To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken to put the education campaign on cannabis announced in the House on 19 January into effect. (101839)

[holding answer 21 November 2006]: A widespread education campaign on the harms of cannabis and all illegal drugs is under way. In partnership with DfES, the Home Office has produced “Understanding Drugs,” a comprehensive teacher and pupil information pack which is now available to every secondary school in England. The FRANK campaign has updated its cannabis information resources with new TV and radio ads and wide-ranging information leaflets now available. In addition, the Department of Health will be issuing a toolkit for mental health practitioners on the links between cannabis and mental health.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will sign the European Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings. (101355)

The UK is currently considering whether to sign the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The Government are examining how the Convention's approach could best be harmonised with effective immigration controls.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to prevent human trafficking in the UK. (101356)

Work currently being undertaken to prevent human trafficking includes a number of different elements. These include the recent opening of the UK Human Trafficking Centre in Sheffield; research and intelligence gathering to improve our knowledge and understanding of the scale and nature of human trafficking in the UK; awareness raising and capacity building in source and transit countries; and measures designed to address demand for trafficked persons.

We are working hard with source countries to tackle the problem of trafficking at its root. We have provided funds for various anti-trafficking projects and awareness raising campaigns in the Western Balkans region, West Africa (including Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Ghana, Niger and Togo) and the Greater Mekong region (parts of Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam).

The UK Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking, currently being developed and due to be published early in 2007, will provide further details of the work being undertaken in this area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken to prevent defunct paedophile support groups from re-establishing. (100493)

There are a range of legislative and enforcement measures in place that are aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse. Through the Sexual Offences Act 2003, the law was overhauled to provide greater protection for children from sexual abuse, and a new offence of ‘meeting a child following sexual grooming’ was introduced. Those who seek to harm children, whether through the online or offline environment, and whether acting alone or in groups, can expect to face the full force of the law. Of course, enforcement measures are kept under constant review in order to deal with the challenges presented by the constantly developing IT environment.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the pension age is for (a) prison officers and (b) police officers; what changes to these arrangements are planned; and if he will make a statement. (101276)

With regard to the pension age for prison officers, the Principal Civil Service Pension scheme is in two sections. Section 1, the “2002 section”, is referred to as the premium scheme and has a pension accrual rate of one sixtieth. Section 2, the “1972 section”, is referred to as the classic scheme. Classic has a pension accrual rate of one eightieth plus a lump sum accrual rate of three eightieths.

The current normal pension age for members of both schemes is 60. However, some prison officers who are members of the classic scheme have a normal pension age of 55.

In line with the principles agreed with the trade unions at the Public Services Forum in 2005, a new pension scheme will be introduced for new entrants to the civil service who will have a pension age of 65.

With regard to police officers, under the Police Pension Scheme 1987, to which most officers belong, there is no fixed retirement age for the police. Officers with at least 25 years’ service may retire with an immediate pension from the age of 50. Officers may also retire with an immediate pension, irrespective of age, after 30 years’ service, when they will have accrued maximum benefits. This means that an officer who joined at 18 and a half—the earliest age at which it is possible to start as a police officer—is entitled to retire at 48 and a half with a full pension. Otherwise officers become eligible to retire with an immediate pension from the age of 55, 57 or 60, depending on what their compulsory retirement age would have been for their rank and force before such ages were revised with effect from 1 October this year. Officers with less than 25 years’ service who leave the police with deferred benefits will receive their pensions at 60.

The accrual rate under the Police Pension Scheme 1987 is one sixtieth of final salary for each year during the first 20 years and two sixtieths for each of the next 10 years, providing a target pension of two thirds of final salary, if no lump sum is taken, after 30 years.

Members of the Police Pension Scheme 2006, those who joined the police service on or after 6 April this year, have a set pension age of 55 at or after which a serving officer can leave with an immediate pension irrespective of his or her length of service. Officers who leave the police service below the age of 55 with deferred benefits will receive their pension at 65.

The accrual rate under the Police Pension Scheme 2006 is one seventieth of final salary for each year providing a target pension of one half of final salary, plus a fixed lump sum of twice final salary, after 35 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers retired in receipt of a pension from the date of retirement at (a) under 50 years of age and (b) between 50 and 55 years of age in each year since 1990-91; and if he will make a statement. (101311)

The information is a matter for the chief officer of each police force and is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department collects on the (a) interests, (b) affiliations and (c) memberships of police officers; and if he will make a statement. (100866)

The Home Office does not collect data on the interests, affiliations or memberships of police officers. This is a matter for their respective forces.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how long traffic was delayed on the south side of Waterloo bridge adjacent to County Hall and St Thomas' hospital as a result of the closure of Westminster bridge consequent on security arrangements relating to the State Opening of Parliament ceremony on 15 November. (101000)

The operational arrangements for policing of the State Opening of Parliament are the responsibility of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of the Independent Monitoring Board at each young offender institution holding juveniles have qualifications in child protection. (101679)

This information is not available.

Membership data does not include qualification details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the G24-facilitated discussions between the Colombian Government and civil society on development and human rights issues; and how often representatives from the UK Embassy in Colombia have attended these meetings. (101569)

In 2006, the G24 formally set up six sub-groups on thematic areas where representatives of civil society, the Colombian Government and the G24 could meet regularly to discuss specific issues of concern. This has provided a welcome forum for dialogue between non-governmental organisations and the Government on a range of human rights, conflict and development issues. We expect the thematic groups to continue in some form in 2007. The G24 is drawn from participants at the 2003 London Meeting on International Support for Columbia, which has a presence in Bogota.

