asked Her Majesty's Government:What sum has been committed by the Arts Council of England to the development of the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear; and what are the terms under which that amount has been so allocated. [HL3269]

The Arts Council has committed £33,885,000 to Baltic Flour Mills for the capital development, plus a further £7,500,000 which has been allocated as annual revenue support over five years.The Arts Council issues standard conditions, which are publicly available, and special conditions, which are not, due to commercial confidentiality. Both sets of conditions are closely monitored by the Arts Council.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which Government departments have made awards or loans to Gateshead Council for the development of the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear; what is the amount of such awards or loans; and what are the terms under which the sums were made available. [HL3268]

As well as the lottery funding from the Arts Council, the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts has also received £9,349,000 from the Single Regeneration Budget, the European Regional Development Fund and English Partnerships as well as some private sponsorship. The details of any contracts with these bodies are commercially sensitive and not for Ministers to comment on.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What funding has been given to the North West Tourist Board in the years 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01 and the present financial year to date. [HL3301]

Government funding for regional tourist boards is made via grant in aid payments to the English Tourism Council. Funding for the North West Tourist Board between 1998–99 and 2001–02 is set out in the table.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What research they have undertaken or commissioned into transport heritage since June 1997. [HL3064]

Research into transport heritage is undertaken by those non-departmental public bodies responsible for either curating it, such as the Science Museum, or distributing funds for its conservation, such as the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Government have not directly commissioned research in this area. I am arranging for a list of relevant Science Museum research to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The full text of the Heritage Lottery Fund commissioned report on transport heritage cart be found on its website, www.hlf.org.uk.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why they have awarded Grade II status to the Braithwaite Viaduct; and for what reasons they rejected representations from English Heritage that the viaduct should be given ancient monument status. [HL3266]

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport announced her decision to list the Braithwaite Viaduct Grade II on 8 March. A copy of the letter to English Heritage stating the reasons for her decision has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What discussions they have held in 2002 with the Governors of the BBC on the issues raised by the publication of the BBC document

Gavyn Davies, Chairman of the BBC, outlined the reforms set out in the BBC document BBC Governance in the Ofcom Age when he met the Secretary of State on 11 February. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State has welcomed the changes as a very useful clarification and strengthening of the role of the BBC Governors, with the aim of allowing the board to concentrate more on its responsibility to ensure that the BBC serves the public interest.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How they will implement their recommendation at paragraph 2.12 of the stage two quinquennial review report National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery that officials of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport need the opportunity to engage directly with the chairmen and trustees of the galleries; and [HL3406]What action they propose to take as a consequence of their conclusion reached at paragraph 3.13 of the stage two quinquennial review report National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery that at the National Gallery there is a concern that the pressure to raise funds from nongovernmental sources is leading to a greater emphasis on the fund-raising ability of Trustees and that this may be to the detriment of other requirements at board level; and [HL3407]What action they propose to take in response to the conclusion reached at paragraph 3.74 of the stage two quinquennial review report National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery that the National Gallery believes that without an increase in grant-in-aid in real terms it will not be possible to expand its outreach and partnerships and may also have to reduce its services to the public; and [HL3408]What action they propose to take in respect to the conclusion reached at paragraph 4.13 of the stage two quinquennial review report National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery that the government increases in funding to the National Portrait Gallery have not matched the costs of initiatives such as

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, together with the two galleries, will prepare an implementation plan responding to each of the recommendations of the quinquennial review. Meanwhile DCMS:

asked Her Majesty's Government:What were the annual budgets of the regional arts boards for the years 1997–2001 and the total spend by each board on administration costs as a percentage of their annual budget [HL3386]

The following table, supplied by the Arts Council of England on behalf of the regional arts boards, contains the information requested by the noble Baroness.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to sign and ratify Protocol 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights banning the death penalty in all circumstances, including in times of war and imminent threat of war, when it is opened for signature on 3 May 2002. [HL2926]

