To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many British Transport Police community support officers were based in each London borough in each of the last five years. (129462)

This information is not held by the Department for Transport but by the British Transport Police who can be contacted at: British Transport Police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, E-mail:

general.enquiries@btp.pnn.police.uk.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what mechanisms are in place to ensure his Department's economical use of paper. (128002)

The Department has a wide range of measures in place to ensure economical use of paper, following the broad policy of “reduce, reuse, recycle” and to meet the new targets for government on sustainable operations.

Information for the public is increasingly available electronically and a higher percentage than in previous years of new documents are web only publications. When documents are printed, then consideration is given to the types of papers used to ensure they are fit for purpose, indicating the weight and type of the paper to minimise paper use. Any printed publications are printed on 75 per cent. recycled paper. The Department for Transport also leads on the pan- Government framework for the provision of recycled paper for printed publications.

Improved IT has resulted in all the major reference manuals from finance, procurement, the staff handbook and other reference guides to be placed on the internal Intranet site with the presumption that all these reference documents are only available electronically.

From February 2003, the Department’s weekly internal Bulletin has been available online, resulting in considerable paper saving as well as cost savings of £130,000 a year.

All printers purchased, unless used for specialist processes, are capable of printing on both sides of the paper. Business Units are encouraged to set this facility as the default. Photocopiers used also have this facility.

All internal stationery and printing paper purchased is 100 per cent. recycled and waste paper is recycled.

Increasingly business process, from invoicing of payments through to sickness absence recording, travel and subsistence claims, are being processed electronically.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which postal companies handle mail dispatched by his Department and its agencies. (128252)

The central Department and each agency do not keep records specifically identifying companies that only provide mail services. However, listed as follows are the companies that have provided both mail and courier services:

A1 Couriers Ltd.

Amtrak

Apollo Express Services Ltd.

Business Post (Parcels)

Capita Group Ltd.

Central Despatch Service

Dash It

DHL Global Mail

Fast Track Couriers Ltd.

Initial Citylink

Lynx Couriers

Parcel Force

Peters and May Ltd.

Quicksilver Messenger Service

Royal Mail

Streetwise Couriers

TNT Post UK Ltd.

UK Today

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the different train companies on proposals to reduce the number of saver fares on the railways; and if he will make a statement. (129009)

No discussions have been held on proposals to reduce the number of saver fares. All discussions on a simplified fares structure have involved retaining and in some cases expanding the range of flexible off-peak walk-up fares such as savers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much of the additional rolling stock being authorised for purchase by his Department to relieve overcrowding he plans to be used on services between Bedfordshire and London; and if he will make a statement. (128727)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much of the additional rolling stock being authorised for purchase by his Department to relieve overcrowding he plans to be used on services between Worcestershire and London; and if he will make a statement; (128374)

It is too early to say where precisely the additional rolling stock will be used. The deployment of new rolling stock will be agreed with the industry following the publication of the high-level output specification and the long-term rail strategy this summer, in accordance with the periodic review timetable set out in the Office of Rail Regulation's advice to Ministers published in February 2007.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to encourage (a) Network Rail and (b) South West Trains to improve its performance; and if he will make a statement. (129353)

There are regular discussions between Stagecoach South West Trains (SSWT) and Network Rail about performance.

SSWT has a public performance measure (PPM) moving annual average (MAA) of 89.7 per cent. (at February 2007, the last reporting period).

The Department re-let the new South Western franchise from February 2007; the new franchise agreement has an incremental increase in the performance benchmarks that SSWT will have to meet over the franchise period.

I have four-weekly Performance Delivery Group meetings with rail industry representatives to discuss rail performance. At these meetings, current performance, and steps for improvement, are examined to ensure that improving performance remains a high priority throughout the rail industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the (a) short-term and (b) long-term efficacy of interactive road signage in built-up areas for traffic calming purposes. (128992)

Vehicle activated signs (VAS) are designed to address the problem of inappropriate speed at locations where conventional signing has not proved effective. The majority of VAS are therefore placed in rural areas where inappropriate speed is a particular problem, such as on the approach to hazards, bends or junctions.

TRL Report 548 “Vehicle activated signs—a large scale evaluation”, published in 2002 studied the effectiveness of vehicle activated signs (VAS) at over 60 sites on rural roads with a range of speed limits. This found VAS to be effective at reducing vehicle speeds at the approach to isolated hazards or bends and junctions. There was no evidence that the signs became less effective over the three-year period of the study.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he expects Afghanistan to increase the amount of electricity available through bilateral power purchase by the end of 2010; what progress has been made; and what progress he expects to be made by the end of the year. (127503)

The latest quarterly progress report issued by the Government of Afghanistan (GoA) indicates that considerable steps have been made towards the Afghanistan Compact benchmark of increasing the amount of electricity available through bilateral power purchase by 2010. Details of this progress, extracted from the report, are listed at Annex A. Given this, we would expect the amount of electricity available through bilateral power purchase to increase by the end of 2010.

However, the report also indicates that there are serious limitations to measuring progress in the power sector, and states that it is difficult to measure progress in the shorter-term as nearly all of these projects are long-term activities. DFID is not directly engaged in this sector. The lead donors are the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

In October 2002, USAID committed support for a national irrigation and power rehabilitation programme in conjunction with Afghanistan’s Ministry of Energy and Water. The programme is focused on the rehabilitation of the South East Power System (SEPS), a 100 MW power generation and transmission network. It aims to provide low cost and reliable power to 1.7 million residents in Helmand and Kandahar provinces by the end of 2009. Central to this initiative is a commitment to rehabilitate the Kajaki multi-purpose dam, built by USAID in 1953 on the Helmand River.

The programme is split into phases and will include rehabilitating and upgrading the dam, its power plant and associated transmission network by 2009. The first phase will increase Kajaki’s generation capacity to 51 MW. Funding of $150 million has already been allocated for this work. The UK Government, through DFID, may fund smaller projects in the vicinity of the dam as part of a stabilisation programme.

The UK-led Task Force Helmand (TFH) has been tasked through ISAF with providing security sufficient to enable the resumption and successful completion of the USAID Kajaki Dam project. Security poses a bigger challenge for the UK in Helmand where GoA authority and rule of law is fragile. The UK military is helping to create an enabling environment for development to accelerate, and for training the Afghan National Army.

