable, therefore, to provide a breakdown of types of narcotics seized.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to obtain EU support for vulnerable Caribbean sugar producers. [49018]

We welcomed December's agreement to €40 million transitional assistance for the first year (2006) for countries affected by reform of the EU sugar regime, in the Caribbean and elsewhere. Discussions are now starting on detailed allocations for 2007–13. We are pressing for significantly higher assistance for this period. We have also been working with the countries affected to help draw up country plans through which this assistance will be delivered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress towards a settlement of the situation in Cyprus. [49020]

The UN Secretary-General recently stated there had been negligible" progress towards a settlement.

I welcomed his statement, on the eve of my recent visit to Cyprus, reiterating his commitment to a comprehensive settlement.

I urge the two communities to resume their dialogue and for progress to be made on all fronts.

To ask the Secretary of Statefor Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the security situation in the Niger Delta. [49021]

The security situation in the Niger Delta remains tense following recent attacks on oil installations and the kidnapping, and subsequent release on 30 January, of four foreign oil workers. We are and will remain in close contact with the Nigerian authorities. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke personally to President Obasanjo of Nigeria on 21 January about the situation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking at EU level to ensure that the agreements reached at the G8 summit in Gleneagles are taken forward. [48540]

The December European Council agreed the EU-Africa Strategy to take forward many key Gleneagles commitments on Africa. The Strategy is a comprehensive overview of the EU's support to Africa in promoting peace and security and achieving the Millennium Development Goals, and will provide strategic direction to the EU on its partnership with Africa. It includes commitments on peace and security, governance, sustainable economic growth and trade, investing in people and development assistance.

The UK also used its presidency of the G8 and the EU to ensure that climate change was pushed up the EU agenda. We worked to ensure that, on energy efficiency for example, the EU and G8 approaches were mutually complimentary. We are working to ensure that the progress made during the 2005 EU Summits with India, China, Canada and Russia, and at the Gleneagles summit, continues. In December 2005, the UK was instrumental in producing a clear EU position and a successful overall outcome at the UN Climate Change meetings in Montreal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the incidence of HIV/AIDS in China; and if he will make a statement. [47540]

I have been asked to reply.

The Chinese Ministry of Health, the World Health Organisation and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) jointly announced new HIV and AIDS estimates on 25 January. They estimate that 650,000 people are living with HIV and AIDS. There were 70,000 new infections, and 25,000 deaths from AIDS, in 2005. Although this figure is less than the previous estimate in 2003 of 840,000, it represents a better estimation rather than a decline in prevalence. Working with China to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS is a priority for our DFID China programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with other EU governments on a diplomatic solution to the situation regarding Iran's nuclear programme. [48544]

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed Iran's nuclear programme with his EU counterparts at the meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels on 30 January. On the same day, he and his French and German colleagues discussed Iran with their US, Russian and Chinese counterparts in London. He has also discussed Iran with Ministers attending a conference about Afghanistan on 31 January, and in routine bilateral meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of Iran's support for terrorist groups; and if he will make a statement. [49013]

We remain deeply concerned by Iran's approach to terrorism and the nature of its relationship with Lebanese Hizballah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. We are also deeply concerned by and continue to investigate Iran's links to extremist groups in Iraq. We have pressed Iran to renounce all support for groups using terror and violence. We have urged Iran to act against members of Al-Qaeda and affiliated groups using Iran as a transit route or refuge, and to co-operate actively with the international community against them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost to the United Kingdom of nursery schemes for the children of EC staff. [46851]

None. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office runs nurseries in London and Hanslope Park for its own staff and contributes towards the cost of nursery attendance for children of its staff overseas. It has no knowledge of nursery schemes for EC staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will change the eligibility criteria for EU and UK funding for each of the overseas territories (a) to exclude per capita income to take account of their small population size and (b) to include the vulnerability of their micro-economy to outside circumstances beyond their control; and if he will make a statement. [46905]

I have been asked to reply.

DFID already recognises that a wide range of circumstances present significant development challenges to the overseas territories (OT) including small size, isolation and access, limited human resource capacity and vulnerability to external shocks. Funding decisions are not based only, or even primarily, on per capita income criteria, but with limited resources prioritisation is inevitable towards those territories which most need development assistance.

The main focus for DFID's support are Montserrat, St. Helena and Pitcairn. None are able to raise sufficient revenue to balance their recurrent budget so we provide budgetary aid to help them do so. We combine this with a development programme to help increase revenue and manage recurrent expenditure efficiently. We do however also provide assistance to other territories through our cross-cutting programme which provides support for a range of activities that are common to many or all of the OTs. These programmes include natural disaster management, environment protection, HIV/AIDS, law revision and child protection. All OTs benefit in some way from this assistance.

