To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007, Official Report, column 2W, on sex discrimination, if he will place in the Library the general advice issued in November 2003 by the Archbishops' Council to dioceses and parishes on the effect of the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 and the Employment Equality (Religion and Belief) Regulations 2003. (140677)

I have placed a copy in the Library today, 7 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will ensure that the Discrimination Law Review explicitly considers age discrimination as part of its remit. (141110)

The Government are considering whether there is a case for introducing legislation to prohibit harmful age discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services as part of the Discrimination Law Review. The proposals emerging from the review will be published for public consultation shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to publish for public consultation proposals emerging from the Discrimination Law Review. (141108)

Proposals for a Single Equality Bill will be published for public consultation shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance was offered by the Government to the fire authorities in England and Wales following the explosion on 22 March 1989 involving a vehicle carrying explosives on the Fengate Industrial Estate in Cambridgeshire; and whether that guidance has since been (a) amended, (b) added to and (c) withdrawn by her Department. (139591)

[holding answer 4 June 2007]: Following the explosion on 22 March 1989 involving a vehicle carrying explosives on the Fengate Industrial Estate in Cambridgeshire, the Home Office issued the Chief Officer Letter 4/1989 on 25 May 1989, covering Road Traffic (Carriage and Explosives) regulations 1989. The regulation required vehicles carrying explosives to be marked front and rear with an orange rectangle and on the sides with an orange diamond carrying in black the classification division and the compatibility group and some cases the explosives symbol. Following the incident at Peterborough, the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) obtained the agreement of consignors of explosives to implement the vehicle marking requirement before the regulations formally came into effect.

Following the report of the investigation by the Health and Safety Executive, Chief Officer Letter 4/1989 was superseded on 3 May 1991 by Chief Officer Letter 4/1991, item 3, which made a distinction between fires that involve the load compartment, and those that do not and the possible evacuation of the area. The HSE advised that only where the rapid application of water would have a good chance of preventing an explosion, should an attack by firefighters be attempted.

On 6 May 1992, Chief Officers Letter 6/1992 item 7 introduced Technical Bulletin 1/1992: Explosives Guide. This Technical Bulletin gives general guidance about the common properties of explosives, the various uses to which they are put and the regulations covering their manufacture, storage and transportation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of fire service response times from time of call to time of first attendance for each fire and rescue service were of a duration of (a) up to five minutes, (b) six to 10 minutes, (c) 11 to 15 minutes and (d) over 15 minutes in each of the last five years. (140723)

[holding answer 6 June 2007]: The information requested is provided as follows.

Fire and Rescue Service attendance times have been increasing gradually over the last 5 years, with 86 per cent. of primary fires attended within 10 minutes in 2005 compared with 89 per cent. in 2001. Over the same period the number of people in England killed in accidental dwelling fires, the public service agreement target has fallen by 27 per cent. from 321 to 233 and the number of calls to incidents has also reduced indicating the positive impact of risk based fire prevention.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to ensure that the provision of disabled toilets by local authorities is compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. (139777)

New public conveniences provided by local authorities must comply with the Building Regulations. Toilets for use by disabled people, whether wheelchair users or ambulant disabled people, should comply with Part M of the Building Regulations (Access to and use of buildings). The guidance in Approved Document M shows one way of meeting these requirements.

Regulations made under the Disability Discrimination Act (The Disability Discrimination (Service Providers and Public Authorities Carrying Out Functions) Regulations 2005; S.I. 2005 No. 2901) provide an exemption from the requirement on service providers and public authorities to make 'reasonable adjustments' to physical features of a building provided they follow the guidance in the version of Approved Document M, which applied at the time of installation or construction. The exemption applies for a period of up to 10 years from the completion of installation or construction of the feature or, in the case of a physical feature provided as part of a larger building project, the day on which the works in relation to that project were completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what date she met the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss the forward budget of her Department. (140018)

As Secretary of State responsible for public expenditure I have had and will continue to have, wide-ranging and regular discussions on the Department's forward plans, principally with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. I also have regular meetings and discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a range of issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on the appointment of a new chair of English Heritage. (140770)

The costs incurred on the appointment of the new English Heritage chair are £38,221.39. The first campaign failed to identify a suitable candidate for appointment and was re-launched in February 2007.

The costs incurred under the first campaign are £15,693.34. This included £15,277.34 for advertising in the national press and £416 for independent assessor costs.