Annex A—Progress towards Increasing Power Purchase

An agreement was signed on 21 February 2006 between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The agreement increases co-operation between the two countries in power transmission, reducing the purchase rate to minimum, continuity in power purchase and improve regulatory framework.

The Hairatan-Kabul 220 kv transmission line is currently under construction. It is due for completion by the end of 2008. This will be the main line transmitting imported electricity from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to take care of the immediate needs of Kabul.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan in April 2006 on further increase of power purchase. Under the agreement Turkmenistan expressed readiness to increase its electricity export by 300 MW and support the new transmission infrastructure in the North-West (Hirat, Qala-e-Naw, Maimana, Shiberghan and Mazar).

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed on 25 June 2006 between Afghanistan and Iran. Part of this MOU covers the provision of electricity to the western border towns of Afghanistan (Farah and Nimroz). I.R. of Iran has agreed to undertake the necessary study of this project.

In August 2006 Afghanistan became an Observer to the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). The accession report has been prepared by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ECT. Full accession is expected in May 2007.

In 2006, Afghanistan signed multilateral MOUs on 1,000 MW electricity transit with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Iran. The four countries will meet in Kabul in June 2007 to evaluate the feasibility study which is currently under way. The Kabul sub-station of this project will allow Afghanistan to increase its power purchase.

In November 2006, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), increasing Afghanistan’s power purchase from 70 MW to 300 MW, beginning from October 2008.

The power purchase agreement between Iran and Afghanistan expires by the end of 21 March 2006. During the Second Joint Economic Commission Meeting of the two countries (27 and 28 December 2006), it was agreed to renew and upgrade the agreement. During the meeting the two countries decided to work on the contract of the construction of transmission line (220 to 230 MW) between Zabul and Farah (survey is already complete). They also discussed extending electricity to the rural areas of Robat Sangi, Gulran and Kishk in Hirat Province.

India is ahead of schedule on its $100 million Pul-e-Khumri to Kabul line and substations at Chimtala and Doshi—estimated completion date is October 2008.

The ADB is on schedule for completion of its $75 million Pul-e-Khumri to Shekanbandar line for power from Tajikistan—estimated completion date is March 2009.

The ADB is on schedule for its $62 million Pule-e-Khumri to Hairatan and Naibabad to Mazar lines for power from Uzbekistan.

USAID is planning to launch design and planning on its $24 million Mazar to Shebergan line and its $48 million Sheberghan to Turkmenistan line. It has sent a mission to Turkmenistan and the border to study the route and it is working on completing its feasibility study.

Germany is on schedule for substations at Mazar and Pul-e-Khumri.

Afghanistan and Tajikistan signed an Inter-Government Agreement in October 2006. It paves the way for the negotiation of the first North Eastern Power System (NEPS) Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding for Afghanistan was channelled through United Nations agencies in each year since 2004; and how much each UN agency received in each year. (127975)

The following table shows how much funding DFID Afghanistan has channelled through UN agencies in Afghanistan in each financial year since 2004-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to promote the active role of children and young people in governance programmes (a) in Bangladesh and (b) elsewhere. (128926)

Better governance is a central theme of DFID's work in Bangladesh. Programmes range from activities fighting corruption and supporting reform of the civil service and police, to supporting public debates and protecting human rights. Participation of children and young people has most impact on activities that aim to change values in relation to corruption and political governance.

For example, DFID’s support for Transparency International Bangladesh includes a component called “Youth Engagement and Support” (YES). Over 900 young volunteers deliver nationwide debates, competitions, and rallies against corruption. The recent Anti-Corruption Concert in Dhaka attracted 30,000 young people in a bold public statement against corruption.

DFID Bangladesh also supports a series of governance themed programmes and “Question time” debates broadcast in Bangla on BBC World Service radio and local satellite TV. Audiences of 17 million have included around 4 million 16 to 24-year-olds. In 2005, a special live debate went out globally on BBC World TV, with a panel including politicians from both major parties in Bangladesh. Hard hitting governance questions came from audiences of students and young people in both Dhaka and (by satellite) from the British Bangladeshi community in London.

At global level, DFID launched its “Action Plan on Children and Young People’s Participation” in 2004 to promote children and young people’s participation in decisions affecting them. Part of a UK Government initiative “Learning to Listen”, the Action Plan describes how DFID is involving children and young people in its work to reduce world poverty.

DFID continues to promote the active role of children and young people in governance programmes. Our work varies at the country level depending on the context. In Sierra Leone, for example, DFID has supported work to engage young people in dialogue on the implementation of the national Poverty Reduction Strategy and the decentralisation process. Given its history, engaging young people is crucial in creating consensus and relieving tensions.

Reflecting UN initiatives and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), we also support projects and programmes to advocate for children’s rights, either directly or through non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The UK Government are also a major contributor to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); one of UNICEF’s roles is to advocate for the rights of children and young people.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what strategies his Department has to ensure protection for the poorest communities in Bangladesh who will be affected by climate change. (128927)

The impact of climate change on Bangladesh from rising sea levels will be gradual; felt over the next 50 to 100 years. However, there is already evidence of more severe and frequent flooding and droughts, as well as coastal salt-water intrusion, negatively affecting poor people.

DFID’s draft Country Assistance Plan (2007-12) aims to help Bangladesh respond in a timelier and more effective way to acute emergencies and climate change. DFID is helping the Government of Bangladesh’s Climate Change Cell develop different strategies to adapt to climate change, including impacts of migration and resettlement on poor people. It has helped 137 poor communities develop their own risk reduction strategies.

DFID is also helping very poor people living on Chars river islands, which are vulnerable to flooding. We have assisted 107,000 Chars dwellers to raise their houses above the flood line. We have transferred portable assets (such as cows) to almost 11,000 extremely poor Chars women, helping them to make better and more informed decisions about where and when to migrate, together with a compensation grant to those who migrate due to more acute flooding.

DFID will provide £115 million over the next five years to support the very poorest people living in areas most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. By September 2007, it will develop an action plan to develop further activities, including protection of the poorest people living in the most vulnerable zones in urban areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) funding and (b) other resources his Department (i) has committed to micro-insurance schemes in the developing world and (ii) plans to commit in each of the next three financial years. (128928)

The UK's 2006 White Paper on International Development commits DFID to tackling barriers to access to markets and financial services, and supporting microfinance initiatives in partnership with banks and regulators.

