asked Her Majesty's Government:What support they have given to the Fairtrade Foundation, financially and in other ways, during the last two years; and what support they are giving in the current year, including the promotion of fair trade goods at local and central government level. [HL3477]

The Department for International Development has supported fair trade initiatives for a number of years, both in developing countries and in the UK. This support forms part of a wider collaboration between government, the private sector and civil society to encourage more socially responsible and ethical business practices. As companies and consumers become more aware of the connections between the way business is done and the livelihoods of poor people in developing countries, so the pressure for positive change grows.To this end, DfID has provided £169,000 from 1999–2002 in support of media work by the Fairtrade Foundation and an additional £120,000 from 2001–2003 to support the foundation's efforts to reach new consumers through its annual Fairtrade Fortnight campaign. This year's campaign, just completed, highlighted the positive developmental impacts of fair trade, raising the profile of products now on offer in UK shops and supermarkets. Hilary Benn, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development, delivered a speech at the launch on 4 March 2002.In June 2001, DfID approved a further grant (£150,000 over two years) to the Fairtrade Foundation to support an innovative project in East Africa to increase regional producers' involvement in international fair trade labelling. It established an East African regulatory body that offers consulting services, inspection and monitoring of fair trade standards.Several government departments are developing policies to procure fair trade goods, although the relative lack of product lines means that this cannot yet form a substantial part of overall procurement practice.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What advice they have given to the courts for dealing with breaches to anti-social behaviour orders; and whether the sentences being passed on such offences are a sufficient deterrent. [HL3434]

The requirement for training of magistrates rests with magistrates' courts committees, under guidance issued by the Judicial Studies Board. The Judicial Studies Board has issued training material relating to anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) (Crime and Disorder Act 1998—training material for Sections 1 and 4; anti-social behaviour orders—April 1999 and revised April 2001) based on Home Office guidance on anti-social behaviour orders issued in 1999. This material reflects the seriousness of breach of an ASBO.The maximum penalty for conviction on indictment for a breach is five years' imprisonment or a fine; but it is for the courts to determine what sentences for breaches of ASBOs are appropriate in individual cases.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the trend in the number of incidents involving nuisance caused by young people which are recorded by the police; and whet her police forces are giving this problem sufficient attention .[HL3435]

The police do not record the number of incidents involving nuisance caused by young people. The British Crime Survey, however, reports on how much of a problem people perceive various forms of disorder to be in their local area. "Teenagers hanging around on the streets" was recorded as a "very" or "fairly" big problem for 20 per cent in 1992, with the trend generally upwards to 32 per cent in 2000.Police forces are required by the Crime and Disorder Act to join local authority representatives and others in crime and disorder partnerships, which can play a significant part in tackling anti-social behaviour. Partnerships have been asked to identify an anti-social behaviour co-ordinator to ensure that nuisance caused by young people and others is given sufficient attention, not only by the police but also by other key partners in the local area.

asked. Her Majesty's Government:Whether the classification of road fuels wholly derived either from oilseed rape or from refined used cooking oil as "mineral oils" is correct. [HL3765]

Biofuels, including those derived from oilseed rape or used cooking oil, are not classified as mineral oils under the European Council directive on the structures of excise duties on mineral oils. When used as a road fuel, however, they are required to be taxed at the same rate as the fuel for which they substitute.

asked Her Majesty's Government:To what extent HM Treasury is due to contribute towards paying the cost of the Scottish Parliament building; and what is the latest estimate of the total cost. [HL3775]

The cost of the Scottish Parliament building is a devolved matter and is funded from within the Scottish Executive's existing budget.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 12 February

No date has yet been set. A number of relevant institutions have been identified.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What scientific papers are available on the health consequences of exposure of Gulf War veterans to organophosphates and carbamates (including pyridostigmine bromide). [HL3659]

The Ministry of Defence's Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Unit is aware of over 500 scientific papers, reports and other material which are considered relevant to the examination of the health consequences for Gulf veterans of possible exposure to organophosphates and carbamates, including exposure in combination. Officials are compiling a list of all of these documents. I will write to the noble Countess providing a copy of the list and will place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether depleted uranium was contained in shells or other missiles used by the allies in the Gulf War, in addition to those used in anti-tank weapons. [HL3699]

