asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Written Answer by Baroness Amos on 30 October (

I refer the noble Baroness to the earlier reply given on 30 October. The term "the war against terrorism" has been used to describe the whole campaign against terrorism, including military, political, financial, legislative and law enforcement measures. No formal declaration of war has been made by HMG. The UK's action is fully consistent with decisions of the UN Security Council and with our obligations in international law.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their response to the joint evidence of the British Medical Association and the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture in relation to the operation of the voucher scheme and its effect on asylum seekers. [HL992]

I read with interest the report from the BMA and medical foundation. As my right honourable friend the Home Secretary has made clear, the voucher scheme is to be abolished and replaced with a less socially divisive scheme by early autumn 2002. In the new accommodation centres which we are trialling, asylum seekers will have access to board and lodging and on-site medical services.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the comments by Lord McIntosh of Haringey about European funding during the debate on the Barnett formula on 7 November (HL Deb, cols. 258–63):

This information is not readily available. However, Table 14d in the 2001 Departmental Report of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments (Cm 5116) contains information on receipts from the EC budget by department, including the Scottish Office and Welsh Office, and fund, for the period from 1995–96 to 2003–04. The cost of administering the various European schemes by the Government is not identified separately but is contained within departments' administration cost limits.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they propose to implement the recommendations in the Utting Report

It would not be appropriate to define all the circumstances of parental responsibility, which is bound to vary with the age and capacity of the child. Any list of responsibilities would be subject to challenge. The circumstances of each case should be considered. The Government recognises that one third of children are born to unmarried parents and the Adoption and Children Bill currently before Parliament proposes that unmarried fathers who jointly register a birth with the mother will acquire parental responsibility without further formality.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend the list system for the choice of elected Members of the House of Lords to he (a) a closed list system or (b) an open list system or (c) a semi-open ("Belgian") system. [HL1258]

Given that the purpose of the introduction of elected Members of the Second Chamber will be the representation of opinions in the nations and regions, it is right that a proportional electoral system is to be used. This system will be based around multi-member constituencies, one for each of the UK's nations and regions. The use of a list system flows from that.The Government have made no final decision as to the nature of the list to be used. As my right honourable friend the Lord President of the Council made clear on 7 November, during his Statement in the House of Commons on the Government's White Paper on House of Lords reform, the Government are looking forward to consultation and discussion on the nature of the list system to be used.

asked Her Majesty's Government:For each of the last 10 Parliaments, what would have been the number of members of each political party who would have been directly elected under the proposals in the White Paper on House of Lords' reform for 120 elected members selected according to votes cast at a general election, assuming they were elected only for one Parliament; and what would be the number of members of each political party assuming they had all been elected in 1966 and thereafter for a five, 10 or 15-year term. [HL1288]

The table below sets out what would have been the likely distribution of the proposed 120 directly elected seats returned by regional constituency based on the general election results for the past 10 Parliaments.

Election	Conservative	Labour	Lib Dem/ Alliance	Plaid Cymru	SNP	DUP	UUP	SDLP	Sinn Fein	Others (N.I.)
1966	52	58	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
1970	57	52	8	1	1	0	0	0	0	1
1974 Feb	46	45	23	0	2	0	2	1	0	1
1974 Oct	43	48	22	0	3	0	2	1	0	1
1979	54	44	16	0	2	0	2	1	0	1
1983	51	33	32	0	1	1	1	1	0	0
1987	51	39	25	0	2	0	2	1	0	0
1992	50	44	20	0	3	0	2	1	0	0
1997	39	56	18	0	3	0	2	1	1	0
2001	38	54	21	1	2	1	1	1	1	0

It is not possible to forecast what the figures would have been for the members of each political party elected in 1966 for five, 10 or 15-year terms. Other than in 2001, there were no general elections in cycles of five, 10 or 15 years from 1966.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the maximum number of Lords of Appeal in Ordinary who were Members of the House at any one time during each Parliament since 1945. [HL1287]

There are currently 12 Lords of Appeal in Ordinary. That number has not been exceeded at any time since 1945.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What studies they have undertaken into real oil prices per barrel from the Middle East and the Gulf when the cost of security arrangements and deployment have been taken into account; and what was the outcome of such studies. [HL1061]

No such studies are available.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many asymmetric digital subscriber lines (ADSL) had been installed to end users by 31 October; and whether they are satisfied with the levels of take-up. [HL1170]

Figures gathered by the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel) show that to the end of October 2001, some 100,000 ADSL lines had been installed to end users.Increasing the level of take-up is a challenge for both government and industry. The Broadband Stakeholder Group will soon be publishing its recommendations for increasing broadband deployment and take-up in the UK.

