To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will introduce legislation to make it a defence in law for owners whose horses and other animals are involved in accidents to show that they have taken reasonable steps to avoid such accidents; and if she will make a statement. [63776]

holding answer 18 April 2006

The Animals Act 1971 currently has the effect of placing strict liability on the owner of animals that cause harm whatever the circumstances. This appears to be inconsistent with current liability law in other areas which allows for a general defence of reasonable care. The Government have acknowledged that there may be a case for an amendment to the Animals Act and expects to launch a consultation shortly on this matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of air quality standards in Hull, North constituency. [64097]

Local authorities have a duty under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 to review and assess the current, and likely future, air quality in their areas. Where local authorities consider that one or more of the nationally prescribed air quality objectives for each of the seven pollutants is unlikely to be met by the relevant deadline, they must declare an air quality management area (AQMA), covering the area where the problem is expected. These local authorities must then take action, along with other agencies and organisations, to work towards meeting the air quality objectives.

Kingston-upon-Hull city council submitted their last Updating and Screening Assessment (USA) in July 2003. The authority subsequently carried out a Detailed Assessment in respect of nitrogen dioxide, particles (PM10), and sulphur dioxide, which was submitted to my Department in May 2004. In light of the conclusions of the Detailed Assessment, Kingston declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) in respect of nitrogen dioxide, in August 2005. Kingston is currently developing their air quality action plan, which will set out measures to work towards meeting the air quality objective. They have included measures within Hull city council's local transport plan, which should improve the capacity to deliver cleaner air within the AQMA.

The next round of review and assessments has now started and local authorities are asked to submit a new Updating and Screening Assessment by end of April 2006, which will be considered by my officials. My Department will be assessing Kingston-upon-Hull's report as part of this exercise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) allegations have been reported, (b) investigations taken place and (c) prosecutions pursued under (i) the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, (ii) the Zoo Licensing Act 1981, (iii) the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, (iv) the Pet Animals Act 1951, (v) the Wild Mammals Protection Act 1996 and (vi) the Deer Act 1991 in each year since 1996. [64284]

Since 1996, no allegations have been reported, investigations conducted or prosecutions pursued by Defra under these pieces of legislation. The enforcement responsibility for these areas lies primarily with the police and local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the (a) the potential for an outbreak of the H5N1 virus in the UK and (b) the potential impact of an outbreak on (i) the poultry industry and (ii) domestic poultry keepers. [63841]

H5N1 avian influenza was confirmed in a sample from the partially decomposed body of a Whooper swan found on the causeway at Cellardyke, Fife, Scotland. The swan is the first case of H5N1 detected in a wild bird in the UK and our current hypothesis is that it originated outside Great Britain. Ongoing intensified surveillance across the UK has not identified any other positive live or dead wild bird. There is also no evidence that the virus is present in domestic poultry.

Poultry keepers within a 2,500 sq km wild bird risk area around the area where the swan was found have been required to house their birds. All bird keepers throughout the UK are encouraged to continue their efforts to maintain high levels of biosecurity and develop their plans to bring their birds indoors should that become necessary.

The implications of the Whooper swan finding have been discussed with ornithologists and a revised veterinary risk assessment has been published. It concludes that the current measures put in place throughout Scotland are adequate and proportionate at present. The situation will continue to be reviewed.

We are monitoring the market impact of avian flu closely. The European market is currently volatile, and the knock-on effects of significant downturns in some member states (notably Italy and France) are being felt domestically in terms of lower prices. So far, however, consumption of poultry products has not been significantly affected in the UK.

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

(1) what publicity her Department has undertaken to notify farmers of the regulations with which they must comply in order to export cattle; [63089]

(2) what discussions she has had with farming groups on the facilitation of the export of cattle to the EU once the ban is lifted; [63090]

(3) whether farmers will need a licence to export cattle to the EU; [63091]

(4) if she will make a statement on the regulations with which cattle farmers must comply in order to export cattle to the EU; [63092]

(5) what diseases cattle will need to be tested for prior to export to the EU. [63093]

holding answer 18 April 2006

On 8 March 2006, the EU's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health unanimously approved a Commission proposal to allow the UK to export:

cattle born or reared in the UK on or after 1 August 1996;

beef and beef products derived from such cattle slaughtered on or after 15 June 2005;

beef containing vertebral column, or products derived from vertebral column from cattle slaughtered on or after the date that the EU Regulation enters into force.

Such exports may take place on the same basis as other member states and will be subject to strict health and welfare requirements. We expect the EU Regulation to enter into force on 2 May and exports to be able to resume from 3 May.

In preparation for the lifting of the ban, Defra officials have held numerous meetings with key stakeholders from industry and animal welfare organisations to discuss the health and welfare requirements for exports. Defra has circulated to industry draft guidance on procedures for completing the necessary export health certification and route plans. The finalised versions of this guidance will be published shortly on Defra's website at <http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/int-trde/default.htm>

Requirements for export include testing for bovine tuberculosis in Great Britain when applicable, and when exporting to certain countries, for infectious bovine rhinotracheitis. Cattle from Northern Ireland must also be tested for brucellosis. In addition, cattle intended for export must be identified in accordance with EU law, with an official tag in each ear and a valid cattle passport.

All exports must comply with the conditions laid down in EU and domestic legislation relating to animal and animal products exports, the welfare of animals during transport, BSE and cattle identification.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to tackle chewing gum-related antisocial behaviour; and if she will make a statement. [63362]

The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 specifically addresses this type of antisocial behaviour. Chewing gum is clearly defined as litter under the Act, and all local authorities have the power to fine people caught dropping gum.

The Chewing Gum Action Group—which brings together chewing gum manufacturers, the Local Government Association, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, ENCAMS (who run the 'Keep Britain Tidy' campaign), Department for Education and Skills (DfES), the Improvement and Development Agency and Defra—recently announced funding for 15 local authorities across England to support campaigns aimed at helping them deal with the problem of gum litter.

The campaigns will use a mixture of advertising, alternative disposal and enforcement measures to reduce gum litter in these areas.

