To ask the hon. Member for North Devon representing the House of Commons Commission

(1) if the Commission will arrange for a police box at the steel barrier in Abingdon Street to protect police and security guards on duty from adverse weather conditions; what representations he has received from (a) the Police Federation and (b) other representatives of security guards and police officers about the installation of a police box; and if he will make a statement; [73295]

(2) whether police officers and security guards working at the steel barrier in Abingdon Street are provided with waterproof clothing; and if he will make a statement. [73296]

Arrangements at the Corus barriers outside the Palace of Westminster are kept under regular review. The Metropolitan Police have received representations from the Police Federation and others about the health, safety and welfare of the security team who staff the barriers. The final arrangements at the barriers are still under consideration and improvements may result in a reduction in the numbers of staff on duty. Waterproof clothing is already supplied. Following a review, improved protective clothing has been identified and is due to be supplied shortly.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the average income per person in Coventry, South. [73463]

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

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 25 May 2006:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about average income per person in the Coventry South constituency. I am replying in her absence. (73463)

The ONS published estimates of household income for regions and local areas of the UK on 9 May 2006. Coventry South is within the NUTS⁽¹⁾ 3 area of Coventry. This is the most detailed level of geography for which estimates are produced.

Table A contains estimates of total incomes per head and Gross Disposable Household Income (GDHI) per head for Coventry.

⁽¹⁾ Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 8 March 2006. [67130]

The Treasury has no record of having received the letter. Having obtained a copy, I have now written to the hon. Gentleman.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the Home Office against its public service agreement targets for (a) reducing the fear of crime and (b) increasing confidence in the criminal justice system; and if he will make a statement. [73555]

The Treasury's assessment of the Home Office's progress against public service agreement targets can be found on the Treasury website under www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/performance This shows the progress against departmental PSA targets as detailed in annual departmental reports, published each spring, and the Department's autumn performance report.

The latest figures on the Home Office's performance against its PSA target to 'Reassure the public, reducing the fear of crime and antisocial behaviour, and building confidence in the criminal justice system without compromising fairness', show that the Department is on course or ahead of target in all components of the target.

Further information about the targets and the latest progress assessment can be found in the Home Office's autumn 2005 progress report which is available on the Home Office website.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the prospects for future economic growth in the United Kingdom economy. [73721]

The Government set out its latest assessment of UK economic developments and prospects in Financial Statement and Budget Report 2006 (HC 968) on 22 March 2006.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times he has met (a) Commissioner McCreevy and (b) Commissioner Kroes since their appointment to the European Commission. [73572]

Treasury Ministers and officials have conversations and discussions with a wide range of organisations and individuals as part of the process of policy development, analysis and delivery.

As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of every such meeting.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) net contribution to the EU budget, (b) net contribution to the EU institutions and (c) net expenditure transfers (i) were in each year from 2001-02 to 2005-06 and (ii) are forecast to be from 2007-08 to 2012-13; and what assessment he has made of how each would change should (A) Romania and (B) Bulgaria's accession to the EU be delayed for a year. [73736]

The UK net contributions to the EC budget and net payments to EC institutions for the period 2001-02 to 2007-08 are presented in Table 3.2 of the European community finances White Paper (Cm 6770) published on 24 May 2006. Net expenditure transfers over this period are in Table 1.1 of the public expenditure statistical analyses (Cm 6811) published on 15 May 2006. 2007-08 is the final year of the current public expenditure planning cycle and forecasts beyond this period will be included in the comprehensive spending review 2007. For estimated net contributions to the EC budget over the next financial perspective I refer the hon. Member to the reply to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) on 31 January 2005, Official Report, column 399W.

The Government have not produced estimates for the financial implications of delaying the accession of Romania and Bulgaria.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2006, Official Report, column1099W, on EU membership, if he will list the studies undertaken by his Department. [68758]

My earlier answer gave details of the Treasury's work on this issue.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to review the implementation of the EU Directive on insurance mediation in the UK. [73753]

The financial services authority (FSA) assumed responsibility for the regulation of general insurance on 14 January 2005. The FSA's regime served to implement the EU's insurance mediation directive in the UK.

The FSA began a review of the effectiveness of the general insurance regime in April 2006. This review will include seeking feedback from firms and consumer research.

Separately, the Treasury will review early in 2007 whether travel insurance sold as part of a package should be subject to FSA regulation. The IMD only requires the regulation of travel insurance if sold on a stand-alone basis.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer

(1) what representations he has received on the impact of the EU directive on insurance mediation on small and medium-sized (a) enterprises traders and (b) freight forwarders in the UK; [73754]

(2) what assessment he has made of the impact of the implementation of the EU directive on insurance mediation on small and medium-sized enterprises traders and freight forwarders in the UK. [73755]

The financial services authority (FSA) assumed responsibility for the regulation of general insurance on 14 January 2005. The FSA's regime served to implement the EU's insurance mediation directive in the UK.

The FSA will begin a review of the effectiveness of the general insurance regime in April 2006. This will include seeking feedback from firms and consumer research.