During the Gulf War, the Royal Navy was equipped with the Vulcan Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS), an anti-missile defence system which used 20mm depleted uranium (DU) rounds. Rounds from this weapon were fired but purely for proving purposes and not during hostilities.The US Navy also deployed Vulcan Phalanx CIWS. Some DU shells were fired in response to the launch of a shore-based anti-ship missile.No other weapons containing DU were used by the allies in the Gulf War, apart from anti-tank weapons.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations the Ministry of Defence has received from Manchester City Council on the updating of war memorials to include the names of servicemen and women who lost their lives in conflicts other than the two world wars; what response is being made; and what action they will be taking. [HL3706]

The Ministry of Defence has received no representations on behalf of Her Majesty's Government from Manchester City Council on the updating of war memorials, nor would any be expected as the responsibility for maintenance of, or alterations to, war memorials rests with local authorities.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What new data series separated by gender, race, disability and age have been commissioned by the Ministry of Defence between June 1997 and the present. [HL3721]

Since June 1997 the Ministry of Defence has conducted three equal opportunities surveys: an ethnic origin re-survey of MoD civil servants; a tri-service ethnic origin re-survey; and a survey by disability of MoD civil servants. Ethnicity surveys of MoD civil servants and Armed Forces personnel were previously conducted in 1991 and 1996 respectively. We have also conducted analysis of the age of MoD civil servants in order to inform our review of retirement policy.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Ministry of Defence has established a baseline for policy appraisal against which to measure progress on equal treatment; and what progress has been achieved. [HL3722]

Although the Ministry of Defence does not have a policy appraisal baseline against which to measure progress on equal treatment, the requirement to consider the impact of proposals, either directly or indirectly, on different groups of people, including women, is embedded in the department's guidance to policy makers and as such is taken into account as a matter of course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether Zimbabwe was discussed during the recent EU General Affairs Council on 15 April. [HL3861]

On 15 April, the EU General Affairs Council imposed a moratorium on bilateral ministerial level contacts with Zimbabwe until further notice, except for the conduct of political dialogue intended to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Zimbabwe and on issues relating to regional security or for addressing humanitarian needs. The Council decided to defer consideration of additional targeted measures against the Government of Zimbabwe until its next meeting in May. An EU troika will visit Southern Africa soon to discuss the situation in Zimbabwe with SA DC countries (not Zimbabwe itself).We have made clear that the people of Zimbabwe have been denied their fundamental right to choose by whom they are governed. We support efforts by South Africa and Nigeria to facilitate dialogue between ZANU (PF) and MDC to try to restore democracy and the rule of law in Zimbabwe. We remain in continuous contact with our EU, US, Commonwealth and SA DC partners.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether depleted uranium is present in any fireworks, whether manufactured in the United Kingdom or manufactured elsewhere and imported. [HL3660]

The Health and Safety Executive's Explosives Inspectorate has wide experience of licensing and inspecting sites used for the manufacture and storage of fireworks. It knows of no cases where depleted uranium (DU) has been used in fireworks, whether they have been manufactured in the UK or imported from elsewhere. The primary function of DU in an explosives context is its use in munitions designed to penetrate armour plate. HSE is not aware of any valid contribution that the material would make to a pyrotechnic composition and in its view the cost of using it would be prohibitive.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress the national Bed and Breakfast Unit has made since 1 October 2001; and whether they consider the target of removing all homeless families with children from bed and breakfast accommodation by March 2004 to be attainable. [HL3700]

The Bed and Breakfast Unit (BBU) has undertaken a national consultation exercise, including a conference, and regional good practice seminars. Examples of good practice have also been identified and shared through a newsletter. Shortly, the first action advice teams will go into authorities to audit procedures for getting people out of B&B. With the Department for Work and Pensions, changes have also been made to housing benefit subsidy arrangement to make leasing self-contained property for homeless households more financially viable.The commitment to ensure that by March 2004 no homeless family with children is in B&B for more than six weeks was set after extensive consultation. In addition to the changes to housing benefit, worth an estimated £10 million to authorities, we are also providing an additional £35 million this year to help authorities meet the commitment. High B&B using authorities are producing action plans showing how they will reduce numbers and length of stay for homeless families with children in B&B over the next two years to meet the Secretary of State's commitment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many homeless households were in bed and breakfast accommodation at the most recent date. [HL3701]