DFID's financial sector programmes aim to build stronger and more inclusive financial sectors, which benefit the poor. “Microfinance” incorporates a full range of financial products, which includes micro-insurance as well as savings, credit and remittances.

At 31 October 2006, DFID has spent over £165 million to support microfinance and financial sector projects and had committed 140 million more to ongoing projects. DFID does not disaggregate funding on micro-insurance specifically. It is not possible to give a meaningful breakdown of future commitments by year as new programmes to improve access to finance continue to be designed and implemented.

Examples of microfinance programmes supported by DFID include:

In India, Megatop received a grant of £850,000 via the Financial Services Deepening Trust, to support them in offering a range of microinsurance products and pension policies to farmers in 9,000 villages in Andhra and Madhya Pradesh using a network of village internet portals to lower costs and expand access.

Since the last review of commitments in October, DFID has approved a £32.8 million seven-year PROSPER programme in Bangladesh, which will support delivery of innovative financial services to the very poor, small businesses and farmers. Around 22 per cent. of these resources will go to a Learning and Innovation Fund which will support projects to test innovative financial services, including microinsurance.

As well as direct support to programmes, DFID also works in coordination with other donors and specialist agencies:

DFID provides core funding to the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), a consortium of 33 public and private development agencies working together to expand access to financial services for the poor. The CGAP working group on microinsurance, in conjunction with the International Labour Organisation, has recently published a Microinsurance Compendium for insurance practitioners and policy makers in developing countries.

DFID is a leading supporter of FIRST, the Financial Sector Reform and Strengthening Initiative, a multi-donor trust which provides advice to developing countries on how to develop their financial sectors. In Mongolia FIRST has worked with the insurance industry, the government and the World Bank to develop a novel livestock insurance scheme that will provide microinsurance to cattle herders at affordable prices.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of micro-insurance schemes in the developing world. (128929)

Surveys carried out by the FinMark Trust, a DFID funded programme in Africa, show that poor people already use a wide variety of formal and informal insurance services ranging from insurance provided by multinational companies to membership of traditional burial societies.

DFID has helped support the recent expansion of micro-insurance in developing countries as an effective way to help poor people to cope with shocks and reduce their vulnerability. Poor people need to be able to access a full range of financial services including insurance as well as savings, credit and remittances.

Although it is a relatively young industry, micro-insurance is already demonstrating its potential to provide protection to low-income communities against risks such as sickness and natural disasters. There remain big challenges, however, to the long-term sustainability of microinsurance including making sure that schemes are affordable and ensuring that schemes are appropriately regulated.

Examples of DFID support to micro-insurance include:

In Bangladesh, DFID contributed £100,000 to an access to rural finance study. In conjunction with the World Bank, the study investigated the feasibility of introducing a weather linked insurance product for farmers, where payouts are directly linked to objective monitoring of floods and droughts.

In Africa the FinMark Trust has spent £271,000 over the last three years on programmes aimed at making insurance markets work for the poor and has committed a similar amount over the next three years. The funding has been provided to catalyse change in the insurance market and to leverage private sector investment.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the environmental costs of importing flowers from (a) Ethiopia and (b) Kenya. (129387)

Recent research by Cranfield university shows that the greenhouse gas emissions produced by growing flowers in Kenya and flying them to the UK can be less than a fifth of those grown in Holland because they are not grown in heated greenhouses.

Flowers imported to the UK are subject to increasingly rigorous standards that insist on good agricultural practice and prevent overuse of pesticides. In addition to these standards, flower growers may also adopt codes of conduct that require exacting social and environmental standards to be maintained. UK shoppers have played an important role in demanding better standards as have development agencies including DFID and non-governmental organisations. Consumer concern has also encouraged Kenyan flower farms to invest in water conservation and other improvements in their environmental practice. Nonetheless, there is still room for improvement and we welcome efforts to develop similar codes of practice in Ethiopia.

While we encourage shoppers to demand continuing improvements, it is for the Kenyan and Ethiopian people to decide on the best use of their natural resources.

Promoting developing country exports has long been central to UK development and trade policy. Agriculture remains an important source of economic growth and the best means of reducing poverty in most African countries. The Kenyan flower industry has created tens of thousands of jobs on flower farms and the Ethiopian Government have similar ambitions for their flower industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total cost has been of (a) setting up and (b) managing the Temporary International Mechanism in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. (129031)

In total, €309 million has been committed through the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM) and €181 million has been disbursed to support Palestinian basic needs. The cost of setting up and managing the TIM so far has been approximately €4 million. This total includes all staff-related costs, logistics, office costs, consumables, communication activities, auditing services provided by an international auditing firm and monitoring of fuel deliveries in Gaza. In addition, €5.8 million has been spent on banking charges so far. The total cost of administering the TIM to date amounts to 5.4 per cent. of the total funds disbursed to support Palestinian basic needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff have worked at the Temporary International Mechanism office in Jerusalem since it was founded. (129032)

There are currently 23 staff members working at the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM) office. This includes European Commission staff and staff seconded by member states. Altogether 32 different members of staff have worked at the TIM office at different times since work began.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations he has received from the advertising industry on the impact of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations; and if he will make a statement. (129782)

The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) provide certain safeguards for employees in certain circumstances when a business or undertaking changes hands, and can also apply where a contract to provide goods or services is transferred.

The 2006 Regulations were produced after extensive consultation with all sides of industry. A professional services exemption (which might have covered parts of the advertising industry, among others) was considered during that process but most respondents (including the CBI) did not support it.

I met the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Peter Luff) with representatives of the advertising industry to discuss their concerns on 12 March. Our officials are currently considering papers provided by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising at that meeting, and plan to meet them shortly to discuss this matter further.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the (a) one-off and (b) recurring cost of implementing the Occupation Exposure Limit-Framework Revision to (i) businesses and (ii) the regulators. (126616)

I have been asked to reply.

(i) The costs to business of implementing the Occupational Exposure Limit-Framework Revision to businesses was estimated to be £16.2-£69 million one-off costs in the first year of compliance. No recurring costs were expected.

It should be noted that these costs were also included in the answer to a recent question on the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (Amendment) Regulations 2004, as these regulations implemented the changes to the Occupational Exposure Limit Framework.

These figures should be considered against the benefits of reducing the risks from hazardous substances. The new framework aimed to make it easier for employers to comply with COSHH by reducing the different types of Occupational Exposure Limits for hazardous substances and introducing clear principles of exposure control.

