To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the expenditure on (a) buildings and (b) insurance of buildings and staff was of (i) his Department and (ii) each (A) non-departmental public body, (B) executive agency and (C) other public body for which his Department is responsible in each English region in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06 in each case. [40085]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) maintains buildings in London and at Hanslope Park in Buckinghamshire. It is responsible for one executive agency, the Wilton Park Conference Centre, which maintains buildings in Sussex. The expenditure for each of these areas for the years requested is shown in the following table.

⁽¹⁾ Estimated

The estimated figure for London buildings is lower than previous years as an additional £921,560 for the maintenance of the fabric of the buildings has been allocated in the mid-year review, but has not yet been allocated to individual buildings. This brings the total estimated spend to slightly below last year's actual spend.

London and Hanslope Park buildings are not insured—the office acts as it's own insurer. The Wilton Park buildings are insured under the current lease agreement.

The FCO also has responsibility for a number of non-departmental public bodies which have recorded expenditure on buildings and insurance in these financial years. The following expenditure was made in London.

⁽²⁾ Estimated

⁽³⁾ The BBC World Service and British Council figures are approximate

The British Council also maintains buildings in Manchester, which incurred the following expenditure.

British Council £⁽⁴⁾

⁽⁴⁾ Estimated

⁽⁵⁾ The BBC World Service and British Council figures are approximate

No expenditure on buildings and insurance was recorded during this period for any other non-departmental public body for which the FCO has responsibility.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2005, Official Report, column 2843W, on detention centres (US flights), what assessment he has made of differences between the UK Government's working definition of torture and that of the US Administration. [49247]

In the UK, torture is defined in section 134 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. The Government do not have any other "working definition" of torture. Any "working definition" used by the US Government would be a matter of US law and practice. As a State Party to the UN Convention Against Torture, the US Government, like the UK Government, is obliged to prevent and to criminalise torture as defined in Article 1 of that Convention.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was of pension contributions incurred 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 in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06. [39981]

The Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) paid the following amounts in Accruing Superannuation Liability Charges (ASLC) in the years in question:

We estimate that our ASLC payment for 2005–06 will be about £37.5 million.

Payments made by the non departmental public bodies for which the FCO is responsible were as follows:

⁽⁶⁾ Estimated cost.

Diplomatic Service Appeals Board

Holders of these positions receive a daily fee. No deduction is made for pension purposes and no pension contribution costs have therefore been incurred.

Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission, Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wine and Wilton Park Academic Council

Holders of these positions are unpaid, and no pension contribution costs have therefore been incurred.

Foreign Compensation Committee

No expenditure has been incurred in each of the last financial three years and none is planned for 2005–06.

Costs for the FCO's Executive Agency, Wilton Park, are included within the overall figures for the FCO.

The FCO does not identify its administrative costs by area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the South Georgia Council last met; and who attended. [49115]

South Georgia has no permanent population and therefore no Council. The Territory is governed by the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, as established under the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Order 1985. The head of Government is a Commissioner based in Stanley, Falkland Islands. The Governor of the Falkland Islands is the current Commissioner.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who sits on the South Georgia Council; how often it meets; and where it holds its meetings. [49116]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him today (UIN 49115).

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the budget was for the Northern Ireland Planning Service in each year since 2000; and what funding has been allocated for each of the next five years. [51044]

The budget for the Northern Ireland Planning Service in each year since 2000 is set out in Table A as follows.

Table A: Budget allocation between 2000–01 and 2005–06 £ million

The funding allocated to Planning Service for the next two years is set out in Table B as follows. Information is not yet available on funding to be allocated from 2008–09 onwards.

Table B: Budget allocation for 2006–07 and 2007–08 £ million

To ask the Solicitor-General how many prosecutions have been brought for incitement to murder in each year since 1995; and how many resulted in a conviction. [50132]

The following table shows(a) the number of defendants who had proceedings commenced against them for the offence of soliciting to commit murder contrary to section 4 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, or conspiracy to commit that offence, and (b) the number found guilty, in each year, of that specific offence, or conspiracy to commit that offence, for which figures are available.

Some defendants proceeded against for soliciting to commit murder, or conspiracy to commit that offence, will have pleaded guilty or will have been found guilty of other offences. The following conviction figures do not include those other offences, and therefore understate the number of defendants who were convicted of an offence in each year.

Defendants prosecuted at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for conspiring or soliciting to commit murder, 1994 to 2004, England and Wales Number^(10)(11)

⁽¹⁰⁾ Data are on the principal offence basis.

⁽¹¹⁾ Offences under section 4 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and conspiracy to commit this offence under section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977.

To ask the Solicitor-General when the Attorney-General next plans to address military officers who have been identified as suitable for promotion to the highest levels; and if he will make a statement. [50245]

On 30 January the Attorney-General addressed military officers, attending the Higher Command and Staff Course organised by the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom at the Joint Services Command and Staff College, on the "International Legal Framework".