The costs incurred under the second campaign are £22,528.05. This includes £7,073.50 for advertising in the national press; £15,037.55 in fees to a recruitment agency engaged to search for suitable candidates and £417 for independent assessor costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the total budget for the London Olympics in 2012 has been set aside for direct funding of cultural events as part of the Cultural Olympiad. (138402)

The mandatory ceremonies will be directly funded from the London 2012 Organising Committee’s budget for the 2012 Games. It is confident that the mandatory ceremonies will be funded within its £2 billion revenue budget. The bid projects and signature events and the UK-wide cultural festival will be delivered and funded in partnership with a range of public and private partners. For example, the Legacy Trust will invest at least £40 million in funding cultural and sporting activity in the run up to the 2012 Games.

The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games will shortly set out more detail on the bid projects and the UK-wide Cultural Festival. However, we will not be in a position to provide an overall cost figure in advance for what will be a developing programme of events over the four years of the Cultural Olympiad, with funding being drawn in from a number of sources over that period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last considered the defence implications for the UK of (a) the threat of and (b) actual contamination of food supplies; and if he will make a statement. (137430)

[holding answer 17 May 2007]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 May 2007, Official Report, column 1050W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the initial concept and design work for the Future Surface Combatant. (139151)

[holding answer 4 June 2007]: A project team has been established to develop the requirement for the Future Surface Combatant. The team has undertaken a considerable amount of work, including some concept design work in conjunction with industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 25 April 2007, Official Report, column 1119W, on rendition, what arrangements exist for notification of landings by non-military state aircraft at civilian airfields. (135256)

[holding answer 1 May 2007]: The MOD is only responsible for flight clearance arrangements for foreign military aircraft entering and leaving UK airspace, and for civil aircraft using MOD airfields. Arrangements for aircraft from foreign non-military agencies and Departments transiting UK airspace or landing at UK civil airfields are the responsibility of the relevant counterpart UK Government Department.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what methodology is used by her Department to account for its carbon emissions. (140854)

The methodology used to account for carbon emissions for offsetting purposes is the same used across Government to calculate official and ministerial air travel. For energy purposes, we use the methodology published by the Carbon Trust.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much her Department and its agencies paid in travel agencies' fees in each year since 1997. (139902)

The cost of fees paid for travel agency services cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what consideration is made of the requirements of maternity services in the development of Sure Start children's centres. (141117)

All Sure Start children’s centres should link with their local maternity services to improve the accessibility of ante and post-natal care and promote their integration with other services.

Joint Department of Health/Department of Education and Skills children’s centre guidance set out policy that through children's trust arrangements, local authorities and PCTs should ensure these opportunities for the benefits are maximised, particularly for disadvantaged and excluded groups. It is up to local authorities and PCTs to agree the scope of the working arrangements and the level of resources allocated to them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what Government support is available for people suffering from dyspraxia. (139134)

Support for children with special educational needs (SEN) accounts for a high proportion of all school expenditure. We do not hold information centrally about expenditure on dyspraxia, but information collected from local authorities (LAs) shows planned expenditure on the education of school-age children with SEN of £4.5 billion in 2006-07. This is about 13 per cent. of all education spending.

Schools and LAs provide support to children with SEN, including those with dyspraxia, by taking account of guidance set out in the SEN Code of Practice (2001). The code recommends school based interventions at two levels—“School Action and School Action Plus”. If a child does not make adequate progress or cannot access the curriculum at “School Action Plus”, and it is considered the child may need support over and above what the school can provide, the LA may carry out a statutory assessment of the child’s SEN, with the view to the issue of a statement. A statement sets out the child’s needs, the provision to meet those needs, and the school the child attends.

Once a statement is issued the LA is under a duty to arrange the educational provision specified in the statement.

A statement may also, in the case of a child with dyspraxia, set out the support to be provided by health services, for example occupational therapy.

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for funding further education provision for post-16 learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including those people with dyspraxia. We do not hold information on the specific expenditure on dyspraxia. However, overall investment in provision for these learners has increased significantly over recent years, and in 2004/05 the LSC helped support more than 640,000 learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities accounting for nearly £1.5 billion.

Continuing investment in this provision remains a priority and the LSC has made clear in their Annual Statement of Priorities for 2007-08 that they expect the proportion of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to be maintained.