The impact of the IMD implementation on the UK's freight forwarding sector has been the subject of discussions between the British international freight association (BIFA) and HM Treasury. The Government are confident that the UK has correctly translated the IMD into UK legislation.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Prime Minister's announcement on 15 May 2006 that he is to play a lead role in public sector reform, when he plans to outline his proposals; what his remit is in relation to the Home Office; how he will co-ordinate this role with that of the Home Secretary; and if he will make a statement. [73535]

As the Prime Minister set out, the Chancellor remains responsible for public spending. The forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review will represent a long-term and fundamental review of government expenditure across all Government Departments, including an assessment of the future trends and challenges for public services.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has held with the Home Secretary following the Prime Minister's announcement that he is to take a lead role in public service reform. [73538]

The Chancellor regularly meets with Secretaries of State and other Ministers to discuss a wide range of issues.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Denton and Reddish constituency received overpayments of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit for each year since 2003. [73131]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for West Suffolk (Mr. Spring) on 24 May (72637).

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Government raised in tax revenue in each of the last five years. [73464]

Total public sector current receipts in the last five financial years are included by the Office for National Statistics in "Public Sector finances: Supplementary (Quarterly) Data", which was last published on 27 April 2006.

This publication can be accessed on-line via the following link: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/ssdataset .asp?vlnk=8885&More=Y.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on tax revenue in the financial year 2006-07 of the decisions (a) to remove the 0 per cent. starting rate of corporation tax, (b) not to up-rate the corporation tax thresholds in line with inflation and (c) the removal of the tax exemption for employer-provided laptop computers. [62450]

holding answer 30 March 2006

The information is as follows:

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/20F/2F/bud06_cha_134.pdf'>http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/20F/2F/bud06_cha_134.pdf in Table A2 under Building a Fairer Society: tackling tax motivated incorporation. (a) The decision to remove both the 0 per cent. starting rate and the 19 per cent. non-corporate distribution rate of corporation tax was announced in the 2005 Pre-Budget Report. The effect on tax revenue in the financial year 2006-07 of this decision may be found at:

(b) There is no requirement to increase the corporation tax profit limits in line with inflation. The upper profit limit (currently £1,500,000) is tied through regulations to the limit below which companiesno longer pay corporation tax through quarterly instalments, so increasing it would have an impact on the timing of tax receipts from some companies. Given this, it is not possible to estimate accurately the impact of increasing the profit limits on tax receipts in advance of setting the transitional rules that would be required for these companies.

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/20F/2F/bud06_cha_134.pdf'>http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/20F/2F/bud06_cha_134.pdf in Table A1 under Building a Fairer Society: Duties and other tax changes. (c) The decision to remove the tax exemption for employer provided computer equipment was announced at Budget 2006. The effect of this decision on Exchequer revenue in the financial year 2006-07 may be found at:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what incentives his Department offers to encourage staff to share vehicles when travelling to work. [73039]

The Treasury is located in Westminster and is well served by public transport. Very few staff travel to work by car and no special incentives exist to encourage car sharing except when public transport is disrupted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the chief veterinary officer's report on the H5 avian influenza exposure in October 2005, on what date the antibodies were found; where they were found; how many birds revealed antibodies; and whether the geese were (a) (i) imported and (ii) homebred and (b) kept for (A) consumption and (B) eggs. [72619]

Samples taken from a number of geese on 31 October 2005 from an informal bird rescue centre in Somerset tested positive for antibodies to H5 avian influenza. Three geese had positive antibody titres to H5N2 and 10 geese had positive antibody titres to H5N7.

The geese, sourced locally, were not kept for consumption or egg production.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the chief veterinary officer's report on the avian influenza exposure in October 2005, what tests were undertaken on wild birds in the area; what the results were of these tests; whether antibodies showed the birds were exposed to the H5 virus; whether there was evidence the birds had recovered from infection; and what assessment he has made of the length of time H5 viruses have been spread between wild birds. [72620]

No additional tests were undertaken in response to the findings of H5N2 and H5N7 antibodies in geese in October 2005. A veterinary inquiry was instigated and clinical examination revealed that the geese were healthy. Further sampling and laboratory tests did not isolate avian influenza viruses and the presence of infection with avian influenza viruses was ruled out. It is likely that the positive antibody result was due to previous exposure to low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses.

It is not uncommon to find LPAI viruses in wild birds and any event of unusually high wild bird mortality in the area would have been investigated through virological testing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2006, Official Report, column 833W, on avian influenza, how many approved commercial landfill sites there are; what estimate his Department has made of the maximum disposal capacity they provide; and if he will make a statement. [72832]

My officials are working with the Environment Agency to review the capacity of suitably permitted landfills for the disposal of infected poultry carcases in the event that there is insufficient capacity at incineration and rendering plants.

Based on the capacity as assessed following the foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001, my officials advise that there would be more than sufficient capacity in commercial licensed landfill to dispose of the projected number of poultry carcases.