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

(1) what representations she has received from private business regarding chewing gum-related antisocial behaviour; [63363]

(2) what representations she has received regarding chewing gum-related crime; and if she will make a statement. [63364]

Private industry is represented on the Chewing Gum Action Group. The Department has also received a number of representations from private businesses regarding the production and marketing of chewing gum disposal solutions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much less chewing gum there was on relevant streets at the end of the Chewing Gum Action Group campaign pilot period. [63996]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 25 January 2006, Official Report, column 211OW.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much private funding the Chewing Gum Action Group campaign pilots received; and how much is estimated to be available in the future. [63997]

The chewing gum pilot campaigns received £378,873 of private funding. An additional £600,000 of private funding will be available to help support 15 further campaigns, beginning in May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the climate change levy on the environment; and if she will make a statement. [64315]

I have been asked to reply.

The climate change levy (CCL) is playing a crucial role in enabling the UK to meet its Kyoto Protocol target.

An independent evaluation by Cambridge Econometrics, commissioned by HM Revenue and Customs and published alongside Budget 2005, has examined the effect of the levy since its announcement in Budget 1999 and introduction in April 2001. It concluded that the levy could deliver cumulative savings to 2005 of 16.5 million tonnes of carbon (MtC) and by 2010, annual carbon savings of over 3.5 MtC a year—well above the 2 MtC estimated at the time of its introduction.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter of 7 March 2006 from the hon. Member for Walsall, North regarding a constituent. [64740]

holding answer 24 April 2006

I apologise for the delay in replying to the hon. Member's letter. A response was issued on 24 April.

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

(1) pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2004, Official Report, column824W, on emission levels, whether local authorities are obliged to include conditions which represent the best available techniques when issuing a permit under the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999; [64081]

(2) what steps her Department intends to take to ensure compliance with Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control SG2 for new glass-making facilities. [64154]

The Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations require local authorities, in deciding what conditions to include in a permit, to take account of various principles, including that installations should be operated in such a way that all appropriate preventive measures are taken against pollution, in particular through application of the best available techniques". It is for local authorities to decide on the facts of each individual case, having regard to any guidance issued to them by the Secretary of State, what constitutes the best available techniques in that case.

Statutory guidance note SG2 sets out the Secretary of State's views on what constitute the best available techniques for the generality of glass manufacturing activities. Regulators must have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State. It does not specify the standards that must be included in individual permits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the results from Exercise Hawthorn will be made known. [64866]

Exercise Hawthorn was scheduled to take place between 5 and 6 April. As soon as we confirmed that highly pathogenic H5 virus had been discovered in a dead swan in Cellerdyke, Scotland on the afternoon of 5 April, the exercise was brought to an end to ensure that we could bring all our resources to bear on this situation.

Although we are disappointed that the exercise could not be concluded, useful results have been gathered, and we will publish these in the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2006 to Question 61242, on flood defences, whether she has discussed these funding levels with the Treasury. [62714]

holding answer 18 April 2006

Funding levels for flood risk management are set by Defra following Treasury decision in the 2004 Spending Review on the overall spending limits for the Department for 2005–06 to 2007–08. An effective flood risk management service is a priority for Defra and funding for this was discussed with Treasury during the 2004 Review. There has been no specific discussion since on the level of flood spend.

The level of spending on flood risk management will be considered in the context of the comprehensive spending review in 2007 as will the level of the Department's spend across all areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many incidents of fly-tipping were reported in (a) Hull North constituency and (b) Kingston-upon-Hull in each year since 1997; how many prosecutions were made as a result; and if she will make a statement. [64096]

Defra has worked with the Environment Agency to establish Flycapture, the national database of fly-tipping incidents, which has been operational since April 2004. No national data were previously available on illegal waste disposal or fly-tipping. Flycapture collects data at local authority level only.

The data are probably an underestimate and will increase as authorities get better at collecting and reporting the data.

Kingston-upon-Hull city council reported 4,929 incidents of fly-tipping between June 2004 and March 2005 (an average of 493 incidents a month) and 7,199 between April 2005 and February 2006 (an average of 655 a month). The Environment Agency investigated five incidents between June 2004 and March 2005 in Kingston-upon-Hull.

The data submitted for prosecutions are incomplete, but show that Kingston-upon-Hull city council took forward five prosecutions in 2004–05 and a further 16 in 2005–06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which EU states are in favour of co-existence between GM and non-GM crops; and what clarification of the position was achieved at the recent Vienna Conference. [65058]

It is generally recognised that if GM crops are to be grown commercially then coexistence measures will be needed. In Article 26a of Directive 2001/18/EC member states agreed that the Commission should develop guidelines on coexistence. However, member states have different views as to what precise form coexistence measures should take.

The European Commission has recently published a report on the implementation of national coexistence measures and this is available at www.europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/coexistence/com104_en.pdf.

The concluding remarks from the recent EU conference in Vienna are at http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/events/vienna2006/concl_en.pdf.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the European Commission following its proposals to allow organic food to include up to 0.9 per cent. GM. [62494]

A Council Working Group to discuss the EC proposal for a Council regulation on organic production and labelling of organic products to replace the current Regulation 2092/91 has met five times and discussions are continuing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has plans to review the regulation of the horseracing industry, with particular reference to the avoidance of deaths of horses on race days. [63952]

Regulation of the horseracing industry is being transferred from the Jockey Club to the Horseracing Regulatory Authority (HRA). The Department welcomes the transfer and views it as a vital step towards the modernisation of the sport. We are confident that the HRA will work closely with the industry to continually assess and improve measures to protect racehorses from harm.

The Protection of Animals Act 1911 already protects the welfare of racehorses. Under this Act it is an offence to ill treat or cause any unnecessary suffering to any domestic or captive animal. The maximum penalty is a fine of £5,000 or six months' imprisonment, or both.

The Animal Welfare Bill will extend these powers by introducing a duty of care for those who are responsible for animals. This will allow action to be taken, even if the animal is not currently suffering. Under the Bill, we have proposed that the maximum penalty for an offence of cruelty will be raised to a fine of up to £20,000 or imprisonment for 51 weeks, or both.