For young people in higher education, disabled students’ allowances can help meet the additional costs of undertaking the course which arise from their disability, mental health condition or specific learning disability, including dyspraxia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the decision of the University and College Union to consider a boycott of Israeli academic institutions; and if he will make a statement. (140967)

The UK Government fully support academic freedom and are firmly against any academic boycotts of Israel or Israeli academics. While I appreciate the independence of the UCU, I am very disappointed that the union has decided to pass a motion which encourages its members to consider boycotting Israeli academics and education institutions. I profoundly believe this does nothing to promote the Middle East peace process, in fact the reverse.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of foundation degrees he estimates will be validated by (a) further education colleges and (b) universities in each region in each year from 2009 to 2020, broken down by age group of students and taking into account the anticipated changes in demography in each region if the proposals currently before the House relating to franchise rights are enacted. (140715)

[holding answer 6 June 2007]: Estimates of the data requested have not been made by the Department.

A report published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in January 2007 (Foundation Degrees: Key Statistics 2001-02 to 2006-07) shows that in the academic year 2004-05, a total of 83 higher education institutions (HEIs) and 255 further education colleges were involved with foundation degree provision. The following table shows the number of students registered and taught at each type of institution, and whether these students were studying on a full-time or part-time basis:

It should not, however, be inferred from this data that any particular proportion of foundation degree students will in future be undertaking programmes at a college with powers to award its own foundation degrees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with (a) universities, (b) businesses and (c) further education colleges prior to taking the decision to bring forward legislation to permit further education colleges to apply for the right to award foundation degrees. (139271)

[holding answer 4 June 2007]: The proposals in Clause 17 of the Further Education and Training Bill, to allow Further Education institutions in England to apply for the power to award Foundation Degrees, emerged after informal discussions with a number of interested parties in the further and higher education sectors. These followed up Sir Andrew Foster’s recommendation that

“consideration should be given to allowing some colleges, that meet quality criteria, the ability to award their own qualifications, rather than working through awarding bodies".

Officials discussed with the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) how these proposals might be taken forward prior to the publication of the Further Education and Training Bill. The views of the Association of Colleges and other representative bodies from the Further Education sector were also sought.

Since publication of the Bill, the Department has undertaken extensive and extremely constructive discussions with a wide range of representatives from the Higher and Further Education sectors, as well as other interested stakeholder bodies. Over thirty written submissions were received in response to a circular letter inviting comment on the proposals; these included responses from a number of Sector Skills Councils and the Council for Industry and Higher Education. Ministers and officials have also maintained frequent contact with sector bodies such as Universities UK and the Association of Colleges, and have also corresponded with representatives from individual institutions in both sectors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the completion rates were for students undertaking (a) higher national diplomas and (b) foundation degrees in each of the last 10 years. (138387)

Information on the completion rates of students on foundation degrees and higher national diplomas for the last 10 years is not held centrally.

The available information on the qualification rates of students on foundation degrees was published in January 2007 in ‘Foundation degrees: key statistics 2001-02 to 2006-07’ by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. The information, covering students registered at higher education institutions, looked at the qualification rates of students on courses with expected course lengths of two and three years who qualified within these time frames.

The key findings were that, overall, around 77 to 86 per cent. of students had either qualified within the expected course length or were still studying either on a foundation degree course or on another higher education programme. The exact proportion varied depending on the length and mode of study of the course.

The report also contained comparable figures for students on HNDs. These showed a slightly wider variation in the proportion of students who had either qualified within the expected course length or were still studying either on a HND course or on another higher education programme of between 74 to 86 per cent. Again, the exact proportion depended on the length and mode of study.

The complete report is available from the HEFCE website only at:

http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2007/

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the costs of any redundancies which will arise from the proposed restructuring of learning and skills councils including the costs of payments to individuals and the costs of payments into the pension scheme. (139273)

[holding answer 4 June 2007]: The LSC has been undertaking a major restructuring exercise under theme 7 of its 'Agenda for Change' reform programme. This exercise is expected to be completed later this summer, and will result in some 1,100 fewer staff posts across the whole of the organisation.

The LSC set aside provision of £55.7 million in its 2005-06 accounts to cover the one-off costs associated with these staff changes. Of this, £30.4 million is for redundancy and severance costs, £2.1 million for pension costs and £2.29 million for outplacement costs. The remainder is for property and HR related activities. Final outturn figures for 2006-07 are not yet available but will be published in the LSC’s annual report and accounts in July.