There are no immediate plans for the Attorney-General further to address military officers who have been identified as suitable for promotion to the highest level but he will consider doing so where a suitable opportunity arises.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what total Government expenditure on tackling TB in cattle was in each year since 1996–97, broken down by main area of expenditure. [49168]

The information requested is in the following table.

Breakdown of government expenditure on bovine tuberculosis £ million

⁽¹²⁾ Testing was suspended due to foot and mouth disease.

⁽¹³⁾ The culling trial was effective from 1999.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the occasions on which (a) he and (b) his officials met representatives of Syngenta during (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005. [50555]

DFID officials attended a meeting at 11 Downing Street in November 2005 for a launch of the book "Going for Growth". The book was published by the Smith Institute and sponsored by the Syngenta Foundation. DFID officials also attended the following meetings where representatives from Syngenta were present: the annual general meetings of the Consultative Group for International Agriculture Research held in Mexico City in October 2004, and in Marrakech in December 2005; and the Bureau meeting of the International Assessment of Agriculture Science and Technology held in Bangkok, January 2005.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research into the effectiveness of the climate change levy his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated; and if he will make a statement. [50451]

The Government commissioned Cambridge Econometrics to carry out an independent evaluation of the climate change levy. This evaluation, "Modelling the initial effects of the climate change levy", concluded that the levy is effective and should save over 3.5 million tonnes of carbon per annum by 2010. In particular, Cambridge Econometrics concluded that the announcement effect of CCL in Budget 1999 will, in combination with the price effect, have reduced energy demand in the commerce and public sector by 14.6 per cent. by 2010.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of UK companies that accept payment in euros for transactions in the UK. [50854]

The Government have not made any assessment of euro-based transactions in the UK. Information on the use of the euro in the City of London and UK's external trade was published in Box 6.1 on Page 29 in the "Report on Euro Preparations, December 2004", available in the House of Commons Library.

It is entirely a commercial decision for UK business to determine whether or not they wish to accept the euro or any other foreign currency. The Government published updated fact sheets "The euro: its your business", in June 2005 to provide information for UK business that wish to do so. These are available to download or order free of charge from the Treasury's euro website www.euro.gov.uk.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether (a) salaries and (b) emoluments paid by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development are exempt from UK income tax by virtue of being subject to the Bank's own internal tax. [50291]

Article 14 of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Immunities and Privileges) Order 1991 provides:

"(1) As from the date on which an internal effective tax for the benefit of the Bank on the salaries and emoluments paid to him by the Bank is applied, any Director, Alternate, Officer and Employee of the Bank shall enjoy exemption from income tax in respect of such salaries and emoluments, provided that nothing in this paragraph shall be interpreted as precluding such salaries and emoluments from being taken into account for the purpose of assessing the amount of taxation to be applied to income from other sources.

(2) Paragraph (1) of this Article shall not apply to pensions or annuities paid by the Bank."

An internal effective tax system for this purpose was introduced by the Bank on 28 March 1991.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many ordinary written parliamentary questions tabled for answer by him in the last 12 months have been answered (a) within 14 days, (b) between 14 and 28 days, (c) between 28 days and two months and (d) in excess of two months after the date of tabling; and if he will make a statement. [49894]

The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, in the 2004–05 session, Treasury Ministers answered 84 per cent. of ordinary written questions within a working week of their having been tabled, as provided for in "Erskine May" (Twenty-Third Edition, page 342). The corresponding figure for the 2005–06 session to date is 79 per cent.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is legal to use Scottish bank notes in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales. [50618]

Under the Bank Notes (Scotland) Act 1845, certain commercial banks are allowed to issue their own banknotes in Scotland. There is no Act of Parliament that makes provision for Scottish banknotes to be legal tender in any part of the UK including Scotland itself. However, legal tender is a narrow legal concept that has little to do with the way in which most payments are made. Contrary to popular belief, the payment arrangements for transactions are not dependent on whether the means of payment are "legal tender" but are rather a matter for the parties concerned to agree upon as a matter of contract. Many transactions are settled through means of payment that are not legal tender such as credit and debit cards, and cheques.

Legally, no one is obliged to accept Scottish notes, or indeed other methods of payment, in any part of the UK as a means of payment if they do not wish to do so.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average amount of tax paid by families in Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency was in (a) 2004, (b) 2005 and (c) 2001. [50109]

Estimates of the average amount of income tax paid by families at constituency level are unavailable.