(ii) Costs to the health and safety regulators were not quantified but were considered to be small, with the majority of costs being incurred in the development of guidance and being balanced out by savings in enforcement. The information in this reply was drawn from the final regulatory impact assessment for the legislation that is available in the Library or on the HSE website at:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/ria/index.htm.

The Government and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are committed to meeting the Better Regulations challenge. HSE is constantly reviewing what can be done better to ensure that the right balance is struck between protecting people at work and avoiding unnecessary burdens on business. Reviewing and improving the guidance to help employers comply with COSHH is one of the aims in HSE’s simplification plan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the (a) one-off and (b) recurring cost of implementing the Biocidal Products Regulations 2001 to (i) businesses and (ii) the regulators. (125605)

I have been asked to reply.

The cost to business of implementing the Biocidal Products Regulations 2001 was estimated to be between £131 million and £220 million over a 10-year period, of which between £62 million and £151 million were initial costs.

Costs, over the same period, to the health and safety regulators were estimated to be in the region of £2 million of which £343,000 were initial costs. The information in this reply was drawn from the final regulatory impact assessment for the legislation that is available in the Library or on the House website at:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/ria/index.htm.

These figures should be balanced against the health and safety and environmental benefits from the extension of regulatory control to a wide range of biocidal products.

The Government and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are committed to meeting the Better Regulation challenge. HSE is constantly reviewing what can be done better to ensure that people are protected at work while avoiding unnecessary burdens on business.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research the Government are undertaking into the long-term merits of electric heating by comparison with other heating sources. (125319)

The Government have committed to putting the UK on a path to a 60 per cent. reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.

As part of the forthcoming Energy White Paper the Government are undertaking a wide range of analysis into the options for reducing carbon emissions.

This analysis includes examining the costs of low carbon electricity generation technologies such as renewables, nuclear and carbon capture and storage as well as measures to improve energy efficiency through measures such as better insulation and draught proofing.

The Energy White Paper is expected to be published soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research the Government plan to carry out on the long-term effect on carbon emissions of electric heating by comparison with other heating sources. (125321)

The Government have undertaken a wide range of analysis of the options to reduce carbon emissions from different sources. This includes the 2003 Energy White Paper and the review of the Climate Change Programme and Energy Review both in 2006.

The analysis of the impact of existing policies on carbon emissions in the UK Climate Change Programme is available at:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/ukccp/pdf/synthesisccpolicy-evaluations.pdf

The analysis of the impact of new measures and extensions to existing measures under the programme is available at:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/ukccp/pdf/synthesisccpolicy-appraisals.pdf

A summary of the cost-benefit analysis of measures in the Energy Review is available at:

http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file31928.pdf

The Government have committed to putting the UK on a path to a 60 per cent. reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. Reducing carbon emissions from the use of electricity will make an important contribution to meeting this target.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many chronic obstructive pulmonary disease coal health claims have been struck out through failure to meet the claims questionnaire cut-off deadline of 8 December 2006; and how many of those were from Bassetlaw constituency. (128323)

No claims have been struck out of the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease scheme because of any missed cut-off date so far. As the cut-off date for the live claims questionnaire (CQ) submission was 8 December 2006, the dispute procedure is still ongoing. However, there are 200 claimants who have submitted a dispute that is still to be resolved.

Some 6,970 claimants have failed to submit a fit for medical assessment process (MAP) CQ before the cut- off date, of which 76 are from the Bassetlaw constituency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to ensure that the conclusions of trials of smart enabled meters will be taken into account in plans for the implementation of the Energy Services Directive. (128734)

The Government will set out their views on metering and billing in the forthcoming Energy White Paper. The trials of smart meters and associated devices will play a key part in future decisions on smart metering as a whole, including implementation of Article 13 of the Energy Services Directive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total UK gas storage capacity was on 1 January in each of the last 30 years for which records are available. (117918)

Great Britain’s gas storage capacity during the period from 1997 is summarised in my parliamentary written answer of 23 January 2007, Official Report, column 1615W, to the hon. Member for Westbury (Dr. Murrison). I regret that only limited information is available for the period prior to 1996-97. The following table shows the start-up date of each of the earliest storage facilities, and their approximate storage space as of 1996-97:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has met British Nuclear Fuels to discuss the shortfall in revenues generated for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. (124787)

No. Discussions about the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s funding—which is a mixture of grant in aid from the Department and income from its commercial operations—have been at official level.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2007, Official Report, column 1995W, on research, what methodology was used to ensure that the change to the budgets of the research councils would have minimal impact on the research objective reflected in his Department's public service agreement objective. (127943)

This part of the overall calculation took account of assessments made by research councils about the impact on their planned activities.

Budget 2007 announces an early CSR settlement for the DTI’s ringfenced science budget, alongside a settlement for DFES. Together, these will ensure that investment in the public science base will rise by an annual average rate of 2.5 per cent. in real terms over the CSR period. The Department of Trade and Industry’s science budget will increase from £3.4 billion this year (2007-08) to £3.9 billion by 2010-11. These early settlements provide long-term certainty for the research community, and meet the commitments set out in the 10-year investment framework.

In the context of a tight spending review period, this represents a very good settlement for science.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the effect of the change to the research councils budget. (125339)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Cambridge (David Howarth) on 2 March 2007, Official Report, column 1602W.

Budget 2007 announces an early CSR settlement for the DTI’s ringfenced science budget, alongside a settlement for DFES. Together, these will ensure that investment in the public science base will rise by an annual average rate of 2.5 per cent. in real terms over the CSR period. The Department of Trade and Industry's science budget will increase from £3.4 billion this year (2007-08) to £3.9 billion by 2010-11. These early settlements provide long-term certainty for the research community, arid meet the commitments set out in the 10-year investment framework.

In the context of a tight spending review period, this represents a very good settlement for science.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Cambridge of 2 March 2007, Official Report, column 1602W, on research councils: finance, if he will list the meetings his officials had with the research councils to discuss the likely impact of the reductions in end-year flexibility on the planned activities. (127926)

Officials have regular and frequent contacts with research councils. In recent weeks there have been discussions between DTI officials and research council staff about end-year flexibility on virtually a daily basis.