Each of the six sub-groups meets every month. Our embassy in Bogota has participated in a number of the groups' meetings, including those focusing on the rule of law and human rights and reintegration into civil life. The embassy also attends the quarterly meetings of the Follow-up Commission involving civil society, Colombian Government and G24 representatives, and in regular G24 steering meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she plans to take towards ensuring that those detained in Ethiopia in connection with the political disturbances in 2005 receive a fair trial following the recent statement by Judge Teshale Aberra, a former senior judge in Ethiopia, about the judicial system in that country. (100822)

Officials from our embassy in Addis Ababa made representations to the Ministry of Justice about the ongoing trial of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) leadership on 12 July 2006 and our ambassador in Addis Ababa has raised it with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, bilaterally and with EU ambassadors on several occasions, most recently on 14 October. He has also visited two representatives of civil society detained in connection with the disturbances.

We will continue to make representations to the Government of Ethiopia regarding all those, including civil society representatives, detained in connection with the political disturbances in 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the report produced by Michael Ellman, the EU observer in Ethiopia, on the trial of Coalition for Unity and Democracy opposition leaders. (100824)

The EU observer to the Hailu Shawal and Coalition for Unity and Democracy leadership trial is employed by the EU and reports to the EU Presidency. Any reports the observer writes are submitted to the EU. The EU will take decisions on whether or not to publish any such reports. If any are published, the Government will place copies in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she expects to publish her Department's gender equality scheme. (101482)

The gender equality scheme (GES) will form part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) diversity equality scheme, which will be discussed by the FCO board on 24 November and published in early December. The GES will be revised before April 2007 to reflect a new action plan on gender.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that private organisations contracted to work (a) in her Department and (b) for non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies for which her Department is responsible are aware of their duties under gender equality legislation when exercising public functions on behalf of public bodies. (101505)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) revised its tender and procurement documentation in October to reflect the new public duties on disability and gender. We are also

providing training for all staff involved in procurement work so that they fully understand the provisions of the sex discrimination and equal pay legislation where relevant to their work;

informing procurement candidates or tenderers where to obtain information about contractors' obligations under the legislation and the gender equality duty; and

including in every contract a performance condition that the contractor must comply with these obligations and the gender equality duty.

We are sharing this with our non-departmental public bodies. The executive agencies for which we are responsible, FCO Services and Wilton Park, also drew up a detailed action plan in preparation for these new duties to ensure they promote diversity equality as appropriate with private organisations contracted to work for them. The action plan can be found at annex A of the FCO's diversity equality scheme, which will be published in December 2006. A copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has to carry out gender impact assessments of her Department's major policy developments and new legislation. (101542)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) introduced a new impact assessment tool in September. All major policy developments and papers submitted to the FCO board and the Board's sub-committees will be assessed using this tool to ensure we fulfil the new public duties on disability and gender, as well as the existing duty on race.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) her Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies for which she is responsible are taking steps to meet the requirements of the forthcoming duty on public bodies (i) to end unlawful discrimination and harassment and (ii) to promote equality between women and men. (101557)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the executive agencies for which we are responsible, FCO Services and Wilton Park, completed an audit of our policies, service and functions in October in preparation for the new public duties on disability and gender. We are currently undertaking a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats analysis of our approach to gender issues. In December we shall host a workshop with our gender advisory group, non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies and then draw up a detailed action plan which will form an annex to our gender equality scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will list the occasions since she has held her present office when she has used (a) rail services, (b) the London Underground, (c) tram or light railway services and (d) buses in connection with her ministerial duties. (101989)

On 9 June I travelled return to Paris on Eurostar for the Anglo-French summit.

All my travel on official business is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in Travel by Ministers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether her Department has received the appeal determination from the Home Office referred to in the written answer of 7 November 2006, Official Report, column 1438W, on visas; and when the visas will be issued to the two children to travel to the UK. (101499)

The Visa Section at our High Commission in Kingston received the appeal determination on 2 November and has authorised the issuing of the visas. They are now waiting to receive the applicants' passports so the visas can be issued.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the outcome has been of discussions with United States authorities on the non-appearance of US military personnel at coroners’ inquests. (100601)

I had a useful meeting on 20 November with David Johnson, US deputy ambassador to London, concerning attendance of American service personnel at the inquests of British soldiers killed in friendly-fire incidents in Iraq. Mr. Johnson has agreed to report back on the Government’s concerns and we have agreed to meet again shortly.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will meet the delegation from the Council of Europe investigating the British electoral system. (100779)

We will, of course, be happy to meet the Council of Europe’s delegation, to explain the changes we have made to the system of postal voting.

It is disappointing that the original motion in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe failed to mention the steps that have been taken to strengthen the security of postal voting in the UK. We consider these steps will make the introduction of any monitoring procedure wholly unnecessary and unwarranted.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what evidence her Department has made of the extent to which the rules on postal voting have affected the number of votes cast in local and national elections; and if she will make a statement. (100780)

My Department has not made any assessment on changing turnouts based solely on the rules governing postal voting. There may be a number of reasons, both national and local, for changing turnouts between particular elections.

The Electoral Commission is responsible for reporting on national elections. Its report, Election 2005: Turnout, contains figures on the overall turnout at the 2001 and 2005 general elections, and the percentage of postal voters at these elections.

Central Government do not hold figures on the number of postal voters at local and regional elections prior to 2006.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether she has received the new draft code of conduct on postal voting produced by the Electoral Commission; and if she will make a statement. (100781)

The Government have not received a revised code of conduct on postal voting for the May 2007 local elections.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the period of time candidates and electors are permitted in order to compile evidence and enter an electoral petition challenging the validity of an election; and if she will make a statement. (100782)

The Government believe that the 21-day time limit to enter an electoral petition is sufficient. Extending this limit could lead to prolonged uncertainty about election results.