asked Her Majesty's Government:To what extent the Office of Communications Bill is concerned with the regulation of information services. [HL1267]

The Office of Communications Bill establishes the Office of Communications (Ofcom), enabling the Government to take practical steps to get the regulator up and running to receive the functions a communications Bill would confer upon it. This is purely a paving measure and is not concerned with regulation but with the preparation of a body to receive regulatory functions at a later stage.

asked Her Majesty's Government:To what extent the establishment of Ofcom will represent a requirement of a general nature relating to the taking up and pursuit of information service activities. [HL1268]

The establishment of Ofcom is intended to bring together the regulatory responsibilities of five existing authorities operating in the communications area. The Office of Communications Bill currently before the House does no more than provide the authority to begin to take practical steps to bring the five bodies together. Ofcom will have no regulatory responsibilities until a communications Bill giving it such responsibilities is passed by Parliament. We hope to publish a draft of the communications Bill for consultation in the spring of 2002. The Communications White Paper published in December 2000 set out the range of responsibilities that are anticipated for Ofcom in due course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the justification, content and purpose of the Office of Communications Bill is devoted in whole or in part to controlling information service activities. [HL1269]

The Office of Communications Bill establishes the Office of Communications (Ofcom), enabling the Government to take practical steps to get the regulator up and running to receive the functions a communications Bill would confer upon it. This is purely a paving measure and will not involve any regulation whatsoever.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the statement by Baroness Blackstone on 29 October (HL Deb, col. 1187), whether in respect of Ofcom and its remit for regulation of information services, coverage is the same as that for existing legislation on broadcasting, telecommunications and the management of the spectrum. [HL1270]

Ofcom's full remit for regulation will be set out in a communications Bill, a draft of which we hope to publish in the spring of 2002 for consultation. The Communications White Paper published in December 2000 set out the Government's initial thinking on what that remit should be.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will agree to the disclosure of contracts in respect of the Department of Trade and Industry's respiratory disease contracts with AON-IRISC and Healthcall. [HL1341]

In keeping with the normal standards of commercial confidentiality that the department would expect to maintain with its contractors, the department will not be agreeing to the disclosure of the contracts with Aon-IRISC or Healthcall in respect of the respiratory disease compensation scheme.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When and in what way they anticipate that 10GHz and 40GHz radio spectrum will be made available to the industry. [HL1337]

the Radiocommunications Agency is reviewing the present use of and future plans for the 10GHz band in order to clarify how much radio spectrum could be made available to the industry and on what basis. At present it seems most likely that a competition will be held in the second quarter of 2002. No decisions have been taken yet as to the form that this competition will take.(There is as yet no real consensus within the industry as to how the 40GHz band might best be used). Before making decisions about what type of competition to hold on 40GHz and when, the Radiocommunications Agency is planning to hold a further round of consultations with manufacturers and potential operators. The agency is willing however to make available test and development licences immediately to companies wishing to prove concepts or develop technologies for this band.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Given the number of years since Mr Justice Turner's judgment in 1998 in favour of miners suffering from respiratory disease, (a) whether it is acceptable for those miners or their widows to have to wait another similar period before all outstanding cases are dealt with and (b) when they expect the process to be complete. [HL1338]

The handling agreement was formally signed with the solicitors acting for the claimants on 24 September 1999. Claims could not have been dealt with before this date. It has taken further time to agree outstanding issues with the claimants' solicitors. These have now largely been resolved, enabling us now to start making offers in larger numbers.With over 170,000 claims registered, this is the largest personal injury compensation scheme in British history and it will take time to settle all claims. It would be inappropriate for the department to make predictions about the overall length of the scheme while over 900 new claims continue to be registered each week.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How they will effectively tackle the bottlenecks which have created the present backlog of approximately 170,000 respiratory claims by miners. [HL1339]

Approximately 170,000 claims have been registered to date in respect of compensation for respiratory disease.The outstanding issues in relation to claims have now largely been resolved. This means that where previously only interim payments could be made, offers can now be made in full. Although it will take some time for the process to ramp up fully in all respects, the department's aim is that IRISC, the department's claims handlers, will have made 50,000 offers by the end of next year.Claims continue to be processed in accordance with the handling agreement whereby the most elderly and ill claimants are being prioritised. Widows are also being dealt with first wherever possible. The department aims to have processed claims from the most vulnerable by spring 2002.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, after the compensation is in place, they now accept a timetable of years, rather than months, before miners' respiratory claims are settled. [HL1340]

