asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are aware of the recent article in the

Allegations that Iraq has hidden Scud missiles in Sudan have been circulating for at least two years. While it was able to operate in Iraq, the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) reported no evidence of any missile transfers by Iraq to any other country since the Gulf conflict and the imposition of sanctions in 1991. Likewise, we have no evidence to suggest that such transfers have occurred. Nevertheless, we remain concerned about substantial gaps in Iraq's disclosures to UNSCOM. For this reason, and because UN inspectors have been unable to operate in Iraq since December 1998, we cannot be sure that some transfers have not occurred.We are concerned about the allegation that Iraq is financing the building of a ballistic missile plant by North Korea in Sudan and are monitoring the situation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the United Kingdom will continue to uphold the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's embargo on the export of weapons and military equipment to Azerbaijan. [HL1942]

The UK remains committed to the OSCE arms embargo against both Azerbaijan and Armenia, which the UK interprets as covering all goods and technology controlled under entries in Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994 (commonly known as the military list).We have recently approved the export of 60 protective vests for demining operations to Azerbaijan. These will be used by the United Nations Development Programme during humanitarian landmine clearance operations. While the grant of this licence constitutes an exception to the UK's interpretation of the scope of the embargo, it is in no way inconsistent with the purpose of the embargo and our continuing commitment to uphold it. It also reflects the determination of the Government to eliminate the scourge of landmines.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Commonwealth Development Corporation in its new form has been able to establish policy priorities which are fully consistent with those of the Department for International Development, especially with reference to the eradication of poverty; and whether the corporation is on course to implement those priorities. [HL1700]

Poverty elimination depends on a level of sustainable economic growth which outstrips population growth. Investment is key to achieving the economic growth necessary to meet international development targets. CDC's investment policy focuses on investment in poorer countries. This policy is entrenched under the framework designed for the public/private partnership and which became effective at CDC's transformation into a plc last December (when CDC was registered under the name of CDC Group plc). This requires that over a rolling five year period a minimum of 70 per cent of new investments by CDC must be made in poorer countries (defined for this purpose as having a GNP per capita of less than 1,740 US dollars on World Bank data published in 1998). It also requires that CDC should seek to make at least half its investments each year in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. CDC's annual report for 1999 records that over the last five years 83 per cent of CDC's new investments were made in poorer countries.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much they intend to pledge for the stability pact for south-east Europe at the Brussels Funding Conference starting on 29 March. [HL1753]

We announced at the conference that we have committed £100,000 in bilateral technical assistance over the next three financial years to Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and the countries of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. This is in addition to our share of the support provided by the EU and the international financial institutions. Our share of the EU's planned expenditure in these countries in 2000 is approximately £161 million.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What training has been provided for staff in the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Immigration and Nationality Department and the Prison Service respectively on the provisions of the Human Rights Act and their implications for the work of those departments. [HL1762]

All Lord Chancellor's Department policy and legal staff have been provided with training on the implications of the Act. This included introductory training, as well as more detailed training on the main departmental business areas. The Court Service will be undertaking it own programme for court staff before October 2000. Written guidance has also been made available to staff.The Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate is due to start its Human Rights Act 1998 training programme in May this year. All Immigration and Nationality Directorate staff and staff working for associated public bodies will receive general guidance material and staff instructions will be revised later this year to take account of the Act. We intend to provide introductory seminars on the Human Rights Act 1998 and the European Convention on Human Rights to almost 3,000 Immigration and Nationality Directorate staff. In addition, we intend to provide detailed, applied training later this year to over 400 staff whose roles require them to have more advanced knowledge of the Act.In respect of the Prison Service, I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave on 25 January to a Question from the noble Baroness, Lady Stern (

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will update the table published in the

The requested information is given in the table.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking to ensure that speed limits are observed on motorways and trunk roads. [HL1797]

The enforcement of speed limits on all roads is an operational matter for each chief officer of police. The Association of Chief Police Officers has recently published guidance on speed enforcement policy.The Government have recently published their road safety strategy and casualty reduction targets for 2010. Promoting safer speeds and better enforcement are key elements in the strategy. In particular, we are encouraging the use of new technology in speed enforcement. Speed camera pilot projects have been set up in eight police force areas using some of the hypothecated revenue from fixed penalties for speeding to buy and operate the cameras. The aim is to reduce road casualties substantially and the success of the projects will be measured by that criterion.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many persons were in detention in police or court cells at the most recent date; how many of them were detained under the Immigration Acts; and how recent figures compare with those of one year ago. [HL1806]

