asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking in response to the observations about disproportionately low levels of participation by members of minority groups in the Government and Civil Service, particularly the police and prison service, by the United Nations Human Rights Committee in its concluding observations of 29 October on the Fifth Periodic Report of the United Kingdom. [HL1300]

The Government are committed to encouraging greater participation of under-represented groups in public life. We are leading the way in ensuring that the public sector sets the pace in promoting race equality and diversity both within its own workforce and in the delivery of its services. The provisions contained in the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, in particular the duty placed on public bodies to promote race equality, represent a key component of the Government's work to encourage greater equality.The second annual report (published on 14 November) on progress towards meeting the Home Secretary's employment targets for the recruitment, retention and career progression of minority ethnic staff within the Home Office and its service areas confirmed that representation of minority ethnic staff has increased since the previous report last October.The Government have also published (in February 2001) their second set of race equality indicators in public services and the third edition is likely to be published in February/March 2002. These indicators are designed to provide a robust performance management system for public bodies to use in monitoring their progress towards race equality.The Government believe that these measures provide an effective framework for increasing the representation of minority ethnic communities in public life.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will publish the results of the public consultation on the review of sentencing. [HL1536]

:Making Punishments Work, the report of a review of the sentencing framework undertaken by John Halliday, and known as the Halliday Report, was published on 5 July and responses were invited by 31 October. The report was sent to a large number of individuals and organisations and a series of meetings was held with members of the public and representatives of the judiciary and other bodies to encourage consideration of the report and obtain views.In order to encourage wider public involvement in the debate, my right honourable friend the Home Secretary launched the Fairer Sentencing website which contained a quiz, a facility to e-mail views and an on-line debating provision. In addition, debate was stimulated in local, regional and national media and honourable Members were encouraged to initiate discussion in their constituencies. A number of conferences have also been convened.The level of interest and response has been considerable. Over 120 detailed responses have been received from individuals or organisations with connections to the criminal justice system and even more from members of the public by letter or e-mail or through the debating channel. In addition, the website received 33,482 page hits, the home page was visited 5,831 times, 2,839 copies of the layman's summary of the Halliday Review were downloaded, 1,171 copies of the Home Secretary's speech on sentencing reform were downloaded and 1,226 people completed the quiz on the website. This has been a unique opportunity to hold a public consultation on the point of sentencing and many members of the public have offered their own suggestions and alternatives.There has been almost unanimous support for the need for change to the present sentencing framework, accompanied by a strong message that the change should be done well, properly resourced and then allowed to stand the test of time. There has also been broad support for the general thrust of the proposals, in particular the need for radical changes in the approach to short prison sentences. There is widespread recognition that it is unacceptable to have no supervision for an individual leaving a short prison sentence and that there are many opportunities for improving the effectiveness of both a prison sentence and a community sentence.There has also been considerable support for greater transparency in sentencing.There has been mixed support for the greater involvement of the courts in the management of sentences through review hearings. Many commentators have seen the strength of the arguments in terms of principle but have expressed doubts about whether the enormous practical difficulties could be overcome sufficiently well to justify that intervention in every case.Officials are now analysing the responses in greater detail and a summary of the responses will be published, with copies in the Library, towards the end of January 2002. We then anticipate publishing a White Paper in spring 2002.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations they have made to the United States authorities with regard to the use of cluster bombs in Afghanistan; and what is the Government's policy with regard to the use of cluster bombs (a) in Afghanistan and (b) more generally. [HL1231]

We are in close touch with the US on all aspects of the response to the 11 September attacks, including at the military planning level.Cluster bombs are legitimate weapons that have not been prohibited by any treaty or convention. Only a limited number have been used in Afghanistan and all those used contain bomblets designed to detonate on impact and to destroy buildings and vehicles. They are not designed primarily as anti-personnel weapons and do not contain any landmines. They are the most effective weapon against certain targets.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In view of their dual objectives of winning both the military and humanitarian campaigns against terrorism based in Afghanistan, whether they will review the use of cluster bombs, given the dangerous implications of the failure rate of those bombs for civilians in the short and long-term aftermath of any bombing raid. [HL1389]

Cluster bombs are employed only against legitimate terrorist and military objectives where they are the most effective weapon to attack the target concerned. The coalition does everything it can to keep risks to civilians to an absolute minimum.The UK is committed to a long-term process of reconstruction in Afghanistan and we are considering ways that disposal of unexploded ordnance could form part of that process.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What assessment has been made of the impact of unexploded ordnance in Afghanistan on (i) the civilian population of Afghanistan and (ii) any non-Afghan armed forces; and what plans have been drawn up to remove unexploded ordnance from Afghanistan. [HL1232]