EU programmes have to a large extent focused on those overseas countries and territories whose economic development is least advanced, with wealth per capita criteria being the main deciding factors for allocations. However we are currently in discussion with the European Commission about the arrangements for continued funding for the OTs when the current allocations end after 2007. These discussions have included the commissioning of a study to look at a range of criteria, in addition to gross national income (GNI) per capita, to help determine the allocation of EU development funds to individual territories. We are also working to ensure that, overall, OTs receive an equitable allocation within the total available for EU development funding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many regulatory reform orders his Department has laid before Parliament in each of the last five calendar years. [46803]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the Government have made of whether the practice of the Russian Federation meets the standards of the Energy Charter Treaty. [49692]

The obligations of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) on a signatory depend on whether it has ratified the treaty, is applying it provisionally or has opted out of provisional application. The Russian Federation has not ratified the Treaty but has agreed to provisional application in accordance with Article 45 of the Treaty. This places some obligations on the Russia Federation, but only to the extent that such provisional application is not inconsistent with its constitution, laws or regulations. An assessment of whether a particular signatory of the ECT meets its provisions could be made by individual companies, the Energy Charter Secretariat or other signatories or Contracting Parties. It is a particular feature of the Treaty that companies can take direct action against signatories if they are in dispute on a matter covered by the Treaty.

The Government takes an active interest in the implementation of the Treaty's obligations by signatories, in particular through the work undertaken by the Energy Charter Treaty Secretariat, but has not undertaken assessment of any particular signatory.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is Government policy to encourage that the Russian Federation ratify the Energy Charter Treaty. [49693]

The Government have consistently encouraged the Russian Federation to ratify the Energy Charter Treaty and we continue to hope that they will do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreignand Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Russian counterpart on the RussianFederation's ratification of the Energy Charter Treaty. [49694]

Energy security formed an important part of the discussions that took place on 3 October during the EU-Russia Permanent Partnership Council (PPC), co-chaired by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, and on 4 October during the EU-Russia summit, hosted by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. The discussion at the PPC included Russian ratification of the Energy Charter Treaty. Energy Minister Viktor Krishtenko led the Russian delegation to the PPC. President Putin led the delegation to the EU-Russia summit, accompanied by Foreign Minister Lavrov.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in securing the language rights of Kurdish speakers in Turkey since the agreement to begin talks on Turkish accession to the EU. [48998]

Reforms in Turkey have strengthened Kurdish rights, but progress since 2004 has been limited. Last December Turkey's Radio and Television High Council re-iterated their commitment to allowing local broadcasting in non-Turkish languages. Progress in Turkey's negotiations for accession to the European Union will depend on measures taken in a range of areas including the need to protect the rights of all citizens. We will continue to press the Turkish Government to extend the rights of the Kurds in Turkey.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many poultry owners in Northamptonshire are registered with her Department; and what the flock size is of each registered poultry owner. [38097]

pursuant to the reply, 19 December 2005, Official Report, c. 2386W

This answer was incorrect. The answer that we originally provided drew on a combination of state veterinary service (SVS) data and local knowledge. It is clear that our answer should have been based on information from the Great Britain Poultry Register, which was launched on 9 December 2005. The revised answer provides information from this source.

As of midnight on 20 December 2005, four poultry owners in Northamptonshire have registered eligible poultry premises on the new GB poultry register. The total numbers of poultry on each registered premises in Northamptonshire are as follows:

(1) 84 Chickens, 1 Duck, 2 Geese

(2) 195 Chickens

(3) 7,000 Turkeys

(4) 83 Chickens

Eligible premises are required to register by 28 February 2006.

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what assessment the Commissioners have made of the extent to which the recent use of ministerial orders to amend church legislation has modified the convention that Parliament does not legislate for the Church of England without its consent. [48861]

The recent amendment of Church legislation by Orders made by ministers under the Civil Partnership Act 2005 was handled entirely consistently with the convention that Parliament does not legislate for the Church of England without its consent. Consent was given on behalf of the Church, by the House of Bishops and the Archbishops' Council, both to the inclusion in the Act of the powers enabling ministers to make consequential and other changes to Church legislation and then to the specific changes to be made in reliance on those powers.

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what procedures are followed for the drafting of laws in response to judgments of the European Court of Human Rights which affect matters traditionally within the sphere of ecclesiastical law. [48860]

The European Court of Human Rights has not, to date, held any legislation specific to the Church of England to be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. Were it to do so, or were any such legislation considered to be incompatible having regard to a finding of the European Court of Human Rights, an assessment would need to be made in consultation with ministers of the changes needed to ensure compatibility and the most appropriate form of legislation required to do so.

In the event of the European Court of Human Rights making a finding of incompatibility in relation to some aspect of the general law which bore significantly upon the life of the Church, the Church would expect to be consulted, in the usual way, before ministers exercised the power conferred by s.10 Human Rights Act 1998. The Church has been consulted in this way as part of ministers' consideration of the implications of the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in B and Lv. United Kingdom, in which the Court held that the prohibitions under the Marriage Act 1949 on marriages between a person and the parent of their former spouse and between a person and the former spouse of their child were incompatible with Article 12 of the Convention.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how his Department is liaising with non-governmental organisations operating in Afghanistan on reconstruction. [48930]

DFID is currently providing over 70 per cent. of its total programme funding (£100 million) in 2005–06 through the Government of Afghanistan. The other 30 per cent. of our programme is channelled directly to service providers, including non-governmental organizations (NGO)s, consultants, and multilateral agencies. However, a large amount of the work we fund through the Government is implemented on their behalf by NGOs. DFID also funds NGO work in Afghanistan through its central Civil Society Challenge Fund, and through Programme Partnership Agreements with leading UK NGOs.

In order to reach more remote and insecure areas, DFID works alongside locally based organisations to promote conflict prevention and stabilisation. This kind of community outreach encourages local organisations to identify areas of need which can then be implemented through community managed projects. The Global Conflict Prevention Pool (a trilateral fund shared by DFID, the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office), is also active in funding local initiatives aimed at enhancing the prospects of peace and security.