In addition, when there are allegations of fraud at a particular election, as a result of new rules introduced through the Electoral Administration Act 2006, the police are able to carry out investigations into such allegations for up to two years following the result of that election.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many cases referred to the Information Commissioner have not been dealt with; what the average waiting time is for cases received by the Commissioner; what steps the Commissioner is taking to reduce waiting times; when the Commissioner expects to clear the backlog of cases; and if she will make a statement. (101321)

The Information Commissioner is an independent body created by statute. On 31 October 2006, 1,291 freedom of information cases were in the process of being investigated. The average age of a freedom of information case when closed in 2006-07 is 135 days. On 26 October 2006 the Commissioner laid before Parliament a report describing his progress in eliminating the freedom of information case backlog and setting out his future plans.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what factors were taken into account in the decision to transfer to new suppliers the IT contracts for the (a) Local County Court, (b) ARAMIS and (c) Libra systems; what costs are of each transfer; and what the expected effect is of each transfer. (100487)

The main reason for transferring to new suppliers was that IT contracts for LOCCS, ARAMIS and Libra systems expire during 2007 and 2008. The Department has just completed a two year procurement (the DISC Programme) to award new contracts. Contracts with the new DISC suppliers were signed on 23 October 2006. Transfer costs are included within the Programme Business Case. Overall, these new contracts are forecast to deliver cost savings of more than £100 million over the next seven years on comparable IT services and will ensure more efficient, effective and joined-up services to DCA clients and staff.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs who provided IT services to her Department under the (a) Libra, (b) ARAMIS and (c) LOCCS contracts up to 26 October. (100512)

The IT services are provided under (a) the Libra contract by Fujitsu, STL and Accenture; under (b) the ARAMIS contract by Liberata UK Ltd., and under (c) the LOCCS contract by EDS. The existing IT services will continue to be provided until the transfer to the new suppliers is completed during 2008.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what the expected cost is for the transition of IT services under the (a) Libra, (b) ARAMIS (c) LOCCS contracts to other suppliers; (100513)

Project plans are currently being developed so I am unable to provide the hon. Member with this information.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how she plans to choose the new provider of IT services under the (a) Libra, (b) ARAMIS and (c) LOCCS contracts. (100514)

The new providers have already been selected through the DISC Programme, which was a major procurement exercise run by the Department. Contracts were signed on 23 October 2006. Atos Origin has been appointed as the Infrastructure Services supplier. LogicaCMG has been appointed as the Application Services supplier.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many representations have been received by her Department following the implementation of the means test for criminal legal aid; and how many have expressed support for the new arrangements. (100766)

Since 2 October my Department has received approximately 10 letters from MPs on behalf of solicitors and a further 29 representations directly from solicitors. There is support for means testing in principle. Many correspondents have raised practical concerns about the operation of the new means test and I have announced a range of changes which are intended to meet these concerns.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely impact on the legal aid budget of the reduction in the number of criminal cases going through the courts; and to what extent this reduction has informed the Department’s proposals for legal aid reform. (102012)

In forecasting future demand for legal aid my Department and the Legal Services Commission take into account prevailing trends across the justice system.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what her assessment is of the effect of regional government on democracy in the UK. (100496)

In establishing the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly we have met the aspirations and desires of people in Scotland and Wales to be governed and to govern themselves. This is evident in the successful working of the devolution settlement which has, since 1998, increasingly strengthened the UK democracy. Furthermore, the Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Bill will pave the way for the restoration of the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland on 26 March 2007.

The creation of the London Assembly and Greater London Authority in 2000 has allowed more effective local decision-making. However, there is not at present, a strong desire among people in England for further devolution of powers at a regional level.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans she has to make provision for the televising of court proceedings in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement. (101245)

The Government have no plans to televise court proceedings in Northern Ireland.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the merits of the televising of court proceedings in England and Wales. (101246)

The Government published a consultation paper on broadcasting courts in November 2004 and a summary of the responses to that paper was published in June 2005. My right hon. and noble Friend the Lord Chancellor has subsequently been considering the appropriate way forward in the light of the consultation responses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information is available closest to that asked for in the question answered on 6 November 2006, Official Report, columns 916-17W, on benefit disqualification. (100500)

The information is not available as the Department does not recognise the term able-bodied.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of benefit fraud in the last five years have been linked to the financing of suspected terrorists. (100575)

[holding answer 21 November 2006]: The information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the report on the policy and implementation issues that arise from Sir David Henshaw's first report Recovering Child Support: routes to responsibility; and if he will make a statement. (101916)

We are currently developing plans for introducing a new system of child support. As part of this we are considering the most effective way of moving to, and administering, the new system.

We are carrying out an intensive programme of work to determine the way forward and plan to publish proposals in a White Paper, later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what employment rates were in the UK in (a) 1997 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. (102261)

I have been asked to reply.

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

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 22 November 2006:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question about employment rates in (a) 1997 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available. (102261)

The attached table gives the annual employment rates by gender for the twelve months ending in December 1997 and nine months ending September 2006.

Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his consideration of the case for concessions for residents of Dartford and Thurrock using the Dartford Crossing extends to residents of (a) Bexley and (b) Greenwich; and if he will make a statement. (101462)

No decisions have been made about whether or not to offer resident discounts for using the Dartford-Thurrock river crossing. The Government announced on 19 November 2006 that they would be consulting on proposed changes to the charging regime at the Dartford-Thurrock river crossings and it will be through this process that we take account of views about the proposals we have put forward.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport under what powers the bulk carrier Hyok Sin 2 was banned from entering UK ports; why it was banned; what it was carrying; where it was boarded; and how many other vessels of that flag have been refused entry in similar circumstances. (101103)

The Hyok Sin 2 was subject to a Refusal of Access (banning) Order under Regulation 7B of the Merchant Shipping (Port State Control) Regulations 1995, as amended. These regulations incorporate the provisions of Article 11.6 of the EU Council Directive 95/21/EC. This requires member states to refuse access to their ports to certain classes of vessels if they have a poor detention record, and are flagged with flag states on the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Black List.