Her Majesty's Government will announce their position on Protocol 13 as soon as is reasonably possible.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many of the electorate in Zimbabwe were disenfranchised for the recent presidential election; and how this compares with previous elections; and [HL3310]What messages they have sent to Mr Robert Mugabe since Monday 11 March; and [HL3311]Whether they believe that the international observers of the Zimbabwean elections were impartial; and [HL3312]Whether they believe that the South African observers of the Zimbabwean elections carried out their duties fully and objectively; and [HL3313]Whether they have any evidence that the observers of the Zimbabwean elections were intimidated, attacked or otherwise prevented from either gaining access to places they wanted to visit or talking to people they wanted to interview. [HL3314]

Given the limited access afforded to international and other independent observers, it is difficult to estimate how many Zimbabweans were disenfranchised for the recent presidental election. However, the Commonwealth observer team concluded in its report that "thousands" were unable to vote as a result of inadequacies in the registration process.A number of observers, both local and international, were impeded by Zimbabwean authorities and partisan members of the Zimbabwean public from carrying out their duties. Despite this, many of the international observer teams (eg the Commonwealth, Southern African Development Community—Parliamentary Forum, Japanese and Norwegian) concluded that the election was not free and fair. This indicates a high degree of impartiality. We believe that a sufficient number oft he international teams' approach was impartial to give an accurate overall picture of the election process and outcome.We have not sent any message to Mr Mugabe since the Zimbabwean presidential election on 9–10 March. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs told the House on 14 March that we did not accept that the election was free and fair and that the outcome did not reflect the will of the Zimbabwean people. The views of the Government on this issue have therefore been made very clear.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many observers monitored the recent presidential election in Zimbabwe; from what countries they came; and for how long they were in Zimbabwe. [HL3315]

The total number of international observers for the presidential election in Zimbabwe on 9–10 March was 449, broken down as follows:

• Commonwealth—62
• Southern African Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum—37
• SADC Election Support Network—54
• SADC Election Commission's Forum—26
• Electoral Institute of Southern Africa—42
• African, Caribbean and Pacific countries—5
• Organisation of African Unity—26
• South Africa—59
• South African Parliamentarians—20
• Japan—5
• Nigeria—16
• United States—18
• Canada—8
• Norway—26
• Tanzania—20
• Mozambique—7
• Malawi—8
• Botswana—10

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they propose to take to have Mr Robert Mugabe condemned by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. [HL3360]

With UK Government support, the EU intends to express its serious concern at the human rights situation in Zimbabwe at the UN Commission on Human Rights, now under way in Geneva.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they can confirm that a deal has been agreed by a number of countries in Africa, including South Africa, that Mr Robert Mugabe should be allowed to win the recent election with a view to retiring "with dignity" within a year. [HL3361]

We are not aware of any such deal being agreed.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What was:

The data for England and Wales and Northern Ireland are set out in the table. The Scottish Executive should be approached for data on Scottish prisons where it is a devolved matter.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many people have died since 1963 in England and Wales at the hands of persons previously convicted of homicide. [HL3172]

During the period 1963 to date, a total of 104 persons in England and Wales are known to have been killed by persons who had been previously convicted of homicide in England and Wales.As with previous Answers, the figure excludes persons who have been killed by those who may have been convicted outside England and Wales (for whom there is incomplete information) and persons who have been killed by those not previously convicted of homicide by reason of their mental state.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether offences against wild animals, and especially those involving the baiting and abuse of badgers, are classed as notifiable offences; and, if not, whether such a classification could be established without delay. [HL3213]

The Protection of Badgers Act 1992 provides the required statutory protection for badgers. The Act makes it an offence to cruelly kill, injure or take a badger or to attempt to do so, or to wilfully ill-treat a badger, or, intentionally or recklessly, to interfere with a badger sett by damaging it or any part of it.These offences are recordable on the Police National Computer, although they are not notifiable to the Home Office for the purposes of the recorded crime statistics. These statistics are restricted to offences which are indictable or triable either way and a few closely associated summary offences. Although these arrangements may be changed without legislation, we do not consider that the additional