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

(1) what advice and support her Department provides to local authorities dealing with applications under the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control regime; [64151]

(2) whether her Department has mechanisms in place to ensure consistency in enforcement of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control regime across local authorities. [64153]

Defra provides a range of support to local authorities in discharging their responsibilities under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations. These include the publication of statutory guidance, published advice on procedures and interpretations, and technical and other support in response to queries. All relevant written material, which is aimed at maximising consistency of local authority practice and assisting with effective and efficient discharge of their functions under this legislation, can be found on the Defra website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/ppc. It is necessary for the Department to exercise caution in advising on individual cases, because to do so might prejudice the decision on any appeal that might come before the Secretary of State.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's estimate is of the number of cubic metres of landfill required for one tonne of waste. [63439]

It would depend on the density of the waste. If my right hon. Friend would like to write to me with more details I will provide a fuller answer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) steps her Department has taken and (b) targets the Department has established to encourage Swindon borough council to recycle (i) domestic waste, (ii) commercial waste and (iii) plastic; and what percentage of waste was recycled in the Borough over the last five years. [61004]

The information requested is as follows.

Domestic Waste

There are two targets for local authorities to achieve in respect of domestic waste.

The first is to meet the challenging national target set by the EU Landfill Directive.

By 2010 to reduce biodegradable municipal waste land filled to 75 per cent. of that produced in 1995

By 2013 to reduce biodegradable municipal waste landfilled to 50 per cent. of that produced in 1995

By 2020 to reduce biodegradable municipal waste landfilled to 35 per cent. of that produced in 1995.

This target is being delivered through a combination of measures/drivers designed to assist and encourage local authorities. In particular the Government have established the Waste Implementation Programme (WIP) with an aim of driving waste management solutions up the waste hierarchy, improving the sustainability of waste management. WIP delivers this through the following nine work-streams:

1. Local Authority Support Unit

2. Local Authority Funding

3. Waste Minimisation (managed by WRAP¹)

4. Efficiency

5. Education (managed by WRAP)

6. Kerbside recycling (managed by WRAP)

7. Research

8. Data

9. New Technologies

¹ WRAP—Waste Resource Action Programme

Recycling is towards the top of the waste hierarchy, together with minimisation and reuse, and each of the work-streams includes effort towards these areas.

Local authorities are responsible for meeting the EU targets and contribute individually to the overall target through compliance with the Local Authority Trading Scheme (LATS) scheme. This provides landfill allowance allocations for each authority and measures their performance against these targets. The scheme allows authorities to trade their allowances (buying, selling, or borrowing from future years) with penalties applied to those who fail to meet the scheme requirements.

The second target is the Defra PSA6 target to:

Enable at least 25 per cent. of household waste to be recycled or composted by 2005–06, with further improvements by 2008.

Although looking more widely than biodegradable waste this target focuses on household—rather than municipal—waste.

WIP monitors and assists with the delivery of this target in a number of ways but in particular through programmes of work delivered through WRAP, and the work undertaken by the Local Authority Support Unit programme.

Commercial Waste

The current targets, and therefore WIP remit, does not extend to commercial waste. Current policy is for local authorities to manage commercial waste through the usual commercial processes.

Plastics

The Biodegradeable municipal remit of WIP does not extend plastics, however WRAP are using other Defra funding to engage with industry to develop recycling markets.

Recycling/Composting Performance for Swindon borough council

The Recycling/Composting Performance for the last five years for Swindon borough council is outlined in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the average cost to local authorities of recycling a tonne of kerbside waste. [61298]

DEFRA does not gather information on the cost of recycling kerbside waste. The cost of recycling will vary depending on a number of factors, including the collection method used by a local authority, the materials collected and the market for recycled materials.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding Lancashire county council has received to support recyling in each year since 1997. [63197]

holding answer 18 April 2006

The main source of funding for local authorities' waste management services is the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services (EPCS) block of annual Government grant. It is for local authorities to decide what proportion of the block is invested in waste management services, including recycling. Funding is also provided from DEFRA and a variety of other sources to support sustainable waste management at a local level, including through partnerships with other local authorities. The amounts allocated to Lancashire county council are set out in the table.

£ million

⁽¹⁾As part of a partnership with other local authorities.

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

(1) what steps her Department is taking to increase the proportion of waste recycled by business; [63276]

(2) what estimate she has made of the proportion of waste recycled by business in the last 12 months. [63284]

Most recent data from the Environment Agency (2002–03) indicate that 44 per cent. of waste produced by business in England and Wales was recycled. This level of recycling exceeds what is being achieved for household waste, and is up from 37.5 per cent. in 1998–89.

The Government have identified a need for further action on recycling by businesses and producer responsibility makes an important contribution to increasing recycling. The policy is aimed at ensuring that businesses take responsibility for the environmental impact of products that they place on the market, particularly once they become waste. Recent waste legislation, such as that implementing EC directives on packaging and end-of-life vehicles, places various requirements on producers, including recovery and recycling targets.

Government funding from the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) Programme is another significant element of the Government programme to increase recycling by businesses, by funding resource efficiency and waste minimisation programmes. Various BREW delivery bodies are charged with returning £284 million, from additional landfill tax receipts, to business over three years.

Initiatives already under way to encourage recycling by businesses, under BREW and other programmes, include:

work by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), to improve the range and quality of recycled products and to increase the demand for them;

a WRAP-led pilot of sector-specific help for small businesses. Following this pilot, DEFRA will consider how recycling services for small businesses might best be developed;

work by Envirowise to provide resource efficiency advice to businesses;

the DTI Technology Programme, which facilitates research and development into resource efficiency, including in the area of waste management; and

the Environment Agency's pilot of an online internet service for small businesses: 'What do I do with my waste?'. The pilot is working as an extension to the Agency's existing guidance service for small and medium sized enterprises ('NetRegs').

The Government are currently reviewing its Waste Strategy for England. On 14 February 2006, DEFRA issued a consultation document on the review which suggested various proposals to increase business waste recycling and recovery. The proposals include a wider role for local authorities in fostering better recycling services for small businesses, better integrating municipal and business waste management and continuing to develop markets for recycled materials. The consultation period ends on 9 May. Following the consultation, DEFRA will issue a revised strategy which will take account of comments received from stakeholders.