The requested information is not collected centrally.

asked Her Majesty's Government:With which authority's agreement the present pig meat producers on display in Parliament Square have become apparently permanent. [HL1815]

I understand that permission of the Royal Parks Agency is normally required for the use of Parliament Square but has not been obtained on this occasion. Any action to remove demonstrators is an operational matter for that agency.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the number of hours of community service handed out by the courts in each of the last five years for which figures are available and what was the number of offenders who were sentenced to community service in each of the last five years. [HL1844]

The information given in the tables is for community service orders and excludes those orders where community service orders are in combination with probation orders.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they regard litter picking as an appropriate form of community service for offenders sentenced to community service; and, if not, why not. [HL1845]

The work undertaken by community service offenders is decided locally, within the framework of the national standards for the supervision of offenders in the community. Litter and graffiti squads exist in a number of areas.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the guidance available to the courts on length of driving licence bans which are appropriate for different categories of offences. [HL1846]

The provisions relating to minimum periods of disqualification for holding a driving licence are contained in Section 34 of and Schedule 2 to the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988.Guidance on sentencing has always been, and must remain, a matter for the judiciary, whether in the form of judgments by the higher courts or in guidelines from the Magistrates' Association. The Magistrates' Association guidelines are currently being reviewed. The existing guidelines contain some guidance about appropriate periods of disqualification for alcohol offences, depending upon the amount of alcohol in the body.

asked Her Majesty's Government:To what they attribute the rise of 367 per cent between 1997–98 and 1998–99 in racist incidents collected by the police and for the City of London, reported in the Home Office's Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System for 1999. [HL1852]

Racist incidents have been significantly under-reported by the public and under-recorded by the police in the past. Figures from the 1996 British Crime Survey indicate that in 1995 of 382,000 racist incidents reported by the respondents to the survey, only 172,000 were reported to the police, compared with 12,222 recorded by the police.The police service as a whole has been working to increase reporting and recording of racist incidents. In 1998–99, 23,049 racist incidents were recorded by the police, an increase of 66 per cent on the previous year. Actions taken include the adoption of a new, simplified definition of a racist incident as recommended by the Stephen Lawrence inquiry report; and guidelines recently issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers on the recording of racist incidents.While the City of London's increase of 367 per cent seems large in relation to the national increase of 66 per cent, the actual figures involved are small. The numerical increase is from six recorded incidents in 1997–98 to 28 recorded incidents in 1998–99.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 29 February (

I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given by Baroness Scotland on 16 March (WA 230).

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they anticipate the epidemiological study into morbidity and mortality among Gulf war veterans, conducted by Professor Nicola Cherry at Manchester University, will be published. [HL1810]

Results from the first stage of the Manchester University epidemiological studies into morbidity and mortality among UK Gulf veterans have been submitted for publication in peer reviewed scientific literature. The mortality paper has been accepted for publication. Her Majesty's Government have no control over the timing of publication, which is a matter for the relevant journals.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they anticipate the results of the neurological and immunological study of Gulf war veterans being conducted at King's College Hospital will be published. [HL1812]

The Ministry of Defence funded neuromuscular symptoms study and the analysis of blood samples collected from Gulf veterans as part of stage two of the United States Department of Defense funded study, both of which are being undertaken at Guy's, King's and St Thomas' School of Medicine, are expected to be completed later this year. The results from both studies are expected to be published in peer reviewed scientific journals. The timing of such publication is a matter for the relevant journals.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they started their review of the future defence use of RAF Northolt; when they expect to complete the review; and whether they will publish the complete review. [HL1843]

The MoD's review of its property holdings within the greater London area started in June 1998, and RAF Northolt forms part of this review. The detailed work relating to RAF Northolt is ongoing and should be put to Ministers later this year. No publication timescale for the work of the London study has yet been set.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps have recently been taken to allow Army cadets to gain experience of helicopter operations in the south-west of England without a disproportionate increase in helicopter usage. [HL1849]

No specific steps have recently been taken. Every effort is made to allow cadet units to gain experience of helicopter operations but such training is always arranged on an ad hoc basis. A cadet unit may request the use of a helicopter for a particular activity but every such request will be considered in the light of other helicopter commitments and the availability of flying hours.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether providing cadets with experience of helicopter operations is of benefit to the cadet units in terms of retention and meeting their organisations' objectives. [HL1850]