The Hyok Sin 2 was boarded by Maritime and Coastguard Agency surveyors at Tees Dock on 11 April 2006 for a Port State Control inspection. The vessel failed the inspection with serious corrosion and wasting problems and was detained on safety grounds. The vessel arrived in ballast and had loaded a cargo of steel which was then discharged following the detention.

Besides the Hyok Sin 2, one other Democratic People's Republic of Korea flagged vessel, the bulk carrier Abdulrahman, is currently banned from EU ports on account of its detention history. This vessel was banned by the Portuguese authorities in December 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are for upgrading (a) the foyer and (b) the car park at Stafford Railway Station. (101870)

Virgin Trains have advised the Department that they are currently planning to carry out refurbishment works to the travel centre and ticket office at Stafford station in the spring of 2007.

The Department is currently working with Network Rail and Virgin Trains to develop plans for the expansion of car parking at Stafford station linked to the introduction of service improvements in 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's estimate is of the number of (a) untaxed and (b) uninsured vehicles; and what steps are being taken to reduce their number. (101371)

On (a) and (b) I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham (Mr. Hands) on 21 November, Official Report, column 36W.

The steps which we are taking to reduce levels are as follows:

Vehicle excise duty (VED)

We are making it as easy as possible to comply. Electronic vehicle licensing allows vehicle keepers to tax their vehicles electronically when it is convenient for them and checks the insurance and MOT databases automatically on their behalf.

We are also continuing to enforce from the record. Continuous registration requires vehicles to be either taxed or subject to a statutory off-road notice at any time. As a result, it is no longer necessary to ‘catch’ an untaxed vehicle being used on the road in order to prosecute the keeper for VED evasion.

We are using improved methods of detection (such as automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) equipment), data and intelligence to target non-compliant vehicles on the road. In 2005-06 DVLA and its local authority partners clamped over 79,000 vehicles, more than half of which were crushed. A new contract was let in May 2006 which will allow this national scheme to be expanded. We expect DVLA and its partners to clamp around 150,000 untaxed vehicles this year.

Uninsured driving

In order to strengthen enforcement activity to tackle insurance evasion we introduced two new measures last year. The first will give the police improved access to the Motor Insurance Database to enhance their ability to detect uninsured driving by using ANPR equipment. The second will empower the police to seize vehicles being driven uninsured. Both measures are proving effective, with the police seizing nearly 600 uninsured vehicles each week.

In addition, the Road Safety Act 2006, which recently received Royal Assent, has powers for a new scheme of continuous insurance enforcement. This scheme will mean that rather than having to rely on detecting uninsured vehicles on the road we can now identify, from the database, vehicles where insurance polices have lapsed and not been renewed.

This will enable us to target all insurance evaders, rather than just the necessarily smaller numbers that it is possible to identify on-road.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been collected since the inception of the aggregates tax; what the estimated take is for the next five years; and what monies he has re-invested in the aggregates industry to mitigate the impact of the tax. (101453)

Aggregates levy receipts since introduction:

The forecast of receipts for 2006-07, published at Budget 2006, is £0.3 billion.

A forecast for 2007-08 will be published at the pre-Budget report 2006 and we will continue to publish forecasts at future pre-Budget reports and Budgets.

The aggregates industry benefits from the 0.1 percentage point reduction in employer national insurance contributions, introduced simultaneously with the levy, and the aggregates levy sustainability fund, which has helped aggregates businesses with environmental projects and investment in processing and recycling plant.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many alcohol-related deaths there have been in Shropshire in each year since 1991. (101320)

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

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 22 November 2006:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many alcohol-related deaths there have been in Shropshire in each year since 1991. I am replying in her absence. (101320)

The table below provides the number of deaths with an alcohol-related underlying cause in Shropshire county from 1991 to 2005 (the latest year available).

So that comparison over time is for a consistent area, deaths in the current Telford and Wrekin unitary authority, which was part of the former County of Shropshire, have not been included for any year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of child benefit was for (a) second and (b) successive children as a percentage of national average earnings in each year since 1979-80; and if he will make a statement. (101274)

This information is not held and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the (a) cost and (b) effect on child poverty of linking child benefit to earnings growth rather than prices growth for each year from 2007-08 to 2020-21; and if he will make a statement. (101294)

My reply of 7 November 2006, Official Report, column 1018W, implied that, in the medium term, the annual cost of uprating child benefit by earnings rather than prices is around £200 million in today’s prices, and that this might reduce the number of children in poverty by between 20 and 30 thousand a year.

Any such estimates for later years would depend on a number of assumptions including growth in average earnings and retail prices going well beyond those for the medium term given in “Budget 2006” Tables B2 and C3. Such assumptions would all be subject to significant uncertainties by 2020-21.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average street prices of (a) each illegal drug, (b) firearms, (c) prohibited alcohol, (d) smuggled alcohol, (e) smuggled cigarettes and (f) other smuggled tobacco products in each of the last five years. (100791)

The information requested is as follows:

(a) The estimated UK average street prices for drugs over the last five years have been:

(b) The value of firearms varies widely and will increase if supplied with ammunition. Factors affecting price include relationship between buyer and seller, model, previous association with crime and reliability. We have the following range for 2005:

handguns £150 for a ‘dirty’ weapon and £1,500 brand new,

shotguns priced between £150 and £200, and

sub-machine guns (such as MAC 10s) between £500 and £4,000.

We do not have street prices for firearms for the last five years.

(c) Price of counterfeit alcohol products varies. Good quality counterfeit products such as spirits can be sold in cash and carry or retail outlets at the same price as the legitimate products.

(d) Duty free alcohol products diverted on to the home market can be sold in cash and carry warehouses and smaller shops. They are generally sold at the same, or slightly less than the price of legally sourced products.

(e) Street prices for smuggled cigarettes have remained steady at around £25 for 200 over the last five years.