The number of households accepted by local authorities under statutory homelessness provisions in England and accommodated in bed and breakfast hotels on 31 December 2001 was 12,110.The Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions recently announced a new commitment to ensure that by March 2004 no family with children will be placed in B&B other than in an emergency. This was accompanied by changes in housing benefit subsidies to make leasing self-contained temporary accommodation more cost-effective and an additional £35 million from DTLR to help local authorities find alternatives to B&B.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the annual cost of providing bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless people. [HL3702]

Based on the latest information supplied by local authorities in England, gross expenditure on bed and breakfast provision in 2000–01 was £193 million. Net expenditure, after taking into account income arising from charges to clients and housing benefit subsidy, was £74 million.The Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions recently announced a new commitment to ensure that by March 2004 no family with children will be placed in B&B other than in an emergency. This was accompanied by changes in housing benefit subsidies to make leasing self-contained temporary accommodation more cost-effective and an additional £35 million from DTLR to help local authorities find alternatives to B&B.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What evidence they have to show that the 28 days a year planning rule, under which many sporting events take place, is not operating satisfactory. [HL3704]

The department commissioned some research in February 2000, which included an investigation of the impact of provisions relating to the temporary use of land. It addressed matters such as impact on local amenity and the environment, for example in terms of litter, noise and relationships with other land uses in the area. The report was published on 12 September 2001. The department has also received correspondence from Members of Parliament, local planning authorities and members of the public about concerns arising from the temporary use provisions. The principal concerns relate to increased traffic, noise and litter.We issued on 24 January 2002 a consultation paper on possible options for change to the current temporary use provisions. The paper puts forward six options for possible change as well as inviting proposals for alternative options. The closing date for responses is 24 April 2002. The department will consider the way forward in the light of the responses received.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How they intend to take into account the contribution of general and business aviation to local economies as they develop an aviation policy for the next 30 years. [HL3727]

The Future of Aviation consultation paper published in December 2000 posed questions on a wide range of aviation issues, including questions on the role of general aviation. The role of business aviation has also been considered in the airport capacity studies we have carried out covering the whole of the UK. We plan to publish these studies shortly and bring forward proposals on which we will consult. We will analyse responses to the two consultation exercises before bringing forward new aviation and airports policies in an air transport White Paper.The Government have also decided to support research by the General Aviation Awareness Council which will examine the economic impact of general aviation, and are intending to commission a separate piece of research to examine the noise impacts of general aviation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will consider strengthening the provisions of Planning Policy Guidance 13 (PPG13) in respect of general aviation aerodromes and in particular the account that local authorities should take of the contribution of general aviation to local and regional economies when formulating planning policies and procedures. [HL3728]

The Government have decided to support research by the General Aviation Awareness Council which will examine the contribution of general aviation to both local and regional economies. Separate research looking at the environmental impacts of general aviation will also be commissioned. Once the projects have been completed, we will look at the findings and consider whether our policies on general aviation and the guidance in PPG13 needs to be reviewed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 27 March

As the Question requests a substantial amount of information, a comprehensive list of all 397 cases dealt with by the Pesticides Incidents Appraisal Panel (PIAP) between 1996 and 2001, showing all three dates requested, will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 27 March

The Health and Safety Executive produces annual information about pesticide incidents investigated by its inspectors. The Pesticide Incidents Report is published each autumn and the results presented to the ACP. The report includes analyses of data collated for previous years and highlights trends in respect of alleged ill health and other non-health related complaints. The most recent report was discussed at the ACP meeting held on 29 November 2001. The 10 most commonly recorded chemical types for active ingredients in alleged ill health incidents for the past 10 years are listed in the report.Organophosphates remain the most commonly recorded pesticide type, although more recently (from 1999) pyrethroids have featured more frequently. The most commonly recorded pesticide functions are herbicides and fungicides. Data obtained from incidents where pesticides are confirmed to have caused ill health are fed back into the approvals system and taken into account when the active substance is reviewed. Progressively, under European legislation now in place, future incidents reports will provide information on investigated incidents and complaints involving plant protection products (currently referred to as agricultural pesticides under the national system of pesticide approvals) and biocides (currently called non-agricultural pesticides).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether a highway authority's responsibilities for safety of the road under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 would oblige it to provide and maintain warning signs when a straight road leading over a railway bridge was realigned onto a blind bend and the bridge removed 33 years ago; and [HL3734]Whether they will list the number, type and result of prosecutions in the last five years for failure to ensure the safety of a road. [HL3736]

Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places a general duty on employers to conduct their undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of the public. In general, Section 3 is not enforced where public and worker safety is adequately protected by a more specific and detailed law enforced by another authority, in this instance the Highways Act 1980 and the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 gives a traffic authority the power to place traffic signs on or near a road and the Highways Act 1980 puts on highway authorities a duty to maintain the highway (including signs). The Highways Act does not specify the standard of maintenance required but case law suggests that: the extent of this duty will vary according to the type of highway and the kind of traffic that may normally be expected on it. Information about prosecutions for failure to ensure the safety of a road is not kept centrally.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Health and Safety Executive intends to prosecute Lincolnshire County Council for a failure to ensure the safety of the road at Nocton. [HL3735]

Both the British Transport Police and Lincolnshire police are investigating this incident. Until these investigations are concluded no decision can be taken about whether the Health and Safety Executive will prosecute Lincolnshire County Council.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In respect of the accident at Nocton in Lincolnshire on 28 February, whether there had ever been a road barrier in place since the under-bridge was removed 33 years ago; if so, who removed the barrier; when; and why it was not replaced. [HL3738]

This is a matter for whoever is responsible for maintaining the road.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list the number, type and result of prosecutions in the last five years for failure to ensure the safety of a railway. [HL3737]

A summary of prosecutions by the Health and Safety Executive for the five years 1996–97 to 2000–01 for breaches of health and safety legislation is provided in the table below.

Year	Number of prosecutions heard	Successful prosecutions
1996–97	6	6
1997–98	8	8
1998–99	10	10
1999–2000	11	11
2000–01	12	11

Full details of these prosecutions are included in the HM Chief Inspector of Railways' Annual Report on the safety record of the railways in Great Britain. Copies are available from both the House libraries.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the first projects of the Merseyside waterfront development plan will start. [HL3813]

Work on the Mersey Waterfront Regional Park is progressing as planned and a commencement business plan is currently being finalised for consideration by partners and stakeholders.The five Merseyside local authorities have formed a steering group to develop a programme of proposed projects over the period 2002–05. The programme is anticipated to commence in September.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ask Braintree District Council to cease using land adjacent to the A12 trunk road at Witham for advertising hoardings, which are contrary to government planning policy guidance. [HL3836]

Local planning authorities are responsible for the day-to-day operation of the advertisement control system. They have powers to control outdoor advertisements and to remove advertisements which are displayed unlawfully.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which Ministers sit on the Green Ministers Cabinet Sub-Committee; and how many times the sub-committee has met since 7 June 2001. [HL3484]

Following the General Election in June 2001, the previously informal committee was upgraded to a Cabinet Sub-Committee of ENV and it is established practice under exemption two of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees.The membership of the committee is as follows:

Name	Department
Rt. Hon Michael Meacher MP Minister of State (Environment) (Chair)	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rt. Hon Harriet Harman QC MP Solicitor General	Law Officers Department
Rt. Hon Paul Boateng Financial Secretary	HM Treasury
Rt. Hon Alun Michael Minister of State (Rural Affairs)	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Brian Wilson QC MP Minister for Industry and Energy	Department of Trade and Industry

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the definition of the maize crop which is part of the genetically modified farm scale trial; whether this is different from the so-called Bt Maize; and why the latter is not part of those farm scale trials. [HL3612]