Part III of the "Exotic Animal Disease Generic Contingency Plan", published by Defra in December 2005, sets out the structures and systems that would be implemented in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza and describes the Government's capability to provide the resources to implement the control policies. The Plan is available on the Defra website:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/footandmouth/pdf/genericcp.pdf

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2006, Official Report, column 833W, on avian influenza, what measures his Department has in place to prevent wild birds from scavenging from (a) on-farm burial sites and (b) commercial landfill sites; and if he will make a statement. [72833]

There are no plans for the on-farm burial of poultry carcases in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza. In the event that commercial licensed landfill was used for carcase disposal, this risk would be mitigated by ensuring that carcases were immediately covered with other material to a depth of at least 1 m and that at the end of each working day, carcases were covered by at least 2m of cover material.

All landfill sites used for carcase disposal will have Pollution, Prevention and Control (PPC) conditions in place as well as a bespoke bird deterrent/management plan drawn up and implemented by bird control experts from the Central Science Laboratory.

Part III of the "Exotic Animal Disease Generic Contingency Plan", published by Defra in December 2005, sets out the structures and systems that would be implemented in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza and describes the Government's capability to provide the resources to implement the control policies. The Plan is available on the Defra website:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/footandmouth/pdf/genericcp.pdf

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs why the pilot study of the gamma interferon bovine tuberculosis test was abandoned; which part of the Department (a) designed and (b) implemented the pilot study; and what assessment has been made of the process. [70989]

The pilot study of the gamma interferon blood test was halted in October 2005 because the slow recruitment rate of herds (195 herds against a projected requirement of 600) meant that the project was unlikely to be completed before 2012. Given the significance of the bovine tuberculosis problem, we believed this was too long to wait.

Defra's Animal Health Division and the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) designed the study, which was implemented by the VLA and the State Veterinary Service.

Some useful lessons have been learnt from the process, and these are being applied as we develop new policies for the wider roll out of the gamma interferon test.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will estimate the amount of carbon emissions produced by a train journey from Derby to London. [68800]

The Derby to London train journey is 193 kilometres, which produces approximately 2.7kg of carbon dioxide emissions in total.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made with changes to the effects of the European Landfill Directive in its application to pet cemeteries since May 2005; and if he will make a statement. [71951]

Pet cemeteries are landfill sites and their operation is subject to the requirements of the Landfill Directive. Previously they operated under waste management licences issued by the Environment Agency (EA), but under the Landfill Directive, operators of pet cemeteries will now instead be required to apply for a pollution prevention and control permit.

DEFRA has been working very closely with the EA to ensure that increases in the cost of regulation are kept to a minimum. The EA has classified pet cemeteries as a low risk activity which will attract lower application fees and subsistence charges.

DEFRA officials are currently working with the EA to investigate the scope for taking an alternative approach to the regulation of pet cemeteries. We expect to announce a proposal for their future regulation very shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many commercial hatcheries are listed in the Great Britain Poultry Register in respect of each species. [70781]

The information requested is set out in the following table:

This information was produced using data from the Great Britain Poultry Register taken on 12 May 2006. All data are subject to change.

The GB Poultry Register allows people to register themselves as a commercial hatchery without necessarily indicating which species they hatch, hence the unknown category. It is also possible that premises may have registered themselves as having an incubator capacity but have not registered that they use this for commercial purposes.

The GB Poultry Register captures data under the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (No2) Regulations 2005. Registration is mandatory for premises with 50 or more birds kept for commercial purposes. In addition, the Register also includes voluntary registrations for non-commercial premises and those where fewer than 50 poultry are kept.

The completeness of the data is dependent on the level of compliance with the legislation as specified above. Owners are required to de-register if they no longer keep poultry.

Only the major poultry hatchery species i.e. chicken, turkey, duck, goose, have been listed. All other species have grouped in the 'Other' category.

Two premises in the GB Poultry Register had registered as a commercial hatchery. However, they indicated in a free text field that they did not hatch anything. These premises were removed from this report.

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

(1) when he plans to begin the consultation on the co-existence arrangements for genetically modified crops; and if he will make a statement; [69567]

(2) what plans he has to ensure maximum public involvement in the consultation on the co-existence arrangements for genetically modified crops. [69568]

holding answer 9 May 2006

We plan to issue a consultation paper in due course. This will be sent to relevant stakeholder groups and it will also be available on the Defra website. We will encourage everyone who wants to make a contribution on this subject to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will estimate the amount of carbon emissions produced by the use of the RAF Queen's Flight to fly from his constituency to London. [68799]

The rules on the use of special flights are set out in Travel by Ministers. The annual lists of overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500 set out when special flights are used, and the purpose of each trip. Copies are available in the Library. The then Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs made use of 32 Squadron to attend EU Council meetings in Brussels and Luxemburg.

Carbon dioxide emissions arising from 32 Squadron flights are included in the Government's carbon offsetting commitment. Carbon emissions arising from the use of these flights have been recorded and offset in the same way as the use of scheduled flights since April 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has undertaken into the environmental effects of deep-burial of nuclear waste. [71634]

The independent Committee on Radioactive Waste Management, which was appointed by the Government in November 2003, has considered existing research into the environmental effects of the disposal of nuclear waste.

The Committee recently announced an integrated package of draft recommendations for the long-term management of the UK's radioactive waste, which are subject to further consultation with interested parties. The report when completed will be available on www.corwm.org.

