asked the Chairman of Committees:Why there are House of Lords annunciator screens in Committee Rooms 1–3, 3A, 4, 4B and 7 but not in any of the others. [HL1201]

House of Lords annunciator screens are provided in all House of Lords committee rooms, but it is for the House of Commons to decide whether to place them in their committee rooms.Since the introduction of the Parliamentary Data and Video Network, improvements have been made to allow for easier display of Lords divisions on annunciator screens.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 10 March (

The New Millennium Experience Company is currently considering its policy and strategy on displaying works of art within the Dome. It is too early to say what works of art and which British artists might be exhibited, although it is hoped to be able to do so.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What export licences have been issued for exports of arms and other military equipment to Turkey, in the current and previous two years; and what is their total value. [HL1300]

My noble friend the Minister for Trade will write to the noble Lord and place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What areas of the United Kingdom might qualify for: (a) Objective One; (b) new Objective Two; and (c) new Objective Three status, assuming that the European Commission's "Agenda 2000" proposals of July 1997 remain unaltered. [HL1243]

As part of the Agenda 2000 package, the Commission published their proposed draft regulations for the Structural and Cohesion Fund policies for the years 2000–2006 on 18 March 1998.On the basis of the Commission's draft regulations and Eurostat's latest statistics, it is likely that Merseyside and South Yorkshire would be eligible for Objective 1. For Objective 2, the complexity of the proposals means that it is not possible at this early stage to make an informed statement on individual areas. All areas outside Objective 1 and 2 would be eligible for Objective 3.There is a long negotiation ahead. The proposals will have to be agreed by the Council of Ministers and approved by the European Parliament before we are in a position to state positively which areas are eligible for Structural Funds.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the review of broadcasting and cross-media ownership, referred to by the Lord Haskel on 2 April (H.L. Deb., col. 382), will commence. [HL1448]

We expect to initiate a consultation shortly. The proposed review will be of the purposes, structures and practicalities of regulating the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the light of their emerging convergence. The review will not encompass the merits of the media ownership regulations which were extensively debated and revised in the Broadcasting Act 1996. I regret that my noble friend Lord Haskel may therefore have inadvertently misled your Lordships' House as to the scope of the review.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the current arrangements within the Science Councils and elsewhere in the United Kingdom for conducting Arctic research; how much taxpayer funding currently goes to Arctic research, Antarctic research, bi-Polar research, and global ocean research in general; and what bodies are carrying out that research. [HL1207]

The UK is a member of both the International Arctic Science Committee (and currently holds the Chair) and the Arctic Ocean Sciences Board. Within the Natural Environment Research Council, (NERC), the Polar Expert Group provides advice to Council in Arctic research. Earlier this year the NERC's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology established a UK Arctic Network (UKAN) for ecologists and hydrologists. A number of departments and agencies (including MAFF, MoD, DETR, ESRC) undertake or support polar research. The NERC expenditure for Arctic, Antarctic and Bi-Polar research in 1997–98 is estimated at:

	£ million
Arctic research	1.3
Antarctic research	25.6
Bi-Polar research1	1.1
1 Includes upper atmospheric research in the Antarctic which complements that funded by PPARC in the Arctic.