Available information on the number of taxpayers and their mean and median total income by constituency, can be found in table 3.15 "Total Income by Parliamentary Constituency" on the HM Revenue and Customs internet website http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu-by-year.htm-315.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the costs were of minting each denomination of UK coinage in each of the last five years. [50855]

I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 4 February 2005, Official Report, column 1188W.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of VAT fraud in each of the last three years. [50630]

Estimates of VAT revenue loss—the "VAT gap", for each of the last three years, are available in the paper "Measuring Indirect Tax Losses", published in December 2005. The publication can be found in the Library of the House or in the following link: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/pbr2005/mitl2005.pdf

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the projected increases in the population of England upon demand and capacity in schools. [50791]

The latest population projections produced by the Government Actuary's Department show that although the population of England is projected to rise by nearly 7 million people between 2004 and 2031, the trends are different depending on the age group. In particular, the population of children of approximately primary school age (5–10) has been falling since 1999 and is projected to continue falling until 2008. The population of children of compulsory secondary school age (11–15) started to fall in 2005 and is expected to continue falling until 2014.

Population in England at mid-year by age at last birthday (thousand)

Source:

Government Actuary's Department 2004-based principal population projections

The Department uses these population projections (along with annual schools census data and estimates of participation in education for non-compulsory ages) to produce pupil projections by age and school type to 2020. These pupil projections are used by the Department to inform the setting of teacher training places.

The impact of demographic changes will also be considered by the Department in work on revenue funding as part of the spending review process. On planning the supply of school places our policy is that this is best done at a local level by the local authority, and they are allocated the capital resources to meet future demand. Local authorities have a duty to ensure that there are sufficient places and that high quality education is provided in a cost effective way.

Many local authorities are facing falling primary rolls. Funding empty places can represent a poor use of resources particularly where schools with spare places also perform poorly. Working with local authorities and other partners we have developed a toolkit offering practical advice to help local authorities and schools manage falling rolls. The toolkit is available at www.teachernet.gov.uk/falling_rolls.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people on List 99 have been permitted, at Ministers' discretion, to work in (a) sixth form colleges, (b) colleges of further education, (c) nurseries and (d) playgroups in each of the last five years. [47215]

holding answer 31 January 2006

It is not possible to provide this information in the format requested.

The Secretary of State does not give permission for people to work in specific settings; employment decisions are a matter for individual employers. Any individual who appears on List 99 or the POCA List (other than provisionally) on the grounds of unsuitability to work with children is barred from working in a "regulated position" within the meaning of section 36 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 which includes, for example, a position whose normal duties include caring for, training, supervising or being in sole charge of children.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on entertainment by his Department in 2004–05; and how much of that sum is accounted for by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation. [50895]

Information on expenditure on "hospitality and entertainment" for the financial year 2004–05 has been published at Note 3 of our Annual Report and Accounts, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

A breakdown of the total figure by subcategory is not held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Expenditure on official entertainment is subject to strict departmental rules and compliance with the principles of propriety set out in Government Accounting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will break down the (a) main estimate, (b) winter supplementary estimate and (c) spring supplementary estimate Request for Resources (i) 2 and (ii) 3 provision by (A) direct resource departmental expenditure limit (DEL) and (B) indirect resource DEL for financial years 1999–2000 to 2004–05. [49767]

Prior to the introduction of Stage 2 Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) in financial year 2003–04, indirect RDEL did not exist as a budgeting aggregate, and I therefore provide figures for Request for Resources 2 for financial years 2003–04 and 2004–05.

Request for Resources 3 is for the payment of war pensions and allowances, which was the responsibility of the Department of Work and Pensions until financial year 2002–03. All costs are classified as annually managed expenditure (AME), rather than as Resource DEL, and there are no separate direct and indirect controls on AME. The total figures published in the estimates, are therefore not split between direct and indirect elements. Copies of the estimates are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) if he will break down the Request for Resources (a) 2 and (b) 3 outturn by (i) direct resource departmental expenditure limit (DEL) and (ii) indirect resource DEL for financial years 1999–2000 to 2004–05; [49768]

(2) if he will break down each of the figures for conflict prevention costs in (a) note 2 page 188, (b) note 2 page 159 and (c) note 2 page 135 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2004–05 (HC 1080) by (i) direct resource departmental expenditure limit (DEL) and (ii) indirect resource DEL. [49771]

Prior to the introduction of Stage 2 Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) in financial year 2003–04, indirect RDEL did not exist as a budgeting aggregate, and I therefore provide figures for Request for Resources 2 for financial years 2003–04 and 2004–05 in the following table. These are the same figures as those disclosed in the Annual Report and Accounts 2004–05 page 188 note 2 (HC464) and 2003–04 page 159 note 2 (HC1080), to which I assume the hon. Member refers.

Request for Resources 3 is for the payment of war pensions and allowances, and all costs disclosed in the Annual Report and Accounts for each year since the introduction of RAB are classified as annually managed expenditure (AME), rather than as resource DEL. There are no separate direct and indirect controls on AME. The outturn figures for each year are published in the Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts for financial years 2002–03 onwards, which are available in the Library of the House. Prior to that the Veterans Agency (formerly the War Pensions Agency), which administers these payments, was the responsibility of the Department of Work and Pensions, and the Ministry of Defence did not have a Request for Resources 3.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what analysis was made by the Government of the RAND report on pyridostigmine bromide before ordering its use during Operation Telic. [50297]

The RAND Report entitled "A Review of the Scientific Literature as it Pertains to Gulf War Illnesses, Volume 2: Pyridostigmine Bromide" was published in October 1999. Following its publication, a detailed review and written assessment were produced by the Ministry of Defence's Gulf Veterans Illness Unit. A copy of this is available in the Library of the House.