DFID maintains regular dialogue with NGOs on security problems and other challenges to operating in Afghanistan. We also discuss wider policy issues with them. Most recently we co-funded a Civil Society Conference in Kabul which engaged Afghan civil society (including NGOs) in consultation on the Interim-Afghanistan National Development Strategy and sent two civil society representatives to the London Conference on Afghanistan on 31 January-1 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's priorities are for the (a) rebuilding of infrastructure and (b) establishment of criminal justice agencies in Afghanistan. [48931]

The rebuilding of Afghanistan cannot be achieved without significant investments in infrastructure; but given the scale of resources required, and the importance of donors working to their respective comparative advantages, we believe other donors are better placed to make these investments. The USA, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan in particular are investing in Afghanistan's infrastructure sector. A component of DFID's livelihoods work does however include support for small scale rural infrastructure, and for road construction through emergency employment and rural access programmes.

The re-establishment of a functioning justice system is widely acknowledged to be essential to improving security and stability in Afghanistan. DFID has been engaged in the development of the Afghan Government's 'Justice for All Strategy' which outlines what needs to be done to re-establish a fully functioning justice system, including for criminal justice. DFID together with other UK Government Departments is specifically engaged in strengthening those aspects of the criminal justice system which relate directly to investigation, prosecution and detention of those engaged in the trade in illicit narcotics.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the items of departmental property worth over £100 that have been reported as (a) lost and (b) broken in the last 12 months. [47679]

For the period 1 January to 31 December 2005, the following items with a value of £100 or more were either(a) lost or (b) broken in DFID.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many departmental employees have taken early retirement due to ill-health in each of the past five years for which figures are available. [46747]

A total of 11 departmental employees have taken early retirement due to ill-health in the past five calendar years from the Department for International Development. On grounds of confidentiality, we are unable to disclose the individual yearly totals as there were less than five ill health retirements in each of the past five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department takes to assist states facing food shortages due to locusts. [49666]

DFID has a group of humanitarian advisers at regional and country level that monitor the food situation and the potential for food crises across Africa.

Where abnormal locust infestations threaten food security, DFID can provide support for ad-hoc locust control operations. For example, in 2004 DFID committed £1.5 million channelled through the United Nations Food Agriculture Organisation towards the emergency locust control operations in the Sahel Region.

Where locusts or other natural disasters destroy crops which result in widespread food shortages, DFID also supports the United Nations and non-governmental organisations to deliver relief, for example, in Sahel in 2005, DFID allocated £4.9 million for emergency food and nutrition interventions.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what actions the Government have taken to help countries achieve the global prevention goal to reduce HIV prevalence among young men and women aged 15 to 24 years, by 2005. [48787]

The UK played a key role in securing support for the Joint United Nations Programme for HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) prevention policy Intensifying HIV prevention" at its June 2005 programme co-ordination board, which I attended. This policy clearly emphasises the importance of evidence-informed prevention, including linking sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and HIV programmes and access to SRH supplies including female condoms, and tackling harm reduction.

Building on this, as EU president, we steered and secured agreement on the first EU wide policy Statement on HIV Prevention launched on World AIDS day 2005. This important document affirms the commitment of all 25 European member states to comprehensive and evidence based HIV prevention programming including:

Universal access to sexual and reproductive health information and services;

Reliable access to essential sexual and reproductive health supplies including condoms;

Universal access to education and life skills and sexuality education;

Action to confront and address gender-based violence;

Provision of accessible and integrated health promotion and harm reduction services for drug users.

Also on World AIDS Day 2005, the UK Government published a paper on Harm reduction—tackling drug use and HIV in the developing world". The paper builds on cross-Government consensus on harm reduction, ensuring a coordinated and collaborative UK approach.

Harm reduction refers to policies, strategies and programmes designed to reduce the harm associated with the use of psychoactive substances, including illicit drugs. Actions include:

Needle and syringe access to reduce opportunities for HIV transmission by removing the need to share injecting equipment;

Drug substitution therapy providing orally administered drugs to reduce the need for injections; and

Information and advice on sexual and reproductive health.

Harm reduction activities provide an important entry point for interventions such as condom distribution, voluntary counselling and testing, peer education on safer sex and reproductive health. In addition to strong policy and strategy directions, the UK has invested in a number of aid instruments which are helping to secure effective HIV prevention outcomes. This includes our substantial investments in the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, (£100 million annually in 2006 and 2007) the World Bank and in new prevention technologies (International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, International Partnership on Microbicides and the Microbicides Development Programme).

Across Africa, DFID's 16 priority country programmes¹ are working with national partners to deliver comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment and care services. The main focus has been to strengthen national multi-sectoral responses in line with the Three Ones ² ". Within this our programmes strengthen national HIV prevention efforts such as ensuring a stable supply of sexual and reproductive health services and commodities including male and female condoms. For example, DFID's £20 million HIV programme (STARZ) works with the Government of Zambia's national HIV and AIDS programme to provide reproductive health supplies, including condoms and education materials for HIV prevention, along with expansion of prevention of mother to child transmission programmes. In Uganda, we are funding civil society organisations such as TASO to provide prevention services such as youth clubs, radio talks, peer education workshops along with provision of care (counselling, clinical services, child support) to people living with AIDS .