We expect the LSC to achieve year-on-year savings of £40 million as a result of these changes. This is in addition to the £50 million savings it is already making year-on-year compared to predecessor bodies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the (a) average number of A*s at GCSE and (b) average UKCAT score attained by successful (i) pre A-level and (ii) post A-level applicants to medical schools was in the academic year 2006-07. (140754)

Information on the average number of A*s at GCSE and average UKCAT scores is not held centrally. In 2006, there were 18,949 applicants to pre-clinical medicine courses, of whom 8,011 were accepted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many vocational course places were available for 16 to 19 year olds in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. (135789)

[holding answer 8 May 2007]: The following table shows numbers in full-time education, WBL and other forms of education and training by highest qualification aim over the last five years. It is not possible to split student numbers clearly between vocational and other routes, particularly as substantial numbers of young people will follow a mixed programme involving both vocational and general subjects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to provide a substantive answer to question 138625, on grammar schools, tabled by the right hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras on 17 May. (140694)

A response was issued to my right hon. Friend on 4 June 2007, Official Report, column 121W.

To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission if he will make a statement on the progress of the Electoral Commission's investigation into the legality of donations made by Mr. Michael Browne to the Liberal Democrats. (140026)

I refer my hon. Friend to my answer on this matter to my hon. Friend the Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 16 May, Official Report, column 748W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will prohibit the export of live young calves. (139731)

No, the UK cannot place a unilateral ban on exports because to do so would be illegal under EU law.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to publish the consultation paper on the social and environmental guidance due in March 2008. (141027)

I assume the hon. Member is referring to the social and environmental guidance to Ofwat. This will be influenced by the Government’s new water strategy which is being developed for publication during the summer. We expect to carry out a public consultation on the draft social and environmental guidance in the autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies has paid to the Eunomia consultancy; and for what purpose. (104104)

[pursuant to the reply, 8 January 2007, Official Report, c. 273W]: My answer for the financial years, 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 were incorrect. The correct figures are in the table.

The rest of the answer remains correct and is detailed in full as follows. From information held centrally, the sums paid to the company Eunomia are as follows:

The expenditure with Eunomia covers work commissioned by DEFRA on environment regulation policy and the waste implementation programme. Data on any expenditure with Eunomia by DEFRA’s agencies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many incidents of fly-tipping were reported in Cambridgeshire in each year since 2004; and what the estimated cost was of dealing with such incidents; (139584)

Flycapture, the national fly-tipping database was set up in 2004 by DEFRA, the Environment Agency and the Local Government Association, to record the number of fly-tipping incidents dealt with by the Environment Agency and local authorities.

The table shows the number of incidents and prosecutions recorded by local authorities in Cambridgeshire on Flycapture:

Data for 2006-07 are not yet available, but will be published in the summer.

Flycapture does not record details of any costs awarded to local authorities by courts following successful prosecutions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what requirements exist on reporting of greenhouse gas emissions for which companies (a) subject to and (b) not subject to the European Emissions Trading Scheme are (i) directly and (ii) indirectly responsible; and how such reports are verified. (140401)

Installations participating in the European Union (EU) Emissions Trading Scheme are required to have their annual emissions verified by an independent accredited verifier. Installations that fail to do this will have their annual emissions determined by their regulator. Installations must also submit an annual report to the regulator on how they will improve their monitoring and reporting of emissions.

The data on emissions and associated energy use are made available to the Department for Trade and Industry in compiling the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES). The data are also made available to the UK National Greenhouse Gas Inventory.

To meet requirements of the EU Accounts Modernisation Directive (AMD) (2003), the Companies Act (2006) contains a requirement for large companies to produce a business review, contained within the annual report and accounts. This includes information on environmental matters where it is considered to be important to company performance.

Further to the EU AMD, the Government have introduced additional requirements. From 1 October 2007, quoted companies will need to ensure their business review includes information on environmental matters to the extent necessary for an understanding of the development, performance and position of the company’s business. Where appropriate, the review will be required to include key performance indicators (KPIs). Directors have responsibility to decide what environmental matters and KPIs are included and this may contain information on climate related issues and greenhouse gas emissions data.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what expenditure plans he has for the £7.5 million funding designed to improve the relationship between Warm Front and the Energy Efficiency Commitment, as described in paragraph 7.42 of the 2006 pre-Budget report; and if he will make a statement; (139697)

Following the announcement in the pre-Budget report, details have been developed for a competitive bidding process to determine the allocation of the £6.3 million of this funding that is available in England.