It is impossible to know how many civilians or non-Afghan armed forces have been affected by unexploded ordnance in Afghanistan, including that originating from before the present conflict. Military action inevitably carries risks but every effort is made in our targeting, and weapons selection processes are rigorous. Every effort is made to avoid civilian casualties.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In view of the cancellation of the Tracer programme, when the reconnaissance version of the future rapid effect system will be able to replace the current armoured reconnaissance vehicles, which are about 20 years old. [HL1244]

No decision has yet been made on the in-service date for the reconnaissance element of the future rapid effect system. As a result of the decision not to proceed beyond the assessment phase of the Tracer programme, the land commander's intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance requirements will be met principally by a combination of the Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicle and manned ground reconnaissance. It is planned that Watchkeeper will enter service around the middle of this decade.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking to equip the Army with reliable radio communications before the issue of Bowman in 2004. [HL1245]

The Clansman family of radios and ancillaries remains the main tactical radio communications system operated by the UK Armed Forces and continues to meet the requirement it was delivered against in the 1970s. Clansman was originally due to go out of service in 1995 but will now remain fully supported until Bowman's in-service date (ISD) of 2004.The limitations of Clansman are well recognised, which is why Bowman will replace it. Obsolescence is an acknowledged problem with equipment of this age and work continues to predict and address such issues. There are contracts in place with all of the equipment design authorities in support of this activity. Procedures are in place to ensure agreed levels of availability.The procurement of up to 45,000 personal role radios (PRR) was separated from the main Bowman requirement in October 1999 to ensure delivery of these radios to the front line earlier than would otherwise have been the case. PRR is a new capability consisting of a short-range radio designed to facilitate communications within sections and other small military teams.Deliveries of PRR began on 23 July 2001, ahead of schedule. The system was accepted into service on 16 August 2001 and deployed with the Royal Marines on Exercise Saif Sareea. On current plans we expect to achieve formal ISD by the end of the year, some three months earlier than the declared ISD of March 2002.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether sufficient helicopter pilots are being trained to keep pace with the production issue of the Apache. [HL1246]

To date, the British Army has sufficient instructors, test pilots and pilots to match deliveries of the Apache AH Mk 1, which are being employed on training, evaluation, trials and development duties.The conversion and training of field army units and aircrew will start after the Apache full mission simulator is delivered.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking to ensure helicopter blades are more resistant to desert conditions. [HL1247]

The rotor blades of UK military helicopters are protected against erosion in desert conditions in a variety of ways. A number of helicopter types have polyurethane self-adhesive tape applied to the main rotor blade leading edges. This tape is readily removed and replaced as necessary. The remainder have blades with integral titanium or stainless steel leading edges designed to withstand sand erosion.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect to bring Challenger 2 tanks up to the required performance for desert conditions; and whether they will modify the tanks to meet these requirements or remodel the main engine compartment based on the Omani Challenger 2 tanks. [HL1248]

I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given in another place by my honourable friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence on 5 November 2001 (Official Report, cols. 24W–25W) to the honourable Member for New Forest West (Mr Swayne), in which he outlined the options that have been investigated for the desertisation of Challenger 2 main battle tanks. Any decision on desertisation will have to take into account a number of issues, including requirement, timeframe, costs and the number of Challenger 2 tanks that might be involved. All of these factors are currently under consideration and a decision has yet to be made.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the cost of producing the large Royal Air Force 2002 calendar; and, in particular, the cost of distributing it to Members of one or both Houses of Parliament. [HL1278]

The Royal Air Force calendar has been produced jointly by the Directorate of Recruiting and Selection (RAF) and the Directorate of Corporate Communication (RAF) for a number of years as a tool to assist in recruiting and as a means of highlighting the work of the Royal Air Force. Distribution of the calendar is carefully targeted at selected individuals and organisations and the popularity of the product is such that demand always considerably exceeds supply. The RAF calendar has been made available to both the House of Commons and House of Lords for a number of years, with a bulk delivery being distributed internally by staff in Parliament. This method of distribution has now been changed to an individual basis to ensure more effective delivery.For 2002, the Royal Air Force produced 50,000 calendars at a total cost of £62,633; a unit cost of £1.25p. The quality of the Royal Air Force calendar has been maintained at a high level while production costs have been reduced; for example the 1996 calendar carried a unit cost of £1.65. Postal distribution for the calendar is undertaken by the Defence Storage and Distribution Centre at Llangennech, utilising the Royal Mail at a second-class rate of 43p. The total cost of distribution to the Members of both Houses is £2,256.24.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What new capability the A400M military transport aircraft will provide that cannot currently be obtained from a combination of C17s, C130Js and C130Ks. [HL1313]

The A400M meets our future transport aircraft requirement and is an extremely flexible aircraft in both the tactical and strategic airlift roles. The long-term airlift requirement could not be met by combining C17s, C130Js and C130Ks, as the C130Ks are ageing aircraft. The C130Ks will leave service as the A400M aircraft are brought into service.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any new benefits provided by the A400M will be outweighed by the support costs of the Royal Air Force having a third type of transport aircraft in service. [HL1314]