The Environment Agency also maintains a small research and development programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice and guidance (a) the Department, (b) the Environment Agency, (c) the Government's Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances and (d) the Drinking Water Inspectorate has issued on the use of perfluorooctane sulphonate. [70022]

DEFRA, and the Government's Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances have not issued any guidance on the use of perflurooctane sulphonate. However, a European Commission proposal for a Directive (76/769/EC), relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of perfluorooctane sulphonates (PFOSs) is currently being negotiated. While the UK welcomes the proposals we do not feel that they go far enough, and the UK is now aiming to strengthen these proposals by working through a co-decision process at EU level.

We have reached agreement with member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on the hazard profile of PFOS see www.oecd.org/dataoecd/23/18/2382880.pdf We are also working to have PFOS agreed as a persistent organic pollutant and subject to international controls under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and the UNECE Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants. This is a longer-term aim.

The Environment Agency has not issued advice or guidance on the use of PFOS. It has however requested that it be phased out on the basis of its toxicty to the environment and humans.

While the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has not issued specific advice or guidance on the use of PFOS, it has provided advice to organisations involved in the response to the Buncefield fire on the regulation of PFOS in drinking water. A value of three micrograms per litre was provided by the DWI to the Three Valleys water company as reflecting the best available evidence on which the water company can base its judgment of wholesomeness and safety, and the actions, if any, that it may need to take to safeguard drinking water quality going forward.

The current national advice provided by the Health Protection Agency is that it appears unlikely that a lifetime's consumption of drinking-water containing concentrations of up to three micrograms of PFOS per litre would harm human health.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many pheasants have been imported from France in each of the last 10 years; whether bird imports are still permitted; and if she will make a statement. [61045]

holding answer 27 March 2006

The EU-wide system for recording the number of livestock imported into each member state, TRACES, does not differentiate between different types of game birds. Further, there are inconsistencies in the way that data can be inputted and interpreted, so the available figures are not reliable. However, the database does show that, to date, no game birds have been imported into the UK from France in 2006.

Representatives from the shooting industry in this country estimate that around three million pheasants are imported every year into the UK.

If avian influenza was confirmed or even strongly suspected in wild birds or poultry, then trade in live birds from the affected zone would stop.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that the competent authority for the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals regulations in the UK will be suitably equipped in terms of staff and expertise to take account of the occupational health issues arising from the regulations. [72366]

DEFRA is considering a number of options for the competent authority for the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH) in the UK. In evaluating these options consideration will be given to whether they have the ability to address the wide range of issues arising from the regulations, including their capability in terms of staff and expertise to ensure adequate protection of both human health and the environment. As REACH applies without prejudice to existing health and safety legislation, the chosen competent authority will need to demonstrate an ability to work closely with Health and Safety Executive who have overall policy and enforcement responsibility for occupational health legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) standing charges, (b) cost per litre and (c) other charges levied by each water company in England and Wales are to individual households (i) with and (ii) without water meters. [73324]

The following tables summarise the charges that are levied by water companies on households both with and without water meters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the provision of Braille books, newspapers and magazines in libraries in (a) England, (b) the North East, (c) Tees Valley and (d) Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency. [73658]

DCMS is working in conjunction with English local authority library services to recognise the position of those with sight problems. There is no ring-fenced core central Government funding for public libraries, but there is an expectation that a 'comprehensive and efficient' library service as set out in the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964, will address the needs of visually impaired people. This includes the provision of alternative format materials.

We are not aware of any published regional or local data regarding provision of Braille. While there are no holdings of Braille books at Middlesbrough borough council or Redcar and Cleveland borough council, both can quickly source Braille content from the National Library for the Blind on request. Both authorities offer alternatives to Braille such as Supernova, which enhance access to both mainstream on-line and printed content (via scanner). Middlesbrough also partner with "Action for the Blind" to obtain Braille content typically within 24 hours.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the impact of legislative reforms to the licensing regime on circuses (a) prior to the introduction of the Licensing Bill to Parliament, (b) during the passage of the Bill through Parliament and (c) since the Licensing Act 2003 received Royal Assent. [71609]

The Department has made no specific assessment of the impact of the legislative reforms to the licensing regime on circuses. We are currently monitoring and evaluating the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 nationally, but it is too early as yet to draw firm conclusions.

My predecessor and the Department's officials have met the Association of Circus Proprietors of Great Britain and other circuses representatives, the Arts Council and Equity, on several occasions. We will continue to work with circuses in order to help them to maximise the benefits of the licensing reforms.

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

(1) what discussions she has had with representatives of the tourism, hotel and conference industry in London and the South East on measures which could be taken to mitigate the effect on the industry if drought orders were to be introduced; [72806]

(2) what assessment she has made of the likely impact of a drought order in the Thames Water region on the number of tourists coming through London and its airports; [72807]

(3) when she last met the Mayor of London to discuss the possible impact of drought orders on London's tourist, conference and hotel industries. [72808]

VisitBritain and the UK tourism industry, including the Mayor of London who has responsibility for tourism in London, have strong and well rehearsed mechanisms in place for dealing with events which can impact on the visitor economy; my Department is closely involved in these arrangements.