In addition, the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) provides funding for facilities based in the Arctic which are used to support PPARC's Solar-Terrestrial physics programme. In 1998–99 the planned total expenditure is £1.8 million, which includes subscription costs where relevant, support for the exploitation of those facilities, and the costs of UK programme management and technical and scientific support. The facilities are the European Incoherent Scatter Facility (EISCAT), the Collaborative UK Twin Location Auroral Sounding System (CUTLASS) radars, and SAMNET and Riometers, which are national facilities managed by British universities.The most recent analysis of public expenditure on marine-related research and development was undertaken by the Government's Inter-Agency Committee on Marine Science and Technology in 1996. Total civil spend in 1994–95 is estimated at £193 million. This includes marine R&D undertaken or supported by MAFF, SOAFED, DOE (now DETR) NRA (now EA), NIO, DoT (now DETR), DTI, NERC, ODA (now DFID), HSE, the Meteorological Office and UK universities.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they support the proposal, contained in the draft European Union directive on clinical trials, that Phase 1 trials carried out by the pharmaceutical companies to study the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of a drug under development should in future be subject to a formal regulatory process; and [HL1366]Whether they support the proposal, contained in the draft European Union directive on clinical trials, that the definition of an "investigational medicinal product" should be changed so that a product which has a marketing authorisation being used in a clinical trial would have to be labelled with the same information as an unlicensed product being used in such a trial; and [HL1367]

The draft European Union Directive on clinical trials is currently being negotiated in the European Council and discussed by the European Parliament. If the text were to be adopted as currently drafted it would require an unwelcome change to current United Kingdom regulatory practice on Phase 1 trials (studies on healthy volunteers).The definitions of "investigational medicinal products", "investigator" and "adverse event" are contained in guidelines adopted by the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH). The UK has, as part of the European Union and together with the United States of America and Japan, taken a decision to adopt these various guidelines. The European Commission has accepted in discussions of the text of the directive that the relevant ICH guideline definitions should be replicated in this text.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Jay of Paddington on 25 March (

We are looking at data emerging from all the sites currently involved in the nurse prescribing scheme, before making an informed decision on further roll-out.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their response to the report of the Community Fire Safety Task Force in relation to Fire Safety in England and Wales. [HL1452]

We are pleased to announce today that the Government have accepted all the main recommendations of the Community Fire Safety Task Force.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ask the Law Commission to review the law on fraud. [HL1451]

My right honourable friend the Home Secretary has today asked the Law Commission to undertake a review of the law on fraud. The terms of reference for this review are:"As part of their programme of work on dishonesty, to examine the law on fraud, and in particular to consider whether it

asked Her Majesty's Government:When a management statement will be published for the Criminal Cases Review Commission. [HL1450]

The management statement for the Criminal Cases Review Commission has been published today. Copies have been placed in the Library. The Statement sets out the mission and objectives of the commission, its accountability to my right honourable friend the Home Secretary and, through my right honourable friend, to Parliament, and the division of responsibilities between the commission and the Home Office. The management statement is a key document for any non-departmental public body, and we commend that for the commission to the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have for passports for children. [HL1262]

Following a policy review, we have accepted the Passport Agency's recommendation that, on the grounds of improved security, of making child abduction more difficult, facilitating travel and maintaining the agency's efficiency and effectiveness, all children should be required to hold their own passport. This change in policy will take effect from 5 October 1998, when the agency plan to begin introducing a new, more secure British passport. Children already included on their parents' passports will not be affected by this change until the passport is changed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many members of the Prison Service have been dismissed for racist behaviour for each year during the past three years. [HL1291]

According to information held at Prison Service Headquarters, which may not be complete, one member of the Prison Service was dismissed for racist behaviour in 1995.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will announce that any asylum applicants who lodged applications before the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993 came into force on 26 July 1993, and who have received no initial decision by 26 July 1998, will be granted exceptional leave to remain. [HL1329]

An inter-departmental study has been looking at all aspects of the asylum system, including how best to deal with the backlog of cases inherited from the previous administration. The study team has now concluded its work and we are considering its findings very carefully. We shall make announcements on the way ahead as soon as we can.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the Local Government Staff Commission for England will be wound up. [HL1449]

The Local Government Staff Commission for England has completed its duties resulting from the 1992 Structural Review. Yesterday we laid before the House an order winding up the Commission on 12 May. We are very grateful to the Commission for all the work it has done to safeguard the interests of local authority staff during the structural review.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the practice of rollerblading upon the public highway is legal. [HL1332]