In summary, the review presented no new scientific work on pyridostigmine bromide and its possible association with Gulf Veterans Illness; rather it discussed a series of possible hypotheses drawn from speculation and debate at the time. The report did not advance our understanding as to whether pyridostigmine bromide was a contributing factor to illness suffered by Gulf Veterans. MOD has not commissioned any further work on the RAND Report.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what research she has commissioned on the perceptions of (a) Citizens Advice Bureaux, (b) Law Centres, (c) high street solicitors and (d) other independent legal advice centres of the effectiveness of the Community Legal Service. [50152]

The Department commissioned an independent review of the Community Legal Service (CLS) in 2004. This was conducted by Matrix Research and Consultancy. The review looked at how the CLS had impacted on the accessibility of legal advice services and the quality of provision. Key stakeholders and suppliers were consulted on their views and perceptions of the CLS.

In 2005 the Legal Services Commission published a consultation paper, "Making Legal Rights a Reality", outlining its proposals for the future development of the CLS. Key stakeholders and suppliers were consulted on the proposals outlined in the document.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what research she has commissioned on satisfaction of members of the public with the Community Legal Service. [50153]

The Legal Services Research Centre (LSRC) has conducted two surveys relating to the Community Legal Service and Civil and Social Justice since 2000 (covering England and Wales). The findings of the first of these surveys are available in the LSRC's "Causes of Action: Civil Law and Social Justice" publication.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much and what proportion of her Department's catering budget was spent on Fair Trade produce in the last period for which figures are available. [49909]

Catering services to meet my Department's requirements are contracted out and provided by commercial suppliers. Consequently, my Department does not procure Fair Trade produce directly.

However, a proportion of spend on Fair Trade produce against total food purchases by commercial suppliers providing catering services to my Department is set out in the following table. These figures relate to financial year 2004–05.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what recent research on the effectiveness of specialist support services she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated. [50867]

Research undertaken by the Legal Services Commission (LSC) which underpins their consultation paper "Making legal rights a reality" points to an increasing demand for front line advice for the most needy. The LSC has concluded that specialist support services do not represent the most cost-effective approach to delivering this need for more and better services for clients.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the (a) total and (b) administration expenditure of the Housing Corporation was in each year since 1996–97; and what the estimates are for (i) 2005–06 and (ii) 2006–07. [46984]

The total expenditure and administration expenditure by the Housing Corporation for each year since 1996–97 is shown as follows:

Figures for 1996–97 to 2004–05 are based on information from the Housing Corporation's annual accounts.

The figures for 2005–06 and 2006–07 are based on proposed budgets as at 30 January 2006.

The administration figures include expenditure on staff costs and capital. The total includes all administration costs along with all programmes, both capital and revenue operated by the Housing Corporation for each year provided.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of local authority housing stock in (a) England, (b) London and (c) each London borough has been sold under the right to buy scheme in each year since 1980. [48706]

The number of right to buy (RTB) sales in England, London and each London borough are shown on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/pub/373/Table4StatisticsonRighttoBuyandothercouncilhouse sales Excel242Kb_id1156373.xls. http://www.odpm.gov.uk/pub/371/SalesoflocalauthoritystockinEnglandregional grossedtotalsExcel43Kb_id1156371.xls.

Information on local authority housing stock is available in Table 116 at: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/pub/22/Tablel16Excel127Kb_id1156022.xls.

The proportion of local authority stock that has been sold through the right to buy scheme is the number of RTB sales in each financial year divided by the local authority stock at the beginning of that same period. Information is only available for years shown. Regional and national figures have been grossed to compensate for missing data.

Right to buy sales as a proportion of local authority stock: London authorities and England Percentage

⁽²⁵⁾ Not applicable due to large scale voluntary transfer of local authority stock to a registered social landlord.

⁽²⁶⁾ Information not available due to missing return from local authority.

Source:

Returns (P1A/B & HSSA) from local authorities to ODPM

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is in respect of (a) accepting hospitality from and (b) meeting an applicant of a live planning application where the application might be referred to him for decision. [45979]

My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister follows the policy on live planning cases set out in "Guidance on Propriety Issues in the Handling of Planning Applications in ODPM", copies of which have been made available in the Library of the House and a copy of which I am sending to the hon. Member.