VisitBritain is consulting partners in London and the South East, such as the Tourism Alliance and Tourism South East, about the possible implications for the tourism industry of drought orders. The information and advice from this exercise will be discussed with the Secretary of State and myself as necessary. We see no need as yet for a meeting with the Mayor of London to discuss possible drought orders but will keep this, along with other potential actions, under review as circumstances demand.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her answer of 8 May 2006, Official Report, column 48W, on football, how the 92 Premier and Football League Club Chairmen responded to the previous letters from the Minister for Sport. [73418]

In my previous letters to the 92 Premiership and Football League Chairmen I asked them to remind their players of the issue of fair play and of the responsibilities they have in being positive role models for the game.

I was not expecting responses, but of the few that did respond, and in my ongoing conversations with the football club Chairmen, they have been broadly supportive of my views.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Gambling Commission will issue its guidance on compliance and enforcement responsibilities in respect of the Gambling Act 2005. [73328]

The Gambling Commission is aiming to consult in the next few weeks on its arrangements for licensing, compliance and enforcement under the Gambling Act 2005. It plans to publish its finalised guidance in the autumn 2006. Copies of the published guidance will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on information technology (IT) sourced from outside her Department in each of the last five years; who is responsible for such projects in her Department; and what IT (a) expertise and (b) qualifications they possess. [71801]

My Department has fully outsourced IT so the figures given represent the total expenditure on information technology.

Responsibility for information technology projects rests with the Department's CIO who has over 20 years experience of working in information technology.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many licensed premises in (a) Greater Manchester, (b) Tameside metropolitan borough and (c) Stockport metropolitan borough have had renewal licences refused under the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003. [72648]

This information is not held centrally.

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

(1) how many (a) public houses, (b) convenience stores and (c) off licences have had their licences revoked under the Licensing Act 2003 for (i) the sale of alcohol to people under 18 years of age and (ii) causing antisocial behaviour related to the sale of alcohol in each licensing authority area; [71027]

(2) how many reviews of alcohol licences have been requested by local residents under the Licensing Act 2003; and how many of these reviews have resulted in licences being revoked in (a) public houses, (b) convenience stores and (c) off licences in each licensing authority area; [71028]

(3) how many (a) public houses, (b) convenience stores and (c) off licences have had their licences revoked by the police under the Licensing Act 2003 in each licensing authority area; [71030]

(4) what the average fine issued to (a) public houses, (b) convenience stores and (c) off licences under the Licensing Act 2003 has been to date to premises found guilty of selling alcohol to people under 18 years of age; and what the average fine was for this offence in each type of premises in each of the previous five years in each licensing authority area. [71031]

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many new licences have been issued under the Licensing Act 2003; and how many licences were issued for (a) public houses, (b) convenience stores and (c) off licences in each of the previous five years in each licensing authority area. [71029]

Statistics concerning new licences issued under the Licensing Act 2003 (the 2003 Act), which came into force on 24 November 2005, are not available. However, the Department estimates that some 190,000 premises have been licensed under the 2003 Act, the majority of which are for the sale of alcohol.

Data for the number of new licences issued in England and Wales under the Licensing Act 1964, which has now been replaced by the 2003 Act, were collected every three years and are available for a 12 month period to the 30 June 2004 as detailed in the following table:

Separate data for convenience stores are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when her Department will publish its first review of the guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003. [71610]

The guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003 is being reviewed in two stages. Following the initial review, which covers issues where a broad consensus exists among stakeholders, it is expected that supplementary guidance will be laid before Parliament in June 2006.

In parallel with this, a full review is being conducted, including a formal public consultation. As a result of this process, we expect to lay a revised version of the guidance before Parliament by the end of 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many outlets in Greater London have been prosecuted under the Licensing Act 2003. [71845]

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the Answer of28 November 2005, Official Report, column 89W, on licensing applications, whether an event, a garden fete or function of a similar nature held solely to raise money for a charity or local church would be considered as 'not for private gain' and therefore be exempt from the requirement for a licence. [72826]

holding answer 22 May 2006

The provision of entertainment at a garden fete or similar event is not 'regulated entertainment' for the purposes of the Licensing Act 2003. Such an event would therefore be exempt from the requirement for a licence.

However, this exemption does not apply if the fete or similar function is promoted with a view to applying some or all of its proceeds for the purposes of private gain.

The provision of a benefit to one or more individuals is not regarded as being for private gain if made in the course of the activities of a non-commercial society established and conducted: (a) for charitable purposes, or (b) for the purpose of enabling participation in, or of supporting, sport, athletics or a cultural activity. In addition, no exemption from licensing would arise if the fete, event or similar function involved the sale or supply of alcohol.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the different inflation rates were which were applied by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, referred to in the Minister for Sport's letter of 17 May 2006 to the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid Kent, when raising its budget from £1.5 billion to £2 billion. [72817]

holding answer 22 May 2006

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) budget reflects an average annual rate of inflation over the seven-year period from 2004 to 2011 of approximately 4 per cent.

