asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the population of the United Kingdom at the time of the last general election; and what percentage of that population was eligible to vote. [HL3804]

Data supplied by the Government Actuary's Department give the estimated population of the United Kingdom on 30 June 2001 as 59,987,000. This includes children, foreign nationals and other persons not entitled to vote here. The total number of persons registered as parliamentary electors and thereby eligible to vote on 7 June 2001, including those on the overseas electors list, was 44,403,238.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What percentage of the electorate voted Labour at the last general election. [HL3803]

The table below sets out the number of votes and the percentage of the total electorate who voted for all parties represented in the House of Commons at the last general election. No other party received more than 166.500 votes—0.38 per cent of the total electorate. From this it can be seen that 10,724,953 electors voted for candidates representing the Labour Party out of a total electorate of 44,407,238. This represents 24.15 per cent.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the closure of Paddington Station on 18 April arises from any factor within their responsibility. [HL3886]

Paddington mainline rail station was not closed on 18 April. Paddington Tube station (Circle and District Lines) was closed that day from 09:00 for 50 minutes clue to a fire alarm in "Hotel Reservation".

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether Galileo is to be compatible with the United States global positioning system; and, if so, what action is being taken to ensure that this is so. [HL3944]

The Transport Council of the European Union at its meeting on 26 March reiterated the need for Galileo to be interoperable with the global positioning system (GPS). The Council intends that this should be achieved through a co-operation agreement between the European Union and the United States. The UK is participating in the negotiations on the agreement and will continue to press within the EU for this outcome. Additionally, the UK will contribute to the technical work of the Galileo development and validation phase with the objective of ensuring that the systems are interoperable.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking with regard to the United States' concerns about the security implications of Galileo. [HL3945]

In discussions within the European Union for the Transport Council on 26 March, we ensured that the US concerns, which the UK shared, were taken into account. It is our intention to continue to work within the EU and in the negotiations with the US to ensure that the security implications of Galileo are considered in full and that a solution acceptable to the UK, the EU and the US is concluded.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have yet come to a view on the desirability of introducing, in addition to the list of postal votes issued, a register, open to inspection by the public, of electors whose postal votes have been returned. [HL3951]

We are considering the responses received to our consultation paper on recording the return of postal ballot papers and intend to announce our conclusions shortly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their view on the desirability or otherwise of political parties or candidates encouraging electors to apply for postal votes to be sent to a common address, at which they are not residing either permanently or temporarily during the election, such as a party headquarters, a candidate's committee room or the home of a candidate or party officer or known activist; and whether the legislation was intended to allow this to happen; and [HL3952]Whether returning officers are permitted to exercise discretion over whether to send a ballot paper to an address which is not that of the elector if they have grounds for suspicion that sending a ballot paper to such an address may lead to the fraudulent use of that ballot paper. [HL3953]

It is for each elector who applies for a postal vote to decide the address to which the voting papers should be sent. We expect electors to choose the address that they consider to be the most convenient and secure for the receipt of the papers. If an electoral registration officer (ERO) or an acting returning officer (ARO) has a suspicion of electoral fraud, it is for them to notify the police. Where an application meets the statutory requirements, it must be accepted, and, where practicable, the ERO will confirm the arrangements by notifying the elector. Once these arrangements are in place, the ARO has no discretion to disregard them.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will give consideration to placing speed limit signs alongside speed camera signs in order to remind drivers of the speed at which they should be driving. [HL3967]

New visibility rules for those areas participating in the safety camera netting-off scheme were announced on 3 December 2001. One of these rules is for camera warning and speed limit reminder signs to be placed in advance of camera sites. Those areas remaining outside the new funding system will be issued guidance that will closely follow that for the netting-off scheme.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 11 April (

(a) The seat spacing proposals in the CAA-sponsored ICE Ergonomics research were based primarily on emergency evacuation requirements. ICE Ergonomics were additionally asked to consider the medical aspects of long-term sitting and the scope for addressing this within the minimum seat spacing requirements. The report concluded that there was a lack of prospective, controlled data and that the contribution of seat design and spacing to the development of thromboembolic disease was not yet known.(b) Any decision to increase the safety-based minima on UK aircraft on long-haul flights would be a matter for the CAA.There is currently no evidence to justify an increase in the minima on long-haul flights on the grounds of health. On the basis of our current understanding of travel-related DVT, it is immobility that presents the most significant risk factor and this issue is addressed in the advice on DVT published by the Department of Health. Our present plans for further research on DVT incorporate an assessment of whether there are elements specific to the aircraft environment that can also increase the risk of DVT, including seat spacing on long-haul flights.(c) Validation of the findings from the ICE Ergonomics research is a matter for the Joint Aviation Authorities to take forward. Any passenger trials would almost certainly involve a cross-section of the public, including age and general fitness. While the effects of sitting for several hours could be embodied within such testing, it would not be possible to do so under conditions that truly simulated the atmospheric and environmental conditions that exist in the flying environment.(d) There are a number of factors that affect the amount of space and the degree of comfort afforded by any given seat on an aircraft, including the position of the seat in front, the design and construction of the seat itself and the build of the occupant. In addition, different seats on the same aircraft can have different seat pitch or seat width. It is difficult to include all the relevant variables within a single set of measurements without compromising the clarity of the information. The work the department is currently undertaking on a definition of seat size, and on which it is consulting interested parties, aims to provide passengers with a consistent and straightforward basis on which to make comparisons when terms such as "seat pitch" and "seat width" are used.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 11 April (