There is no specific legislation preventing rollerblading on the highway. Some local authorities have used local by-law powers to prevent and control rollerblading and similar activities such as roller-skating and skateboarding in parks, in pedestrian areas and on promenades.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proposals they have to legislate for the proper management of common land in England and Wales. [HL1370]

We intend to look at proposals for common land legislation in the light of the findings of a research project on good practice on managing common land, which is due to be published shortly. This may lead to consultation with interested parties and then to consideration of whether and when further legislation might be introduced.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is true, as stated by the designer of the Dome Exhibition, that one cannot dig down on the site of the Dome because of contaminated land, when the Government had said that the site had been cleared. [HL1345]

It is necessary to exercise caution when digging down into any site which has been subject to major remediation works. The Greenwich site has been reclaimed by British Gas and English Partnerships to a fit for use standard. The site is safe for the proposed use but this does not imply that all contaminated material has been removed.The depth of contamination on the site to be occupied by the Millennium Dome varied widely. The treatment applied to each part of the site depended on the type and depth of the contamination.The approach to the treatment of the site has been approved by both the Environment Agency and the London Borough of Greenwich and is consistent with government policy on the treatment of contaminated land.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether fishing for sandeels continues on the Wee Bankie, Man Bank, Scalp Bank and Smith Bank; whether it is correct that there was a near record catch of sandeels from the North Sea in 1997; and whether they think that fishing of sandeels on this scale is sustainable. [HL1314]

Fishing for sandeels continues in the Wee Bankie and neighbouring fisheries. Final data for the 1997 North Sea sandeel fishery are not yet available, but in October 1997 the Advisory Committee on Fishery Management of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) advised that the stock could sustain current fishing mortality and appeared to be within safe biological limits.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they agree that the precautionary principle should be applied in areas fished or quantities taken in the North Sea sandeel fishery; and, if so, what steps they are taking to promote that approach; and [HL1315]What progress has been made since the Intermediate Ministerial Meeting on the Integration of Fisheries and the Environment at Bergen in March 1997 on restricting sandeel fishing in areas that are important to other fish and to birds. [HL1316]

The Government support precautionary management for the North Sea sandeel fishery. They therefore supported the introduction of a total allowable catch (TAC) with effect from 1 January 1998, but pressed for the level of the TAC to be lower.The Government are also funding a range of research projects on sandeels in order to develop new assessment and management approaches. This research includes participation in a collaborative project (ELIFONTS), ending next year, to examine the impact of industrial fishing on sandeel abundance and the effects of variations in that abundance on predators in the Wee Bankie and neighbouring fisheries. The contractors have undertaken to give early warning of any interim results which show that the fishery is having adverse effects on the various species.The statement of conclusions of the Intermediate Ministerial Meeting on the Integration of Fisheries and the Environment in Bergen in 1997 included an invitation to the competent authorities to consider restrictions on fishing in any areas where it is judged the ecosystem requires protection. The results of the ELIFONTS project will assist in responding to this point. More broadly, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has been examining the ecosystem effects of fishing including the identification of areas holding sandeels that need protection in order to safeguard important concentrations of birds and other wildlife. The ICES report is expected in May 1998.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, now that they have listed the basking shark as a protected species and in the light of the identification by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources of basking sharks as globally threatened, they will use their influence in the European Union to secure the early abrogation of the European Union's agreement with Norway under which Norwegian fishermen catch basking sharks in European Union waters, outside territorial waters. [HL1313]

No basking sharks have been caught by Norway under the EC/Norway fisheries agreement since 1993. However, the Government have drawn the listing of basking sharks under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to the attention of the European Commission.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What consideration they have given to the implications for freedom of trade within the European Union and between the European Union and the United States of the proposed new restrictions on the retail sale of vitamin B6 supplements; and what representations they have received on this matter from the United States Government. [HL1270]