Organisations will be able to bid, against a set of criteria, for resources to support them in the development and delivery of local area-based initiatives designed to promote the installation of energy efficiency measures in households and tackle fuel poverty. Organisations will be encouraged to work in partnership with others and are required to secure agreement from the relevant local authority(ies), as their involvement is important in ensuring the success of local initiatives. Bidders will have to demonstrate their ability to provide a cost effective and sustainable service that works effectively and efficiently with the Energy Efficiency Commitment and Warm Front. I expect the open tender to be launched soon, with the successful bidders being selected on a competitive basis thereafter.

Further information is available on the fuel poverty pages on the DEFRA website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to reply to the Fourth Report of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, Fourth Report on Radioactive Waste Management: an Update. (141122)

The Department expects to provide the Government’s response to the Committee’s Report within the recommended two month deadline.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to publish the Water Strategy; and what account it will take of affordability. (141028)

Our aim is to publish the Government’s new Water Strategy later this summer. The Strategy will set out a coherent policy framework to underpin our commitments for water availability and quality.

Its aim is to improve standards of service and quality while balancing environmental impacts, water quality, supply and demand, and social and economic effects. It will take into account affordability concerns, particularly for those on low incomes and vulnerable groups.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the use of Diquat to control weed growth in watercourses; and if he will make a statement. (138830)

Along with all other pesticides approved for use in the UK, Diquat has been subject to the review programme initiated under the Plant Protection Products Directive 91/414/EEC. This ensures that risk assessments are updated in the light of the most recent scientific information. Diquat was approved under the directive, but aquatic use was not allowed because of the risks to fish, invertebrates and non-target plants. This restriction took effect in June 2004. As an interim measure, an emergency authorisation for the aquatic use of Diquat in the UK was granted in 2005 and in 2006 to enable the control of weeds. Emergency authorisations can be granted where there is an unforeseeable danger that cannot be controlled by other means.

In 2006, Ministers concluded that no further emergency authorisations would be granted until the Advisory Committee on Pesticides was satisfied by evidence that risk mitigation measures would render the aquatic use of Diquat acceptable.

Earlier this year, the Committee considered an application for a further emergency authorisation. It concluded that it was not appropriate to recommend a further emergency approval this year. The Committee noted that no new data were available proving acceptable risk. Furthermore, there was no evidence that alternative methods of control had been tried.

If the Government receive new evidence which demonstrates that this herbicide can be used without unacceptable risks to the aquatic environment, we will ask the Advisory Committee to review it and will consider any resulting advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) correspondence and (b) discussions her officials have had with (i) European partners and (ii) others (A) regarding respect for the professional independence and rights of journalists, media professionals and associated personnel during armed conflict and (B) to obtain universal compliance with relevant obligations under international law to end impunity and prosecute those responsible for serious violations of international law against such persons; and if she will make a statement. (140893)

The Government are committed to promoting freedom of expression worldwide and to defending and protecting the professional independence and right of journalists and media professionals to work without fear of reprisal during armed conflict. Journalists, media professionals and associated personnel must be provided with the protection that they need under domestic and international law.

Last month, at the World Press Freedom Day, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, Ian McCartney, reaffirmed our commitment to promote, defend, and protect the professional independence and right of journalists and media professionals to work without fear of reprisal. He also spoke out against impunity for crimes deliberately targeted against journalists. To intentionally direct an attack against civilians not taking direct part in hostilities is a war crime as defined under Article 8 (2)(b)(i) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Under Article 79 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, journalists are regarded as civilians, provided they do not take action adversely affecting their status. These provisions provide journalists, media professionals and associated personnel with protection under international law. The key challenge for the international community is to ensure that international law is respected and enforced in order to provide a strong deterrent.

To assist this process, and raise awareness of the violence directed against journalists in conflict zones, the UK and its EU partners tabled UN Security Council Resolution 1738 in December 2006. The resolution condemned violence directed against journalists in conflict zones. It called on parties involved in conflict to stop deliberate attacks against journalists and respect them as civilians under international law.