Brazil's success in stabilising its AIDS epidemic within a decade is an acknowledged model for the developing world. Using the two principles of a rights based approach for people living with HIV and AIDS, and full dialogue and involvement of civil society, prevalence rates in Brazil are less than half the level estimated by the World Bank 10 years ago. The 15 to 24-years age group receive priority attention in AIDS education and health promotion initiatives, with a strong focus on mass media campaigns, backed up with small group education and condom distribution. DFID is now supporting the Brazil programme to provide technical assistance to AIDS programmes in other countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

In the Caribbean, as in many places, stigma and discrimination is driving the epidemic. There are particular concerns that young women in the 15 to 24-years age group are now twice as likely as their male peers to be infected with HIV. DFID has been funding a Champions for Change" programme, designed to encourage political, community and faith-based leaders to speak out against stigma and discrimination directed towards people living with HIV and AIDS, sex workers and men who have sex with men. Early signs, from the UNAIDS Epidemic Update (December 2005) show that overall prevalence may be starting to reach a plateau, though much remains to be done to continue and expand this improving trend.

DFID supports the response to AIDS in nine countries in Asia: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Indonesia and Burma (through the UN). HIV in these countries is less than 1 per cent. (with the exception of Cambodia where the incidence and prevalence rates of HIV are now falling, and Burma where measurement is particularly challenging). The relevant UN targets in these countries are therefore the prevalence rates in vulnerable groups rather than in the general population aged 15 to 24. Much of DFID's effort in these countries is directed towards prevention. This includes supporting evidence of modes of transmission and trends in spread of infection in emerging epidemics. We are also supporting the targeted delivery of services to vulnerable groups such as injecting drug users, sex workers and their clients and men who have sex with men.

¹ Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

² One agreed AIDS Action Framework for each country that drives alignment of all partners; One national AIDS authority, with a broad-based multi-sectoral mandate; One agreed country-level monitoring and evaluation system.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on how many occasions since 1 April 2003 he has complained to the Press Complaints Commission about the coverage in the press of (a) Ministers or officials and (b) his Department; and how many of these complaints were upheld. [47079]

DFID has not made any complaints to the Press Complaints Commission during this period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what budget the Highways Agency has identified for compulsory purchase orders along the A21 in East Sussex in (a) 2005–06 and (b) each year from 2006–07 to 2010–11. [49076]

The budget for the Targeted Programme of Improvements does not include any schemes on the A21.

The Proposed Route for the A21 Flimwell to Robertsbridge Improvement was announced in February 2005 and this has triggered the option for property owners directly affected by the proposals to submit a Blight Notice to the Highways Agency, requesting them to buy their property.

Further development of the scheme is dependent upon the outcome of the Regional Prioritisation exercise and subsequent ministerial announcement.

The agency currently has a provision of £10 million for qualifying cases in the financial year 2005–06, with a further £5 million forecast for 2006–07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans the Highways Agency has to rent out properties purchased under compulsory purchase orders along the A21 between Flimwell and Robertsbridge. [49462]

A compulsory purchase order has not yet been published for this scheme. The Proposed Route for the A21 Flimwell to Robertsbridge Improvement was announced in February 2005 and this has triggered the option for property owners directly affected by the proposals to submit a Blight Notice to the Highways Agency, requesting them to buy their property.

Properties that qualify and are acquired through this process are being rented out as soon as possible through the agency's managing agent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the Chief Executive of the South East England Development Agency regarding the proposed A21 upgrade between Flimwell and Robertsbridge. [49460]

The Chief Executive of the South East England Development Agency wrote to the Highways Agency on 4 March 2003 in response to the public consultation on the A21 South of Pembury to Hastings, which included proposals for upgrading the route between Flimwell and Robertsbridge.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what alternatives to runway alteration he will propose to provide respite from air traffic noise and pollution; and if he will make a statement. [47213]

Options for introducing mixed mode at Heathrow are still being developed. There will be public consultation on any proposals and this will address the implications for runway alternation, as currently operated, and any mitigation measures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultancy contracts worth more than £100,000 have been entered into by (a) his Department, (b) the Highways Agency, (c) the Strategic Rail Authority and (d) the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority in each of the past five years; and what work the contracts covered. [43595]

The Department follows central guidance on awarding contracts set out by the Office of Government Commerce. Projects are only contracted out where they require specialist advice that cannot be provided in house. All contracts are awarded following a competitive tendering process in order to ensure value for money.

A table has been placed in the Libraries of the House listing the contracts in excess of £100,000 which have been entered into, since the Department was created in May 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport

(1) how much has been raised through fixed penalties for (a) heavy goods vehicles and (b) public service vehicle operators since January 2004; [48223]

(2) how much money his Department expects to raise from fixed penalties for HGV and PSV operators in 2007–08. [48226]

At present the only fixed penalties that apply to HGVs and PSVs are those that apply to all motorists, for example for moving traffic offences such as speeding or using a mobile phone. The penalties are levied on the driver rather than the operator. There is no breakdown available that indicates how many of these fixed penalties are paid by drivers of HGVs and PSVs.