Officials in the Department of Trade and Industry have received one letter from the Office of the United States Trade Representative which, among other things, notes that the Government's proposed controls on dietary supplements containing vitamin B6 would have implications for US trade in this product. The Government have also received a representation on this subject from two United States senators.The Government consider that the proposed controls are fully consistent with World Trade Organisation rules. They are based on sound scientific principles, and would apply equally to home produced and imported food supplements. Any food supplements containing vitamin B6 which are imported into the UK from the United States would therefore have to comply with the proposed limit of 10 mg per daily dose.The proposed controls would not affect trade between the United States and other member states of the European Community, many of which already have much lower limits on the level of vitamin B6 in supplements sold under food law. The implications for trade within the European Union will be considered by the European Commission and other member states as part of the notification procedure under EC Directive 83/189.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why the National Audit Office has not made public its report on the Al-Yamamah Defence Programme. [HL1263]

The 1992 National Audit Office report into the Ministry of Defence's involvement in the Al-Yamamah programme has not been published as it refers to arrangements which are confidential between the Governments of the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are aware of any connection between the illnesses and birth defects suffered by the population of Halabja in northern Iraq following their exposure to toxic chemicals in 1986 (as reported on 23 February by the Channel 4 programme, "Dispatches") and the illnesses experienced by Gulf War veterans and others exposed to organophosphates. [HL835]

The Government are aware of the "Dispatches" programme "Saddam's Secret Time Bomb", shown on Channel 4 on 23 February 1998, which concerned the incidence of ill-health among the population of the area around the town of Halabja in northern Iraq. So far as the Government is aware, there have been no epidemiological studies of this population. It would, therefore, be premature to seek a connection between ill-health among this group and that among other groups, such as Gulf veterans.There is still no medical or scientific consensus concerning Gulf veterans' illnesses, and we are not aware of any evidence showing an increased incidence of adverse reproductive outcomes in the families of Gulf veterans. However, an epidemiological study led by Dr. David Cowan, which was published last year in the

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much of the £3,651,000 expended since 1991 on retraining projects for unemployed former Soviet Army officers in Russia has come from the United Kingdom defence budget; how much of the total amount has been illegally diverted by Russian organisations or individuals to other purposes; and how much money is to be expended on these projects in the financial year 1998–99. [HL1199]

Of the £3,651,000 spent by the British Government on retraining projects for unemployed former Army officers in Russia since 1994, £3,155,000 has come from the United Kingdom defence budget and £496,000 from the Know-how Fund, currently managed by the Department for International Development. The estimated provision for such expenditure from the defence budget for 1998–99 is £1,000,000.Over the course of the resettlement project we have taken appropriate steps to ensure that funds are used for the purposes for which they have been provided and that the interests of the British taxpayer are protected. These steps include the establishment of agreed budgets for retraining courses at each resettlement centre, and their close and systematic monitoring by the UK project officer based in Moscow. We have no direct evidence that funds have been illegally diverted by Russian organisations or individuals, but, where our monitoring suggests that funds are being managed unsatisfactorily or inefficiently, it is our policy to terminate our involvement with the centre concerned. So far this has happened on two occasions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is true, as reported in