Budget 2007 announces an early CSR settlement for the DTI’s ringfenced science budget, alongside a settlement for DFES. Together, these will ensure that investment in the public science base will rise by an annual average rate of 2.5 per cent. in real terms over the CSR period. The Department of Trade and Industry’s science budget will increase from £3.4 billion this year (2007-08) to £3.9 billion by 2010-11. These early settlements provide long-term certainty for the research community, and meet the commitments set out in the 10-year investment framework.

In the context of a tight spending review period, this represents a very good settlement for science.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if his Department will take steps to introduce microfinance schemes for individuals in deprived areas to improve entreprenueurialism in those areas. (124729)

The Government have already taken steps to introduce microfinance schemes to encourage entrepreneurs in deprived areas.

The Phoenix Fund, launched in 1999, was a time limited, £40 million fund which pump-primed the establishment of 63 community development finance institutions that serve disadvantaged communities around the country. 4,545 loans with a total value of £34,475,308 were provided by the Phoenix Fund, which closed in 2006. Future funding of CDFIs rests with the RDAs who have received a further £11 million of post-Phoenix transition funding for the 2006 to 2008 period specifically for the community finance sector.

Further assistance with micro-loans is available through the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI) which was announced by the Chancellor in his 2005 Budget. It aims to release the economic and productivity potential of the most deprived local areas across the UK through enterprise and investment—thereby boosting local incomes and employment opportunities, and building sustainable communities.

LEGI is a £300 million programme in the first instance, spread over three years. 15 local authorities have already benefited from the first round. A further 14 local authorities will benefit from the second round. Local authorities that have been successful in securing LEGI funding in rounds one and two may introduce microfinance schemes to encourage entrepreneurship.

Finally, small businesses in disadvantaged areas may seek funding from the Small Firms Loan Guarantee (SFLG). This scheme provides loans from £5,000 upwards to small businesses with viable business plans that are unable to obtain a conventional loan because they do not have collateral or a proven track record. Current monthly usage is around 250 loans with a total value of around £20 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances an asylum seeker with exceptional leave to remain is able to leave and return to the UK. (127815)

A person who applies for asylum and is granted leave to remain in the United Kingdom for more than six months is normally permitted to travel abroad and return to the United Kingdom until their leave expires, provided that they are not absent for a continuous period of more than two years. If they remain outside the United Kingdom for more than two years their leave will lapse and they may not be readmitted to the United Kingdom. The policy and the exceptions to it are set out in the Asylum Policy Instruction Travel Abroad, which is publicly available on the IND website at:

http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/asylum policyinstructions/

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied asylum seeking children arriving in the UK in (a) 2005 and (b) 2006 were the subject of an age dispute; and how many of those were subsequently found to be minors. (127535)

Information is not available on how many of those asylum applications lodged in 2005 and 2006 from unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASCs) were at some time the subject of an age dispute. The number of age dispute cases who were subsequently found to be minors would only be available by examination of individual case-files at disproportionate cost.

Information on UASCs is published on a quarterly and annual basis. Statistics on age disputed applications are published annually. Data on age disputed asylum applications in 2005 and 2006 do not necessarily relate to UASC applications received within the same period. Copies of these publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 4 December 2006, Official Report, column 144W, on departmental computers, from which office in his Department each computer was stolen in each year; and what the security classification was of the material on each computer. (123695)

As these records are not held centrally it has not been possible to collate a response to this PQ.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits were granted to footballers since 1990; and in what situations they were required. (126045)

The following table shows how many footballers have been granted work permits in each year since 1995. There are no statistics available for the period before 1995.

Prior to the 1999-2000 season the work permit requirements were:

The player had to have played in approximately 75 per cent. of international matches for a national team that regularly engaged in competitive matches at the top level of world football.

Clubs had to provide evidence that they had made genuine efforts to recruit players from the UK and EEA labour market.

The salary offered had to reflect the current market rates and the club had to indicate the position that the overseas player would take in its salary structure.

In 1999 the criteria were changed and the current requirements were put in place. The requirements are:

The player must have played for his country in at least 75per cent. of its competitive ‘A’ team international matches he was available for during the two years preceding the date of the application.

The player's country must also be at or above 70th place in the official FIFA world rankings when averaged over the two years preceding the date of the application.

Where an application does not meet these requirements the club can request a review by an independent panel of the football bodies and three independent experts.

The following table shows how many footballers have been granted work permits in each year since 1995. There are no statistics available for the period before 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to introduce sanctions against people who are evicted for antisocial behaviour who subsequently refuse intensive family support. (128215)

I have been asked to reply

In the Respect Action Plan, published on 10 January 2006, the Government announced that they were considering the use of sanctions to ensure that those households who are evicted for antisocial behaviour take up help offered to them. A measure to sanction housing benefit when evicted households have refused offers of help is currently before Parliament as Clause 30 of the Welfare Reform Bill, first introduced in July 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) date and (b) location was of each outbreak of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza in UK poultry; what type of bird was involved in each case; what action was taken to contain each outbreak; and what the source was of the infection in each case. (128999)

There have been three confirmed outbreaks of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza in UK poultry.

In 1959, H5N1 avian influenza was detected in a flock of chickens in Scotland. In 1991, H5N1 avian influenza was detected in turkeys in Norfolk, England. In both cases the birds were culled and the disease was confined to a single premises.

On the basis of genetic analysis, the H5N1 viruses discovered in 1959 and 1991 were a different strain to the H5N1 Asiatic strain which is currently circulating. The source of neither outbreak was ever firmly established.

Most recently, on 3 February 2007, H5N1 avian influenza was confirmed at a Bernard Matthews turkey farm in Holton, Suffolk. In accordance with EU legislation, a 3 kilometre Protection Zone, a 10 kilometre Surveillance Zone and a further Restriction Zone around the infected premises were put in place. Extensive guidance was issued to bird keepers in the zones on biosecurity measures to protect their birds from avian influenza. The birds on the infected premises were humanely culled and disposed of according to DEFRA’s published Contingency Plan for Exotic Animal Diseases.

Within the area around the infected premises, there were enhanced levels of surveillance of wild birds. While the investigation in the outbreak was under way, 25 wild bird locations comprising 73 sites in the area were regularly patrolled. Laboratory tests were completed on dead wild birds found in the area as well as on live wild bird droppings from the infected premises. All results were negative.