In addition to our discussions over the tabling of Resolution 1738, we also discussed this matter with outside experts at the meeting of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Advisory Panel on Freedom of Expression on 24 May. We will continue to work with our EU partners and others to support efforts to promote and strengthen respect for international law, in particular in this area. An essential part of this is our strong support for the international criminal tribunals, including the ICC, which are a key part of international efforts to combat the crimes of most concern to the international community. We also discuss with EU partners and others joint action to protest at mistreatment of journalists.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) correspondence and (b) discussions her Department has had since the adoption by the United Nations Security Council of Resolution 1738, on the protection of journalists in armed conflict, with States Parties to the Geneva Conventions, in order to ensure that (i) all necessary action is taken to search for persons who have committed, or ordered others to commit, breaches of those conventions and (ii) such people are tried before their own courts so that they are handed to another concerned state; and if she will make a statement. (140894)

The Government are committed to promoting freedom of expression and the media worldwide. Journalists, media professionals and associated personnel must be provided with the protection that they need under domestic and international law.

In addition to tabling, with our EU partners, UN Security Council Resolution 1738 in December 2006, the UK will continue to work with partners to support efforts to promote and strengthen respect for international law, in particular in this area. An essential part of this is our strong support for the international criminal tribunals, including the International Criminal Court, which are a key part of international efforts to combat the crimes of most concern to the international community. We expect that the Red Cross Conference in Geneva in November will amongst other things discuss reaffirmation of international humanitarian law.

The UK regularly speaks out when journalists are murdered, attacked or harassed. We raise cases with foreign governments, urging compliance with international law. For example, we engaged with the Russian Federation following the death of Anna Politkovskaya.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures have been introduced to ensure the UK’s compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1738, on the protection of journalists in armed conflict; and if she will make a statement. (140897)

The Government are committed to promoting freedom of expression and the media worldwide. Journalists, media professionals and associated personnel must be provided with the protection that they need under domestic and international law.

To assist this process, and raise awareness of the violence directed against journalists in conflict zones, the UK and its EU partners tabled UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1738 in December 2006. The resolution condemned violence directed against journalists in conflict zones. It called on parties involved in conflict to stop deliberate attacks against journalists, and respect them as civilians under international law.

No specific new measures were required of the UK to implement UNSCR 1738. UK military forces are already required to act in compliance with the provisions of international humanitarian law relating to the protection of civilians, including journalists, to which the resolution refers.

Funding is available to support measures to protect journalists in armed conflict through a new human rights strand of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Global Opportunities Fund. For example, we have funded work in Colombia, with the International News Safety Institute, aimed at creating a culture of safety in journalism and reducing the risks journalists face at work.

The UK regularly speaks out when journalists are murdered, attacked or harassed. We raise cases with foreign governments, urging compliance with international law. For example, we engaged with the Russian Federation following the death of Anna Politkovskaya.

The Government will continue to tackle the targeting of journalists. They are an essential component of healthy, democratic societies. They need and deserve protection for their role.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) correspondence and (b) discussions her Department has had with (i) European partners and (ii) others to seek the earliest possible compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1738, on the protection of journalists in armed conflict; and if she will make a statement. (140898)

We have had no specific discussions with European partners and others on compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1738. Compliance is the responsibility of UN States. We do continue to discuss wider matters of international humanitarian law, under which journalists are covered, and to take joint action on individual cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on the arrests of 10 British citizens in Syhlet, Bangladesh, on 14 May; what representations she has made on this issue; and if she will make a statement. (140633)

We understand that the 10 British citizens were part of a gathering of over 40 people who were arrested in Syhlet for allegedly breaching the current restrictions in Bangladesh on the holding of political meetings.

We take our consular responsibilities to British nationals very seriously. On becoming aware of the arrests, our High Commission in Dhaka raised the case with the caretaker government and sought consular access. Following an order of the High Court in Dhaka on 22 May nine of the detained British citizens have been released on bail and one has since returned to the UK. The High Commission continues to provide consular assistance to the remaining detainee.

We continue to emphasise to the caretaker government, and to the armed forces, the need to respect human rights and the rule of law.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which projects were funded by her Department’s budget for EU Communications in each year since 1997; and how much the total budget was in each year. (137521)

The spend in each financial year from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) EU Directorate budget codes related to EU communications in the UK are:

Funding may have been provided from other FCO budgets, for example on activities relating to the EU’s roles on a range of FCO strategic priorities, for the 1998 UK presidency and for activities by UK embassies in Europe. Given the wide range of possible budgets and relevant projects comprehensive details could only be collated at disproportionate cost.