The Hardway estate comprises 200 properties, all of which have been declared surplus to Service requirements and are being released to Annington Homes in accordance with the release schedule of the sale. Eighty two homes are currently vacant and the families in the other 118 houses have been given notice to move, but not before September 1998.All the families affected live on the Hardway estate in Gosport. Of the service personnel involved, 13 married men are currently serving in the Gulf. On current plans, they will all have returned to the UK before the moves are due to take place. Special arrangements are being put in place to deal with personnel serving in ships about to deploy.Although the Defence Housing Executive, DHE, need give only 93 days' notice, this longer notice period, of a minimum of seven months, enables DHE to take due account of each family's circumstances, such as likely return dates of spouses, leave periods, and schooling requirements. There are nine other Service families accommodation locations in the area and families displaced by this move will be offered suitable accommodation, although four bedroomed properties are limited to the Old Rowner Estate.As part of the continuing consultation process, a meeting took place between representatives of DHE, the Ministry of Defence, and 27 residents of Hardway Estate. A full record of all the issues raised was made, and this is being distributed to all 118 families affected by the closure, together with responses to the points raised. In addition, an allocations officer will be located on the estate once a week, to assist families who find it difficult to get to the area office, and a regular newsletter will be issued to keep residents up to date with developments.This release does not breach any undertaking given by the previous administration. The requirement is that the properties must be surplus to Service requirements, but not necessarily empty, when selected for release. The site backs on to Fareham Creek, not the Solent. This fact has no bearing on its release.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the implications for the United Kingdom and for the European Union's common foreign and security policies of—(a) the Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) in the United States, and the capabilities for "Information Warfare", "Navigation Warfare", "Space Warfare" etc., being developed within it; (b) the military doctrines of "Full Spectrum Dominance" and "Shock and Awe", currently being enunciated to inform the capabilities being developed within the RMA; and (c) the vulnerabilities associated with the RMA, as examined in the report of the United States Presidential Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection; and [HL1255]What are the implications for the United Kingdom and for the European Union's common foreign and security policies of the state of affairs described by the chairman of NATO Defence Committee, General Nauman, as an approaching "technological disconnect" between the United States and its NATO allies consequent upon the Revolution in Military Affairs in the United States. [HL1256]

Further to my Written Answer of 15 January 1998 (WA 206), the implications for the United Kingdom of developments in defence technology and doctrine are kept under review by the Ministry of Defence. The emergence of new infrastructure vulnerabilities and the impact of the so-called Revolution in Military Affairs form part of this work, including the important requirement to maintain adequate interoperability with United States forces. They have been taken fully into account in the Strategic Defence Review. We would not, however, expect these issues to affect the European Union's common foreign and security policy.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether NATO's strategic concept is being reviewed, and if so who by, and guided by what criteria; and whether a wider range of expertise and experience is being consulted than was the case with the original NATO enlargement document; [HL1302]What strategic concept has been guiding the assessment of the military and financial implications of NATO enlargement; and [HL1303]Whether NATO's new strategic concept will be available before NATO enlargement is presented for ratification to NATO governments and parliaments.[HL1304]

I refer the noble Lord to the Written Answers I gave him on 22 January 1998 (WA 264–265).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the three proposed candidates for an enlarged NATO are being consulted or are otherwise taking part in the discussions on NATO's new strategic concept. [HL1305]

In line with arrangements agreed by Allies for the progressive involvement of representatives from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland in the political and military work of NATO, their representatives may, subject to certain conditions, attend the relevant meetings and speak, but not participate in decisions, which will be taken on the basis of consensus among current Allies.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether NATO's new strategic concept will be available to them before the conclusion of the Strategic Defence Review. [HL1306]

As I told the noble Lord, in my Written Answer on 22 January, (Official Report, col. WA 264) recommendations based on the examination of NATO's strategic concept will be presented to NATO heads of state and government when they next meet in Washington in 1999. It remains the Government's aim to publish the conclusions of the Strategic Defence Review in the first half of this year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the total cost of their information package

The Partners in Europe information and resource pack for schools cost £309,000 to produce and distribute. It was funded jointly by the Department for Education and Employment, the Scottish Office Education and Industry Department, the Welsh Office Education Department, the Department for Education, Northern Ireland and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It was distributed to all schools in the United Kingdom on the following basis: two to each school in England, one to each school in Scotland, two to each school in Wales and two to each school in Northern Ireland.Two copies of the pack were sent to LEAs in England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland, one copy was sent to each education and library board. Organisations such as the central bureau for educational visits and exchanges, the qualifications and curriculum authority and Ofsted were also sent copies. All other educational establishments received copies on request or accessed the specially commissioned contents via departmental websites.