The Road Safety Bill contains enabling provisions for a system of graduated fixed penalties for offences specific to the operation of HGVs and PSVs, for example overloading and exceeding driver's hours limits. The amount of revenue from the fixed penalty scheme will depend on the levels for fixed penalties and the range of offences for which they will be used. These details will be settled after a public consultation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress is being made on the Project for the Sustainable Development of Heathrow; and when he expects the project to report. [46317]

The work continues, to programme the technical review of current air quality around Heathrow and the approach to future assessment is largely complete. We expect to publish a full report on this shortly, following peer review. This will put us in a stronger position to re-assess the likely position at Heathrow under different scenarios in future years. We are continuing to examine measures to address surface access and noise in the event of further development, including a short third runway and the possible introduction of mixed mode.

Details of the work programme are on the Department for Transport's website and further papers will be published on the website as work progresses, in accordance with the Department's publication scheme. We expect to be reaching some conclusions later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice his Department has issued regarding the use of overhead electronic gantry signs on motorways for messages other than those related to relevant traffic conditions; and if he will make a statement. [49050]

Variable Message Signs (VMS) are generally used to display real time traffic information to help drivers complete their journeys safely and efficiently. They give warning of slow moving traffic and queues as well as delays, and give motorists the opportunity to make decisions in-journey.

VMS are also used to display safety campaign messages such as DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE, KEEP LEFT UNLESS OVERTAKING and MAKE TIME FOR A BREAK.

VMS can also be used to provide accurate information for the motorist, to reduce the effects of congestion. They can give information about possible congestion from major events likely to have a significant effect on the motorway. This type of information is given near to the location Where congestion may occur, for the journey in question.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport

(1) how much his Department contributed to the (a) West Midlands to East Midlands, (b) West Midlands and (c) East Midlands Multi-modal Studies; what the total cost was of carrying out each study; which of each study's recommendations have been approved by his Department; and in which recommended areas construction work has commenced; [44751]

(2) how much his Department contributed to the (a) A453, (b) A52, (c) A34 and (d) M60 Multi-modal Studies; what the total cost was of carrying out each study; which of each study's recommendations have been approved by his Department; and in which recommended areas construction work has commenced; [44752]

(3) how much his Department contributed to the (a) London to South Midlands, (b) London orbital and (c) Thames Valley Multi-modal Studies; what the total cost was of carrying out each study; which of each study's recommendations have been approved by his Department; and in which recommended areas construction work has commenced; [44753]

(4) how much his Department contributed to the (a) Cambridge to Huntingdon, (b) Norwich to Peterborough and (c) London to Ipswich Multi-modal Studies; what the total cost was of carrying out each study; which of each study's recommendations have been approved by his Department; and in which recommended areas construction work has commenced; [44754]

(5) how much his Department contributed to the (a) M1 North/South, (b) south coast and (c) access to Hastings Multi-modal Studies; what the total cost was of carrying out each study; which of each study's recommendations have been approved by his Department; and in which recommended areas construction work has commenced; [44755]

(6) how much his Department contributed to the (a) South-West area, (b) South-East Manchester and (c) West Midlands to North-West Multi-modal Studies; what the total cost was of carrying out each study; which of each study's recommendations have been approved by his Department; and in which recommended areas construction work has commenced; [44756]

(7) how much his Department contributed to the (a) Hull (East-West Corridor), (b) South and West Yorkshire and (c) Tyneside Multi-modal Studies; what the total cost was of carrying out each study; which of each study's recommendations have been approved by his Department; and in which recommended areas construction work has commenced; [44757]

(8) how much his Department contributed to the A1 Multi-modal Study; what the total cost was of carrying out the study; which of the study's recommendations have been approved by his Department; and in which recommended areas construction work has commenced. [44758]

The cost of each Multi-modal Study funded by the Department for Transport is set out in the following table

The Multi-modal Studies were strategic transport studies which developed recommendations for implementation over the short, medium and longer term up to 2031. Many of the schemes recommended required further detailed development and appraisal work before being ready for implementation. In our responses to the Multi-modal Studies we set out the way in which we wished to see the study recommendations taken forward by the relevant delivery agencies.

Our responses to the Studies were placed in the Library of the House at the time of the announcements. I would refer the hon. Member to my answer of 2 February 2006, Official Report, columns 658–62W, to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake) which shows the schemes recommended by the Multi-modal Studies that have reached the stage of Programme Entry or equivalent with agreed funding allocations.

Cost of Multi-modal Studies

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to tackle piracy on the coast of Devon. [49082]

The UK Government has published on the Department's website a counter-piracy strategy which sets out the actions that it has committed to taking to tackle the menace of piracy. However, the Department has not been notified of any act of piracy on the coast of Devon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what actions he proposes to take in UK ports and airports in pursuance of the EU policy on critical infrastructure protection. [48801]

holding answer 6 February 2006

The European Commission's proposals in respect of Critical Infrastructure protection are currently in the form of a Green Paper. The UK Government has recently submitted its comments.

The Commission will be considering these, and other member states' comments, before developing its policy further.

UK ports and airports are already subject to EU and national standards on security and we will continue to ensure that such standards are maintained.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department expects to publish the baseline figure for Public Service Agreement target 1 to make journeys more reliable on the strategic road network by 2007–08. [48222]

We expect to publish the baseline data this month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total amount of (a) public sector subsidy is and (b) new loan guarantees are for the rail industry in 2005–06; and what his Department's planned financial support is for each category in each of the next two years. [43602]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's statement to the House of 10 February 2005 sets out how the Department intends to allocate money on railways up to April 2009.