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many men and how many women are currently in prison following convictions for illegally importing drugs; and what is the average length of sentence in both cases. [HL3234]

The number of men and women who were serving sentences for illegal importation/exportation of drugs on 31 January 2002:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Computer Misuse Act 1990 is appropriately drafted to deal with current trends in computer crime. [HL3295]

asked Her Majesty's Government:What internal and external inquiries have taken place into the purpose, organisation, efficiency, effectiveness and success in meeting the objectives and targets of the National Asylum Support Service since 1 April 2000; when they reported; and to whom. [HL3220]

The Answer is as follows:

The Government are considering whether changes are needed to the Computer Misuse Act 1990 in the light of the United Kingdom's obligations as a signatory state to the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many prisoners on remand:

On 31 January 2002 there were 12,270 prisoners on remand, 11,382 males and 888 females. Data on prisoners' families and marital status are not held centrally.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will restate their policy on the involvement of faith organisations in offender programmes in HM prisons. [HL3334]

Offender programmes in prisons, including those involving faith organisations, will be considered on their merits in line with the What Works principles. What Works principles are based upon the best available evidence of what works in reducing re-offending.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Criminal Records Bureau intends to publish its corporate and business plan 2002 to 2007. [HL3503]

The Criminal Records Bureau corporate and business plan has been published today. Copies of the plan have been placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the United Kingdom Passport Service intends to publish its corporate and business plan 2002 to 2007. [HL3504]

The United Kingdom Passport Service corporate and business plan has been published today. Copies of the plan have been placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What efforts have been made to ensure that the Office for National Statistics complies accurate figures on the number of babies born with birth defects [HL3457]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the future organisational arrangements for government debt and asset management. [HL3505]

Following a detailed review of the current arrangements and future requirements for government debt and asset management, the National Debt Office (NDO) and the Public Works Loans Board (PWLB) will be integrated with the UK Debt Management Office (DMO) with effect from 1 July. Both the NDO and the PWLB are part of the National Investment and Loans Office (NILO) and the relevant staff will be relocated to the DMO's offices. This reorganisation, while maintaining provision of existing services, is designed to deliver improved management of the central government balance sheet and to offer a more robust, flexible and innovative service to public sector clients.At the same time the remaining part of NILO, the Office of HM Paymaster General (OPG), will be merged with the Treasury, while also maintaining the provision of its existing services. NILO will thereafter cease to exist.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What will be the treatment of tax settlements between employers and employees following the Preston judgment. [HL3506]

The Preston judgment means that many employers must give all their part-time employees and certain of their ex-employees, retrospective access to membership of their occupational pension schemes from April 1976 or in some cases later. The employers concerned have a responsibility to settle with their employees and ex-employees how this should be achieved in each case. There are outstanding cases before employment tribunals which are designed to determine how employers and employees should meet their liabilities.Where employees are entitled to membership rights in an occupational scheme in respect of past periods of employment, the normal rules about tax relief on contributions continue to apply. That is: all employers' contributions to occupational pension schemes, including any for past service, qualify for corporation tax relief; employees' contributions up to 15 per cent of their salary from the employer concerned in the year the contributions are paid qualify for income tax relief, irrespective of whether any part of the contribution is in respect of previous years' service; employees may make contributions to their schemes above 15 per cent of salary in any tax year but any such contributions do not benefit from tax relief.In some cases, employers and employees may prefer to agree on lump sum settlements rather than additional membership rights in occupational schemes. In these cases, the lump sums are not taxable as income under Schedule E but will be liable to capital gains tax subject to the normal annual exemption.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What further developments there have been as a result of the Tax Law Rewrite Project. [HL3507]