Once a decision has been made, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has no further role. Even if my right hon. Friend's decision is challenged, it is not live before him unless and until the decision is quashed by the court and returned to him for redetermination.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will provide a list in relation to those cases where all proceedings are complete regarding the (a) prosecutions and (b) successful prosecutions for insider trading since 1997. [49723]

The following is a list of individuals against whom prosecutions have been brought by the DTI for offences contrary to s52 Criminal Justice Act 1993 or s1 Criminal Law Act 1977 (insider dealing) have been instituted since 1997. Other prosecutions may have been brought by other prosecution agencies. Prosecutions have been considered "successful" where a conviction has been recorded. Those that did not result in convictions may be due to the prosecution withdrawing those offences or not guilty verdicts being entered by the jury or at the judge's direction. Since 1997 proceedings have been brought against 15 individuals of which nine were "successful".

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by (a) his Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible and (c) each independent statutory body, organisation and body financially sponsored by his Department in each year since May 1997. [39092]

Central records indicate that the cost to the Department of engaging external consultants and advisers in each of the following financial years has been as follows:

I have asked the chief executives of the Executive Agencies to respond directly to the hon. Member.

Further information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Letter from Jeff Llewellyn, dated 13 February 2006

The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) to your question regarding how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by(a) his Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible and (c) each independent statutory body, organisation and body financially sponsored by his Department in each year since May 1997.

The total expenditure by NWML on external Consultants and Advisers in each year during the period 1997–1998 to 2004–2005 was:

⁽²⁹⁾ Not available.

Letter from Tim Moss, dated 13 February 2006

I am responding to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on behalf of Companies House, which is an Executive Agency of the DTI.

Spend on external consultants and advisers by Companies House is as follows:

Details from earlier years are unavailable due to the disproportionate cost of retrieval.

Letter from Jeanne Spinks, dated 13 February 2006

You asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by(a) his Department, (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.

The Employment Tribunals Service (ETS) has spent the following amounts on external consultants and advisors in the following financial years:

Information requested relating to earlier years is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Letter from Desmond Flynn, dated 13 February 2006

The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply to you directly on behalf of The Insolvency Service in respect of your question (2522/2005) requesting information on money spent on external consultants and advisors since May 1997.

The Insolvency Service Executive Agency of the Department of Trade and Industry spent the following amounts on external consultants and advisors:

⁽³⁰⁾ Training strategy.

⁽³¹⁾ E business.

⁽³²⁾ £18,000 race equality impact study and £16,000 help line study.

⁽³³⁾ Publishing to the Intranet.

Letter from Ron Marchant, dated 13 February 2006

I am responding to this parliamentary question, tabled on 19 December 2005, concerning how much was spent on external consultants and advisers in each year since May 1997.

The Patent Office response is:

⁽³⁴⁾ To date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many estate agent businesses there were in each year since 1997 in (a) Leicester and (b) England. [49739]

I have asked to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 13 February 2006

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question concerning how many estate agents businesses there were in each year since 1997 in(a) Leicester and (b) England. (49739)

The figures for estate agents (SIC 7031) are provided in the attached table.

These figures are based on the criteria used in the National Statistics publication "UK Business: Activity, Size and Location" (formerly known as PA1003: Size Analysis of United Kingdom Businesses), published on the National Statistics website: www.statistics.gov.uk/ukbusiness, and relate to the number of local units operated by businesses registered for VAT as at March 1997 through to 2005.

All figures have been rounded to the nearest five to avoid disclosure.

Analysis shows the count of VAT based local units in England and Leicester UA from 1997 to 2005 for S1C2003,7031, real estate Data as at March of each year

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to increase the UK's gas storage capacity. [48613]

The Government's policy is to ensure an effective gas market, to provide the price signals that incentivise commercial gas storage projects. Some 10 new projects are currently being developed, which (if they all proceed to commissioning) would more than double GB's gas storage capacity; the projects are listed in my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's "First Report to Parliament on Security of Gas Supply and Electricity Supply in Great Britain", available at www.dti.gov.uk/energy. The reports of JESS (the Joint Energy Security of Supply Working Group), also on the Department's website, help the market to work effectively by publishing information about the potential contribution of proposed gas infrastructure projects to gas supply. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has announced that the Government are reviewing the onshore consents regime for gas supply infrastructure, with new legislation if appropriate; and that the Government propose to introduce legislation to facilitate the construction of offshore salt caverns for gas storage. In addition, my right hon. Friend is preparing for submission to Parliament a statement of the national need for additional gas supply infrastructure, including storage facilities, to reinforce the existing arrangements for informing planning authorities. The Energy Review, and the Barker Review of the Planning and Land Use System, are also considering related issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the status of the consultation on improving the transparency of the process used by home credit companies to obtain written permission to offer a cash loan; and if he will make a statement. [50082]

The Government announced their intention to consult stakeholders seeking views on ways to improve the transparency of the process whereby home credit companies gain the written permission needed to offer a cash loan on the doorstep through the credit agreement on another product, in "Promoting Financial Inclusion" which was published alongside the pre-Budget report 2004. Subsequently the Office of Fair Trading referred the supply of home credit to the Competition Commission and an inquiry is ongoing. The canvassing of loans is one issue being considered by the Competition Commission as part of this inquiry. The Government will decide what further action may be necessary following the publication of the findings of this inquiry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce legislation requiring companies to disclose all donations made to (a) political organisations and (b) parliamentarians. [49734]

Companies are required to disclose donations to political organisations, including registered political parties, in the directors' report under the reporting requirements of Schedule 7 to the Companies Act 1985. Such disclosure is not required if the aggregate amount of donations and political expenditure did not exceed 200 in the relevant financial year.