At the point that A400M is fully in service we expect there to be only one other type of transport aircraft in use with the Royal Air Force, the C130J. The C130K aircraft will be phased out in parallel with the introduction of the A400M and the C-17 aircraft currently on lease are scheduled to be returned to Boeing at about the same time.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What consideration has been given to forming a European military strategic airlift organisation to operate and support all A400M aircraft; and [HL1315]What consideration has been given to setting up an organisation with one main location for the logistic support for all European A400M aircraft once they come into service. [HL1316]

The operation and support concepts for the A400M will be developed in concert with our partner nations and with Airbus Military Company over the next few years. The aim will be to deliver best value for money and the optimum operational effectiveness. We expect the potential for harmonisation of A400M logistic support arrangements will be a major feature of the forthcoming analysis work but have no plans at present to join a European military strategic airlift organisation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the current in-service-date for the RAF A400M fleet. [HL1317]

The current in-service date for the A400M aircraft is around the end of the decade.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they have taken to prevent partners in the A400M project buying fewer aircraft than they proposed in the plans that originally secured them a share of the work. [HL1318]

The A400M contract will cover both development and production. Thus commitments made at the time of contract let (on which workshare will be based) will be binding for the production phase also. A partner nation could subsequently reduce its offtake but it would then have to compensate the remaining partners so that there is no increase in cost to them. In addition, where the partners are members of OCCAR (the joint armaments agency that is to manage the A400M programme), the principle of global balance will offer the possibility for rebalancing workshare between the relevant member nations over the range of OCCAR managed programmes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made with the assessment phase of the future aircraft carrier procurement programme. [HL1485]

Assessment work on the new carrier project began in November 1999 when contracts were awarded to two competing consortia headed by BAE Systems and Thales Naval Ltd. The first stage of the assessment was completed in June this year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the final version of the United Kingdom Fuel Poverty Strategy will be published. [HL1484]

The United Kingdom Fuel Poverty Strategy has been published today and copies are being placed in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What changes the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs intends to make to its published draft aims and objectives as a result of the consultation it held. [HL1392]

Following extensive consultation with our stakeholders, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State published the revised and final aim and objectives on DEFRA's website http://www.defra.gov.uk/ on 14 November 2001. We have arranged for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are satisfied with the progress made in improving flood defences in view of reports that insurers are unwilling to provide cover in flood-prone areas. [HL1426]

The Government maintain close links with the insurance industry to help ensure continued availability of affordable flood cover. There is an agreement among Association of British Insurers (ABI) member companies that they will continue to provide flood cover, except in exceptional circumstances, for domestic properties and small businesses which they currently insure during 2001 and 2002. Cases where there is an alleged breach of this agreement have been referred by DEFRA to the ABI for investigation. However, it must be recognised that insurance companies need to take a commercial decision as to what risk they will cover and on what terms. Also, the insurance industry is a competitive one and customers may need to shop around to obtain the best deal.My honourable friends the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Commons) and the Economic Secretary to the Treasury met the ABI on 5 September to discuss our mutual aim of ensuring that affordable flood insurance cover continues to be generally available after December 2002. Further discussions between officials have taken place.Together with the flood defence operating authorities, we are reducing the risk of flooding and are communicating this to the insurance industry. We are reducing the risk through substantial increases in investment in flood and coastal defences (which now totals over £400 million a year). Flood defences are being repaired, renewed, maintained and improved. Flood warning arrangements are continually being improved. The Government have issued strengthened guidance to local planning authorities on control of development in flood risk areas and are reviewing the financial and institutional arrangements under which the flood defence service is delivered.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their estimate of the number of people in the United Kingdom who are permanently and substantially handicapped by disability; and what is their estimate of those with hearing, sight, mobility and other disabilities. [HL1145]

Information is not available on the permanence of disability, and there is no administrative count of the number of severely disabled or single definition of severe disability. However the 1996–97 Disability Survey asked around 7,000 disabled people a series of questions about their disability. On the basis of the answers to these questions, approximately 1.84 million adults in private households in Great Britain met the survey's definition of severe disability.On the basis of responses to the Disability Survey, the estimated numbers of people with hearing, sight, mobility and other disabilities are shown in the table below. Because many people reported more than one condition the total number exceeds 1.84 million.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their estimate of the number of old age pensioners and the number of severely disabled people. [HL1253]