Helicopter operations are among the exciting activities which help to improve recruitment and retention to the cadet forces, but there is no specific objective which states that helicopter training is a requirement for cadet units. The use of helicopters for cadets is arranged subject to the availability of aircraft and as part of the aircraft's normal operational training hours.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether Army cadet force and combined cadet force units are (a) allocated and (b) issued live and blank ammunition on the same per capita basis; and, if not, why not. [HL1851]

Live and blank ammunition is allocated to Army cadet force (ACF) and combined cadet force (CCF) units on a slightly different basis because of the different training patterns they follow. ACF units are allocated a higher quantity of ammunition per head because they train on a continuous and regular basis throughout the year. CCF units are allocated a slightly lower quantity because they generally train only during school term time, but the CCF receives an additional central pool allocation of ammunition which individual units are able to draw on if necessary.The actual amounts of ammunition issued and drawn are matters for each individual unit. This varies considerably from unit to unit, both in the ACF and the CCF. There is no shortage of ammunition available for the use of cadets.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 27 March (

The research undertaken for the Post Office on stamps is a commercially confidential matter to the Post Office. Telephone research for the 2001 programme was undertaken by NOP on behalf of the Post Office among a cross-section of the UK population to determine the popularity of each subject on a list. This was followed up by in-depth market research carried out among small focus groups (including children) by market research group BPRI.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 27 March (

The start date of the derogation will be 10 years from the date of transposition of the directive into British law. However, in the event of a successful conclusion, before expiry of the 10-year period, of international negotiations aimed at extending droit de suite at international level, the Commission may submit proposals to curtail the 10-year period.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 21 March (

There is no definition of "family" in the national minimum wage legislation. The exemption in Regulations 2.3 and 4 of the National Minimum Wage Regulations 1999 is limited to family members who reside in the family home of their employer and participate in the running of the family business.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Answers by Baroness Jay of Paddington on 27th March (H.L. Deb., cols. 525–26), how they justify the statements that the proposed Takeovers Directive:

The proposed Takeovers Directive was not discussed at the Lisbon European Council, although it was agreed to include a reference to it in the Presidency Conclusions because it has been subject to delay. There was general agreement on the text of the directive at a meeting of the Internal Market Council in June 1999, with the exception of one point concerning the application of the directive to Gibraltar. It is one of a number of EU instruments currently delayed on this issue. The issue is the subject of ongoing discussions between Spain and the UK, in consultation with the Government of Gibraltar. The Government do not see a linkage between the Takeovers Directive and any measures on taxation. I hope that this clarifies the position.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the present state of play on the Takeovers Directive. [HL1816]

There was general agreement on the text of the directive at a meeting of the Internal Market Council in June 1999, with the exception of one point concerning the application of the directive to Gibraltar. It is one of a number of EU instruments currently delayed on this issue. The issue is the subject of ongoing discussions between Spain and the UK, in consultation with the Government of Gibraltar.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What are:

Statistics based upon available A-level point scores data for entrants to initial teacher training courses for BEd degrees with qualified teacher status in England for the academic year 1997–98 are shown in the following table.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many initial teacher trainees for years for which the information is available:

The information requested is shown in the following tables.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many meetings on sex education were held between Ministers and the Bishop of Blackburn; when did they take place; who was present at each meeting; and which of those present were acting as individuals and which were acting on behalf of particular bodies or organisations. [HL1832]

Ministers from the Department for Education and Employment met with the Bishop of Blackburn and other representatives of the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham and representatives of the Catholic Education Service on a number of occasions before the Government issued the draft sex and relationship education guidance and tabled an amendment to the Learning and Skills Bill on 16 March.My right honourable friend the Secretary of State, Ministers and officials from the Department for Education and Employment also met representatives of the Free Churches and representatives from all major faith groups to discuss the sex and relationship guidance which is still out for official consultation until April 20.The Bishop of Blackburn acted in his capacity as Chair of the Church of England Board of Education.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in relation to the Human Rights Act 1998, they will clarify the position of independent schools where there is a ban on heterosexual or homosexual activity among the pupils, in the event of pupils claiming a human right to disobey the ban. [HL1833]Whether, in relation to the Human Rights Act 1998, they will clarify the position of independent schools where attendance by pupils at church is compulsory, in the event that a pupil claims a human right not to attend. [HL1834]