For the scheme as a whole, the department envisages that it will take some years to finish. A prioritisation process is in place to seek to ensure that the oldest, most vulnerable claimants have their claims dealt with as soon as possible. While claims continue to be registered at a rate of over 900 a week for respiratory disease and over 300 a week for vibration white finger, it is inappropriate to put a timescale on completion.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Department of Trade and Industry has retained Mr Mark Pyeman of Shell to act as a management consultant and to investigate and prepare a report on the whole process of handling miners' compensation claims; whether the consultant has completed his investigation; and, if so, whether his full report will be made available to both Houses. [HL1343]

The department has engaged Mark Pyman on secondment from Shell to advise us on ways of improving the management of the delivery of the respiratory disease and vibration white finger schemes. He joined the Coal Health Claims Unit at the end of August and has had extensive discussions with all parties involved in the schemes. He has worked with a team from PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) which had been asked to advise the department on the best structure for the Coal Health Claims Unit following the initial phase of the schemes.Mr Pyman has made recommendations to the department which we have agreed and are putting into operation. The department does not intend formally to make public those recommendations, which relate to internal management of the department and its relations both with contractors and solicitors representing claimants. The broad conclusions have however been discussed with interested parties who have generally welcomed the changes the department is now putting into effect.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their policy on the destruction and processing of redundant refrigerators and freezers. [HL1368]

EC Regulation No 2037/2000 on ozone depleting substances (ODS), which came into effect in October 2000, requires "controlled substances" (including CFCs and HCFCs) in coolants and in insulating foam to be removed before recycling or reclamation of refrigeration units. This requirement will apply to all refrigerators and freezers from 1 January 2002.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What conclusions they have reached from the study they commissioned

The consortium undertaking the Government's research project on bushmeat, Bushmeat—A Pilot Study, has not yet submitted its final report, which is expected by the end of the year.Once we do receive it, we expect to present it to the next meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Bushmeat Working Group, which is due to take place in February or March next year. This will provide an opportunity to engage African range states, obtain their input on subsequent actions and enlist their involvement in taking these forward.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Whitty on 12 November (

It is the Government's policy that pesticides should not harm people or the environment. All pesticides are subject to strict regulatory control and Ministers must approve a product before it may be marketed or used.Approvals for slug pellets follow the advice of the independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) that, provided they are used in accordance with strict statutory conditions, slug pellets do not present an unacceptable risk to British birds. The ACP's advice is based on the critical evaluation of scientific data submitted by companies seeking to support the use of these pesticides and including research on effects on the environment and non-target species (including birds).

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations they received at the Tourism Summit regarding the need for deregulation in the tourism industry; and what action they intend to take as a consequence of those representations. [HL1277]

At the second annual Ministerial Tourism Summit on 6 March 2001, Ministers from across Whitehall agreed to continue to work for better regulation in tourism. At the Tourism Industry Seminar on 10–11 October, convened by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to discuss the issues facing the long-term strategic development of the industry, delegates agreed the need to develop a fitness for purpose approach to better regulation of hotels and restaurants, concentrating on what customers really need, with a light touch for well-run businesses and singling out poor performers. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is currently drawing up a more detailed plan of actions to be taken.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are considering any help in resolving the dispute between the Professional Footballers' Association and the football bodies on a basis fair to professional footballers past and present who rely on the association's charitable funds for relief of hardship, help with medical costs and education and training. [HL1328]

The Premier League, the Football League and the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) are discussing the share of revenue to be passed to the PFA under the leagues' present broadcasting contracts. The Government are well aware of the PFA's work in assisting current and former players and hope that a satisfactory settlement may be reached without the need for industrial action. However, the Government have no plans to intervene in the dispute, which must be resolved by the sport itself if the terms of any settlement are to enjoy the full confidence of all interested parties.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been the percentage change in real terms in Social Fund expenditure on community care grants since 1997. [HL771]

Since April 1997 the gross discretionary Social Fund budget has increased by £153.1 million, from £467.5 million to £620.6 million, an increase of almost 33 per cent. Within this, the community care grant budget has increased by over 6 per cent to £103 million. Last year a record 2.3 million initial awards were made from the discretionary Social Fund.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the composition and terms of reference of the new Cabinet Committee on the preparation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. [HL1571]

The Prime Minister has asked the Deputy Prime Minster to chair a new Cabinet Committee on sustainable development in preparation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in September 2002. The composition and terms of reference of the new committee are:MINISIERIAL COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (MISC18)