I am advised by LOCOG that they have used prudent but not excessive rates of inflation dependent upon the nature of the relevant costs. LOCOG has also taken into consideration the fact that the costs will be spent at different points in the lifecycle of the project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the National Heritage Memorial Fund has spent on acquiring works of art for British museums in each of the last 10 years. [73233]

The National Heritage Memorial Fund has awarded the following amounts to British museums and galleries for acquisitions of works of art in each of the last 10 financial years:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what meetings officials in her Department have had with representatives of the public relations company Portland PR; what contracts Portland PR has with her Department and agencies for which she has responsibility; and what the nature of the contract is in each case. [70050]

DCMS has no contracts with Portland PR and the department does not maintain a central list of such meetings. Civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and business delivery. All such meetings are conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Code and Guidance for civil servants on contacts with lobbyists and people outside Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many organisations applied to run the Schools' Olympics; and on what criteria the winner was selected. [73620]

The selection of an operator to organise the UK School Games this September was a matter for the Millennium Commission. In my other capacity as chair of the Commission, I will write to the hon. Member and arrange for copies of my reply to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library a copy of the summary of responses tothe consultation on temporary event notices; and if she will make a statement. [71615]

We shall soon be announcing the results of our review of temporary events notices (TENs) and consideration of responses to the associated consultation. Shortly thereafter, we shall place a copy of those responses on the Department's website (www.culture.gov.uk). Where an individual has written on his or her own behalf, and not in the course of representing an organisation, we will have redacted any personal details such as the name and address.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what date the Arts Council commissioned the options appraisal of the arts organisation 'The Public'; and what its remit was. [73838]

The options appraisal was commissioned on 2 February 2006. The remit of the options appraisal was to assist the Arts Council to understand: the immediate cash flow requirements of the charity; the possible funding requirement of 'The Public' on opening; the likely further funding required, in addition to that already agreed, to achieve completion of the building; whether there are any viable options which may involve less funding; the impact of the group entering into an insolvency process and the impact on the Arts Council of any such insolvency process; and the current position of the remainder of the charity's activities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department have to attend matches at the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany. [73631]

Both my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I will be attending a number of games during the 2006 World Cup finals being held in Germany this summer.

All travel by DCMS Ministers will be arranged in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his plans to protect the names and addresses of shareholders will apply only to companies which carry out animal experiments. [70806]

No: the members of all companies will be protected by the provision in the Company Law Reform Bill that a company need not comply with a request for a copy of its register of members if the court is satisfied that it is not sought for a proper purpose. The Government amendments to the Bill to strengthen further this protection, which were tabled on 18 May, also apply to all companies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action his Department is taking to encourage banks to reduce late payment fees and other charges following the recent ruling from the Office of Fair Trading; and if he will make a statement. [72375]

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) statement relates to the principles they think credit card issuers should follow in order to set fair default charges. The issuers are being asked to confirm by31 May their response to this statement and their willingness to make any necessary adjustments to their credit card default charges. They are also being asked to consider how these principles may be applicable in other related areas, including the way default charges are applied to current accounts. The OFT has indicated that it has not ruled out future legal action if the market does not respond positively and it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the operation of section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974; what recent representations he has received about the operation of this (a) section and (b) Act; and what amendments have been made to the Act. [72466]

Section 75 of the 1974 Consumer Credit Act has the effect that where a purchase for an amount over £100 and not more than £30,000 has been funded by a credit card, the purchaser will have the same rights in respect of a breach of contract or misrepresentation against the credit card company, as he would have against the supplier himself.

One area of section 75 around which there has been a degree of uncertainty relates to overseas transactions (i.e. where a credit card is used to buy something abroad). The Office of Fair Trading sought to resolve this issue by way of a Court declaration. The case reached its conclusion on 22 March 2006, when the Court of Appeal ruled that section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 does apply to overseas transactions, as well as to domestic ones.

Before this ruling and during the passage of the Consumer Credit Bill (now the Consumer Credit Act 2006), Baroness Miller of Hendon tabled an amendment to try and clarify the issue of overseas application of section 75. The Government resisted Baroness Miller's amendment on the grounds that the issue was the subject of an ongoing case at the Court of Appeal, and that it would be inappropriate to amend section 75 before that case had reached its conclusion.

The subsequent Court ruling of 22 March is, the Government believe, a good outcome for consumers and they have no plans at present to make changes to section 75 of the 1974 Act.

More generally, as the 2006 Act is brought into force, they will make a number of significant changes to the 1974 Act. In particular:

(a) Improving consumer rights and redress:

by replacing the extortionate credit test (in the 1974 Act) with a new, broader test concerned with the principle of 'unfairness';

(b) Improving the regulation of consumer credit businesses:

by altering the powers of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to enable it to take targeted action to drive out rogues, and by requiring minimum standards of information provision to consumers throughout the life of the loan; and

(c) More appropriate regulation of consumer credit agreements:

by abolishing the £25,000 limit for regulation and making the rules concerning enforceability consistent and proportionate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will provide a substantive response to question 64806, tabled by the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight on 18 April, on telephone numbers. [70139]

holding answer 11 May 2006

I answered the hon. Member's question on 12 May 2006, Official Report, column 542W, by transferring it to the chief executive of Ofcom and I understand that Ofcom should now be replying substantively in about 10 working days.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures his Department plans to take to encourage more (a) women and (b) people from ethnic minorities to become business entrepreneurs. [71094]

Levels of women's enterprise are increasing. The number of self-employed women in the UK has risen from 915,000 in 1997 to 1,022,000 in 2006. This is the highest figure since records began in 1984. But we still have further to go to match levels of women's enterprise in some comparator nations, such as the USA. That is why, from June this year, we will have a taskforce on women's enterprise to encourage the development of women's enterprise working with the development agencies and other partners. Regional development agencies, including the North East, are piloting women's enterprise units to trial different approaches to supporting the start-up and growth of women-owned businesses.