There are no new loan guarantees for the rail industry in 2005–06. However, Network Rail's borrowing facilities are fully backed by credit support arrangements provided by the Secretary of State for Transport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what projections he has made of the growth in rail capacity to 2025. [48224]

Rail capacity is a measure of the ability of the network to accommodate passenger and freight demand. The UK network is an intensive mixed traffic railway and its capacity depends on the mix of the type, speed, length, routeing and stopping patterns of passenger and freight trains. The Department is working with Network Rail and the Office of Rail Regulation to determine the forecast demand for passenger and freight.

The Government will specify the passenger capacity outputs it seeks from the rail network for Control Period 4 (which runs from April 2009 to March 2014) in the High Level Output Specification. Future High Level Output Specifications at five-yearly intervals will similarly specify the two successive Control Periods to 2025.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will announce the decision on the direct train link between Bexhill-on-Sea and London Victoria. [49179]

The Brighton Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy was published on 2 February 2006. This strategy recommends truncation of the London Victoria-Hastings service to terminate at Eastbourne. Some through services from Bexhill to/from Victoria will be retained at peak times. The Department for Transport will now undertake further work in respect of the recommendations and will develop an implementation plan in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are to cut train services between Bexhill-on-Sea and Pevensey and Westham during the next 18 months; and if he will make a statement. [49180]

The Brighton Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy was published on 2 February 2006. Train services on the route between Hastings and Eastbourne are being reviewed in light of the recommendations contained in the strategy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the major (a) rail and (b) light rail infrastructure projects initiated by the Government and completed since 1997. [43184]

Major rail infrastructure projects initiated by the Government and completed since 1997 are as follows:

Southern Region New Trains Programme (SRNTP) including the Power Supply Upgrade

Cross Country Route Modernisation

Evergreen 1—Track doubling between Princes Risborough, Bicester and Aynho

The following schemes have been completed since 1997:

Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) Section 1—Channel Tunnel to Fawkham Junction

Jubilee Line Extension (Underground)

The following schemes have been initiated by the Government since 1997, still under way and to be completed:

West Coast Route Modernisation

Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) Section 2—Southfleet Junction to St. Pancras via Ebbsfleet and Stratford

CRTL Temple Mills Depot

CTRL Domestic Services

Thameslink 2000

East London Line (ELL) Extension

Kings Cross Network Rail Western Concourse

Kings Cross London Underground (LUL) Works

Access for All (Disability Discrimination Act)

Evergreen 2—Bicester North to Marylebone Station Improvements

Light rail schemes are initiated by local transport authorities. I refer the hon. Member to my answers of 30 June 2005, Official Report, column 1660W and 20 July 2005, Official Report, column 1795W, which list the light rail schemes completed and opened since 1997 and those where construction has commenced since 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport

(1) what assessment his Department has made of the effect on congestion of (a) a national road pricing scheme and (b) road pricing schemes in local authority areas; [48251]

(2) what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect of (a) a national road pricing scheme and (b) road pricing schemes in local authority areas on car use; [48252]

(3) whether his Department has made an estimate of how much travel on (a) rural roads, (b) urban roads and (c) motorways would cost per mile under a national road pricing scheme. [48254]

The Feasibility Study of Road Pricing in the UK", published by the Department for Transport in July 2004, showed that road pricing could potentially reduce congestion by some 40 per cent. with benefits of up to £12 billion a year in time savings and increased reliability. The study modelled a wide range of theoretical schemes and charges including variants of national road pricing and of charging in local authority areas. A copy of the study report was placed in the Library, and is also available on the Department's website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the (a) availability, (b) cost and (c) viability of technology to support (i) a national road pricing scheme and (ii) road pricing schemes in local authority areas. [48253]

The Feasibility Study of Road Pricing in the UK", published by the Department for Transport in July 2004, (a copy of which is in the House Library), concluded that the equipment necessary to deliver a full position-based charging scheme would probably not be available in a mass-market, low-cost form, until 2014. The Department is continuing to explore how the market might develop over the coming years and what synergies and opportunities this could offer in terms of road pricing.

Technologies which could support local or regional schemes, such as microwave tags and automatic number plate recognition, are well proven and are already used both in the UK and internationally. The costs of technology for local schemes will depend on the individual area and would need to be evaluated as part of the development of the business case for the scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed cameras are installed, broken down by police authority area. [43331]

Information held on the number of speed camera sites, broken down by partnership area, within the safety camera programme as at 31 December 2005 is shown in the table. This information is provided to the Department by the safety camera partnerships.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make an assessment of the effects of the Traffic Management Act 2004 on traffic congestion on motorways following an accident; if he will publish each assessment; and if he will make a statement. [48864]

The Traffic Management Act (004) enabled the Highways Agency to establish a Traffic Officer Service on motorways and on a limited number of all purpose trunk roads in England. The congestion reduction benefits derived from the introduction of the traffic officer service are not due to be assessed until 2008 when the service will have been fully operational for 12 months. I would expect the assessment, which will cover the impacts of introducing the traffic officer service on reducing incident related congestion; improving safety; improving the accuracy of information on variable message signs and freeing up police resources for tackling criminality, to be published after this time when the data have been gathered and analysed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what projections his Department has made of how much money will be raised through road user charging under the Transport Innovation Fund until 2015; and whether the proceeds will go to (a) HM Treasury, (b) the Department for Transport and (c) local authorities. [48249]

The Department has made no projections of how much money will be raised from local road user charging schemes. The Transport Act 2000 sets out the current arrangements for proceeds from local road user charging schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) commercial and (b) recreational mariners have been tested for (i) drugs and (ii) alcohol since 2001; and what proportion have been found to be above the legal limit. [48269]

Responsibility for testing professional mariners under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 for the effects of drugs and alcohol rests with the relevant local police force. These statistics are not collated nationally.