We are currently developing our investigation into what might have caused the outbreak of avian influenza at Holton. The conclusion of the interim report is that importation from Hungary is the most plausible route. However, investigations are still ongoing and nothing can be ruled out at this time. The final epidemiological report will be published in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what regulations govern the (a) import from and (b) export to Qatar of hybrid falcons; and what recent representations he has received on the numbers of hybrid falcons imported from and exported to Qatar. (128383)

There are two separate sets of regulation governing the import and export of hybrid falcons into and out of the EU.

Imports of all captive birds, including hybrid falcons, from countries outside of the EU into the EU community are currently prohibited by Commission Decision 2005/760/EC (as amended). The only captive birds currently permitted are birds for conservation purposes or for zoos which must have and must meet the conditions of a licence issued by Defra.

For exports of hybrid falcons to Qatar, official veterinary health certificates are required, which are issued by local SVS Animal Health Divisional Offices.

There are also EU regulations which implement the Convention on International Trade in endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), currently Council Regulation (EC) No. 338/97 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 865/2006.

I have received no recent representations on numbers of hybrid falcons imported from and exported to Qatar.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was paid in compensation to farmers for losses of animals because of (a) TB and (b) other reasons in each of the last five years. (127861)

The information requested is set out in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he expects the draft Climate Change Bill to allow emissions reductions attributed to the UK to be achieved overseas; and if he will make a statement. (128112)

The proposed Bill would allow, under prescribed conditions, a proportion of emissions reductions achieved overseas and paid for by UK entities, to be counted towards the reduction targets in the Bill. This is fully consistent with (and would be limited by) international law, including the Kyoto Protocol and its Marrakech Accords which state, under the flexible mechanism provisions, that countries are permitted to use credits, so long as they are “supplemental to domestic action”, and that domestic action comprises a “significant element” of the efforts made by each country.

The UK fully supports the principle of trading emissions at European level too through the EU ETS. There are significant advantages in allowing international trading as part of the UK’s legislative framework: for example, it would encourage the further development of global emission, trading markets which, as the Stern Review showed, will be central to global collective action to tackle climate change. The Committee on Climate Change will have an important role to play in advising Government on the optimal balance between domestic and overseas effort for each budgetary period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many destruction orders were made under the (a) Dogs Acts and (b) Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each London borough in each of the last five years. (128794)

Figures for the number of destruction orders made under dangerous dogs legislation are not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when his Department will launch the consultation on the Energy Efficiency Commitment 3. (128725)

The Government engaged in discussion with stakeholders throughout 2006 to inform development of proposals for the third phase of the Energy Efficiency Commitment, 2008-11 (EEC3). This included an initial consultation from July to October 2006, for which the summary of responses was published on 12 January 2007. The first draft of the Illustrative Mix of Measures for EEC3 was published on 26 September 2006. Further to this, on 12 January 2007 we published the proposed scores for established EEC3 measures for consultation. On 16 March we published the final scores for those measures, in order to provide early certainty and facilitate the transition to EEC3. Statutory consultation on the EEC3 is planned for May 2007.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward amendments to the Animals Act 1971 to mitigate the effects on the cost of insurance for horse businesses of the 2003 House of Lords judgment on the interpretation of that Act. (127595)

Decisions about the provision and cost of insurance cover for equestrian businesses are matters for the commercial judgment of the insurance industry.

However, the Government are well aware of the horse industry’s view that the Mirvahedy judgment in 2003 had an adverse effect on insurance premiums. My Department has consulted interested parties on the question of whether an amendment to the Animals Act 1971 to allow a defence of reasonable care would be desirable or appropriate. Parties consulted included the British Horse Industry Confederation, the Country Land and Business Association and the Countryside Alliance.

The majority of responses received were in favour of a change, and my Department has accordingly offered the horse industry its support if a suitable vehicle for amending the Animals Act, such as a Private Member’s Bill, can be found. That offer remains on the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether any costs will be incurred by changing the name of the Marine Fisheries Agency to the Marine and Fisheries Agency. (128820)

The cost is in the region of £5,000 which is to be spent on signs for the offices and document templates. All costs will be met from within the existing Marine Fisheries Agency budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with EU ministers about the implementation of the 1999 Laying Hens Directive; and if he will make a statement. (129476)

My ministerial colleagues and I have regular discussions with our EU counterparts on a range of issues.

Council Directive 1999/74/EC, which lays down minimum standards for the protection of laying hens, is implemented in England through the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which foreign Governments have responded to his Department's publication “Protecting Whales—A Global Responsibility”; what the nature has been of their responses; and if he will make a statement. (128659)

Like-minded members of IWC have praised our initiative in publishing this booklet and are also making use of it in their own recruitment drives. The booklet and the lobbying which has accompanied its distribution has elicited positive responses from non-members (or unpaid-up members) of IWC, including Costa Rica, Cyprus, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro and others, some of whom are expected to be able to adhere to the International Convention on the Regulation of Whaling before the next IWC meeting. Pro-whaling countries have, of course, been critical but that is no surprise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2007, Official Report, column 194W, on whaling, to which 57 countries the “Protecting Whales—A Global Responsibility” document was distributed; whether it has been distributed to any further foreign governments; and if he will make a statement. (128616)

Copies of the publication “Protecting Whales A Global Responsibility” have been delivered to Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Macedonia, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Belize, Mauritania, Mongolia, Morocco, Guatemala, Nicaragua, China, Guinea, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, Slovakia, Belgium, Hungary, Argentina, Australia, Ireland, India, Finland, Peru, Portugal, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Spain, Mexico, Oman, Kenya, Norway, Panama, France, Czech Republic, South Africa, Italy, Chile, Sweden, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, United States of America, Austria and New Zealand.