We are also making some progress in reducing differences in self-employment rates between different ethnic groups. The gap in self-employment rates between under-represented groups and others in England has come down from4 percentage points for the year ending spring 2005 to 3.4 percentage points for the year ending winter 2005. In the last four years, the number of self-employed people of working age from under-represented groups has increased from around 80,000 to 120,000 in England. The Department and the small business service are working with colleagues across Whitehall to help deliver the recommendations on enterprise made by the national employment panel in their 2005 report 'Enterprising People, Enterprising Places'.

This includes working with the learning and skills council on the development of centres of vocational excellence in entrepreneurship in five designated cities (London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds/Bradford and Leicester) and working with banks and financial intermediaries to review the availability and accessibility of finance for ethnic minority firms in those designated cities.

The small business service also supports a detailed programme of activity led by the ethnic minority business forum to promote enterprise amongst ethnic minority groups. Key actions include:

drawing up a three-year action plan and following this with a national conference to promote ethnic minority enterprise;

promoting and developing regional engagement through a series of regional networking meetings;

developing an online community to encourage continued dialogue with stakeholders;

ensuring that initiatives to facilitate access to public sector procurement markets meet the needs of ethnic minority businesses through the work on the recently launched web portal for lower value opportunities, and the development of training for small and medium enterprises in selling to the public sector.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the biological effects of myalgic encephalomyelitis. [72846]

The Department supports medical and clinical research through the Medical Research Council (MRC). In May 2003, the MRC invited research proposals on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) covering basic research through to more applied health services research and interventions; the invitation can be found at: http: www.mrc.ac.uk/strategy-chronic_fatigue_ syndrome_me.htm.

The MRC has funded seven research studies into CFS/ME as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of Government funding announced on 18 May for the Royal Mail will be made available for Parcelforce activities; and if he will make a statement. [73612]

No proportion of these facilities has been set aside for Parcelforce.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

(1) what assessment he has made of the level of personal debt among pensioners; and if he will make a statement; [72584]

(2) what steps he is taking to ease the burden of debt experienced by pensioners; and if he will make a statement; [72585]

(3) if he will introduce a scheme to relieve pensioners of personal debt; and if he will make a statement. [72586]

We are doing much to help those with personal debt problems as outlined in the Government's 2004 "Tackling Over-indebtedness: Action Plan" and the subsequent 2005 annual report. DTI examples include the recently launched £45 million Face-to-Face Debt Advice Project, that will result in hundreds of new debt advisers and the multi-million pound support given to the National Debtline phone service. Such assistance is open to all and we much welcome the use of them by vulnerable pensioners.

Overall, the Government's strategy for older people is focused on tackling poverty in old age. The measures include: pension credit which targets help to the poorest pensioners; the state second pension which will provide a more generous additional provision for people on low and moderate earnings; and one-off payments for eligible pensioners to help ensure financial security in retirement and reduce the risk of falling into problem debt.

Priorities for the Government's strategy for older people in 2006-07 include maximising take-up activity to ensure that those entitled to pension credit receive it and increasing take-up of the state second pension, including among carers and the long-term disabled, and the 200 winter fuel payments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Government's long-term policy is on the Post Office branch network, with particular reference to rural areas. [73594]

The Government are committed to supporting the rural post office network with annual social network payments of £150 million for the next two years. The level of any support beyond 2008 will depend, following public consultation, on decisions on the future of the post office network.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of part-employee share ownership in respect of Royal Mail. [73591]

The Government are considering Royal Mail management's proposals for the incentivisation of its workforce through an employee shares scheme. No decisions have been taken on these proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of options for the long-term ownership structure for the Royal Mail. [73595]

The Government have made it clear that they will not privatise Royal Mail.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the rate of return the Government will receive on its loan to the Royal Mail. [73613]

The details of the arrangements for the extension of the debt facilities have yet to be decided. The rate of return on the utilisation of the facilities will be set on a commercial basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria were used in deciding to support the Royal Mail in respect of its pension fund deficit. [73614]

The Government, as shareholder, considered Royal Mail's investment case on a commercial basis. Under the Government's proposed financial framework, no funds are paid directly into the pension fund. The Government intend to release £850 million of reserves that Royal Mail has built up through past profitable performance so those funds can be transferred to a special account, the pension escrow account, upon which the pension fund trustees could draw, in the unlikely event that Royal Mail should fail as a business. When the pension fund deficit has been recovered and Royal Mail's balance sheet strengthened by successful operation, it is expected that the escrow fund will be released and surplus cash returned to the Government as shareholder. This arrangement provides confidence to pensioners and a sustainable financial framework for Royal Mail.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many local authorities have signed up to the Small Business Friendly Concordat; what steps are being taken by the Government to encourage local authorities to do so; and what target he has set for take up by local authorities of the Concordat. [66609]

I have been asked to reply.