Under existing legislation recreational mariners are not required to take such tests. The Department carried out a public consultation in 2004 entitled 'Alcohol Limits for Non-Professional Mariners' on whether the Railways and Transport Safety legislation should be extended to include recreational mariners. The results of this exercise are currently being reviewed, together with other supporting evidence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the urban road network is covered by the 10 largest urban areas. [48228]

The latest available figures relate to 2004 when the length of the urban road network in England was 121,455 km, of which 41.7 per cent. was covered by the 10 largest urban areas. Road lengths, by road class, for individual local highway authority areas are available on the Department for Transport website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve the conspicuity of wheelchairs and mobility scooters; and what discussions he has had with the manufacturers of wheelchairs and mobility scooters on this subject. [48820]

We have no plans to improve the conspicuity of wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Class 2 and Class 3 invalid carriages, when used on the carriageway, must already comply with the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport

(1) whether it is his policy to introduce (a) charges and (b) other forms of levy on the provision of workplace parking; [47374]

(2) whether he has had discussions with the Treasury about the introduction of (a) charging and (b) taxation of workplace parking places; [47428]

(3) what his policy is on the provision of workplace parking. [47461]

It is for employers to decide what parking provision they make available to employees. However, in our published guidance on workplace travel plans, we explain how effective travel plans can help employers manage the cost and demand for parking spaces.

Local highway authorities in England and Wales already have discretionary powers under the Transport Act 2000 to introduce Workplace Parking Levy schemes. For a scheme to come into force an order has to be approved by the appropriate national authority, which is the Secretary of State for Transport in England.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport discusses a wide range of matters with Ministers at HM Treasury.

To ask the Leader of the House how much was spent on public relations and information services by his Office in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [49199]

Information services to the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons are provided by the Communication Group of the Cabinet Office, which bears the cost.

No money has been spent on public relations by the Office in the last five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which companies and representatives from (a) Wales and (b) Blaenau Gwent were invited to participate in the 2012 Business Summit on 24 January held in Canary Wharf. [46574]

Both the Chairman and the Chief Executive of the Welsh Development Agency were invited to attend the 2012 Business Summit; unfortunately neither was able to attend, but they sent a representative of Trade and Invest Wales in their place. Plans are being developed for future similar events, including a conference to be held in Leeds in July, which will focus on how best to spread the benefits of the 2012 Games throughout the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what (a) evidence she considered and (b) account she took of existing legislation when deciding to license (i) live music in bars and restaurants, (ii) Punch and Judy shows and (iii) circuses under the Licensing Act 2003. [44028]

With regard to(a) , the Government considered the responses to a consultation on public entertainment licensing conducted in 1996 and the findings of a review of licensing law conducted with stakeholders between 1998 and 1999. The outcome of the Government's consideration of the evidence was reported in the White Paper Time for Reform: the Modernisation of our Licensing Laws" (Cm 4696). The Government subsequently considered about 1200 responses to the White Paper and the views of relevant stakeholders, including the Arts Council for England, the Musicians' Union, Equity, the Independent Street Arts Network and the Circus Arts Forum. With regard to (b) , the Government examined the operation of the Licensing Act 1964, particularly section 182, Schedule 12 of the London Government Act 1963, the Private Places of Entertainment Act 1967, the Theatres Act 1968 and Schedule 1 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982.

The evidence showed that live music in bars and restaurants was generally licensable under the 1963 and 1982 Acts, save for the narrow exemption under section 182 of the 1964 Act applying to live music performed by not more than two people throughout the day on premises licensed to sell alcohol for consumption on the premises. Punch and Judy shows were licensable under the Theatres Act 1968, but in practice this law was rarely, if ever, enforced. The position of circuses was unclear under the 1963, 1982 and 1968 Acts because of anachronistic exemptions in the 1982 Act which related to entertainments at pleasure fairs and the lack of any obvious exemptions under the 1963 and 1968 Acts. However, in practice circuses were not being licensed, though some were being controlled by local authorities through the unsatisfactory use of public health legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what Lottery funding has been provided (a) in Scotland and (b) in each Scottish constituency in each of the last five years. [49262]

The information is as follows.

(a) Lottery funding awarded by all of the lottery distributing bodies across Scotland:

(b) Lottery funding awarded by all of the lottery distributing bodies in each Scottish constituency:

This information is derived from the Department's Lottery awards database, searchable at www.lottery.culture.gov.uk, which uses information supplied by the lottery distributors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the value was of (a) public opinion research and (b) public relations contracts awarded by her Department in 2004–05 in (i) each (A) nation and (B) region of the UK and (ii) London. [35942]

(a) The Department commissioned two pieces of research containing a component of public opinion research:

1. A survey of participation and attendance across DCMS sectors, 'Taking Part', was commissioned in 2005. In addition to asking about respondent's participation in areas of DCMS responsibility, there are a small number of questions on the survey which can be classified as relating to public opinion. On average, the survey takes 40 minutes to complete, and we estimate that one and a half minutes of this is taken up by public opinion questions.