A "political donation" for the purposes of this reporting requirement is defined by reference to sections 50 to 52 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. Section 50(6) of that Act provides that anything given or transferred to any officer, member, trustee or agent of a registered party in his capacity as such (and not for his own use or benefit) is to be regarded as given or transferred to the party.

The Company Law Reform Bill and regulations made under it will largely restate the current regime relating to the authorisation and disclosure of political donations by companies, but the Government has announced its intention to raise the £200 threshold for disclosure to £2,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry where each Regional Development Agency office is located; and how much (a) inward investment and (b) trade each brought to its region in the last period for which figures are available. [49155]

The location of each Regional Development Agency (RDA) and the number of inward investment successes and associated employment that each secured in 2004–05 is detailed in the following table:

⁽³⁷⁾ Inward Investment co-ordinated by East of England International based in Cambridge

⁽³⁸⁾ Inward Investment co-ordinated by Think London also based in London

UK Trade and Investment, not the RDAs, is tasked with developing international trade in the English regions, where it operates as the "international trades arm" for RDAs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what he defines as the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear assets and capabilities. [50327]

holding answer 9 February 2006

We have carried out no specific exercise covering civil nuclear power to define which assets and capabilities could be defined by the terms "strategic" or "non-strategic". However, consistent with our policy of Keeping the Nuclear Option Open, we have sought to maintain those skills, facilities and capabilities that might be required in the future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list those categories of personnel exempted from European working time legislation as not being classified as workers. [50539]

The following categories of people are not regarded as "workers" under the European Working Time Directive (and the Working Time Regulations 1998 which implement the directive)—holders of political and elected office, voluntary workers and the self-employed. Domestic servants are also expressly excluded.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the timescale for removing asbestos from buildings; what assessment he has made of where in the country is worst affected by asbestos; what penalties are in place for those who disregard the new asbestos regulations; and where the safe disposal of asbestos will take place. [48680]

The information requested is as follows:

(a) A Risk Assessment provided as Annex D(A) of the Consultative Document on "Proposals for Revised Asbestos Regulations and an approved Code of Practice" (CD205) contains an estimate that about one third of installed asbestos has already been removed and the remaining asbestos material would be removed over a 50-year period. This is an overall estimate and the amount removed will vary for particular products.

(b) Asbestos is present in buildings widespread throughout Great Britain. Figures are not available on the worst affected areas.

(c) The penalties for breach of the proposed new asbestos regulations are as follows:

on summary conviction, a fine not exceeding the prescribed sum, currently £5,000; or

on conviction on indictment an unlimited fine.

In the case of licensing offences the penalty may be imprisonment for up to two years.

There is also the possibility of prosecution under the Health and Safety at Work Act and the penalties are as follows:

on summary conviction, a maximum fine of £20,000, or

on conviction on indictment and an unlimited fine.

For breach of an improvement or prohibition notice, similar penalties are available with the addition of imprisonment for up to six months on summary conviction or two years on conviction on indictment.

(d) Asbestos waste goes to landfill. Regulation 16 of the 2004 Landfill Regulations sets out the criteria for land filling of asbestos waste and construction materials containing asbestos.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

(1) if he will make a statement on delays in payment of new benefit claims in (a) West Dumbartonshire and (b) the UK for (i) jobseeker's allowance, (ii) income support and (iii) incapacity benefit in the last 12 months; [46638]

(2) what his Department is doing to reduce the backlog of claimants waiting for their correct entitlement of (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) income support and (c) incapacity benefit. [46639]

The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Lesley Strathie

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking if he will make a statement on delays in the payment of new benefit claims in West Dumbartonshire, and the UK, for Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support and Incapacity Benefit in the last 12 months; and what his department is doing to reduce the backlog of claimants waiting for a decision on their claim for these benefits. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

Claims for Income Support and Incapacity Benefit made in Great Britain were within our profile clearance times of 12 and 19 days respectively in December 2005. They were also within profile for the year to December 2005. Claims processed at the Clydebank Combined Social Security Office (CSSO) were also within these profiles.

The time taken to clear a Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) claim (the Actual Average Clearance Time) increased between April and November 2005. In Clydebank CSSO, JSA clearance times were consistently within the planning assumption up until September resulting in a year to date figure that is also within the planning assumption.

A JSA taskforce has been created to address fluctuating clearance times and set in place immediate recovery measures, whilst longer term and more fundamental issues are also being taken forward. More immediate measures include the more effective distribution of workloads amongst the Contact Centre network to improve performance.