The Tax Law Rewrite Project continues to make good progress. At the end of this month it will be publishing its thirteenth Exposure Draft, containing draft clauses on foreign income and property income.The project is also currently working on an income tax Bill rewriting the provisions on employment income, pension income and taxable social security benefits. In preparation for that Bill, this year's finance Bill will include some small amendments to the tax legislation on employment income. Copies of this draft finance Bill legislation will shortly be published on the project's website.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What responses they have received to the public discussion paper

The Ministry of Defence received over 200 responses by 15 March to its public discussion paper, The Strategic Defence Review: A New Chapter. The responses cover a wide range of issues and are from a wide range of correspondents, including parliamantarians local authorities, nongovernmental organisations, academics, members of the public and MoD personnel. All responses are being given full consideration in the continuing SDR New Chapter work.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made to the proposed siting of the new national Armed Forces memorial to service personnel killed since the Second World War. [HL3364]

A project team was appointed early last year to look at potential sites for the memorial and to consider the qualifying criteria for those to be commemorated. Extensive research was carried out on suitable sites both in and outside London. There has been wide consultation with the service and ex-service organisations on both the siting and eligibility criteria. There is general support for the proposals.We are delighted to be able to confirm that the Armed Forces memorial will be sited at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. The names of those commemorated will either be engraved on the memorial or in rolls of honour that will be kept close by in the Millennium Chapel at the arboretum. The design of the memorial will be decided following an architectural competition that will be held later this year.The qualifying criteria for inclusion on the memorial are:"All those Service personnel who were killed on duty whilst performing functions attributable to the special circumstances and requirements of the Armed Forces, or as a result of terrorist attack, and all those who died whilst deployed on designated operations.""Those members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and the Merchant Navy who were killed in conflict zones while in direct support of the Armed Forces will also be included on the memorial."An additional part of the project will be to erect a memorial plaque in the Cloisters of Westminster Abbey to those members of the Armed Forces killed in conflict since the end of the Second World War. Finally, there will be rolls of honour recording the names of all members of the Royal Navy and the Army who have died in service during this period. These will be kept in suitable churches in London and will be similar to those for the Royal Air Force that are kept in the Church of St Clement Danes.Trustees of the Armed Forces memorial trust will now be appointed to take this project forward. They will take on the ownership of the memorial and will be responsible for its funding and construction. Funds will be raised by public subscription.This is a very important national project that will also provide a platform to help educate our younger generations about the value of our Armed Forces.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What were the main issues discussed by the Organisation for the Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly held in Vienna from 21 to 22 February. [HL2965]

The United Kingdom was represented at the meeting by a delegation of parliamentarians led by my right honourable friend the Member for Walsall South, with my noble friends Lady Hilton of Eggardon and Lord Ponsonby of' Shulbrede representing the House of Lords. They were briefed on current issues, including budgetary matters, by the chair in office, Foreign Minister Gama and Secretary General Jan Kubis. The three general committees also discussed reports relating to the upcoming annual session in Berlin.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What topics the Irish Government have discussed with them since 1 January 2000. [HL3167]

The Government of Ireland have very frequent discussions with Her Majesty's Government. These discussions occur routinely at all levels, include official and ministerial discussions and take place both in international fora (such as the UN and the EU) and bilaterally. The discussions cover a wide range of issues in both domestic and foreign policy.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 7 February (

There is no formal agenda for European Council meetings. However, the committees are informed three weeks before a Council of Ministers meeting of items expected to appear on the agenda. As soon as the agenda becomes clearer, departments provide a detailed assessment to the committees of the main agenda items.As with all other EU legislation, Framework Directives Decisions and any subsequent secondary legislation are provided to the scrutiny committees in line with agreed guidance.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 7 February (

The Government have given Parliament an undertaking that Ministers will not agree to proposals in the Council of Ministers unless scrutiny has been completed. In exceptional circumstances, e.g. where the national interest would be damaged by delaying agreement, the Minister responsible will write to the scrutiny committees explaining the special reasons for which scrutiny was overridden.

