asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress is being made in the reform of the UN Security Council.

The UN Working Group on Security Council reform has for the first time this year begun to discuss detailed and comprehensive proposals for enlarging the Security Council and improving its working methods. This has improved the prospects for an early conclusion to the debate.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will propose that the European Union (a) agrees a code of conduct on arms transfers, including personal weapons and ammunition and (b) earmarks specific funds for conflict prevention and peace-building outside the boundaries of the EU.

We are working to secure the introduction of a European Union code of conduct setting high common standards to govern all conventional arms exports from all European Union Member States.We fully endorse EU support for conflict prevention and peace-building in third countries. These activities are funded on a case-by-case basis from a range of existing Community budget lines, including EC development programmes and funds set aside for Joint Actions under the Common Foreign and Security Policy.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will consider enabling the United Kingdom to participate in the work of the European Commission for Democracy through Law.

We are considering whether the United Kingdom should participate in a variety of international bodies. Once that review has been completed we shall be better placed to take a decision on United Kingdom membership of the Venice Commission. I shall write to the noble Lord again at that stage and place a copy of my letter in the Libraries of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list the member countries belonging to the European Commission for Democracy through Law.

The following countries are members of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (the so-called Venice Commission):

• Albania
• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Moldova
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• San Marino
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Former Yugoslavia
• Republic of Macedonia
• Turkey
• Ukraine.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will assist the new government in the Congo in the strengthening of the civil service and democratic institutions outside Kinshasa, as well as inside.

We and our EU partners are looking at ways to initiate and restore much needed assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Strengthening the Civil Service and democratic institutions is an integral and important part of that planning. We believe that any development assistance should be country wide, and will consider the scope for support to provincial and local authorities.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they can give an assurance that they will assist in the process of democratisation in the Congo alongside the investigation of human rights abuses, and not after it.

We and our partners in the EU are considering how we can assist the process of democratisation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These deliberations will continue in parallel with the UN human rights investigation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have given their support to the investigation of human rights abuses and alleged killings in Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and if so in what form.

We have given strong support, bilaterally and in conjunction with our partners in the EU and at the UN, to the UN human rights investigation mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We have also made clear to President Kabila that the development of a constructive relationship is conditional upon his government's respect for human rights and the rule of law.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for July: and to list major EU events for the next six months.

Details are shown below.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to fund or commission any research into the causes of building subsidence and the role played by tree roots.

The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions intends to commission later this year a project to prepare a practical handbook that draws together existing knowledge on tree roots and their interaction with soil, man-made structures and objects. In addition, a proposal is being formulated for a project to assess the effect of pruning on the water uptake of trees and the consequential abstraction of water from the soil.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they possess any data on the effects of tree roots on buildings and their relationship with subsidence and, if so, whether they will publish it.

Information about the incidence of tree species implicated in subsidence damage was included in Tree Roots and Buildings published in 1981 by Dr. Cutler and Dr. Richardson. Their work was based on the Kew Tree Root Survey (1971–79). Much of the survey data on the tree root systems was obtained from investigations carried out during the assessment of alleged subsidence damage. The text was republished in 1989 to take account of additional information or data about the structure of root systems.The National House Building Council and the then Department of Environment commissioned research between 1979–1985 and 1989–1994 to quantify the seasonal and long-term changes of soil drying and moisture deficit in the vicinity of trees on clay soils. The results of this work have been published in technical journals, and are to be published in the proceedings of the conference

asked Her Majesty's Government:With reference to the statement in the Labour Party manifesto that "Following a referendum to confirm popular demand, there will be a new deal for London", whether the people of London will not be given the opportunity to vote for "no change".

Our proposals for a separately elected mayor and assembly for London will be set out in a Green Paper to be published in late July. Subject to the views of Parliament, we propose to hold a referendum on 7 May 1998. If the people of London vote against our proposals they will have voted for "no change".

asked Her Majesty's Government:In view of the Labour Party manifesto statement that the proposed mayor and strategic authority for London will not duplicate the work of the London Boroughs, which economic regeneration, transport-planning, and environmental protection functions they will remove from the London Boroughs.

Our proposals for a Greater London Authority will be set out in a Green Paper to be published in late July.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have any plans to declare Sierra Leone a country in which there has been a fundamental change of circumstance within the meaning of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996.

As my right honourable friend announced in another place yesterday, in view of the current situation in Sierra Leone, it has been decided to declare that that country has undergone such a fundamental change in circumstances that the return of a person to that country would not normally be ordered for the time being. The effect is that a Sierra Leonean national who entered the United Kingdom previously and applies for asylum within three months of this declaration being made becomes eligible to claim social security benefits while his or her application is considered by the department. No decisions will be made on asylum applications made by Sierra Leonean nationals until the situation stabilises.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether an operational requirement for a theatre missile defence capability in NATO has been identified; whether NATO's Air Command and Control System (ACCS) intends to develop such a capability under the "ACCS level one phase"; and whether the costs of these proposals have been explicity presented to and agreed by the parliaments of NATO's European members.

NATO has identified a military operational requirement for a theatre ballistic missile defence capability for deployed forces. Work is in hand to consider the options for addressing this requirement together with their associated costs, including the extent to which NATO's Air Command and Control System (ACCS) can contribute to an Alliance capability in this area.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What increase they estimate in the prison population between 1997 and 2005.

Long-term projections of the prison population in England and Wales are produced annually and were last published in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin 7/97 on 3 April 1997, a copy of which is in the Library. The figures requested are set out in the attached table A.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What increase they estimate in the number of people working in the Prison Service between 1997 and 2005.

Future trends in staffing levels are difficult to predict accurately, because a rapid increase in posts is required for new accommodation as it opens, while elsewhere staffing levels may need to reduce to achieve efficiency targets. Our best estimate is that there will be a net increase in staff numbers during 1997–98 of just over 1,000. Governors have recently been asked to draw up detailed staffing profiles for the next four years based on the indicative local budgets, and this should generate more reliable four-year staffing projections by November 1997.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their policy regarding the circumstances in which Members of Parliament may visit Her Majesty's prisons and detention centres.

Members of Parliament wishing to visit a Prison Service establishment in England and Wales in an official capacity may do so on request to the governor or controller. A request to visit an immigration detention centre is normally referred to Immigration Service Headquarters in order that Ministers may be routinely advised. The request will normally be granted, subject to any operational or security considerations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Williams of Mostyn on 17 June (

The law on lotteries controls games of chance, not skill.Skill competitions on premium rate telephone lines are regulated by the Independent Committee for the Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS).My reply of 17 June (

asked Her Majesty's Government:With reference to the statement in the Labour Party manifesto that in work, people "should not be discriminated against because of their age", when they intend to introduce legislation to outlaw such discrimination.

The Government are strongly opposed to age discrimination in employment. The Government have already announced that they intend to consult widely on how best to move forward in this very complex area. This will include an examination of the possible role of legislation.