The maize being grown in the genetically modified crop farm-scale evaluations is a type of GM herbicide tolerant maize produced by Aventis CropScience GmbH (formerly AgrEvo) that is known by its code number T25. The maize is tolerant to the widely used herbicide glufosinate ammonium; this has been achieved by the insertion of a gene that makes the enzyme phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT). PAT inactivates glufosinate inside the plant rendering it non-toxic. This is quite different from so-called Bt maize which is maize genetically modified to express an insect control protein derived from the common soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. Expression of the protein throughout the plant provides control of the insect pest, the European corn borer, and certain other lepidopteran insect pests to which the protein is toxic.The farm scale evaluations only involve GM herbicide tolerant oil seed rape (both spring and winter sown), maize and beet. In 1998 these three types of GM crop were on the verge of entering commercial agriculture in the UK when real concerns were raised about the impact the management of these crops with their specific herbicides would have on the agricultural environment. The Government, through a voluntary agreement with industry, have halted their commercial introduction and that of other GM crops until the evaluations are completed.Bt maize was not included in the evaluations because there was and continues to be no proposal to grow it in the United Kingdom. Unlike other parts of the European Union, the corn borer is not a pest in the UK. In addition, the current methodology of the farm-scale evaluations would be inappropriate because the same herbicide management regime would apply to both Bt maize and non-GM maize. If there were a proposal to grow Bt maize here we would need to be satisfied that the potential impact of its insect resistant properties and the overall management regime for the crop did not result in unacceptable environmental effects.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

(a) what are the numbers of meat plants which export meat into the United Kingdom from the European Community; and

(b) how often European Union veterinarians inspect these plants. [HL3762]

Information about the number of meat plants in the EU from which meat is sent directly to the UK is not readily available. Community legislation requires member states to submit a list of approved establishments to other member states and the Commission. However, only lists for the countries below are available on the European Commission's website.While these plants are eligible to send meat to the UK, they may not necessarily be doing so.

Country	Approximate number of plants approved to trade with other member states
Belgium	1,797
Denmark	1838
Finland	551
France	18,784

asked Her Majesty's Government:What the outcome was of the consultation on the recommendations of the Lead Shot Legislation (England) Review Group. [HL3915]

The department has conducted a consultation exercise on the proposals put forward by the Lead Shot Legislation (England) Review Group. Over 1,800 consultation papers were issued. The response rate was low. The report contained proposals for some changes to the site list in Schedule 1 to the lead shot legislation of 1999, removing some sites not considered important for waterfowl and adding others which were considered important. It also contained proposals for the removal of Common Snipe and Golden Plover from Schedule 2. No respondents disagreed with the recommendations. The amendments recommended will therefore be implemented by statutory instrument under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 in due course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made with the implementation of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme. [HL3916]

The UK Emissions Trading Scheme went live on 2 April with the opening of the innovative, web-based Emissions Trading Registry, which records the transfer of allowances from buyer to seller. A number of trades have already taken place.A total of 34 organisations successfully joined the scheme through a competitive auction held in March. In return for taking on legally binding emissions reduction targets, these organisations will each receive a share of the financial incentive that the Government are making available over the five years of the scheme. They can choose to meet their annual targets by reducing emissions themselves or by buying surplus allowances from other participating organisations. To date, over 50 other organisations have opened trading accounts so that they can buy and sell allowances.We expect the volume of trades and number of participants to increase in the autumn and beyond when participation in the scheme widens as some of the 6,000 companies in climate change agreements begin buying allowances to enable them to meet their targets or selling any over-achievement to other participants. Projects that produce quantified reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will also be able, in time and subject to prior approval from the Government, to earn credits that can then be traded through the scheme.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In the light of the recent judicial case of Ms B, whether they will advise every National Health Service trust to establish an ethics committee with lay membership. [HL3714]

A range of options, including the use of clinical ethics committees, is available to trusts to provide ethics support in clinical decision-making. We welcome these developments but have no plans at present to stipulate how such support is provided.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What general lessons have emerged from the recent judicial case of Ms B as regards the handling of difficult ethical decisions by the management of National Health Service Trusts. [HL3715]

The case of Ms B has highlighted again the fundamental importance of the principle of valid consent in treatment decisions and of the need for trusts and practitioners to be aware of the relevant law. To this end, we issued in March 2001 the Reference Guide to Consent for Examination or Treatment, together with 12 key points on consent: the law in England, which was sent to all health professionals in England. In October last year we issued model consent to treatment forms for implementation in April 2002 and a model consent policy which all National Health Service trusts should implement by October 2002.

