asked Her Majesty's Government:

	2001–02	2001–02		2002–03		2003–04
	Provision	Increase	Increase	Increase	Increase	Increase	Increase
	£000s	£000s	%	£000s	%	£000s	%
Police	7,718,000	777,000	10.1	1,292,000	16.7	1,575.000	20.4
Probation Services	519,000	121,000	23.3	162,000	31.2	194,000	37.4
Crown Prosecution Service	314,000	71,300	22.7	80,600	25.6	92,600	29.4
Prison Service	2,401,000	117,000	4.9	238,000	9.9	308,000	12.8

Figures show the increase on 2001–01 provision in both absolute and percentage terms based on latest provisional allocations. (The percentage increase compares each year with 2000–01.)

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 16 March (

The number of prisoners held in excess of the in-use certified normal accommodation at the end of February 2001 was 4,362. The prisons concerned are listed in the table. These data are provisional but are not expected to alter significantly.

Prison name	In Use CNA	Population	Difference	Percentage overcrowded
Altcourse	614	799	185	30.1%
Aylesbury	348	353	5	1.4%
Bedford	352	368	16	4.5%
Belmarsh	843	850	7	0.8%
Birmingham	710	925	215	30.3%
Blakenhurst	647	846	199	30.8%
Bristol	314	545	231	73.6%
Brixton	651	755	104	16.0%
Buckley Hall	350	360	10	2.9%
Bullingdon	767	836	69	9.0%
Canterbury	196	254	58	29.6%
Cardiff	403	544	141	35.0%
Cookham Wood	120	147	27	22.5%
Doncaster	771	1,091	320	41.5%
Dorchester	172	219	47	27.3%
Downview	322	330	8	2.5%
Durham	670	703	33	4.9%
Eastwood Park	295	302	7	2.4%
Elmley	763	864	101	13.2%
Everthorpe	438	456	18	4.1%
Exeter	315	385	70	22.2%
Glen Parva	664	712	48	7.2%
Gloucester	236	277	41	17.4%
Guys Marsh	487	509	22	4.5%

Planned increases in funding for the period 2001–02 to 2003–04 are given in the table:

Prison name	In Use CNA	Population	Difference	Percentage overcrowded
High Down	649	702	53	8.2%
Holloway	477	488	11	2.3%
Leeds	770	1,236	466	60.5%
Leicester	219	358	139	63.5%
Lincoln	360	491	131	36.4%
Littlehey	624	626	2	0.3%
Liverpool	1,216	1,228	12	1.0%
Low Newton	215	234	19	8.8%
Manchester	953	1,076	123	12.9%
Moorland	740	764	24	3.2%
Mount	705	732	27	3.8%
New Hall	327	365	38	11.6%
Northallerton	135	197	62	45.9%
Norwich	561	669	108	19.3%
Parc	844	929	85	10.1%
Pentonville	897	1,098	201	22.4%
Preston	301	556	255	54.7%
Ranby	725	741	16	2.2%
Shepton Mallet	99	110	11	11.1%
Shrewsbury	185	319	134	72.4%
Stocken	556	573	17	3.1%
Styal	412	428	16	3.9%
Usk	251	321	70	27.9%
Verne	552	562	10	1.8%
Wandsworth	1.128	1,302	174	15.4%
Wayland	620	625	5	0.8%
Winchester	455	564	109	24.0%
Wolds	360	378	18	5.0%
Wormwood Scrubs	812	856	44	5.4%

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many prosecutions there were in 2000 under Section 61(4) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 of persons who failed to leave the land on which they were believed to be trespassing after being directed to do so by a police officer; and [HL1406]How many persons were arrested in 2000 under Section 61(5) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994; and [HL1407]How many vehicles appearing to belong to a trespasser or to be in a trespasser's possession or to be under a trespasser's control were seized and removed in 2000 by a constable exercising his powers under Section 62 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. [HL1408]