It will ultimately be for the courts to decide whether, in relation to any complaint brought against an independent school over its rules covering pupils' sexual activity or church attendance there has been a breach of the Human Rights Act 1998. The Independent Schools Council has expressed the view that the Act will not prevent its schools from having clear rules on these matters.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What were the findings of the study by the National Health Service Health Technology Assessment Programme in relation to prostate cancer, referred to in the Written Answer by Baroness Jay of Paddington on 23 July 1998 (

Findings from the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) project referred to are not yet available. The pilot research phase has been extended for scientific reasons and results should be available in autumn 2001.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What developments there have been since the Written Answers of Baroness Jay of Paddington on 19 May 1998 (

The latest figure available for annual government expenditure (Department of Health/National Health Service, Medical Research Council and other government departments—principally devolved health departments) on prostate cancer is £1.55 million. This figure underestimates the total government research and development expenditure in this area, as detailed estimates of NHS support funding are not collected routinely.Since 1997, the Government have committed over £800,000 to new research projects on prostate cancer through the MRC and through the Department of Health. The department has actively sought to support such work in prostate cancer and has not rejected any high quality proposals for work in this area.The Department of Health recently announced £1 million additional new funding for urgent research studies into prostate cancer as a mark of its concern over this disease.Following the seminar last year at No. 10, a Cancer Research Funders' Forum has been established to help improve the co-ordination of cancer research in the United Kingdom. It is being run by the MRC and includes DH representatives and the major cancer research charities.At the department's request, the forum considered the issue of prostate cancer at its first meeting on 10 January. It agreed to set up an expert group on prostate cancer which will identify gaps in current research and suggest ways of filling them. The expert group met for the first time on 25 February and expects to report within months.The Government have recently appointed a National Cancer Director, Professor Mike Richards, who will spearhead our concerted drive on cancer. He will work in partnership with doctors, nurses, general practitioners, other health professionals and the voluntary sector to improve prevention and modernise cancer services to help ensure equitable access to high quality cancer care. This will include a close interest in the development and progression of research.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will bring up to date the table of government funding of cancer research included in the Written Answer by Baroness Jay of Paddington on 19 May 1998 (

The Government fund health and medical research in a number of ways. The Department of Health funds research and development to support its work on policy development and evaluation in health and social care. The department also manages the National Health Service research and development funding which is used to support research and development of relevance to the NHS in hospitals, general practice and other healthcare settings and to fund the NHS research and development programme. In addition, the Medical Research Council (MRC)—which receives most of its income via grant-in-aid from the office of my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry—funds medical research as part of the Government's funding of the science and engineering base.The table given in col.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Whitty on 15 December 1999 (

It is HSE policy that all allegations of ill health as a result of pesticide exposure are fully investigated. HSE has followed and continues to follow this policy with respect to the complaints regarding Mersley Farm.HSE's Employment Medical Advisory Service has been involved with the investigations of these complaints arising from the illegal use of pesticides, also in accordance with HSE policy. Its role is to consider whether or not the ill-health is consistent with exposure to pesticides. As part of this process it consults with general practitioners, consultants and hospitals to evaluate the medical records of complainants. With this information, a professional decision is made as to what additional clinical investigations are warranted on an individual basis.It is also HSE policy to refer cases of alleged pesticide related illness to the Pesticide Incidents Appraisal Panel (PIAP) which has the role of contributing to epidemiological surveillance of pesticide safety. By taking an overview of these cases, a statistical picture can be obtained which is used to inform the approvals process. The majority of Mersley Farm cases have now been referred to PIAP. All will be assessed by the panel.More specific epidemiological studies are not a routine part of HSE's investigation work. They would not normally be appropriate in the context of complaints of this type involving usually no more than a few individuals. However, HSE is currently considering whether there would be any benefit gained from an epidemiological study relating to Mersley Farm. The feasibility of undertaking an informative epidemiological investigation will be assessed over the next six months. The findings will be made public and followed up as appropriate.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans exist to upgrade the A44 in Herefordshire and Worcestershire; and when these are likely to be implemented. [HL1799]