The Government do not have an estimate of the proportion of waste recycled by business in the last 12 months. However, the Environment Agency estimates that 53 per cent. of all business waste regulated under the Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) regime was recycled or re-used in 2004. DEFRA is developing a data strategy to provide future data on waste arisings and recycling.

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

(1) what Government policy is on the recycling of batteries; [63518]

(2) what plans she has to encourage companies to recycle the batteries which they (a) produce and (b) sell, with particular reference to batteries of three kilos or more. [63521]

There is currently no legislative requirement to recycle spent batteries. However, the Government support the development of the proposed EU Batteries Directive as its objectives are consistent with those in the Government's Waste Strategy and Sustainable Development Strategy. Both aim to reduce the quantity of hazardous and non hazardous waste batteries going to landfill and increase the recovery of waste materials.

The proposed directive, which might be expected to come into force in the UK in 2008, sets targets for the collection and recycling of all waste batteries. We expect that producers of batteries will have collection and recycling obligations to meet. The exact form these may take will not be decided until the directive has been finalised and we have completed formal domestic consultation with all parties concerned. It is expected that producers will need to work closely with waste management companies and local authorities, among others, in order to collect and recycle waste batteries in line with the likely obligations under the directive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the local authorities which have provision for battery recycling; and how many battery recycling schemes there are in England. [63519]

DEFRA has commissioned the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to work with 12 partner organisations in 13 local authority areas across the UK to trial the kerbside collection of waste household batteries. The following local authorities and organisations are taking part in the scheme in England:

Barnsley—Rabbit Recycling (North Barnsley) Ltd

Calderdale—Kerbside Calderdale

East Devon—East Devon District Council

Eastleigh—Eastleigh Borough Council

Harlow—Environmental Conservation Co-operative Ltd (ECCO)

Liverpool—Energywise Recycling

Stockton on Tees—Stockton on Tees Borough Council

Trafford—EMERGE Recycling

The trial is likely to be extended in the future.

A number of local authorities currently provide collection facilities for spent batteries. These include:

Brighton and Hove Council

Bristol City Council;

Cambridgeshire County Council;

Ceredigion Council;

Cheshire County Council;

Gloucestershire County Council;

Hampshire County Council;

Kingston upon Hull Council;

Lancashire County Council;

Newport City Council;

Powys County Council;

Sheffield City Council;

Suffolk County Council

Surrey County Council;

The London Borough of Barnet;

The London Borough of Brent

The London Borough of Sutton

The London Borough of Waltham Forest; and

West Sussex County Council.

In addition, a number of schools have become involved in the collection of spent portable batteries in Lancashire.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many local authorities in England have made recycling compulsory. [63883]

The Department does not hold the information requested. It is up to each local authority to decide how to go about meeting the challenging recycling targets in their local area.

Compulsory recycling will not be suitable for all local authorities, but Defra will watch those that try such schemes with interest. We are continuing to investigate options for influencing householder behaviour, with particular emphasis on positive incentives to help authorities encourage householders to reduce, re-use and recycle their waste.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to encourage local authorities to recycle plastic. [64098]

The Government have set challenging household waste recycling targets for local authorities and is proposing to increase them as part of the current Waste Strategy Review consultation. 60 per cent. of English local authorities provided plastic collection facilities in 2004. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is supporting the efforts of local authorities by increasing domestic plastic recycling capacity and developing markets for recycled plastic products. WRAP'S ROTATE programme also gives local authorities free advice on collection programmes and local communications and awareness programmes. This will include advice on plastics recycling facilities if applicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many recycling points there are per 1,000 population in (a) Swindon borough council area and (b) England. [64279]

Requested figures, based on 2003–04 DEFRA Municipal Waste Management Survey and 2003 mid-year population estimates, are shown in the following table:

Note:

Recycling points are civic amenity and recycling sites.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the research contracts granted by her Department to research facilities in Wales in each of the last 20 years. [63960]

A full response to this question could be made only at disproportionate cost. DEFRA and its predecessor Departments have substantial research programmes. DEFRA currently spends around £160 million annually on research and at any one time has in the order of 1,500 ongoing projects with a large number of contractors.

However, DEFRA proactively publishes large amounts of data on its R and D projects through its website http://www2.defra.gov.uk/research/project_data/Default.asp This includes information on live" projects and those completed over recent years. It is also possible to access separate information on research contractors used through this site.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the (a) correspondence and (b) meetings the Department has had with representatives from the Royal Netherlands embassy in connection with the outbreak of ring rot of potatoes in 2003 in Wales. [63183]

holding answer 18 April 2006

A list of correspondence between the Department and representatives from the Royal Netherlands embassy, inconnection with the outbreak of potato ring rot in Wales in 2003, is as follows. This includes some correspondence associated with subsequent outbreaks. There have been no meetings between the Department and the Royal Netherlands embassy to discuss this issue.

List of correspondence between DEFRA and Royal NL embassy concerning the 2003 ring rot outbreak

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to ensure farmers threatened with bankruptcy proceedings by British banks due to delays with Single Farm Payments are offered a guarantee from the Government to the bank up to the level of the sums owing together with interest; and if she will make a statement. [65020]

holding answer 24 April 2006

My noble Friend Lord Bach met the British Bankers' Association and other representatives of the major lending banks on 30 March to discuss the situation of farmers awaiting payment under the Single Payment Scheme. The banks re-emphasised on that occasion that

no viable business is being refused additional financial support and, as a result, no viable businesses are failing because of uncertainty about the payments timetable".

I am sure that farmers who have not yet received a payment will have joined the leaders of the NFU, CLA and TFA in welcoming the announcement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 19 April 2006, Official Report, column 13WS, that partial payments will be made to them as soon as it is operationally possible to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with Southern Water on the continuing leakage from the two reservoirs at Halfway on the Isle of Sheppey. [65777]

Defra has had no discussions with Southern Water concerning leakage from the two reservoirs at Halfway on the Isle of Sheppey.