Information for 2000 is not yet available.Information taken from the Home Office's Court Proceedings Database, however, shows that three persons were prosecuted for offences under Section 61(4) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 in England and Wales in 1999. There were no prosecutions in Scotland and data for Northern Ireland for 1999 are not yet available.Details of persons arrested under Section 61(5) and vehicles seized under Section 62 of the Act are not available centrally.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Since the Carriers Liability (Clandestine Entrants and Sale of Transporters) Regulations 2000 came into effect:

Since 3 April 2000 when the civil penalty provisions of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 were introduced, and as at 27 March 2001, a total of 4,650 clandestine entrants have been detected in road vehicles arriving in the United Kingdom. Eight hundred and thirty-four penalties with a combined value of £9,240,000, have been imposed, of which 102, with a total value of £854,000, have been paid in full. Agreement has been reached for the settlement by instalments of a further 53 penalties together valued at £596,000, of which part payment amounting to £155,000 has been received.There are currently 210 notices of objection against the imposition of a penalty under consideration.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Since the Carriers Liability (Clandestine Entrants and Sale of Transporters) Regulations 2000 came into ef0fect, how many lorries have been impounded:

Since 3 April 2000 when the civil penalty provisions of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 were introduced and as at 27 March 2001, a total of 209 vehicles have been detained. Of these, 152 have subsequently been released upon payment of the penalty imposed or of a satisfactory alternative security.In all cases, detention of the vehicle took place following the serving of the notice of liability to civil penalty.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Since the Carriers Liability (Clandestine Entrants and Sale of Transporters) Regulations 2000 came into effect, what criteria are used by the Chief Immigration Officer in deciding that a lorry should be impounded at the time of entry into the United Kingdom because "there is a significant risk that the penalty will not be paid & before the end of the prescribed period" (Immigration Service—Notice of Detention of Transporter). [HL1440]

The civil penalty provisions of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, which were introduced on 3rd April 2000, provide that a relevant vehicle may be detained following the giving of a notice of liability to civil penalty.The power to detain a vehicle may be exercised only if in the opinion of the senior officer concerned there is a significant risk that the penalty (or one or more of the penalties) will not be paid before the end of the prescribed period if the transporter is not detained. The Carriers' Liability (Clandestine Entrants and Sale of Transporters) Regulations 2000 prescribe the period in which payment must be made as being 60 days from the date of the giving of the notice of liability to civil penalty.In determining whether or not it is appropriate to detain a vehicle, the senior officer will consider all factors that may indicate a significant risk that the penalty will not be paid within the prescribed period. These will include the amount of the penalty imposed, the financial standing of the company or individual involved, their willingness to pay and any history of late or non-payment of previous penalties they may have incurred. The senior officer will also take account of any alternative security that may be put forward.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Since the Carriers Liability (Clandestine Entrants and Sale of Transporters) Regulations 2000 came into effect, why they detained a lorry owned by Wood Flooring of Meare, Somerset, on 16 March at the time of serving of notice of liability to civil penalty when this operator is a regular user of cross-Channel transport services and has not previously been served with such a notice. [HL1441]

The power to detain a vehicle following the giving of a notice of liability to civil penalty may be exercised only if the senior officer concerned is of the opinion that the penalty will not be paid before the end of the prescribed period of 60 days if the transporter is not detained.It would not be right for me to comment on an individual case which may be the subject of ongoing civil penalty proceedings. In general, however, in forming an opinion the senior officer will take into account all factors that may indicate a significant risk that the penalty will not be paid within the time prescribed. These factors will include the amount of the penalty imposed, the financial standing of the company or individual involved, their willingness to pay and any history of late or non-payment of previous penalties. The fact that a company may not have previously incurred a penalty is not an indication in itself that a penalty imposed will be paid within the prescribed time.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What percentage of total European Union own resources has been provided by the United Kingdom's net contribution in each of the years 1990 to 2000; what has been the percentage contribution to the European Union own resources of France and Italy in each of the same years; and what is the estimated annual net contribution of France and Italy in the years 2001 to 2006. [HL1373]