Records maintained by the Small Business Service (SBS) suggest that presently 63 local authorities in England have formally signed up to the Small Business Friendly Concordat (March 2004).

The "National Procurement Strategy for Local Government" includes a milestone for all local authorities to have adopted the Concordat by the end of 2005. The Government recognise that small businesses can provide best value in procurement and that is why they are keen to continue encouraging adoption of the Concordat throughout local government.

ODPM has written to local authorities on two occasions encouraging sign-up to the Concordat. In conjunction with key partners the ODPM is exploring further ways to promote the Concordat to local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his Department's expenditure has been on research into the (a) economic and (b) social implications of the easing or removing of Sunday trading restrictions. [72882]

DTI appointed Indepen Consulting Ltd to produce an economic cost-benefit analysis of easing the restrictions on Sunday shopping. The cost was around £60,000. We published Indepen's report on 5 May on the DTI website:

www.dti.gov.uk/consmners/buying-selling/Sunday% 20Shopping.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will organise and fund a conference to discuss the social costs and benefits of easing or removing Sunday trading restrictions. [72883]

There are no current plans to organise and fund a conference to discuss the social costs and benefits of easing or removing Sunday trading restrictions.

From 13 January to 14 April, as part of the review of Sunday shop opening hours, we asked for views and evidence from consumers, religious groups, employees and businesses not only on the economic case, but on all aspects of extending Sunday shopping hours. We have received a large number of responses and are currently analysing them.

On 5 May, we published an independent economic cost-benefit analysis, commissioned by DTI. On 10 May, DTI held a stakeholder conference where the independent consultants presented the cost-benefit analysis and participants were able to discuss the assumptions and findings. This was followed by optional forums on specific themes; one of the themes was the impact on society of extended Sunday shopping hours. We intend to publish a report of this event on our website shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2006, Official Report, column 1129W, on Sunday trading, what plans he has to commission research into the social effects of easing or removing Sunday trading restrictions. [72886]

There are no current plans to commission research into the social effects of easing or removing Sunday trading restrictions.

From 13 January to 14 April, as part of the review of Sunday shop opening hours, we asked for views and evidence from consumers, religious groups, employees and businesses not only on the economic case, but on all aspects of extending Sunday shopping hours. We have received a large number of responses and are currently analysing them.

To ask the Solicitor-General what responses he has received to his Department's consultation paper "Convicting Rapists and Protecting Victims". [73360]

The consultation period runs until 31 July 2006 and we normally expect responses towards the end of the period. Nonetheless I have already received three responses and the Office for Criminal Justice Reform has received six responses. Seven of these have come from individuals and two from organisations.

To ask the Solicitor-General on how many occasions (a) civil servants and (b) special advisors in his Department have stayed overnight in (i) five star, (ii) four star and (iii) three star hotels in each of the last three years. [69009]

The Law Officers' Departments had no special advisers in the period in question. The information on hotel star ratings is not recorded centrally by the Crown Prosecution Service, Serious Fraud Office, Treasury Solicitor's Department, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and the Attorney General's Office and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office was able to obtain the following information for 2005-06 since it was set up on 18 April 2005:

To ask the Solicitor-General what assessment he has made of the likely trends in the number of cases demanding the attention of the Serious Fraud Office over the next three years. [73365]

Between 2001 and 2005 the SFO had 223 cases referred to it and it has so far accepted 82 of these cases. The remaining cases are mostly referred to other agencies.

From 2001 to 2005 the SFO has seen a considerable increase in case referrals and it does not anticipate that this trend will change. Moreover the cases that the SFO sees are growing in complexity and are commonly linked to international financial markets.

It is not possible to provide accurate data for the future as this depends on the number of frauds, their nature and their referral to the SFO.

To ask the Solicitor-General how many copies of the Treasury Solicitor Annual Report 2003-04 were distributed by his Department; if he will list those who were sent copies; how many copies were printed; what the cost was of (a) distribution and (b) printing; who was awarded the contract to undertake the printing; how (i) hon. Members, (ii) Members of the House of Lords and (iii) members of the public may obtain a copy; at what cost; when he expects to publish the 2004-05 edition; and if he will make a statement. [70079]

550 copies of the Treasury Solicitor's Annual Report and Accounts 2003-04 were printed at a total cost for design, print and distribution of £10,038. The Central Office of Information printed the Reports. Copies were laid before Parliament (HC 1012). They were also distributed across the Attorney General's Departments but no record was kept of the distribution. 300 copies were supplied to the Stationery Office for public purchase (ISBN 0102930023) at £15.10 each. A copy is also available electronically on the TSol website (www.tsol.gov.uk).

The 2004-05 Treasury Solicitor's edition was published and laid before Parliament on 21 July 2005 (HC 274) and is similarly available at the Stationery Office (ISBN 010293438X) at £16.25 or on the TSol website. The 2005-06 edition is scheduled to be published and laid before Parliament on 20 July 2006.