However, I understand that the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) has been contacted about this issue. CCW advised those concerned to contact Southern Water directly, who has a duty to maintain reservoirs under their ownership. Southern Water responded directly to these individuals' concerns.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department will publish guidance on the definition of waste; and if she will make a statement. [64048]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 18 April 2006, Official Report, column 35W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to raise awareness for waste disposal purposes of hidden batteries which are inbuilt in products. [63520]

Batteries that are inbuilt into products will have to be removed under the requirements of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. The directive requires the selective treatment of WEEE delivered to authorised treatment facilities, and one of the treatments specified is the removal of batteries. Defra has prepared draft WEEE permitting regulations and guidance. We will introduce the regulations before the introduction of the producer responsibility requirements of the DTI WEEE regulations. The DTI expects to consult on draft WEEE regulations later this spring.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons Herefordshire Council has not received funding from the Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund; and if she will make a statement. [64601]

The Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund was challenge based, and in each of the three bidding rounds applications were received from a large number of local authorities. Defra considered in full each application against set criteria agreed with an expert advisory panel, comprising key representatives from across the industry.

The panel separately assessed each application and Defra officials took into account their recommendations before final decisions were taken by the Minister of State.

Support was given to the best local authority projects designed to either minimise the amount of household waste generated, or those that aimed to provide more new or improved facilities for re-use and recycling and composting.

Herefordshire council submitted a bid in round 2 of the Fund (2003–04) that was unsuccessful. However, the council did not submit a bid in either the first or third rounds.

The Government's Waste Implementation Programme (WIP) provides a range of support, analysis and assessment work to compliment the funding and help local authorities deliver the best waste minimisation and recycling services.

Herefordshire council has received funding for a number of different projects from Defra, which are detailed in the following table:

In addition, in December 2005, Defra wrote to all local authorities regarding the Waste Performance and Efficiency Grant (WPEG). This is a 3-year targeted grant totalling £260 million over 3 years, which is replacing the Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund from 2006.

Every English local authority with waste management responsibilities received a portion of the £40 million allocation in 2005–06. The allocations for the next two years were announced at the end of 2005.

Under this grant, Herefordshire Council is set to receive £348,944.18 in 2006–07 and £365,548.83 in 2007–08. Further information, and a full list of allocations to local authorities is available on the Defra website at the following address: http://www.defra.gov.uk/Environment/waste/localauth/funding/index.htm.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans shehas made for a ban on the import of captive wild birds. [64868]

The UK cannot make a decision to ban imports of wild birds unilaterally. It is for the European Commission to consider, in conjunction with the views or representations of all European Union (EU) member states.

A temporary ban on the import of captive wild birds into the EU from third countries is currently in place until 31 May 2006. The Government are currently seeking views from interested parties on issues relating to this ban. Any representations to the Commission about extending it will be made after thorough consideration of any comments received.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether seizures of wild birds illegally imported into the UK have increased since the introduction of the EU ban on the import of live captive birds. [64975]

There is no evidence to suggest that there has been an increase in seizures of wild birds illegally imported into the UK since the introduction of the EU ban.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government will be making representations for an extension of the EU ban on the import of live captive birds beyond 31 May. [64976]

The Government are currently seeking views from interested parties on issues relating to the ban. Any representations to the European Commission about extending the ban will be made after thorough consideration of any comments we receive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research the Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the introduction of a universal service obligation guaranteeing citizens access to a basic bank account; and if he will make a statement. [64393]

I have been asked to reply.

In December 2004, the banks and the Government agreed to work towards the shared goal of halving the number of adults in households with no bank account of any kind and of having made significant progress in that direction within two years. The Financial Inclusion Taskforce has been asked to monitor progress toward this goal and its recent report concluded that steady progress had been made.

Developments will be reviewed at the end of the two year period to see whether further initiatives are needed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the level of UK trade with China. [61790]

holding answer 30 March 2006

UK Trade with China is growing strongly. Chinese figures for the first 11 months of 2005 shows that UK exports grew by 15 per cent.—higher than any of our major European competitors (Germany 1 per cent., Italy 9 per cent.). Chinese exports of goods to the UK totalled £12.835 billion in 2005.

Ensuring that UK business is best placed to take advantage of the new opportunities that are becoming available as China's economy develops is a key priority for this Government. There are currently a number of government-to-government dialogues taking place between China and the UK, namely, the Chancellor's Asia Task Force, the China Task Force and the UK-China Joint Economic Trade Commission (JETC) which aim to tackle barriers to trade and promote two-way trade and investment.

The UK is one of the largest investors in China (and the largest EU investor in China and Hong Kong combined) with a total of 4,834 British invested projects as of November 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received (a) supporting the free trade of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and (b) requesting that markets remain free of GMOs; and if he will make a statement. [63663]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has received(a) no recent representations supporting the free trade of genetically modified organisms and (b) a considerable volume of correspondence as part of a campaign calling for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to support the right of European countries to ban genetically modified food and crops and call for disputes over environmental, social and health issues to be dealt with by alternative institutions to the World Trade Organisation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many individuals have participated in the Home Computing Initiative Scheme in each year since 1999, broken down by region. [64165]

holding answer 18 April 2006

I am unable to provide a statistical breakdown of how many Individuals have participated in the Home Computing Initiative Scheme in each year since 1999 or by region. This information is not available.

A recent estimation provided by the HCI Alliance (BT, Intel and Microsoft) indicates that over 500,000 units have been loaned under the Home Computer Initiative Scheme since 1999.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will seek an amendment of European regulations to ensure that British notaries public are allowed to work in all EU member states; and if he will make a statement. [63984]

I refer the right hon. and learned Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Christchurch (Mr. Chope) in response to a similar question, on 21 March 2006, Official Report, column 302W.