Copies will be delivered to all International Whaling Commission (IWC) members before this year's annual meeting of the IWC59 and in future the publication will be used to help encourage other countries to actively engage in the protection of cetacean species around the globe.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 15 March 2007, Official Report, column 455W, on English Heritage: finance, what estimate English Heritage made in its analysis as supplied to her Department of the extra resources needed to fulfil its new responsibilities arising from the Heritage Protection for the 21st Century White Paper. (129343)

My Department is considering English Heritage's estimate of their likely costs to undertake their responsibilities as proposed in the White Paper Heritage Protection for the 21st Century as part of the comprehensive spending review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many meetings (a) she and (b) her Department's Ministers held with trade union representatives in 2006. (128758)

No Ministers have held any meetings with trade union representatives in 2006. However, DCMS officials meet regularly with them on a wide range of staffing and accommodation issues. The Permanent Secretary also chairs an annual meeting between senior management and local and national trade union representatives to review key departmental issues and the effectiveness of the day-to-day working relationship between the two sides.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to answer question (a) 126210 and (b) 126569, on the 2012 Olympics, tabled by the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid Kent. (129380)

I answered question 126569 on 22 March 2007, Official Report, column 1055W. We hope to be able to answer question 126210 shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what right of access the Television Licensing Authority has to enter private premises to search for equipment which may require a licence; and if she will make a statement. (129479)

TV Licensing officials may enter premises to check for unlicensed use of a television receiver only with the consent of the occupier or with a warrant issued under section 366 of the Communications Act 2003 by a justice of the peace in England and Wales, a sheriff in Scotland or a lay magistrate in Northern Ireland. Such a warrant may be issued only if the relevant official is satisfied by information provided on oath that there are reasonable grounds for believing an offence of unlicensed use has been or is being committed; evidence of the commission of the offence is likely to be on the premises specified and a number of additional conditions are satisfied. A warrant permits the authorised person or persons to enter the premises at any time and to search, examine and test any television receiver there. It must be executed within one month following its grant.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2007, Official Report, column 201W, on the armed forces: deployment, if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) documentation and (b) conclusions of the review of the data collation process on service personnel deployment. (124797)

The previous answer referred to measures taken to ensure that we provide robust data covering the numbers of military personnel deployed on operations. Administrative procedures for the collection and dissemination of data were examined, and improved where necessary. This did not take the form of a formal review, but we are confident that manpower figures are now being reported that better reflect the position with regard to the numbers of deployed personnel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to place the order for a fourth Astute class submarine. (128579)

Three Astute class submarines are on order with BAE Systems (Submarine Solutions), and further boat orders are currently being considered, subject to affordability. We are working with industry as part of the Defence Industrial Strategy to achieve an affordable and sustainable submarine programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2007, Official Report, column 1987W, on the Navy: military bases, (1) what factors have led to the delay in awarding this contract; and what steps have been taken to prevent further delay; (128903)

Various factors have contributed to the delay in awarding the contract, including an extended time scale for bidders to submit their proposals and protracted negotiations for partnering agreements between the Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service and each of the bidders. In addition, since the announcement of Serco Denholm as the preferred bidder, consideration has been given to a revised proposal from the company to change the bidding entity for the provision of marine services. It also proved necessary to review the technical solution and carry out a re-pricing exercise as a result of changing market forces in the shipbuilding industry.

Good progress is now being made between MOD and Serco Denholm with all outstanding issues now agreed in the form of Heads of Terms. On current plans, the final contract is expected to be awarded to allow service commencement for the work already conducted by Serco Denholm (Vesting Day) by July 2007. Service commencement for the work currently conducted in-house by the Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service is planned for October, to allow sufficient time to meet the TU Consultation requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2007, Official Report, column 1366W, on senior officers: Transport, what the reasons are for the delay in placing a copy of the regulations in the Library; how senior officers are (a) made aware of and (b) given access to these regulations; and if he will make a statement. (128781)

Currently, the MOD establishment responsible for the production of such documents is focusing on supporting urgent operational requirements and the request for a copy of the Joint Service Publication (JSP) 800 Vol. 2 and JSP 341 (re-issued as the JSP 800 Vol. 5) was mistakenly treated as a routine request and as a result has taken longer than expected. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House today.

The existence of JSPs is widely publicised throughout the MOD by means of Defence Instructions and Notices and through letters of instruction where appropriate. JSPs are available on the Defence intranet and, if their unit is an approved holder, senior officers can also access a CD or hard copy version. Additional advice can also readily be obtained from the authors of JSPs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate how many (a) direct and (b) indirect civilian jobs in (i) Scotland and (ii) the rest of the UK rely upon the Trident programme. (107942)

The number of civilian jobs that rely directly on the current Trident programme is estimated to be 859 in Scotland with an additional 7,455 in the rest of the UK. The number of indirect civilian jobs is estimated to be 250 in Scotland and 6,700 in the rest of the UK.

Additionally, a significant number of military jobs in the UK directly support the Trident programme. In Scotland this amounts to some 1,776 jobs. It is not possible accurately to estimate the number of civilian jobs that reply indirectly on these military posts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the Royal Navy’s Vanguard class SSBN ballistic submarines; and if he will consider enlarging the UK’s current capability by procuring additional vessels. (129770)

There are no plans to enlarge the UK’s nuclear deterrent capability by procuring additional Vanguard-class submarines. On 14 March, the House voted to support the Government’s plans to maintain the deterrent beyond the life of the Vanguard-class submarines in accordance with the position set out in the White Paper. The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent (Cm 6994) published in December 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether all vessels built under the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability Programme will be (a) classified as military vessels and (b) constructed within the United Kingdom. (128581)

All the ships to be procured under the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability programme will be classified as military vessels.

The Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability project is in its assessment phase, and it is therefore too early to say what the final designs and specifications for these vessels might be and where the work will be carried out. We will use the assessment phase to look into the potential options, taking into account best value for money and wider industrial factors, before any decisions are made at the main gate investment point.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has investigated the feasibility of retrofitting the Bay class landing ship dock auxiliaries with aircraft hangers. (128584)

There is currently no requirement for the Bay class landing ship dock auxiliary vessels to be fitted with an aircraft hangar and the feasibility of doing so has not been investigated.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to implement a slavery remembrance day. (129790)

As I said in the House on 20 March 2007, Official Report, column 688, the Government are encouraging a debate about how we can commemorate the slave trade in the future. We are aware of the strong calls for a national day for the remembrance of the slave trade and its abolition as well as highlighting the problem of modern day slavery, and are actively considering the issue.