In line with the FCO’s public service agreement, FCO spending on EU communications covers a wide range of projects to raise awareness and debate on EU issues, such as:

the europe.gov.uk

website, publications and public events on EU issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she intends to petition the House of Lords for leave to appeal the decision of the Court of Appeal on 23 May regarding the Chagos Islands; what estimate she has made of the likely cost of such an appeal; and if she will make a statement. (140497)

I will consider the 23 May judgment of the Court of Appeal carefully and have in this regard asked officials for farther advice. I reserve the right to petition the House of Lords to grant permission to appeal, as I am entitled to do within one month.

The costs of a further appeal are estimated at £140,000.

The Government’s policy in relation to the British Indian Ocean Territory therefore remains the subject of possible ongoing legal proceedings and it would be inappropriate to comment further.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2007, Official Report, column 1481W, on Iraq: peacekeeping operations, whether the two requests for assistance on behalf of three Iraqi nationals were agreed to. (140670)

In line with our policy worldwide we do not comment on the substance of individual immigration or consular cases.

As I said in my response to my hon. Friend on 24 May 2007, Official Report, column 1481W, all requests for assistance are dealt with on a case by case basis, taking account of individual circumstances. If after assessment we decide that an individual’s circumstances do not merit our assistance, we encourage them to contact local UN High Commissioner for Refugees offices, available national refugee bodies or other relevant agencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will (a) make representations on behalf of the Christian community based in North West Frontier Province in Pakistan to seek greater protection for them and (b) make representations to the government of Pakistan to desist from imposing apostasy laws. (140984)

As my hon. Friend is aware, we regularly raise our concerns over the situation of religious minorities with the Government of Pakistan, bilaterally and together with our EU partners.

We are aware of the difficulties faced by the Christian community in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province and will continue to follow developments. We will also continue to monitor the progress of the draft Apostasy Bill. Freedom of religion is a fundamental human right and we will continue to voice our concerns to the Government of Pakistan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received of the number of blasphemy cases being heard in the Pakistani courts; and what representations she has made to the Pakistan government in the case of Younis Masih. (141055)

We follow closely the subject of blasphemy trials in Pakistan. We receive reports on blasphemy trials from human rights groups and monitor cases reported in the media.

We do not usually raise individual cases and have not recently made any representations to the Pakistani authorities on the case of Younis Masih. However, we regularly raise our concerns about blasphemy legislation and its effects on minority groups with the Government of Pakistan, both bilaterally and with our EU partners, and will continue to do so. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, Ian McCartney, most recently raised this issue in correspondence with the Government of Pakistan in February.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if her Department will release the audit certificates for files containing documents mistakenly destroyed by the Department in the 1990s and which were the subject of an Internal Audit Report in April 2000 before the end of the inquiry chaired by Lord Archer into contaminated blood and blood products; and if she will make a statement; (141006)

The Department holds seven files on the work of the Advisory Committee on the Virological Safety of Blood for the period 1989-93.

I regret that some volumes were destroyed in the 1990s, and this was the subject of an internal review and report in 2000 which is now in the public domain. The internal audit report clearly sets out the sequence of events which led to the destruction of files.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will release the documents returned to the Department by solicitors in a previous litigation against the Department as referred to in the Review of Documentation relating to the Safety of Blood Products 1970 to 1985 to the independent public inquiry chaired by Lord Archer into contaminated blood and blood products; and if she will make a statement. (141029)

The papers returned to the Department by solicitors have already been released in line with the Freedom of Information Act, and are in the public domain.

The Department has given an undertaking to release all the papers held on the issue of blood safety between 1970-85. The papers returned from solicitors and the references to the report “Self Sufficiency in Blood Products in England and Wales” will consequently be sent to the independent inquiry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans her Department has to submit (a) written evidence and (b) oral evidence from (i) Ministers, (ii) civil servants and (iii) NHS staff to the independent public inquiry chaired by Lord Archer into contaminated blood and blood products; and if she will make a statement; (141030)

Lord Archer of Sandwell wrote to the Secretary of State for Health in February to invite the Department to give evidence at the independent inquiry.

Officials met with members of the inquiry team on 25 April 2007 to discuss what information the Department may be able to provide to the inquiry. We have made available a recently completed document on the “Review of Documentation Relating to the Safety of Blood Products 1970-1985 (Non A Non B Hepatitis)”, and the supporting references. Copies of the document are available in the Library.