The A44 is not a trunk road and as such is not the responsibility of the Secretary of State but of the local highway authority/ies, in this case Herefordshire Council and Worcestershire County Council. The two authorities were awarded £3.472 million and £4.861 million respectively in the local transport plan settlement for 2000–01, and it is for those authorities to decide within those sums how they wish to allocate resources for transport improvements within their respective areas. Neither authority submitted proposals for major improvement schemes to the A44.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many units of housing were provided by registered social landlords and local authorities in settlements of under 3,000 people in (a) 1997, (b) 1998 and (c) 1999; and how many are estimated to be provided in 2000. [HL1738]

The data for housing provision by registered social landlords in settlements of under 3,000 people relates to financial years. There were 1,664 completions in England in 1997–98 and 1,283 in 1998–99: figures for 1999–2000 are not yet available.The department does not collect similar data from local authorities.

asked. Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ensure that rail freight will be taken into consideration when assessment is made of passenger franchise proposals. [HL1825]

In the process of franchise replacement, the assessment of proposals to improve passenger services will take into account any effects on rail freight. The franchise replacement consultation process will include the views of both freight operators and passengers.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether reports on the arrangements in the United States which provide comparison with the role and work of Railtrack will be considered by both the Rail Regulator and Ministers. [HL1826]

The Rail Regulator is currently undertaking work to investigate to what extent suitable comparisons can be made between Railtrack and overseas railway operators. He will take this work into consideration in reaching his final conclusions on the periodic review of Railtrack's access charges.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to test sheep for BSE; and, if so, how and when. [HL1772]

As SEAC reported in a news release of 16 March, agent strain typing is under way on isolates from over 130 brains of sheep with natural scrapie in order to determine whether the BSE agent profile exists. Although incomplete (each study takes up to two years) the analysis of over 30 isolates is advanced enough to suggest that they do not have the characteristics associated with the BSE agent.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any contingency plans have been made, or are being made, for a cull of sheep if BSE is diagnosed in the national flock. [HL1773]

SEAC has suggested that MAFF should draw up operational plans to deal with the possibility of BSE occurring in sheep. SEAC has not recommended a cull or called upon MAFF to plan for one.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the speech by Baroness Hayman on 8 March (H.L. Deb., col. 1143), on what basis the Government calculate that agrimonetary compensation paid to British farmers under the common agricultural policy costs the British taxpayer 85p for every £1 received. [HL1711]

Where agrimonetary compensation is optional, 50 per cent is funded by the EU and 50 per cent from national funds. Around 71 per cent of the EU contribution is funded by the UK taxpayer as a result of the Fontainebleau rebate. The taxpayer also funds 100 per cent of the UK contribution. Thus, paying both the EU and the national contribution would require a total contribution by the British taxpayer of about 85 per cent.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman on 13 March (

This information is not quickly accessible. I will write to the noble Countess as soon as possible.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What measures they will take to assist the pig production and processing industries in Northern Ireland. [HL1747]

Government have made application to the European Commission to introduce a state aid to assist in the restructuring of the United Kingdom's pig industry. The aim of the proposed schemes, for which £26 million has been provided, is to enable the pig industry to restore its long-term viability. It is intended that the scheme will have three elements—a total exodus element, an outgoers element and a restructuring element for those who wish to remain in pig production. Northern Ireland will receive its share of this aid.Government have also previously made an extra £400,000 available in Northern Ireland for the better marketing of pigmeat. Discussions are ongoing with the industry as to how best this funding can be utilised.Government also provide assistance to producers and processors through the Marketing Development Scheme and the Processing and Marketing Scheme respectively.The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment's range of services to NI industry continue to be available to the pig processing sector.Selective financial assistance (SFA) from the Industrial Development Board (IDB) may be available for strategic capital projects or revenue investments which meet certain key criteria and which will enhance companies' international competitiveness. In addition to SFA, IDB offers other forms of support in a number of business areas, including the following.The Business Excellence Programme uses benchmarking to compare business performance against the competition and the best companies in the sector; the International Partnership Programme can help companies achieve global success through a strategic alliance with an overseas company; and Trade International, IDB's marketing arm, offers companies assistance in finding new markets via a programme of participation in overseas trade shows, visits to new overseas target markets, meet-the-buyer events, exporting seminars and the Overseas Trade Adviser Programme. For companies with under 250 employees, Trade International's market entry grant scheme may also be appropriate to stimulate marketing development.In addition to IDB's range of assistance, the Industrial Research and Technology Unit (IRTU) can offer grant assistance towards eligible R&D and new product development projects. The Department of Further and Higher Education, Training and Employment, through the T &EA, can offer grant assistance for approved training plans via its company development programme.