The total cost of the survey is £2.5 million, but only a small proportion of this relates to public opinion research.

2. A survey of live music provision was commissioned in June 2004. Although primarily focussed on collecting information from venue operators about the extent of live music provision in their establishment, it contained a number of questions about changes to the licensing regime, their awareness of this and their perceptions of the impact it would have upon them.

The total cost of the survey was £127,252.

(b) The spend on public relations contracts in 2004–05 was £100,000.

The campaign proved to be excellent value for money as it enabled us to access over 236,000 (advertising value equivalent—AVE) of space in high profile consumer publications on a targeted national and regional scale for zero cost.

It is not possible to give the value by nation, region of UK and London as the contract was not specified in this way and we could provide this information only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many regulatory reform orders her Department has laid before Parliament in each of the last five calendar years. [46802]

The Department has laid five Regulatory Reform Orders before Parliament in the last five calendar years. The details are listed as follows.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the statutory instruments introduced by her Department since 6 May 2005. [46208]

A list of statutory instruments introduced by this Department since 6 May 2005 is set out in the following table.

Statutory Instruments

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will be attending the world rowing championships at Dorney Lake in August. [49450]

To date I have not received an invitation to attend this event. Should I do so, my decision to be present will be determined by my diary commitments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department is providing to the world rowing championships that are to take place in the UK in August; and if she will make a statement. [49451]

These championships have received significant financial support from a number of sources. In May 2002, UK Sport made an award of up to £1.15 million of lottery funding towards the bidding and staging costs. In addition, funding has been provided to contribute to completion of the construction of the Dorney Lake Start and Finish Towers to bring it up to the required international and Olympic standard. At the beginning of 2005, Sport England granted £250,000 of lottery funding to the Amateur Rowing Association; UK Sport contributed £112,000 exchequer funding and the London Development Agency and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport provided combined exchequer funding of £88,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme has cost in each year since 2001. [49233]

The Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme returns to faith groups the equivalent of the VAT incurred in making repairs to listed places of worship. The cost per year of the scheme is represented in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what he expects to be the financial implications for business of not proceeding with the operating financial review and introducing the business review under the accounts modernisation directive. [47376]

Based on the Regulatory Impact Assessment which accompanied the Companies Act 1985 (Operating and Financial Review and Directors' Report etc), Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/1011), removing the statutory requirement for quoted companies to produce an operation financial review, thus removing duplication so that quoted companies are required only to produce a business review, should reduce the burden on business by an estimated £33 million per annum, primarily by reducing audit compliance costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received on the proposed restructuring of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the potential loss of UK scientific research capacity; and if he will make a statement. [49093]

holding answer 6 February 2006

The Department has received a number of letters from Members of Parliament, trade unions, environmental organisations, members of the public and others, about the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) proposal to restructure the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. NERC is being made aware of the views expressed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent steps he has taken to promote (a) clean coal technology and (b) carbon sequestration. [49203]

holding answer 6 February 2006

The Government announced £25 million for the demonstration of Carbon Abatement Technologies as part of the Carbon Abatement Technology Strategy for Fossil Fuel Use", published in June 2005. CATs include Clean Coal Technology and Carbon Capture and Storage. The Chancellor announced a further £10 million for demonstration in his pre-Budget Statement in November 2005, bringing the total Government support for demonstration to £35 million. The money will be available from April 2006 for 4 years. We expect to receive proposals from industry for projects in late spring 2006.

In addition to this, CAT projects have been included as part of the November 2005 call for R&D proposals under the DTI's Technology Programme supporting collaborative R&D. Around £13 million is being made available for energy based technologies with some of this being allocated to the successful CAT projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the Clear Skies grants madetoprojects in Dorset since the scheme was introduced. [45752]

holding answer 30 January 2006

Since the start of the Clear Skies programme, grant support has been approved for 195 household projects in Dorset, 136 of which have completed and received grant funding. In terms of community projects, four have been approved for grant funding, of which one has completed and received funding, two are yet to complete and one has withdrawn. A list of community projects supported under Clear Skies can be accessed at http://www.clear-skies.org/communities/ApplicationGuidelines.aspx There is not a publicly available list for household projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government are taking to ensure that there will be (a) a race committee and (b) black and minority ethnic commissioners on the Commission for Equality and Human Rights. [47561]

At Report Stage of the Equality Bill on 16 January we made a clear commitment to urgently progress work to identify how race equality work will be undertaken in the new Commission. This work will also seek to establish how the new Commission's work in these areas will fit within the Government's wider framework of activity on community cohesion, race equality and relations with faith communities, and will be undertaken jointly with the Home Office, to ensure coherent and effective delivery that meets the needs and of all our black and minority ethnic communities.

We also made clear our confidence that the provisions in the Bill, requiring appointments to the Commission to be made on the basis of knowledge or experience in the specific areas of discrimination, will ensure that the Commission is a diverse and reflects the full breadth of the communities and interests with whom it will work, including black and minority ethnic communities.

We welcome the opportunity to engage further with the BME communities on this important agenda and, further to these commitments, I have agreed to meet with 1990 Trust, Operation Black Vote, the CRE and the Greater London authority. This meeting will take place shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will reply to the letter of 25 July 2005 from the hon. Member for North East Bedfordshire in relation to driving offences committed by foreign hauliers; and if he will make a statement. [47748]