The Government continue to support the inclusion of notary services within the European Commission's proposal for a directive on services in the internal market.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of running the South West of England Regional Development Agency offices in Australia, China, Japan and North America in each of the last five years; and what the budget is for these offices for the 2006–07 financial year. [64899]

The South West of England Regional Development Agency has provided the information on the cost of overseas offices as follows:

£

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the work of the overseas offices of the South West Regional Development Agency in Australia, China, Japan and North America. [64901]

These offices are funded by the South West of England Regional Development Agency in support of its statutory purposes under the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998, subject to financial arrangements and reporting requirements also set out in the Act.

The Agency assesses its overseas teams principally in terms of their contribution to foreign direct investment in the South West of England economy, which for 2005–06 was:

The Chinese economy is growing at almost 10 per cent. per annum and there is a recognition that the UK lags behind US, Japan and Germany in terms of identifying and exploiting opportunities for investment, trade and collaboration between academic institutions.

The China office aims to seek investment opportunities as its economy evolves from being predominantly a destination for foreign direct investment into an overseas investor itself. It has a role developing partnership opportunities and collaboration on research and development and teaching in support of regional universities. It also works to support UK Trade and Investment to ensure that trade opportunities for South West of England from this rapidly developing market are encouraged and supported.

The Agency plans an independent review of its overseas teams during this financial year. The review will inform the Agency before it commits to any funding beyond March 2007 and will explore the direct and indirect benefits that the overseas offices provide to attracting and retaining investment in the South West region.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the progress of the sale of Westinghouse Electric Co. to Toshiba Corporation; and when he expects the sale to be completed. [63804]

holding answer 18 April 2006

The sale of Westinghouse to Toshiba is proceeding smoothly. The parties are working to complete the transaction speedily with timing still dependent on obtaining the necessary regulatory clearances (which began last week with the US anti-trust and CFIUS filings). We currently still expect completion of the sale by end September 2006.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission on how many occasions the parliamentary network has been inaccessible from (a) the parliamentary estate and (b) remote locations in the last 12 months; and what plans the Commission has to ensure service improvements. [64962]

During 2005 there were eight occasions when the Parliamentary Network was not accessible from within Parliament, five occasions when it was not accessible from remote locations using the VPN (virtual private network), and eight occasions when it was not accessible from either location. Most were instances of planned maintenance for which users of the network are normally given seven days' notice, and which is normally undertaken either at weekends or before 9am and after 7pm on weekdays. Over the year overall network availability, excluding planned maintenance, was 99.65 per cent. and including planned maintenance was 98.59 per cent.

Since late January 2006 the performance of the VPN remote access service has deteriorated. The Parliamentary ICT service is, as a matter of priority, working to identify the root cause of slow running experienced on occasions by many users. In the medium to longer term the Parliamentary ICT service has begun a fundamental re-assessment of the technologies used and services offered to remote users. A key objective of this work is to provide more assured access and performance than can be guaranteed at present.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) cars and (b) ministerial cars have been fined for leaving their engine running unnecessarily under the air quality management areas since this provision came into effect; and if he will make a statement. [65854]

No fines for breaking local air quality management regulations have been issued to the Government Car and Despatch Agency for its ministerial cars or any other vehicles it operates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the planned timetable for the publication of the review of the Aviation White Paper will be affected by the postponement of the consultation on railway alternation at Heathrow airport. [64865]

In the Air Transport White Paper, we said that by the end of 2006 we would report progress generally on the White Paper policies and proposals. There are no plans to change this timetable in view of the postponement of the consultation on mixed mode at Heathrow airport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether it is his policy to fund the renewal proposals for the Blackpool tramway. [58915]

Our policy is to support tram schemes, where they are the right solution, and where they represent value for money. In July 2004, the Department rejected a bid to convert the Blackpool system to a modern light rail system, because the scheme did not represent value for money. We asked the promoters to re-examine lower cost alternatives.

Last year, Blackpool borough council and Lancashire county council submitted a business case to the Department for upgrading the Blackpool tramway. We are considering the proposals based on value for money, including the wider benefits, affordability and region advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects construction to begin on a bridge to replace the level crossing at Beddingham on the A27. [65548]

A decision on the Inspector's Report following last year's public inquiry is the next stage in the statutory processes of this scheme. The earliest date construction could start of the A27 Southerham to Beddingham improvement, which includes a bridge to replace the Beddingham level crossing, is in late summer this year. This is subject to a favourable decision, completion of statutory procedures, and the availability of funds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many contracts are let by his Department to voluntary sector organisations; how many of those are let on an annual basis; and how many of those had received finalised contracts for 2006–07 by 31 March. [63214]

This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The Department provides local authorities with financial support for the provision of transport services but it is at their discretion how much of this goes to the voluntary and community sector.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the implementation of the voluntary code of practice on disability access on aeroplanes and ships is being monitored by his Department. [64470]

The Department for Transport, in conjunction with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, has commissioned research projects to monitor both sectors' compliance with the voluntary codes. These projects are due to report shortly.

We are committed to legislation if the codes prove ineffective. The provisions in the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 enable us to do this without further primary legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to encourage train operating companies to create disabled access facilities at railway stations. [64482]

I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Statement to the House on the Railways for All Strategy on 23 March 2006, Official Report, columns 39–40WS.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints of (a) bullying and (b) sexual harassment have been investigated in his Department in each of the last three years; and how many complaints have been upheld. [63549]

There has been a total of 33 complaints of bullying across the Department and its Executive Agencies over the past three years, nine of which have been upheld, and five of which are ongoing. There have been six complaints of sexual harassment, four of which have been upheld. Owing to the low number of cases, and the need to maintain confidentiality, it is not possible to break these figures down further.

These figures include the Government Car and Despatch Agency throughout the period, even although it only became part of the Department for Transport in November 2005. They exclude the Highways Agency, who have not to date recorded this information centrally, although they will do so from 1 April 2006.

The Department's Staff Handbook contains guidance on procedures to be followed in cases of bullying and harassment, and this was supplemented by a Diversity Briefing Note that was published by the Department's Equality and Diversity Unit in June 2005.

