asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Chancellor on 25 October 2001

Further to the Answer that I gave on 25 October 2001 (Official Report, col. WA 137), applications for the grant of a Lord Mayoralty have been received from the following cities:

• Bath
• Cambridge
• Carlisle
• Chichester
• Derby
• Exeter
• Gloucester
• Lancaster
• Lincoln
• St Albans
• St David's
• Salford
• Southampton
• Sunderland
• Truro
• Wolverhampton
• Worcester.

All the applications for the grant of Lord Mayoralty and for the grants of city status in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee are receiving consideration. I will announce the results as soon as possible.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the latest figures for deaths to Gulf veterans, and among the control group. [HL2454]

Peer reviewed scientific data comparing the mortality rates of UK Gulf veterans to an era group of service personnel who did not deploy to the Gulf was published for the first time in the Lancet on 1 July 2000. Updates to these figures were provided by the Ministry of Defence to the House on 20 July 2000, 22 January 2001 and 19 July 2001. The MoD has undertaken to continue to monitor the mortality of both Gulf veterans and the era group and will publish updated figures on a regular basis. The figures as at 31 December 2001 are shown in the table.Overall, in the period 1 April 1991 to 31 December 2001, the mortality of UK Gulf veterans was no different than that of the control group. Slightly fewer Gulf veterans have died from disease-related causes than have those in the control group, whereas the number of Gulf veterans dying of external causes is a little higher than for the control group. These differences are similar to those shown by the figures published in July 2001.

Deaths to UK Gulf veterans (Note 1)
1 April 1991–31 December 2001
Causes (coded to ICD-9) (Note 2)
ICD Chapter	Cause of death	Gulf	Era	Mortality Rate Ratio1
	All deaths	524	520	1.00
	All cause coded deaths	514	510	1.00
I—XVI	Disease-related causes	198	240	0.82
I	Infectious and parasitic diseases	3	2	1.49
II	Cancers	84	94	0.89
III	Endocrine and immune disorders	1	4	0.25
V	Mental disorders	11	12	0.91
VI	Diseases of the nervous system and sense organs	7	6	1.16
VII	Diseases of the circulatory system	68	90	0.75
VIII	Diseases of the respiratory system	10	5	1.99
IX	Diseases of the digestive system	11	16	0.68
1V, X—XVI	All other disease-related causes	3	11	0.27
EXVII	External causes of injury and poisoning	316	270	1.17
	Railway accidents	4	1	3.98
	Motor vehicle accidents	110	92	1.19
	Water transport accidents	4	1	3.98
	Air and space accidents	25	17	1.46
	Other vehicle accidents	0	1	0.00
	Accidental poisoning	10	14	0.71
	Accidental falls	8	6	1.33
	Accidents due to fire/flames	0	2	0.00
	Accidents due to natural environmental factors	2	2	1.00
	Accidents due to submersion/suffocation/foreign bodies	17	7	2.42
	Other accidents	31	27	1.14
	Late effects of accident/injury	0	2	0.00
	Suicide and injury undetermined whether accidental	97	90	1.07
	Homicide	5	4	1.24
	Injury resulting from the operations of war	3	4	0.75
	Other deaths for which coded cause data are not yet available	7	7
	Overseas deaths for which cause data are not available	3	3
1 Mortality rate ratios differ marginally from crude deaths ratio owing to some small differences between the Gulf and Era cohorts.

Notes:1. Service and Ex-Service personnel only.2. World Health Organisation's International Classification of Diseases 9th revision 1997.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When bids will be invited under their new community energy programme. [HL2475]

The opening pathfinder bidding round for the £50 million community energy programme is being launched today. We expect to allocate around £5 million under this initial round for schemes that will provide carbon savings; help to alleviate fuel poverty among householders; and reduce fuel costs for hospitals, universities and other community buildings.I am placing copies of the programme documentation in the House Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What percentage of deaths among front seat occupants in cars they estimate would have been avoided by the use of seat belts by passengers in the rear of cars. [HL2335]

An estimate is not currently available but information is being obtained to enable such an estimate to be made.Recent research in Japan suggested the risk of deaths and serious injuries among front seat occupants was higher when a rear seat passenger was unbelted than when the passenger used a belt.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking to encourage local authorities to introduce or extend park and ride and pay and display schemes. [HL2374]