asked Her Majesty's Government:As guarantor power, what representations have they made to the Cyprus Government following their decision to take delivery to southern Cyprus of military helicopters from Russia; and whether this delivery of military equipment will facilitate the present talks between the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. [HL3228]

The Government have consistently made it clear to all parties in Cyprus that they deplore weapons acquisition, in line with UN Security Council resolutions which express concern about military build-up on the island. We do not consider such procurement to be conducive to efforts aimed at securing a just and lasting settlement in Cyprus. We have raised the issue with the Republic of Cyprus at the highest level. We have also raised the matter with EU partners.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they gave assurances to the Greek Cypriot leader, Glafcos Clerides, that the present phase of direct talks between the two Cypriot community leaders would be held within the framework of United Nations Security Council resolutions. [HL3229]

The UK has always believed that the UN settlement process, based upon UNSCR 1250, offers the best chance of achieving a just and lasting settlement in Cyprus which respects the vital interests of all concerned. Accordingly, we welcomed the decision by the two leaders in December 2001 to begin direct talks on-island in January under the auspices of the UN We support this process and continue to urge all involved to engage in the talks in a positive and constructive manner.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether there have been any recent negotiations between Belize and Guatemala to resolve their territorial dispute. [HL3398]

The Governments of Belize and Guatemala are working closely under the auspices of the Organisation of American States (OAS) to negotiate a settlement to their longstanding territorial dispute. Two facilitators appointed by Belize and Guatemala aim to present recommendations for an agreed settlement to both governments shortly.We firmly support the OAS-facilitated process. We very much hope that Belize and Guatemala will be able to agree a settlement this year. Such an agreement would have great significance for both countries and the region more widely. We are in close touch with both countries and are actively helping the facilitators to secure a final and lasting settlement to the dispute.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What recent developments there have been in relation to the suspension of Zimbabwe from the Councils of the Commonwealth. [HL3440]

I refer my noble friend to the statement I made to the House on 21 March.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 12 March (

There is an ongoing dialogue with the representatives of right holders who favour a repeal of Section 72. It will be important to engage with those who would have to pay a public performance royalty as a result of any change to Section 72 before any decisions are taken.

asked Her Majesty's Government:On what date in 2003 they expect to publish the next statutory report on consumer safety; and whether meanwhile they can provide any provisional estimates of the number of prosecutions and convictions under the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1998 for the years 1999, 2000 and 2001. [HL3356]

The next statutory report on consumer safety will cover the period from I April 1998 to 31 March 2003 and will, be published as soon as practicable after the end of that period. The department only collates statistics on safety enforcement at the end of each five-year period, so cannot provide the estimates requested.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether genetically modified crop trials are being evaluated to establish any benefits to biodiversity in replacing damaging practices in conventional agricultural by planting certain genetically modified crops. [HL2994]

The farm scale evaluations are primarily assessing the impact on farmland wildlife of the management of four genetically modified crops (winter and spring oil seed rape, fodder maize and sugar beet) relative to the equivalent conventional (non-GM) crops.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in considering safe separation distances for genetically modified crop growth, they have taken into account potential effects on private gardens and allotments. [HL2995]

The separation distances are set to limit the interaction between genetically modified (GM) crop plants and other plants. The distances set for any particular trial take full account of the potential effects on private gardens and allotments.The GM crops being grown in the farm scale evaluations, oil and seed rape, fodder beet, sugar beet and forage maize, are not grown in gardens and allotments. The forage maize could potentially cross pollinate with sweetcorn varieties of maize, so a separation distance of 200 metres has been specified between GM maize and sweetcorn. The Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment has advised that at this distance the incidence of cross-pollination should be less than 0·5 per cent.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the rules regulating the movement of livestock will in practice prevent agricultural shows having cattle and sheep classes this summer. [HL3045]