The Department has a network of Harassment Contact Officers, who are able to investigate complaints in a confidential manner. We have also run events covering the issues of Bullying and Sexual Harassment as part of our Valuing Diversity series of events in DfT (Central), and the agencies have also included this aspect into their diversity training.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 28 March 2006, Official Report, column 855W, on homeland security, what the (a) lessons learnt and (b) improvements made were from the Merseyrail exercises for emergency preparedness in January 2006. [63885]

It is not appropriate to discuss the detail of any exercises undertaken or security arrangements in place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to reopen the Sheffield Woodhead to Manchester railway line to freight traffic; what timescale he envisages for making a decision; and if he will make a statement. [65516]

We are aware of private sector initiatives to reopen the line but no formal proposal has been put to the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when (a) he and (b) his officials last met Arriva Trains Wales to discuss (i) capacity and service provision on the South Wales mainline, (ii) improving connecting services west of Cardiff, (iii) overcrowding on trains and (iv) improvements to station facilities and security. [60824]

Ministers meet representatives from the train operating companies from time to time and a wide range of issues are discussed.

There is no specific obligation, within the ATW Franchise Agreement, to enhance station facilities although there is an obligation to enhance security provisions at car parks to railway stations along this route.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next plans to carry out a (a) national and (b) regional survey of railway station usage. [62456]

The Department for Transport has been collecting usage data from all stations across Great Britain as part of the National Rail Travel Survey. Results from this survey should be available in autumn 2006, and will build both a national and regional picture of rail travel and station usage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 7 March 2006, Official Report, column1280W, on railways, what the levels of overcrowding in peak hours were on train lines on each (a) line and (b) franchise in each year since 1996–97, broken down by passenger transport executive area. [63976]

Figures for Passengers in Excess of Capacity (PIXC), a measure which applies to weekday commuter trains arriving in London between 07:00 and 09:59 and those departing London between 16:00 and 18:59 for the train operators, are available in the Libraries of the House.

The PIXC measure does not apply to other services and the additional information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the implications for direct railway services between Leeds and London of the decision to start direct railway services between Sunderland and London; and if he will make a statement. [65517]

An assessment of the decision is being carried out by Network Rail on direction from the Office of Rail Regulation. It is expected to be completed by June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were (a) killed and (b) injured in road accidents in Essex between 1995 and the latest available date. [64624]

832 people were killed and 70,816 were seriously and slightly injured in personal injury road accidents in Essex (excluding the unitary authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock) between the years 1995 and 2004 (the latest for which figures are available).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate the Department has made of the total number of miles driven to take children to and from school over the last five years. [65990]

Data from the National Travel Survey showing the number of miles travelled by car drivers for the purpose of escorting others to education are given in the following table. Data are provided on a single-year basis to 2002. Prior to this, the NTS sample was too small to give reliable single-year estimates. Data have therefore been presented for 1999–2001 as a three-year average.

Million

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to reduce the chances of motorcyclists being charged for speeding on the basis of inaccurate evidence; and if he will make a statement. [65856]

Evidence of speeding for possible use in court must be provided by equipment that has been type-approved by the Home Secretary. No equipment receives type approval unless it has successfully passed rigorous and comprehensive tests both operationally and in the laboratory. No specific test is prescribed that involves motorcycles, or any other particular sort of vehicle, because they are not considered to present any distinct problems. The operational tests do, however, involve measuring the speed of any passing traffic including motorcycles. The Home Office are wholly satisfied that when used in accordance with their type approval, the manufacturers' instructions and the Code of Practice issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers all type approved devices are accurate and reliable on motorcycles and in the evidence they produce.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many television sets are in operation in the Department (a) in total, (b) in Ministers' private offices and (c) in each building in the Department; and how many television licences are held by the Department. [62808]

The Department for Transport has 218 television sets. There is one television in the office of each Minister and one in the private office of each Minister. The breakdown on the number of television sets in each building has been placed in the Libraries of the House. 69 television licences are held by the Department.

The number of television sets will not in all cases strictly correspond to the number of licences held because of Crown exemption in situations where the equipment is used for official purposes.

Data have not been provided for the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, an Executive Agency of the Department, as the requested information is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what responses she received to her letter of 2004 to football club chairmen on reminding them of the responsibility players have as positive role models. [65819]

The purpose of my letter of 9 August 2004 to the chairmen of the 92 Premier and Football League clubs was to remind them of the huge impact football can have on wider society.

No formal response was required. However, those chairmen who did respond agreed with the sentiments expressed in my letter and assured me that they would take the opportunity to convey my message to both their players and manager.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

(1) if she will make a statement on progress with site assembly at the Olympic Park and planned changes to the configuration of the park; [65114]

(2) what recent discussions her Department has had with the Reuben Brothers on site assembly at the Olympic Park; and what assessment she has made of the future options for site assembly. [65115]

holding answer 24 April 2006

Good progress continues to be made in assembling the land for the Olympic Park. More than 80 per cent. of the land needed is already in public authority control. The London Development Agency (LDA) is responsible for the process of land assembly and its preferred option for acquiring land continues to be through reaching private agreements with landowners. Given the size and complexity of the site, the LDA has decided that it is necessary to exercise its powers of compulsory acquisition so as to be sure of securing possession of the land when required. A Public Inquiry for this Compulsory Purchase Order will begin on 9 May 2006.

The Olympic Delivery Authority are continuing to test and validate their plans to ensure that they can deliver the best Games and legacy facilities. No wholesale changes are being proposed, but there may be some adjustments to the layout of facilities within the existing Olympic Park area. Any such changes are likely to be announced before the summer.

The Department has had no discussions with the Reuben Brothers on the process of land assembly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make it her policy toexclude counselling for abortion and abortifacient birth control to school pupils; and if she will make a statement. [64251]

The Government support the provision of school-based health services where the school identifies a need. The decision to provide such services, and the content of that service, is for the individual school governing body in consultation with pupils, parent and the wider school community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total capital expenditure has been for each school in the 100 (a) primary and (b) secondary schools with the (i) highest and (ii) lowest percentage of children receiving free school meals in the past 10 years. [66087]

Capital allocations are made on a local authority basis, and information is not held centrally on individual schools. Expenditure on individual schools is determined by each local authority in accordance with priorities set out in its asset management plan, utilising funding allocated by the Department for Education and Skills and other sources available to the local authority.