The local transport plan (LIP) guidance issued to local authorities by my department included park and ride as one of a range of measures authorities could consider. Our revised planning policy guidance note PPG13 on transport, published in March 2001, gave further guidance on planning aspects of park and ride proposals, and Traffic Advisory Leaflet 2/01 was also issued on the subject in April 2001.It is for local authorities to decide what is appropriate for their area and many have included new or extended park and ride schemes in their LTPs. The detailed arrangements for paying for parking in such schemes or elsewhere, whether using pay and display or other means, are also for authorities to decide in the light of specific local circumstances.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will publish the consultation document on the use classes order that was promised in the planning Green Paper. [HL2473]

We are today publishing a consultation document entitled Consultation on possible changes to the Use Classes Order and temporary uses provisions. This completes the series of consultation papers that together are designed to deliver a radical reform of the planning system.Planning permission is required for a material change of use. However certain uses are so similar, for example in terms of noise, traffic, appearance and parking, that there is no obvious reason why planning permission for change of use from one to the other should be required. The use classes order (UCO) excludes from planning control any change of use where both the existing arid proposed use fall within the same class. The general permitted development order (GPDO) provides further flexibility by classifying certain moves between the use classes as permitted development, so that a developer does not need to apply for planning permission.It is important that the use classes order should be up to date and relevant and reflect current policy priorities. In our view, the order and related GPDO provisions should be constructed in a way which allows the maximum possible freedom from planning control consistent with delivering planning policy and wider objectives, including protecting amenity.The consultation document sets out a range of options for changes to the use class provisions and temporary use provisions. We will consider responses carefully before deciding on the most appropriate way forward.Copies of the consultation document will be placed in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the regional planning guidance for the East Midlands will be published. [HL2474]

The regional planning guidance for the East Midlands (RPG8) is being published today.The RPG sets out the spatial development strategy that encompasses proposals for the development of the region's economy, infrastructure, housing and other land uses. The guiding principle is that the main urban areas and previously developed land should be the preferred locations for most development. RPG also sets out proposals for the conservation, management, and enhancement of the region's natural and cultural environment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many asylum seekers and refugee children are currently without a school place; the local education authority areas in which they are located; the average time they are likely to wait to be provided with formal education; and the implications of any delay for compliance with human rights and race relations legislation. [HL2355]

The education of children of asylum seekers and refugees is the responsibility of local education authorities (LEAs) and the process of admitting them to school is no different from that which applies to any other child. It is not possible to specify either the number of these children who are without a school place or the LEAs in which they are located. To collect such data would be a very complex exercise and a considerable burden on schools.LEAs allocate school places to children of asylum seekers and refugees as quickly as possible. However, we recognise that as the majority of these children arrive during the school year it will often happen that school's places will already have been allocated before they arrive in an LEAs area. Where this happens, an LEA is still required to make arrangements for them to receive suitable education until a school place can be found.Children of asylum seekers and refugees have the same right as any other child to access the education system in the United Kingdom. The right to education, however, does not give rise to the right to be admitted to any particular school. Provided that the proper steps to remedy any shortfall in school places have been taken and that suitable education is provided until a school place can be found, we believe that LEAs will have complied with their obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.LEAs must also comply with the provisions of the Race Relations Act 1976. They must ensure, therefore, that the children of asylum seekers and refugees awaiting a school place are not treated any less favourably than any other child on racial grounds.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the minimum qualification required for:

Currently, courses of study in chiropody (podiatry) offered in the United Kingdom that lead to eligibility for state registration include degree or honours degree level. The minimum qualification required for state registration is one approved by the chiropodists board of the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine as conferring sufficient knowledge and skill to practise the profession. There is no minimum requirement for other non-state registered practitioners.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the average length of time taken during 2001 by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to respond to correspondence; and whether they consider the time taken to be acceptable. [HL2189]

I am advised that the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission aims to respond to all correspondence as quickly as is practicable, by acknowledgement initially if a substantive response requires more time. I understand that the commission's normal turn around for correspondence is within a week of receipt, although in some instances it can take longer. The Northern Ireland Office target for answering correspondence is ten working days. The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission's stated normal response time therefore appears to me to be within acceptable limits.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which government departments are now prepared to send to Peers who so request it copies of Answers to Written Questions by e-mail. [HL2312]

In principle there is no reason why a Peer who has requested it could not be sent a copy of a Written Answer on request. In practice, no formal arrangements have been put in place by the House to enable Peers to make such requests but this should not prevent departments sending a copy of an Answer by e-mail if the Peer lets them know he would like it. If the House would like to formalise this, the Cabinet Office would be happy to liaise on behalf of departments on how this should be done.