The percentage of total European Community own resources provided by the United Kingdom's net contribution in the years 1990 to 2000 is contained in the reply which I gave to the noble Lord on 15 March, (Official Report, WA 104–105).The percentage contributions of France and Italy in each of the years 1990 to 1999 were as follows:

	France(%)	Italy(%)
1990	4.36	1.01
1991	4.64	2.63
1992	2.57	0.90
1993	1.59	2.38
1994	4.09	3.96
1995	2.55	0.91
1996	0.65	1.97
1997	1.31	0.43
1998	2.09	2.57
1999	1.41	2.12

Figures from which the net contribution of other member states for the year 2000 can be calculated are not yet available. The Government do not forecast the contribution of other member states on an annual basis.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why it is impossible for new teams of officials or new Ministers who take over responsibility for Gulf veterans from previous teams (except at the time of a change of government in the case of Ministers) to refer to the information obtained by, and emanating from, their predecessors. [HL1330]

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing information to Parliament on matters of potential relevance to the issue of Gulf veterans' illnesses. This commitment has been continually demonstrated in the work undertaken by my department's Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Unit. If the noble Countess would care to write to me with more details of her concerns, I will investigate them further.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made with setting up and activating the Livestock Welfare (Disposal) Scheme in response to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease. [HL1592]

The Livestock Welfare (Disposal) Scheme, as announced in the Statement to the House on 27 March (Official Report, cols. 119–124), has already opened to applications. First payments are due to be made before Easter.Parliamentary approval for additional resources for this new service will be sought in the 2001–02 Summer Supplementary Estimate for the Intervention Board—Executive Agency. Pending that approval urgent expenditure estimated at £240 million will be met by a repayable cash advance from the Contingencies Fund.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What role will the Children's Commissioner for Wales have in respect of matters that are not devolved to the National Assembly for Wales. [HL1596]

The commissioner's core functions under the Bill rightly focus on matters that come within the Assembly's wide fields of responsibility. However, the Government have carefully considered the points made in debate here and in another place about the commissioner needing to have a role in matters not devolved to the Assembly. We therefore intend amending the Bill to empower the commissioner to consider, and make representations to the Assembly about, any matter affecting the rights and welfare of children in Wales.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What effect the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill will have on the rights of Crown leaseholders to enfranchise and to acquire a new or extended lease. [HL1595]

Following a statement made on 2 November 1992 by Sir George Young, the Crown authorities gave an undertaking that the Crown would, as landlord and subject to specified conditions, agree to the enfranchisement or extension of residential long leases under the same qualifications and terms which applied by virtue of the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 and the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 to lessees who hold from other landlords.The Crown authorities have confirmed that they will apply the terms of this undertaking to the provisions of the 1967 Act and the 1993 Act as amended by the present Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill if enacted. This undertaking accordingly supersedes the one given on 2 November 1992.The full terms of the agreement made by the Crown are as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 27 February (

This figure was drawn from the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR) report Continent Cut off? The Macroeconomic Impact of British Withdrawal from the EU by Pain Young. This was first published in February 2000. A revised edition was published in September of the same year.The NIESR report estimated that up to 3.2 million jobs were associated with the UK's membership of the EU—2.7 million in the export of goods and services to the EU and another 0.5 million in multinational companies which might be lost if the UK did not have tariff free access to the EU. These estimates are made using 1997 data.A study entitled

asked Her Majesty's Government:What meetings Ministers at the Department of Trade and Industry have had with companies in the telecommunications sector since 1 January of this year; and to what extent issues relating to 3G (third generation) have been discussed at such meetings. [HL1321]

Ministers at the Department of Trade and Industry have had several meetings in different fora with telecommunications companies this year in the normal course of business. Issues discussed have been wide-ranging and have on occasion included regulatory issues related to 3G mobile communications.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have formally responded to the Mental Health Act Commission's eighth biennial report. [HL1593]

Yes, copies have been placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish their proposals for the regulation of the health professions. [HL1594]