Building on the taskforce work, the Jobcentre Plus Chief Operating Officer will shortly launch a National Action Plan. The Action Plan is built around a mandatory series of "health checks", taking local managers through the whole end to end process, identifying key risk elements and, where a part of the process fails the health check, directing managers to appropriate good practice products and tool-kits.

This will be strengthened by regular senior management attention particularly in this area. Where performance is below expectation, Districts and Contact Centres will be required to draw up their own individual recovery plans.

I hope this is helpful.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of children were living in families which received below 60 per cent. of median household income in (a) England, (b) each English region, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales in 2004–05. [49189]

holding answer on 6 February 2006

The information requested is in the tables.

Proportion of children living in households with less than 60 per cent. of contemporary median household income—2001–02 to 2003–04

Source:

Family Resources Survey

Number of children living in households with less than 60 per cent. of contemporary median household income—2001–02 to 2003–04 Million

Source:

Family Resources Survey

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the main (a) technology suppliers, (b) consultancy firms and (c) strategy consultants engaged by the Department in each year since 1997; and how much was spent on each. [44505]

Information is provided for the years since the Department for Work and Pensions was formed in 2001. The Department's information systems categorise expenditure into IS/IT suppliers and consultancy. The consultancy category will also contain strategy consultants but this expenditure could not be isolated without incurring disproportionate cost. The Department's expenditure with its top five IS/IT and consultancy suppliers by expenditure in 2004–05 and the expenditure with these firms in the three earlier years is provided in the following table. The figures provided relate to IS/IT and consultancy expenditure with these suppliers in the year, a number of suppliers provide both types of service to the Department.

DWP expenditure with its top five IS/IT and consultancy suppliers since 2001–02 £ million

⁽⁴⁰⁾ ATOS Origin acquired SchlumbergerSema in September 2003, figures for 2001–02 relate to SchlumbergerSema.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Coventry, South and (b) the West Midlands region are (i) entitled to council tax benefits and (ii) receiving council tax benefits; and if he will make a statement. [50074]

The latest available information on unclaimed council tax benefit is in "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take Up in 2003/2004", a copy of which is in the Library.

Information on council tax benefit claimants is not available by parliamentary constituency. As at August 2005 there were 488,200 households in the West Midlands and 32,100 households in the Coventry city council area receiving council tax benefit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidelines his Department has produced to assist employers in developing good practice concerning the employment of people with HIV. [48588]

My Department undertakes a wide range of publicity activity to raise awareness of employers' responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 and 2005. A series of recent campaigns has focused on the duties of employers and service providers. In particular, a major campaign aimed at small and medium-sized businesses was undertaken during 2004, involving direct mailings to over one million businesses. In the last financial year alone, around £3 million was spent on raising awareness of the Act.

A new campaign, also aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, started in December 2005 and will run to May 2006. In this campaign, we are working closely with business, trade organisations and third parties such as accountants, as our research shows that small businesses are turning more and more to these sources of advice for information about legislation that affects their business.

We are also working closely with key stakeholders, including organisations like the National Aids Trust and "Ensuring Positive Futures", to communicate messages about changes made by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. Our aim is to help ensure that employers, and employees, are aware that, for the purposes of the DDA, a person with HIV infection is treated as a disabled person from the point at which they have the infection, effectively from the point of diagnosis. Therefore, they have a legal right to be treated fairly, and to have reasonable adjustments made to accommodate them, in the workplace.

The Department's awareness raising activity complements that of the Disability Rights Commission, which is sponsored by my Department. The Commission has a statutory duty to provide advice and guidance on rights and responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act. It publishes codes of practice and a range of guidance on the employment duties under the Act. These include examples relating to people who are infected with HIV.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions under what circumstances a person may receive incapacity benefit without having passed the personal capability assessment; how many such people there were in each of the last three years; and what the procedure is for the withdrawal of benefits from people deemed fit for work. [44203]

Claims to incapacity benefit are initially paid on the basis of supporting medical evidence until such time as the Own Occupation Test or the Personal Capacity Assessment is carried out. People with certain severe medical conditions and those in receipt of the highest rate care component of disability living allowance are exempt from the Personal Capability Assessment.

The Personal Capability Assessment is usually carried out after a person has been incapable of work for 28 weeks. If they do not meet the threshold of incapacity, their benefit stops, form IB65 is issued which gives details of the decision, and entitlement to incapacity benefit ceases from the next available payment date. No one can continue to receive incapacity benefit if they fail to satisfy the Personal Capability Assessment.

Form IB65 gives details of the disallowance and the scoring applied, and is accompanied by a notes section on what to do next and leaflet IB203 "Incapacity Benefit Getting Back to Work".

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with employers on his proposals to reform incapacity benefit, with particular reference to extending employment opportunities. [46373]

The Government acknowledge that working with employers to expand employment opportunity is crucial for getting incapacity benefit claimants into work, and have recognised this in both "Health, Work and Well-Being" and the recent Green Paper "A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work".