As the House is aware, events and activities are taking place throughout this bicentenary year but with a special focus on both 25 March (the date Royal Assent was given to the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 1807) and 23 August (the UNESCO international day for the remembrance of the slave trade and its abolition). The House will be aware, however, that other dates have been suggested: the European Commission, for example, supports 11 June as a possible European day against human trafficking. As I made clear in the House on 20 March 2007, Official Report, column 722, we are approaching the issue from a very positive perspective and Ministers are keen to listen to the views of our local communities as this year progresses on whether there should be a remembrance day and, if so, on what date it should fall.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many staff work in the Office of the Third Sector, broken down by grade; and how many in each grade have (a) left and (b) joined the Office since its formation. (129771)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 28 November 2006, Official Report, column 593W.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which outside consultants have been commissioned to work on the review of the Office of the Third Sector; what their role is in the exercise; and how much they are being paid for their services. (129783)

Following its establishment in May and the appointment of a new Director General, the Office of the Third Sector is being restructured to enable it to deliver its objectives, reflecting the needs of third sector organisations.

There are no outside consultants working on this programme. An individual has been seconded from the Big Lottery Fund to lead the programme and support the Director General with implementation. It would not be appropriate to provide details of how much they are being paid for their services as to do so could reveal the individual’s salary, which is personal information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit fraud referrals were accepted for investigation in each year since 1999; in how many of these referrals fraud was detected in each year; and how many (a) sanctions were imposed, (b) prosecutions were made and (c) prosecutions resulted in a conviction in each year. (116583)

Figures for detected fraud by local authorities are not available. The available information is in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the cost of (a) operating and (b) advertising the benefit fraud hotline is in 2006-07; (116591)

The Department runs public information campaigns designed to positively reinforce honest behaviour, create a climate of intolerance to benefit fraud and undermine its social acceptability.

The benefit fraud hotline has no specific advertising budget of its own and the cost of advertising it is not separately available.

The operational costs of administering the national benefit fraud hotline include the costs of administering the report-a-benefit-thief online service. These costs cannot be separated. The available information is in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were prosecuted as a result of evidence obtained from callers using the benefit theft hotline in the last 12 months for which figures are available. (124708)

Between 1 February 2006 and 31 January 2007 there were 608 people prosecuted as a result of evidence obtained from callers using the national benefit fraud hotline.

Note:

The figures relate to prosecutions carried out between the dates given. They do not relate to calls made during that time. Cases where a call to the National Benefit Fraud Hotline has not yet led to a prosecution are not included.

Source:

Fraud Information by Sector

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many callers used the benefit fraud hotline in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available. (124737)

The current telephony system does not identify the number of unique callers. Many customers call the hotline more than once to check progress or to report additional information.

Information regarding the number of calls answered is in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of applications for community care grants took (a) less than two weeks, (b) two to four weeks, (c) four to six weeks and (d) over six weeks in the last year for which figures are available. (124910)

The information requested is in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for community care grants were (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available. (124911)

The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individual cases of customer overpayment debt there have been in each year since 1997; what the total value was of customer overpayment debts in this period; what proportion of such debts are over 10 years old; and what the cost was of administering these debts. (106615)

Our error reduction strategy “Getting Welfare Right: Tackling Error in the Benefits System”, was published on 24 January 2007. This first ever, ambitious strategy on error reduction is based on prevention, compliance and correction—preventing new error, ensuring that customers and staff comply with benefit rules and identifying/correcting existing errors.

The strategy will save £1 billion over the five years to 2012.

The information is only available from the fiscal year 2000-01.

Details of individual customer overpayments identified are in the following table.

The proportion of cases in the debt stock over 10 years old is not available.

Information on the cost of administering the above debt separately to the Department's other debt recovery operations is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to his Department has been of developing the Eligible Loans Deduction Scheme. (118808)

The projected total expenditure for implementation and running costs for the three-year period 2005 to 2008 is £2.246 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many participants there were in Employment Zone programmes for each month since April 2000; how many of those had previously engaged with Employment Zone programmes; how many found work; and how many had previously participated in the New Deal for Young People. (125901)

[holding answer 7 March 2007]: Since April 2000, 75,000 people have gained a job through Employment Zones.

Of the 154,820 people who have entered the Employment Zone programme, 29,290 had previously participated in the new deal for young people.

Information on participants in Employment Zones for each month, and the number of those who had previously engaged with Employment Zone programmes is in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made an assessment of the cost of disregarding child benefit as income in claims for housing benefit and for tax credits. (128413)

The estimated yearly cost of disregarding child benefit as income for housing and council tax benefit would be £300 million (housing benefit £220 million and council tax benefit £80 million).

Child benefit is not taken into account as income when assessing entitlement to tax credits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to the housing benefit subsidy for homeless households in temporary accommodation on the availability of licensed and short-term leased accommodation. (128421)

The subsidy system remains generous and the changes still allow for good quality accommodation to be procured.

Local authorities in London should be able to continue to secure good-quality leased temporary accommodation and meet all their reasonable costs within the limits of the existing subsidy system. The accommodation procured should still therefore be cost- neutral to the local authorities and there will be no need to move homeless households to cheaper accommodation.

There is no evidence that local authorities will be unable to procure sufficient leased accommodation within the new subsidy levels to meet their temporary accommodation needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to require homeless families to pay a share of the (a) housing and (b) management costs of their temporary accommodation from income support and jobseeker’s allowance. (128422)

We are currently working with Communities and Local Government, and the devolved administrations, to develop proposals which separate costs for the rent and management of temporary accommodation. Our objectives are to reflect reasonable rent and management costs and support people in temporary accommodation until a permanent solution becomes available.

We have no plans to require people to pay these costs from their income support or jobseeker’s allowance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress the Department is making in implementing the modernisation of housing benefit; and if he will make a statement. (124078)

The next major housing benefit modernisation measures are contained in the Welfare Reform Bill. Included in the Bill are powers to facilitate the national rollout of the local housing allowance, to direct whom housing benefit should be paid to in the social sector and to modernise extended payment provisions. The Bill is currently progressing through the House of Lords, where it entered Grand Committee on 20 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the current status of plans to reform housing benefit is; and when evidence will be available from the pilot areas. (127158)

The next major housing benefit modernisation measures are contained in the Welfare Reform Bill. The Bill has reached the final stages in the House of Lords.

Evaluation was carried out over the full Pathfinders’ period of October 2003 to February 2006 and 13 evaluation reports have been published so far. The final evaluation reports will be published in summer 2007.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Home Office on the creation of immigration crime partnerships; and if he will make a statement. (127967)

Officials from DWP and the Home Office have regular discussions on a range of issues. Ongoing dialogue will include the development of immigration crime partnerships as announced in the Home Office paper “Enforcing the Rules” published on 7 March 2007.