We have published draft orders under the Health Act 1999 containing provisions to set up a new Nursing and Midwifery Council and a new Health Professions Council. These will replace the existing United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, the four national boards and the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine. The orders will he published for three months before debate in Parliament. A period of consultation will last until 1 June 2001. Copies of both draft orders have been placed in the Library.Appointments to the shadow Nursing and Midwifery Council and Health Professions Council are under way. These appointments should be made in early April for the shadow councils to start work as soon as possible afterwards. The shadow councils will have the status of advisory groups until the new councils are statutorily established in April 2002.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hollis of Heigharn on 29 March (

I refer the noble Lord to the reply I gave him on 18 January 2001 (Official Report, col. WA 141).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the present level of litter on the Al2 trunk road between the M11 and the A14 is acceptable and to what firm the Highways Agency has given the contract for collection of litter from this stretch of road. [HL1524]

No amount of litter is acceptable on any road, but the problem is exacerbated by disposal of rubbish by the general public.However, the responsibility of litter collection on the Al2 trunk road lies solely with the respective district council through which the road passes. This was defined in law under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and standards of cleanliness that should be maintained are set out in a code of practice.The relevant district councils are: Brentwood District Council (Essex), Chelmsford District Council (Essex), Malden District Council (Essex), Braintree District Council (Essex), Colchester District Council (Essex) and Babergh District Council (Suffolk).While the Highways Agency has no direct responsibility for litter collection, it has taken a proactive role in ensuring that it is carried out. The agency has aimed to achieve this by allowing the district councils access when traffic management is in place for other reasons, such as when roadworks are carried out, so that they can work safely and minimise their costs. Additionally, the agency has been meeting with the relevant district councils to discuss how they fulfil their duty, which is to keep the area clean.As a result of their discussions, the Highways Agency offered the district councils the opportunity to work with our maintaining agents while scavenging patrols were carried out. Scavenging patrols are carried out to remove any items which are causing a safety hazard or are arguably not typical litter, i.e. lorry tyres, fridges, gas bottles etc. Since such patrols in themselves require traffic management to ensure the safety of the workforce and the travelling public, the district councils were offered the opportunity to work within the traffic management to remove the litter which it is their duty to remove.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in view of rising costs and the desirability of using rural bus service grant marginally to augment existing bus services, they will raise the current

As I said in my reply to the noble Lord on 12 February (Official Report, col. WA 1), while we have no immediate plans to change the de minimis limits, we will keep this matter under review in the light of any representations from local authorities and others.We announced in January that up to 20 per cent of each local authority's rural bus subsidy grant may be used to support existing rural bus services.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will invite the BBC in Northern Ireland to reflect an across-community balance in its cultural activities. [HL1311]

As my right honourable friend will be aware, it is the Government's policy that broadcasters are independent of government and, therefore, we do not seek to intervene in detailed matters of programming content. This is a matter for the BBC Board of Governors, who must ensure that the obligations set out in the Royal Charter and agreement are met. BBC Northern Ireland remains committed to ensuring that its output on radio, television and online services provides a variety of cultural activity which reflects the diversity and vibrancy of all traditions in the community.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What information they have on the validity of recent reports that, for the first time, the Football World Cup will not be available in the United Kingdom free to view but that the German Kirch Group will be conducting an auction for the television rights; and, if so, what action they are taking. [HL1409]

We understand that the Kirch Group intends to hold an open auction for the live rights but it intends to comply with the UK listed event legislation. Through correspondence and a meeting of officials, we have made the Kirch Group fully aware of the extent of this legislation: that the whole of the World Cup Finals tournament (all 64 matches) is a listed event and that any broadcaster purchasing live rights from Kirch would have to comply with the provisions of the 1996 Broadcasting Act. We expect that the Independent Television Commission, the regulator responsible for ensuring compliance with the legislation, will take all proper steps to ensure that the law works in the way that it is intended, so that UK viewers have the opportunity of seeing the whole of the finals tournament on "free to air" television.