Cattle are allowed to move to and from agricultural shows under the interim movements arrangements and we expect cattle will be shown. Subject to veterinary advice, we hope it will be possible to allow sheep and goats to go to shows from around the end of May.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking to protect imported plant and animal material, including "organic" material, at ports of entry in order to control pests and other undesirable organisms. [HL3272]

All consignments of products of animal origin currently imported from third countries into the UK are subjected to a documentary check of the veterinary certification and an identity check to match the goods to the certification. A percentage of consignments are also subjected to a physical check, which may include organoleptic checks, temperature checks and laboratory tests for pathogens or contaminants. Where import checks reveal that any product of animal origin does not comply with Community import conditions, it is re-exported or destroyed.Defra's plant health and seeds inspectors aim to inspect all commercial imports of plants from non-EU countries and a proportion, according to risk, of imported consignments of fruit, vegetables and cut flowers, including "organic" produce. These inspections take place at ports of entry and at suitable sites inland. Plants and plant produce of EU origin, including "organic" produce, are inspected at distribution points and nurseries. Appropriate action is taken when pests and diseases are found which pose a risk to plant health, regardless of whether the produce is "organic". Measures may include destruction, re-export or treatment. Interceptions are notified to the exporting country. Further information is available on the plant health pages of the department's website (http://defraweb/planth/ph.htm).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in the light of the results of the research conducted by Cherry N.

The Government are gauging the significance of these findings in consultation with their independent expert advisory committees, the Advisory Committee on Pesticides and the Veterinary Products Committee.

asked Her Majesty's Government:For what period the organophosphate cruformate was licensed for use as a warble fly dressing in the United Kingdom; and what are the known mutagenic, teratrogenic and neurological effects of its use on cattle. [HL3345]

Crufomate was used as an active ingredient in veterinary medicinal products for the treatment of warble fly from the 1950s onwards. This predates the introduction of the current controls under the Medicines Act 1968 and so our information on such products is very limited. With the entry into force of the Medicines Act in 1970 these products would have been issued with licences of right that permitted their continued marketing pending a formal review of their safety, quality and efficacy.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the figures for the total tonnage of British meat exported (a) before the foot and mouth disease epidemic, and (b) as at 15 March and; [HL3369]What are the figures for the total tonnage of imported meat (a) before the foot and mouth disease epidemic and (b) as at 15 March; and for each category what percentage of meat depended or depends on vaccination for its good health. [HL3370]

The attached table shows the monthly volume of UK trade in meat and meat preparations between January 2000 and December 2001. The monthly data for February cannot be split before and after the FMD outbreak. Monthly data are provided so that normal seasonal patterns of trade can be taken into account and to show the effects of the gradual lifting of the export ban.The importation of meat is permitted from a limited number of third countries where foot and mouth disease is present and where the veterinary authorities have contained the disease in specified regions. European Community rules permit imports from certain regions of those countries that are not considered to pose a risk to human or animal health. Fully matured boneless beef, which does not post a FMD risk, may in some cases be imported from other regions subject to veterinary certification. Countries to which these controls currently apply are Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. All meat imported from third countries is subject to veterinary checks at border inspection posts to ensure that import requirements are met.The importation into the EU of meat from vaccinated animals is not permitted from African countries. Imports of meat from Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay may be from vaccinated animals, but the meat must be deboned and matured so as to remove any risk of live FMD virus being present. No record is kept on whether the meat imported from these countries is derived from vaccinated or unvaccinated animals.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What percentage of the total agricultural research budget for 2000–01 was spent on investigating methods of pest and disease control which do not involve the use of chemical pesticides. [HL3382]

In 2000–01, Defra spent £8.4 million on research into methods of pest and disease control which do not involve the use of chemical pesticides.Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) spent approximately £3.9 million on research directly into alternatives to chemical pesticides. Together this represents nearly 7 per cent of the agricultural research budget.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many research projects over the last five years which were in receipt of public funds involved research into alternatives to the use of organophosphate and carbamate pesticides; and whether they will give the names of the research institutions involved and the value of each contract. [HL3383]