asked Her Majesty's Government: Which prisoners' and ex-prisoners' organisations benefited from the European Union Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and Border Counties of Ireland 1995–99; by how much each organisation benefited; and what are their geographical location and remit. [HL3390]

The information requested is not readily available in the format requested. The attached annex does however provide the names of the ex-prisoners' groups who were granted funding under Measure 4.4 and 4.6 of the European Union Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation (Peace 1) and the amount of grant awarded. Since the introduction of Peace 1, victims groups have received nearly £4.4 million.The list does not include the geographical location or specify the purpose of the grant as this information is not available. Grants were however awarded for a variety of reasons, including salaries for project workers and funding for support programmes and self-help groups.

	Date	£
Prisoners' Aid & Post Conflict
Resettlement (East Belfast)	Apr 97	10,000
Prisoners Enterprise Project (South Belfast)	Apr 97	74,000
Prisoners Enterprise Project (South Belfast)	Apr 97	3,000
Tar Abhaile	Apr 97	39,000
Tar Abhaile	Apr 97	10,000
Tar Anall—luir Cinn Tra	Apr 97	27,000
Tar Anall—luir Cinn Tra	Apr 97	2,500
Ulster Quaker Service Committee	Apr 97	13,700
INTERCOMM (Inter Community Development Project)	May 97	2,380
Newtownabbey Prisoners Resettlement Group	May 97	3,000
INTERCOMM (Inter Community Development Project)	Jun 97	5,000
Lisburn Prisoners' Support Project	Jun 97	44,500
Lisburn Prisoners' Support Project	Jun 97	5,300
Newtownabbey Prisoners Resettlement Group	Jun 97	41,000
Newtownabbey Prisoners Resettlement Group	Jun 97	3,000
Tar Anall	Jun 97	7,000
The Welfare Unit (Maze Prison)	Jun 97	13,700
The Welfare Unit (Maze Prison)	Jun 97	400
Ulster Prisoners' Aid	Jun 97	42,000
Ulster Prisoners' Aid	Jun 97	760
Prison Fellowship (NI)	Dec 97	3,000
Fermanagh Prisoners Dependants Association	Feb 98	1,000
Fermanagh Prisoners Dependants Association	Feb 98	10,000
Strabane Ex-Prisoners Group	Feb 98	71,000
Strabane Ex-Prisoners Group	Feb 98	5,000
Prisoners' Aid & Post Conflict Resettlement Group	Mar 98	1,476

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the recommendation of the Victims Commissioner (Sir Kenneth Bloomfield) that organisations meeting the needs of victims require more funding has been implemented; and if so, what progress there has been. [HL3575]

Since 1998 Government have committed £18.25 million to support victims of the Troubles. Of this, £3.1 million was initially allocated to core fund victims and survivors of groups. This scheme was introduced in January 2000 for a period of two years and is administered by the Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust. In December 2001, Des Browne, Victims Minister, announced the allocation of a further £3 million to extend the core funding scheme. An evaluation of the scheme has recently been completed and decisions on the criteria and arrangements for administering this further allocation will be guided by the findings of the evaluation.The Government have also funded a victims support grants scheme administered by the Community Relations Council. Initially £225,000 was allocated to the scheme, which assists community groups and voluntary organisations to take forward recommendations in the Bloomfield report. In December 2001 a further allocation of £750,000 was announced to extend the scheme.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the recommendation of the Victims Commissioner (Sir Kenneth Bloomfield) that some form of truth and reconciliation commission could benefit peace and reconciliation has been implemented; and, if so, what progress there has been. [HL3578]

In his report We Will Remember Them (April 1998) Sir Kenneth Bloomfield gave careful consideration to the issue of a truth reconciliation commission. From his extensive dialogue throughout the community in Northern Ireland Sir Kenneth concluded that the time was not appropriate for the establishment of such a commission, noting that "if any such device were to have a place in the life of Northern Ireland, it could only be in the context of a wide-ranging political accord".It is now four years since the Bloomfield report was published and government are currently reviewing their strategic approach to the needs of victims in the context of the on-going political process.