(f) Street prices for smuggled hand rolling tobacco over the last five years has varied from just under £4 to £4.50 for 50 grams.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the £100 million allocated for custom officers and new technology to tackle illegal and prohibited materials from entering the UK was spent. (100794)

£100 million has been spent by Programme Cyclamen on the recruitment and training of additional Customs Officers and on the installation of radiological scanning technology at ports and airports in the UK.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what total travel expenses were paid to customs officers in (a) the UK and (b) the South region in (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005. (100796)

Information on travel expense payments made to customs officers is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of jobs in the UK dependent upon the UK's membership of the European Union. (101867)

The Government estimate that around 3 million jobs in the UK may be linked, directly and indirectly, to the export of goods and services to the European Union.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce fiscal incentives to stimulate the market for green heat from renewable energy technologies. (100605)

The Government have already introduced a number of measures in support of heat generating renewable energy technologies. A reduced rate of VAT has been extended to all existing microgeneration technologies and Budget 2006 announced a further £50 million to enable installation of these technologies through the Low Carbon Buildings Programme. In addition, the Government have also introduced enhanced capital allowances to encourage businesses to invest in energy-saving technologies.

All decisions on tax are made by the Chancellor and announced as part of the Budget process.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the future of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. (100800)

There have been a number of statements in recent years about the creation and future of HM Revenue and Customs. I refer the hon. Gentleman to paragraph 5.80 of the 2004 Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report (HC 301) and my right hon. friend the Chancellor’s Budget Statements that year, Official Report, 17 March 2004, column 331, and this year, Official Report, 22 March 2006, Column 300.

HM Revenue and Customs report regularly on progress, most recently in their spring departmental report 2006 (Cm 6832).

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on the UK economy of corporation tax rates in the Republic of Ireland. (101617)

No specific Government study has been undertaken into the impact on the UK economy of corporation tax rates in the Republic of Ireland.

Surveys by respected international bodies consistently show that the UK is successful at providing a business friendly environment and a competitive tax system. For example, the World Bank’s study of 145 countries—“Doing Business in 2006”—placed the UK ninth in the world for ease of doing business, with the Republic of Ireland behind in 11th place. The World Economic Forum’s 2006 “Global Competitiveness Report” ranked the UK 10th out of 125 countries in its index of international business competitiveness. The Republic of Ireland was ranked 21st.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) diagnosis and (b) mortality rate was for (i) chronic lung disease, (ii) coronary heart disease and (iii) cancer in each ward in Worsley constituency in each of the last 15 years. (101185)

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

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 22 November 2006:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the (a) diagnosis and (b) mortality rate was for (i) chronic lung disease, (ii) coronary heart disease and (iii) cancer in each ward in Worsley constituency in each of the last 15 years. I am replying in her absence. (101185)

Figures on the incidence of chronic lung disease and coronary heart disease are not readily available. The numbers of deaths and cancer registrations per year in each ward in Worsley parliamentary constituency are too small for the reliable calculation of rates. Mortality and incidence rates for parliamentary constituencies which do not share boundaries exactly with a local authority can be calculated only from 2001 onwards.

The tables below provide (a) the age-standardised cancer incidence rate, and (b) the age-standardised mortality rates for (i) chronic lung disease, (ii) coronary heart disease and (iii) cancer in Worsley parliamentary constituency for the years 2001 to 2004 (the latest available).

The ward population estimates on which these rates are based are experimental statistics - that is, statistics which are in a testing or consultation phase and are not fully developed - and the figures should therefore be treated with caution.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many neonatal deaths occurred in each of the last five years. (101825)

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

Letter from Jil Matheson, dated 22 November2006:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question asking how many neonatal deaths occurred in each of the last five years. I am replying in her absence. (101825)

The number of neonatal deaths in England and Wales for the last five years are given in the table below.

The above figures are routinely published by ONS in Health Statistics Quarterly (HSQ) as part of the report on infant and perinatal mortality by health areas in England and Wales. Neonatal deaths in England and Wales from 1976 to 2005 (the most recent year available) are published in table 1 on page 76 of the journal. This can be accessed using the following link:

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/HSQ31.pdf

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer where customs officers working in the Port of Poole on 31 August were based. (100798)

HMRC Officers are flexible and mobile and are deployed in line with risk and intelligence assessments.

Information by location cannot be disclosed as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent HM Revenue and Customs’ controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention of crime.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people he expects to work in the Glasgow satellite office of the new research and development tax credit offices. (100508)

The satellite office in Glasgow will initially be staffed by one dedicated R and D specialist inspector with support provided by other staff at that location.

The position will be kept under review and further resources will be allocated in the future if necessary.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what specialist training is planned for HM Revenue and Customs staff to work in one of the new research and development tax credit units. (100509)

The specialist R and D units' staff received additional training over a three-day period at the beginning of October 2006. This included training on the scope and purpose of R and D tax credits, current and emerging technical issues and specialist training on software R and D claims. In addition, HMRC will ensure the continued professional development of the specialist units' staff.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what criteria he used to decide the locations of the new research and development tax credit units. (100510)

The location of the units takes into account existing concentrations of HMRC staff, the availability of staff who have already had substantial experience of R and D tax credits, and the key areas of R and D activity throughout the UK. This approach is designed to enable HMRC to meet its obligation to assist customers with claims whilst maintaining a reasonable geographic spread.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress is being made in negotiations to extend the derogation from EU regulations to enable pleasure boats to use red diesel. (102352)

Under the EU Energy Products Directive, the UK holds derogations to allow reduced or exempt rates of duty on fuel used by private pleasure craft and aircraft, and waste oils reused as fuel. We submitted applications for renewal of all three derogations to the European Commission in October, and we await the Commission's response.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of how many people in Northern Ireland who are eligible for working tax credit are not receiving it. (101812)

Information on the number of working families with children eligible for, but not receiving, tax credits broken down by country and Government office region is available in table 9 of the 2003-04 tax credit take-up rates publication at:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-take-up.htm.