Each of the Pathways to Work Pilots has developed an Employer Engagement Strategy to establish a closer business relationship with employers to both influence their recruitment practice and to ensure that the support services understand employers' recruitment needs.

We now look forward to the participation of employers in the formal consultation on the Green Paper, which will be run until 21 April 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many professionals are involved in condition management programmes in each of the Pathways to Work pilots, broken down by profession; what the annual cost of the work of healthcare professionals has been in each pilot; how many people in each pilot have been receiving incapacity benefit for (a) less than six months, (b) between six and 12 months and (c) 12 months or longer; and what assessment he has made of the implications for the number of healthcare workers needed if Pathways to Work is extended to all areas. [44205]

Condition management programmes (CMPs) are jointly delivered by Jobcentre Plus and the NHS. Actual spend figures for the provision of services via health care professionals are not available. The funding agreed between individual districts and primary care trusts (PCTs) is set out in the following table:

Information on how many people in each pilot have been receiving incapacity benefit for(a) less than six months (b) between six months and 12 months and (c) 12 months or longer, is in the following table.

IB/SDA Claimaints in Pathways to Work areas, by duration May 2005

Notes:

1. Figures are shown in thousands and rounded to the nearest 100.

2. Pathways to Work areas are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory.

Source:

DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, 100 per cent. data.

Delivery is not standardised in the pilot areas. The services within the CMPs are provided by a range of healthcare professionals, including: occupational therapists, mental health practitioners, GPs, physiotherapists, speech therapists, health psychologists, and nurses. The number and type of healthcare professionals varies between each pilot and is set locally.

We will continue to work with the NHS to deliver this vital element of our Pathways to Work initiative. We will also seek to ensure our proposals deliver the pilots in innovative and more cost-effective ways as we roll out to the rest of the country. We have set out our proposals in the Green Paper "A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work" (Cm 6730) published on 24 January 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many general practitioner surgeries are participating in the Pathways to Work pilots; and in how many of them employment advisers have been placed. [44431]

As part of the Pathways to Work approach Jobcentre Plus has been working closely with a wide range of NHS professionals in surgeries and other health settings to promote the health and employment message. Many non-governmental organisations have already placed employment advisers in general practitioner surgeries across the country and our proposals came from this experience.

We want to build on the knowledge gained from these experiments and will be running pilots in five of the seven current Pathways to Work Pilot areas, where we will place employment advisers in general practitioner surgeries. We do not have information at this stage on the number of advisers we will place. However, two surgeries in the pilot areas are already using the services of employment advisers.

The lessons learned from these pilots will help to ensure the success of our proposals recently published in our Green Paper; "A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work" to place an Employment Adviser service in GPs' surgeries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which areas have been selected as pilots for the replacement of the Post Office card account. [50706]

DWP is not undertaking any pilots of a "replacement" for the Post Office card account. Rather we are undertaking some small-scale pilots to test various approaches to moving people from having their benefit or pension paid into a Post Office card account to payments into a bank account.

The three DWP pilot schemes will involve:

(a) Not promoting the option for some customers to open a Post Office card account when they make a new claim to benefit. The pilots will cover a small number of customers making a new claim to jobseeker's allowance in three Jobcentre Plus Offices in the North East of England and a small number of customers claiming retirement pension or pension credit nationwide.

(b) Writing to some existing Post Office card accounts customers asking for bank account details. This will be a random sample of customers in England and Wales.

(c) Converting some customers who have one benefit paid by Post Office card account and another already paid into a bank account. This will be a random sample of customers in England and Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the relationship between disability and poverty; and how many disabled people his Department defined as poor in (a) the UK and (b) Stroud constituency in each year since 1997. [39185]

Specific information regarding low income for Great Britain is available in "Households Below Average Income 1994/95–2003/04", available in the Library. The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting trends in low income.

The data source does not allow us to provide robust estimates below regional level.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the number of (a) pensioners, (b) disabled people, (c) couples, (d) single people and (e) children living in (i) absolute poverty and (ii) relative poverty in each year since 1996–97; and if he will make a statement. [44736]

We are making sustained progress against poverty—41 of our 60 indicators now show an improving trend over time, compared with 35 last year. There are fewer children living in relative, absolute and persistent poverty (700,000 fewer children in relative low income than in 1997); there are fewer children in workless households (400,000 fewer than in 1997); there are fewer older people fewer living in relative, absolute and persistent poverty (700,000 fewer people of state pension age in relative low income and 2 million fewer in absolute low income compared with 1997) and for those living in deprived communities there have been improvements in employment, education and housing.

The information requested is in the tables.

Absolute numbers of disabled adults and children with incomes below 60 per cent. median AHC Million

Absolute numbers of disabled adults and children with incomes below 60 per cent. median BHC Million

Relative numbers of disabled adults and children with incomes below 60 per cent. median AHC Million

Relative numbers of disabled adults and children with incomes below 60 per cent. median BHC Million