Officials continue to liaise with the secretary to the inquiry team.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the value was of annual private finance initiative payments made by her Department from (a) capital and (b) revenue budgets in each of the last five years; (137809)

The value of annual private finance initiative payments made for each of the last five years is provided in the following table.

The annual payments made by national health service trusts to their private sector partners are taken from their revenue budgets and cover financing charges (capital repayment and interest charges), building maintenance and, in many cases, the non-clinical support services such as cleaning, laundry, catering, portering and security. The building and support services can account for between 40 per cent. and 50 per cent. of the annual payments.

We are not able to provide precise figures breaking down the annual payments into financing charges and other expenditure as this would require examining the financial model for each scheme which would incur disproportionate costs.

The annual payments made by NHS Trusts are from their revenue budgets to their private sector partners cover financing charges, building maintenance and, in many cases, the non-clinical support services such as cleaning, laundry, catering, portering and security, which can account for between 40 per cent. and 50 per cent. of the annual payments

To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date her Department received Treasury approval for the new contract for the delivery of general medical services agreed in June 2003. (140010)

The new contract for the delivery of general medical services formed part of the discussions between the Department and HM Treasury on the SR02 Spending Review, which concluded in July 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the (a) National Adviser for Surgery, (b) National Director for Primary Care, (c) National Director for Emergency Access, (d) National Director for Heart Disease and Stroke, (e) National Clinical Director for Children, Young People and Maternity Services and (f) National Director for Older People were asked to produce their clinical case for change reports; by whom they were asked in each case; for what reasons; and if she will make a statement. (138419)

The Secretary of State asked these national clinical directors and national advisers to produce personal reports which explain the clinical case for change in their areas. These seven reports were commissioned at the following times:

(a) 8 February 2007;

(b) 6 December 2006;

(c-f) 7 November 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2007, Official Report, column 590W, on hospitals, where each of the new hospitals opened since 1979 are located. (138834)

A copy of the full list of hospital building projects that have become operational since January 1980 with values over £25 is shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the through-life costs of (a) a conventionally procured hospital and (b) a private finance initiative hospital. (139817)

To be approved, the private finance initiative (PFI) option for every national health service capital investment project must demonstrate that, overall, it is better value for money when compared to the publicly funded alternative, the public sector comparator (PSC). As part of the business case process a quantitative assessment involving an estimation of the discounted, risk adjusted whole life costs (facilities management, life-cycle for the full life of the contract) for both PSC and PFI options, is now performed using a standard model designed by HM Treasury.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on changes to neonatal care at the Royal Shrewsbury hospital, with particular reference to the care of babies born under 27 weeks gestation. (140709)

The NHS West Midlands strategic health authority reports that there has been no change in where babies of less than 27 weeks gestation are cared for within the Staffordshire, Shropshire and Black Country Newborn Network.

Primary care trusts locally have provided additional funding in 2007-08 for neonatal services in the locality. Commissioners are working with the network to use this extra funding to increase the resources at the two proposed level 3 units. This will ensure that they can be staffed appropriately to provide the improved standard of care necessary for the smallest and sickest babies in the network, as described in the report by the expert review group on neonatal intensive care, published in 2003.

Decisions about the size and locations of networks, including the number of hospitals and the levels of care provided, are for local decision and should reflect local need and geography.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the service provided by NHS Direct NHS Trust; and in what ways she plans to inform Parliament of its performance. (140194)

NHS Direct became an national health service trust on 1 April this year. The NHS Direct Board is responsible for monitoring the performance standards, which we have agreed with them. Senior officials will be meeting with the chief executive and senior management team quarterly to review performance against the objectives set out and agreed in their business plan. NHS Direct NHS Trust will lay before Parliament its annual report and accounts shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of operating NHS Direct in each of the last three years. (140196)

Expenditure on NHS Direct for the years 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 is shown in the following table. Expenditure figures for 2006-07 are not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts serve each parliamentary constituency. (140436)

[holding answer 4 June 2007]: Information on parliamentary constituencies served by primary care trusts is available via the Department’s website at:

www.info.doh.gov.uk/nhsfactsheets.nsf.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time was for outpatient psychiatric care in each NHS Trust in the latest period for which figures are available. (140695)

[holding answer 6 June 2007]: Information on the median waiting time for a first out-patient appointment with a mental health consultant in the latest period for which figures are available is shown in the following table. It should be noted that waiting times collected by the Department relate to consultant-led services only.