A similar breakdown for those without children is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer why tax credits are not backdated in circumstances where eligibility for them is clear. (101850)

An award to tax credits can be backdated to a maximum of three months from the date of the claim providing eligibility requirements are met at the earlier date.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many single people are receiving working tax credit in Northern Ireland. (101854)

Provisional estimates for the number of single people with working tax credit awards in Northern Ireland, as at April 2006, are published in "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. April 2006". This is available on the HMRC website at:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterlv-stats.htm

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information is collected by HM Revenue and Customs on the cost/yield ratios for investigating (a) tax fraud and (b) error; and if he will make a statement. (102083)

The information is not available in the format requested.

To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission if he will make a statement on the reappointment of the Chairman of the Electoral Commission. (102835)

The Chairman of the Electoral Commission, like the other Commissioners, is appointed by Her Majesty following an Address from this House. As I announced in the House on 6 November in response to an oral question from my hon. Friend the Member for Chichester, the current Chairman, Sam Younger, has been offered a further period of office, to expire on 31 December 2008, subject to the statutory consultation required of the registered leaders of certain political parties, and the agreement of this House. Mr Younger has accepted this offer, and the statutory consultation of party leaders is about to be concluded.

My hon. Friend will find further background on the reappointment process in my answers to my hon. Friend the Member for Chichester on 6 November, Official Report, column 576.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the cost has been of the dismantling and re-erection of physical security measures outside the Palace of Westminster for proceedings for the State Opening of Parliament. (101378)

The cost of the dismantling and re-erection of physical security measures outside the Palace of Westminster for proceedings for the State Opening of Parliament was £44,850 plus VAT.

To ask the Solicitor-General in what circumstances he will refer to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient a sentence imposed on an employer as the result of a conviction arising from an accident at work to an employee; in how many cases he has done so in the last five years; what the outcome was of the referred cases; and if he will make a statement. (100842)

The ULS scheme allows me to refer certain serious offences to the Court of Appeal where I consider the sentence imposed is in law unduly lenient, and I only take decisions to refer after a careful review of the facts and circumstances of the case and the relevant sentencing case law. The scheme does not extend to the health and safety at work legislation, but manslaughter is included in it. A review of manslaughter cases which have been referred to the Court of Appeal since 2002 shows that one such case concerned an accident at work to an employee. The offender’s name was Michael Shaw, and on 4 October this year the Court of Appeal replaced his original sentence of two years' imprisonment suspended for two years with an immediate custodial term of fifteen months.

To ask the Solicitor-General whether he plans for regional offices of the Public Prosecution Service to be established in Belfast and Newry; and if he will make a statement. (101093)

The PPS has been planning to operate on a regional basis with Regional Offices in six major cities and principal towns.

Ballymena, Belfast, Lisburn, Londonderry, Newry and Omagh have been identified as the most appropriate sites for the new regional offices. The Belfast regional office, which is based in the PPS Belfast Headquarters, and the Lisburn office are already open and operating. The Ballymena building is due for completion later this month and will be operational by mid-December. The Omagh building is due for completion by July 2007.

The PPS has to date been unable to secure suitable sites in either Londonderry or Newry through the public procurement exercise and as a result has been working closely with the Northern Ireland Valuation and Lands Agency to identify and negotiate arrangement for sites in both of these cities.

Negotiations in regard to Londonderry are now well advanced with a view to agreement to secure a new build site with developers in the new year. Work is still ongoing to find a suitable site in Newry.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of his Department’s staff are working in Afghanistan. (101865)

DFID currently has 16 UK-based officials in Afghanistan. 15 are in Kabul and one in Helmand.

Three additional posts in Kabul (in conflict, economics and an additional secondee to the British Embassy Drugs Team) are vacant. A new post will begin in January which will take responsibility for coordinating activities in Helmand. This makes a total planned complement of 20 staff in Afghanistan. The DFID Afghanistan team also has UK officials in London, and Afghan staff in Kabul, and staff from Kabul travel regularly to other provinces (notably Helmand) to support the team there.

The Post Conflict Reconstruction Unit (PCRU), for which DFID has accounting responsibility, has one official based in Kabul as part of the Strategic Delivery Unit, and has deployed four UK officials to Helmand at various times in advance of the arrival of other Departments’ staff. A PCRU-funded staff member, who from January will be funded by DFID, manages the funds available for Quick Impact Projects in Helmand.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the 10-year plans his Department intends to sign with partner countries referred to in the Making Governance Work for the Poor White Paper will contain (a) provisions to divert aid from projects which fail to achieve the plan's aims and (b) performance benchmarks against which partner countries will be judged. (101162)

DFID will establish strategic 10-year Development Partnership Arrangements with countries that show a commitment to good governance and reducing poverty. These long-term arrangements are based on the UK’s conditionality policy which sets out the circumstances under which DFID will interrupt or suspend aid. We will consider interrupting aid if there is a breach of the partnership commitments that form the basis of our relationship with national governments; i.e. if:

(i) countries veer significantly away from their agreed poverty reduction objectives or from the agreed objectives of a particular aid commitment

(ii) countries are in significant violation of human rights or other international obligations; or

(iii) there is a significant breakdown in the performance of partner Government financial management and accountability systems leading to the risk of funds being misused through weak administration or corruption.

10-year arrangements will set out long-term and predictable support that will be delivered in ways that ensure that DFID funds are used to reduce poverty. Such arrangements will contain benchmarks to assess the partner Government’s performance. A failure to meet benchmarks would not lead automatically to interruption of aid flows. Initially it would trigger discussion with the partner Government about progress with reforms and how constraints to implementation might be resolved. However, a persistent failure to achieve results would lead us to review the Government’s commitment to poverty reduction. The strategic partnership arrangements are supported by individual funding instruments for each development intervention. Individual funding instruments contain a provision to modify or terminate our support in poorly performing programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how his Department assesses potential development projects to see how quantitative performance criteria can be incorporated into the monitoring and evaluation schemes of such projects. (101166)

DFID delegates responsibility for the assessment of potential bilateral development projects and their design to field teams, usually based in countries where the projects will take place. For projects above £7.5 million formal approval at Director or Ministerial level is required.