The information requested is not available. Such information as is available is shown below.The number of people in receipt of retirement pension at 31 March 2001 was 11.1 million.The number of severely disabled people cannot be estimated on an equivalent basis. However, responses to the 1996–97 Disability Survey suggested that about 1.84 million people living in private households could be defined, on the basis of their responses, as being "seriously disabled."Notes:1. The retirement pension figures are taken from Pension Strategy Computer System and include GB and overseas pensioners but exclude Northern Ireland cases.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proportion of heavy goods vehicles and public service vehicles fitted with speed governors have been found to have defective governors at annual tests or at roadside checks over the last three years for which figures are available. [HL1355]

The Vehicle Inspectorate records the number of vehicles checked at the roadside and at fleet inspections but it does not record whether the vehicle is fitted with a speed limiter. The examination of speed limiters requires the use of sophisticated electronic equipment by trained examiners and the check takes some time to complete. Speed limiter checks are carried out on vehicles where the examination of the tachograph charts leads the examiner to suspect that the speed limiter may be defective. A functional check of the speed limiter is not currently part of the annual test but will form part of the test from October 2002 to comply with the EU directive that requires the component to be checked at annual test from February 2003. The total number of vehicles checked at the roadside and fleet checks and the number of speed limiter defects found are set out in the table below.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many United Kingdom driving licences are currently valid; and how many of these are machine-readable. [HL1210]

There are 38.9 million full and provisional valid driving licence records held at DVLA (10.2 million for photocards and 28.7 million for paper licences). None of these licences is machine-readable. However, DVLA intends to look at this aspect as a future development.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What percentage of households containing one or more disabled persons receiving the higher or medium rate care component of disability living allowance or the higher mobility rate are in fuel poverty. [HL1200]What percentage of households containing one or more disabled persons receiving either of the higher rates of disability living allowance are in fuel poverty. [HL1201]

Information on fuel poverty is not available split by the rate of disability living allowance. However, figures are available on the percentage of households receiving the different components of the disability living allowance that are in fuel poverty. The latest available figures for England relate to 1996 and these are given in the table below. More up-to-date figures are not available at present.Fuel poverty is a devolved matter and therefore it is for the respective assemblies and Parliament to report on the situation in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

The award process is designed to give companies an opportunity to obtain licences when market conditions appear favourable to them. No bids have been received to date. However, they may apply at any time within the 12-month window (from 15 October 2001 to 15 October 2002), in contrast to last year's auction when application had to be made on a specific date (5 September).

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations they have received (a) about the delayed publication and implementation of the Diabetes National Service Framework; (b) about Diabetes UK's call for a clear statement about the priority Ministers attach to diabetes; and (c) about the need for a firm date to be given for the publication of the national service framework; what replies they have made; and what action they will now be taking. [HL1204]

We announced on 15 October that the Diabetes National Service Framework standards would be published this autumn and the delivery strategy in summer 2002. An implementation group will work with the National Health Service and other interested parties to develop the delivery strategy. Since making this announcement, we have received a few Parliamentary Questions and over 150 letters to Ministers. My honourable friend the Minister of State (Ms Jacqui Smith) also met with Diabetes UK on 22 October.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the reason for the delay by a year of the publication and start of implementation of the Diabetes National Service Framework, and [HL1238]Whether they are devoting adequate resources to drawing up the Diabetes National Service Framework. [HL1239]

The Diabetes National Service Framework standards will be published this autumn and the delivery strategy in summer 2002. In developing and implementing a national service framework, account is taken of the importance of a health issue in terms of morbidity and mortality, the scope for service improvement and the capacity of the National Health Service and its partner agencies to implement the framework.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why the Diabetes National Service Framework (NSF) has been delayed; and what is now the expected date of publication. [HL1271]

The Diabetes National Service Framework standards will be published this autumn and the delivery strategy in summer 2002. We shall also be setting up an implementation group this autumn which will work with the National Health Service and other interested parties to develop a delivery strategy for the Diabetes NSF that takes account of the changing roles and responsibilities of NHS organisations emerging from Shifting the Balance of Power. The agreed delivery strategy, including milestones, service models, performance indicators and underpinning programmes, will be published next summer.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will name the acute hospitals which will have implemented a level 3 Electronic Patient Record by April 2002; and what proportion of all acute hospitals this represents. [HL1228]

Currently five sites have full Electronic Patient Record (EPR) level 3 functionality out of 173 acute and multi-service trusts. These are Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, Wirral Hospital NHS Trust, Burton Hospitals NHS Trust, North Hampshire NHS Trust and the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. Many more are on route, having implemented the order communications and results reporting elements of EPR level 3.We are currently reviewing the way level 3 EPR can be assessed in the light of operational experience, which shows that NHS trusts choose different routes to EPR-based local priority. It is important that these decisions are made on the basis of local circumstances.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What additional projects are planned for the Performance and Innovation Unit. [HL1537]

The Performance and Innovation Unit will be working with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and other departments to review the Government's strategy for waste. The Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mrs Beckett) will be the sponsor Minister. The study will commence in December this year and report in the summer of 2002.