Capital allocations from the Department to local authorities in England have increased from less than £700 million in 1996–97 to a planned £6.3 billion in 2007–08, rising to £8 billion by 2010–11.

To ask the Secretary of State forEducation and Skills what the average (a) class size and (b) pupil to teacher ratio was in (i) primary schools and (ii) secondary schools in (A) Taunton constituency, (B) Somerset and (C) England in each year since 1992. [64346]

The following table provides the average class size and pupil-teacher ratios in maintained primary and secondary schools in Taunton constituency, Somerset local authority and in England, January 1992 to 2005, the latest information available.

Pupil-teacher ratio information prior to 1997 is not available at constituency level.

Average class size and pupil-teacher ratios in maintained primary and secondary schools in Taunton constituency, Somerset local authority and England: January of each year^{(2) (3) (4)}

⁽²⁾Classes taught during the one selected period in each school on the day of census in January.

⁽³⁾The within-school PTR is calculated by dividing the total FTE number of pupils on roll in schools by the total FTE number of qualified teachers regularly employed in schools.

⁽⁴⁾Includes middle schools as deemed.

n/a=Not available.

Source:

Annual School Census

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills

(1) whether the levels of guaranteed unit of funding per child for free nursery education places in 2006–07 will take into account the increased entitlement for nursery education to 38 weeks per year; [65284]

(2) what criteria the Department used to allocate guaranteed unit of funding per child for free nursery education places in 2005–06; [65286]

(3) what the guaranteed unit of funding per child was for free nursery education places in Nottinghamshire for (a) 2005–06 and (b) 2006–07. [65287]

For 2005–06, the Schools Formula Spending Share (FSS) system was used to distribute resources for nursery education between local authorities. The formula for under 5s used pupil numbers, weighted for deprivation, area costs and sparsity to divide up the overall total of resources for under 5s. That resulted in a unit of funding for under 5s of £2,980 for Nottinghamshire. For 2006–07, the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) replaced Schools FSS, and £82 million was added to the total of DSG to fund the increased entitlement for nursery education from 33 weeks to 38 weeks per year. DSG has a single unit of funding for all pupils from 3 to 15: the baseline figure for Nottinghamshire for 2005–06 was £3,246 per pupil; and the figure for 2006–07 is £3,457 per pupil, which takes account of the additional funding for the increased entitlement for nursery education.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in what languages other than English examinations may be taken; and how many students took examinations in a language other than English in each of the last eight years. [64816]

Examinations leading to general qualifications offered by the three England-based unitary awarding bodies must normally be taken in the medium of English, except where competency in another language is being examined, for example, in the case of modern foreign languages. A very small number of students also take some examinations with those awarding bodies in the medium of Welsh or Irish (Gaeilge), but information about the numbers is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts), of 20 January 2006, Official Report, column 1622W, on List 99, on what basis her Department's policy not to identify anyone below Secretary of State level was formulated; and if she will make a statement. [47952]

All ER 2, recognised the principle of delegation but stated that,

The Minister is responsible. It is he who must answer before Parliament for anything that his officials [and junior Ministers] have done under his authority."

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent per pupil in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) England, (ii) Hull and (iii) East Riding in the last year for which figures are available. [65463]

The following table contains the available information:

⁽⁵⁾School based expenditure includes only expenditure incurred directly by local authority schools. This includes the pay of teachers and school-based support staff, school premises costs, books and equipment, and certain other supplies and services, less any capital items funded from recurrent spending and income from sales, fees and charges and rents and rates. This excludes the central cost of support services such as home to school transport, local authority administration and the financing of capital expenditure. The pupil data are drawn from the DfES Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis.

⁽⁶⁾Combined local authority and school based expenditure includes all expenditure on the education of children in local authority maintained establishments and pupils educated by the authority other than in maintained establishments. This includes both school based expenditure and all elements of central LA expenditure except youth and community and capital expenditure from revenue (CERA). Certain elements of central local authority expenditure cannot be attributed to a particular phase of education and consequently a sector breakdown is not available. Pupil figures include all pre-primary pupils, including those under 5s funded by the authority and being educated in private settings (only available from 1999–00), pupils educated in maintained mainstream schools and any other local authority maintained pupils. All pupil numbers are adjusted to be on a financial year basis.

Notes:

2004–05 figures are as reported by local authorities in their section 52 outturn statements as at 20 April 2006 and are subject to change. All figures are shown in cash terms and rounded to the nearest £10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the pupil to teacher ratio has been in West Lancashire (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year since 1980. [64297]

The following table provides the pupil teacher ratios in maintained nursery and primary and secondary schools in west Lancashire constituency, in each January from 1997 to 2005, the latest information available.

Pupil to teacher ratio information prior to 1997 is not available at constituency level.

Pupil-teacher ratios in maintained primary and secondary schools in West Lancashire constituency: January of each year⁽⁷⁾

⁽⁷⁾The within-school PTR is calculated by dividing the total FTE number of pupils on roll in schools by the total FTE number of qualified teachers regularly employed in schools.

Source:

Annual School Census

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 28 March 2006, Official Report, column 888W, on school admissions, what powers (a) schools adjudicators and (b) admissions forums will have to ask for details of admissions other than in response to objections. [65945]

The provisions set out in clause 42 of the Education and Inspections Bill will permit the schools adjudicator to consider any aspect of a school's admission arrangements in addition to the aspect which is the subject of the objection. The Bill does not give the adjudicator any power to consider schools' admission arrangements where he has not received an objection.

Admission forums have a different remit. They are required by regulations to give advice to admission authorities on their admission arrangements, and where this advice is not followed, clause 38(8) of the Bill will enable them to refer objections to the adjudicator. As part of this process, they should see all local schools' admission arrangements and will be able to request these where they have not been supplied.

Admission forums will also be able to prepare and publish reports on how well an area's admission arrangements engender fair access and work in the interests of parents and children. The local authority, neighbouring local authorities, and admission authorities in their area will be required by regulations to provide the admission forum with any information they hold that will enable them to produce their report.