DFID uses a log frame mechanism which sets out each project’s goal, purpose, and outputs. Objectively verifiable indicators to allow the monitoring and evaluation of performance are set out at each of these levels and will be quantitative where appropriate. These will be identified prior to a project being approved.

Bilateral projects of £1 million and over are reviewed annually against the indicators set out in the log frame and management action is then taken if necessary. Performance scores are given together with a narrative description of progress. On completion, a final review takes place to evaluate the success or otherwise of the project, again based on the performance criteria set out at the design stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of projects funded by his Department at a cost of more than £1 million contain quantitative performance criteria against which their success or failure can be measured. (100665)

All projects funded by DFID at a cost of more than £1 million contain objective verifiable indicators against which performance can be assessed. In the majority of projects, those indicators are contained in the project’s logical framework. This is the tool that DFID uses to set project objectives and identify performance indicators. In some cases, however, an equivalent performance framework is used, such as that of another donor. Progress towards the project’s indicators is reviewed on an annual basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria his Department uses in deciding how much funding to allocate to each multilateral aid organisation in addition to any obligatory contributions. (101158)

We assess the effectiveness of multilateral aid in contributing towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, which is the overall basis for our aid allocation decisions.

In 2004, DFID assessed the internal systems of our 23 key multilateral partners using a Multilateral Effectiveness Framework (MEFF). This has helped us better understand how well they are organised to deliver their business.

DFID is using the results of the MEFF in conjunction with other assessments to inform the Comprehensive Spending Review process. These include surveys carried out by the Multilateral Organisations Performance Assessment Network, a group of nine donors assessing effectiveness at the country level, as well as the performance reporting of the multilateral themselves.

Criteria include their performance at a country or global level, the quality of their partnerships, how they are building for the future, and how they manage their resources. We also look at their performance within particular contexts (for example fragile states) and sectors (for example health). Their coverage and other criteria are also considered.

Taken together these will inform financing decisions we believe will have the greatest impact on the lives of the world’s poor people.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the average length of overseas posting is for full-time staff in his Department who are posted to developing countries. (101157)

The average length of an overseas posting in DFID is two to three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of internally displaced people in Iraq; and what assessment he has made of recent trends in the number. (101972)

The Government of Iraq, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and its partners estimate there are now more than 1.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) within Iraq. Up to 1.1 million of these people are believed to have left their homes under the previous regime. The UNHCR report that there are 424,000 newly displaced who have left their homes and communities since the bombing of the Samarra shrine in February 2006. Reasons for this recent displacement are mainly due to the rise in sectarian violence around Iraq.

The majority of internally displaced persons in Iraq are either living with relatives, friends or extended family, or renting accommodation in other neighbourhoods. However, thousands of displaced persons without family links or money are living in public buildings and schools, improvised shelters and government camps run by the International Federation of the Red Crescent.

UN agencies are delivering food and emergency assistance in central and southern Iraq together with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Organisation of Migration (IOM). Since February, the ICRC has distributed food and emergency relief to 150,000 people. EC member states have recently agreed to give €10 million to the UN for the provision of additional shelter and other basic needs for IDPs.

The UNHCR also estimates that there are up to 1.6 million Iraqis living outside their country, most of them in Jordan (500,000) and Syria (450,000). Some have been outside for a decade or more, but many have moved since 2003. The UN Assistance Mission Iraq is currently conducting an assessment of these people’s needs.

Since 2003, DFID has contributed over £100 million to humanitarian agencies working in Iraq, including £85 million for the UN Humanitarian Appeal and £32 million to the ICRC for emergency humanitarian assistance. This includes £4 million for its 2006 Appeal. In 2004, DFID also provided £70 million to the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI). IRFFI has already spent over $18 million on supporting the return and reintegration of IDPs in Iraq. We are in close touch with UN humanitarian agencies so that we are able to respond quickly where unmet needs are identified.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid is being (a) offered and (b) provided to Pakistan. (100975)

For the three-year period 2005-06 to 2007-08 a Country Assistance Framework of £236 million has been agreed with the Government of Pakistan. An additional £58 million was committed for emergency relief following the earthquake of October 2005 and £70 million has been committed for earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation over the three-year period 2006-07 to 2008-09.

Of the Country Assistance Framework funds, around £140 million will be disbursed by the end of 2006-07. £54 million has been spent on earthquake emergency relief and to date £5 million has been spent on earthquake reconstruction. We anticipate disbursing another £20 million of the reconstruction money by the end of this financial year.

On Sunday 19 November, Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that the UK’s aid to Pakistan will double to £480 million over the spending period 2008-11. The planning process on how to spend the additional resources to achieve the best possible results for poverty reduction in Pakistan has begun. Decisions will be made in consultation with the Government of Pakistan, the Pakistani diaspora, other donors and Whitehall.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school leavers in (a) Wansbeck constituency, (b) Northumberland and (c) England entered higher education in each year since 1997. (101954)

The latest available information is shown in the table. Figures for 2005-06 will be available in January 2007.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children were diagnosed with dyslexia by a special educational needs co-ordinator in each year since 1997. (100517)

Identification of a child's special educational needs (SEN) is a whole school issue and does not rely on a single person to identify needs. Guidance for the head teacher, SENCO and class teacher in addition to the governing body is set out in the SEN code of practice.

Information on the number of children with dyslexia alone is not collected centrally. Children with specific learning difficulties (SpLD) have a particular difficulty in learning to read, write, spell or manipulate numbers and this includes pupils with dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia. Since 2004, data have been collected on children with SEN by type of need at School Action Plus and with a statement of SEN and figures are set out in the following table. In addition to the figures in the table, there will also be children at School Action with SpLD whose needs are met within school using the flexibilities set out in the National Curriculum Inclusion Statement. Data on these children are not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether he plans to introduce national training frameworks for special educational needs co-ordinators. (100518)

In our response to the House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee report on special educational needs, published on 11 October 2006 (Cm 6940), we declared our intention to require, through regulations, all newly appointed SEN co-ordinators to undertake nationally accredited training. These regulations would be made pursuant to section 173 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006.

The Training and Development Agency for Schools is undertaking associated development work, beginning with establishing a clear statement of the key components of the role, knowledge, skills and experience required of those leading SEN and disability provision in schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many hours' training in special education needs teachers receive before they become nationally qualified teachers. (101241)

It is not possible to quantify the number of hours that any one trainee might spend focusing upon special education needs (SEN), nor indeed any other aspect of their initial teacher training (ITT).

All accredited providers of ITT have to design their programmes leading to the award of qualified teacher status to meet the standards and the requirements for ITT as set out currently by the Secretary of State. Specific standards relating to SEN state that trainees will:

understand their responsibilities under the SEN code of practice, and know how to seek advice from specialists on less common types of special educational needs;

identify and support more able pupils, those who are working below age-related expectations, those who are failing to achieve their potential in learning, and those who experience behavioural, emotional and social difficulties—with guidance from an experienced teacher where appropriate;

and

differentiate their teaching to meet the needs of pupils, including the more able and those with special educational needs—again with guidance from an experienced teacher where appropriate.

Most ITT programmes include substantial time spent training in schools, where trainees will become aware and learn about SEN issues along with other aspects of teaching. Providers must ensure that training takes account of individual trainees’ needs, meaning that training will be personalised, and not be based on a one-size-fits-all model.

Over the period 2006-08, the Training and Development Agency for Schools is carrying out a £1.1 million programme of DFES-funded activity to enhance SEN and disability coverage in ITT courses and induction, and to improve professional development opportunities for those teachers already in post.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children with epilepsy in (a) Greater London, broken down by London borough, and (b) England have a statement of special educational needs. (101255)

The Department does not collect this information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria a civil servant in her Department must fulfil (a) to be considered for a bonus on top of their regular salary and (b) to be awarded a bonus. (101089)

DCMS awards two types of bonus on top of regular salary: (a) performance bonuses, for which there are different systems for members of the senior civil service and for all other staff; and (b) special bonuses.

(a) Performance bonuses

For members of the senior civil service, bonuses reward in-year performance in relation to agreed objectives, or short-term personal contribution to wider organisational objectives, with decisions on the award of bonuses and their size differentiated in order to recognise the most significant deliverers of in-year performance.

For all other staff performance-related bonuses have, until 2005-06, been paid to people assessed as being in the first of four performance categories, who were considered

“highly successful in achieving objectives and consistently demonstrating competences above expectations”.

DCMS has recently changed its performance-related pay system so that, from 2006-07 onwards, bonuses will be awarded to staff based on the

“relative strength of the evidence presented of performance in meeting or exceeding job-specific, personal development and leading learning objectives, and demonstration of core competences”.

(b) Special bonuses

Special bonuses are used to give tangible recognition and reward to staff who have made an outstanding contribution in a particularly demanding task or situation.

Overall, in 2005-06, 24 per cent. of DCMS staff were awarded a performance bonus and 23 per cent. were awarded a special bonus.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the number of households outside digital terrestrial television coverage areas which cannot receive satellite digital services; and if she will make a statement on digital television coverage in rural areas. (100910)

No assessment has been made of the proportion of households outside the reach of both satellite and terrestrial coverage, (although we expect that it will be very small). Research is currently being carried out by Ofcom, together with Digital UK and the BBC, on reception prospects across the UK at switchover.

At switchover, all unconverted transmitters that serve more rural areas will be upgraded so that digital coverage substantially matches that currently achieved by analogue services. Digital satellite signals are already available to nearly all UK households, urban and rural.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to promote local and community television provision as part of the digital switchover process. (101232)

We are committed to promoting the development of local and community television services and have worked with Ofcom to explore the opportunities offered by new technologies, including broadband and digital terrestrial television.

Ofcom is currently carrying out its Digital Dividend Review on the options for the spectrum released following digital switchover. This includes the use of spectrum interleaved between the Digital Terrestrial Television multiplexes which would be particularly suitable for local services using low power transmission.

Ofcom intends to consult on the findings shortly. Once the consultation is completed, we should be ready to consider the policy options for encouraging the development of local and community television.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her latest estimate is of the percentage of households ready for digital television in advance of the analogue switch-off in (a) the North East and (b) the UK; and if she will make a statement. (101385)

In the Tyne Tees ITV region, it is estimated that around 71 per cent. of households have at least one television set able to receive digital services. Nationwide, the figure is 70.2 per cent.

Following switchover, digital terrestrial television (DTT) coverage will be increased substantially to match that currently achieved by analogue services. With the right equipment the vast majority of homes can receive digital TV via satellite.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the number of households which will be eligible for targeted assistance in the switch to digital; and if she will make a statement. (101775)

We estimate that around 7 million UK households will qualify for assistance from the digital switchover help scheme between 2008 and 2012. This represents around 25 per cent. of all UK households by 2012.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the average cost of upgrading a home to receive digital television as part of the targeted assistance programme; and if she will make a statement. (101776)

DCMS have made estimates of budget for the digital switchover help scheme. We will publish appropriate details in the context of the licence fee settlement. This is unlikely to include detailed information on per-household costs (to avoid prejudicing negotiations to secure the contractor to deliver the scheme).