The advice published by the Department of Health in November 2001 clearly identifies those groups within the general population that should consider taking medical advice before undertaking a flight. At present the Government do not regard it as a priority to investigate the extent to which this advice, and the information provided by airlines, is understood by passengers.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 11 April (

No. On short-haul routes, some aircraft types do not re-circulate air and therefore do not require filters. In addition there are a number of aircraft types used on short-haul routes that cannot be fitted with HEPA filters, although some of these employ filtration equipment equivalent to HEPA standard.

asked Her Majesty's Government:For an update on the amendment or repeal under Section 75 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 of legislation prohibiting the disclosure of information. [HL4050]

We have identified 155 items of primary legislation and 83 items of secondary legislation that contain provisions prohibiting the disclosure of information. We have also identified a further 62 items of primary legislation and 18 items of secondary legislation which contain provisions providing discretion to disclose information.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the UK intends 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. [HL4074]

Yes. The Government will sign Protocol 13 with a view to ratification when it is opened for signature at the next Council of Ministers meeting at Vilnius on 2 and 3 May. We will seek Parliament's approval under the Human Rights Act to add this protocol to the convention rights set out in that Act.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the recommendation of the Victims Commissioner (Sir Kenneth Bloomfield) about the creation of a fund to assist in particular children and young people affected by the death or injury of a parent has been considered; and if so, what progress there has been. [HL3709]

The Government have funded various projects aimed at meeting the needs of children and young people affected by the Troubles. These include:£700,000 for the establishment of the Family Trauma Centre which provides a specialist service for the psychological assessment and treatment of children and their families suffering from trauma;

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the recommendation of the Victims Commissioner (Sir Kenneth Bloomfield) about the possibility of supporting efforts towards peace and reconciliation originating in Great Britain has been considered; and if so, what progress there has been. [HL3710]

In July 2001 the Victims Minister, Des Browne, announced the allocation of £500,000 for initiatives aimed at supporting victims of the Northern Ireland Troubles who live in Great Britain.£250,00 of this funding has been allocated to the Legacy Project, an initiative of the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Trust. The project, which is based in Warrington, will develop a programme of work to identify and meet the needs of these victims who include those affected by Troubles-related terrorist attacks on the mainland; military personnel who served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and their families; and, people from Northern Ireland who have been exiled to GB by paramilitary groups. Initially the project will seek to identify best methods for accessing victims and to carry out a needs analysis and, as work progresses, will develop networks and links with voluntary and statutory agencies in Northern Ireland.No decision has yet been made on the allocation of the remaining £250,000, but as the work of the Legacy Project develops, further areas where funding is needed may be identified.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the recommendation of the Victims Commissioner (Sir Kenneth Bloomfield) about the designation of "Memorial and Reconciliation Day", if and when the churches consider it appropriate, has been considered; and if so, what progress there has been. [HL3711]

Following publication of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield's report We Will Remember Them, the Victims Liaison Unit consulted with the leaders of the Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist Churches in Northern Ireland on the report's recommendations.It was concluded that the time was not yet appropriate to take forward the recommendation of a memorial and reconciliation day.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the recommendation of the Victims Commissioner (Sir Kenneth Bloomfield) about a Northern Ireland memorial in the form of a beautiful and useful building within a peaceful and harmonious garden has been considered; and if so, what progress there has been. [HL3712]

Following publication of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield's report We Will Remember Them, the Victims Liaison Unit, set up to take forward the report's recommendations, engaged in a wide consultation exercise with victims and victims' groups throughout Northern Ireland. The findings of the consultation were that there are mixed views in the community regarding a memorial. Some victims have deep feelings about sharing memorials with other members of the victims' community. It was concluded that the time was not yet appropriate for the establishment of such a memorial.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission will make a declaration that on 15 August 1998 in Omagh 29 people plus two unborn babies had their right to life abused by those claiming to be the Real IRA, as requested by the Omagh Support and Self Help Group. [HL3755]

This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. The Chief Commissioner has been asked to write to the Lord Laird. A copy of his letter will be placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ask the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to take steps to rebuild the confidence of the Omagh bomb victims' support group in the Commission. [HL3757]

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is an independent body. It is not for Government to influence the commission's policy decisions, nor should government seek to interfere in the commission's relationships with other bodies or groups.We have, however, drawn to the attention of the commission the comments made by the noble Lord.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has not provided practical support for the relatives of the Omagh bomb victims' civil action under Section 69 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998; and, if not, why not. [HL3756]

I understand that the commission has yet to consider the extent of support that might be provided to the Omagh Support and Self Help Group, but that an application is currently before the Commission's Casework Committee. When the matter has been determined the group will be advised of the outcome.We have asked the Chief Commissioner, Professor Brice Dickson, to write to the noble Lord in due course to advise him of the Commission's decision.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much, in total, the reuniforming, rebadging and reimaging of the Police Service of Northern Ireland is costing. [HL3754]

All police officers have been supplied with new uniforms, which include the new badge. The total cost for the new uniforms is £4.5 million. Other costs are being incurred as part of the process of creating a modern police service, including, for example, new livery for police vehicles; these will he spread over three years and are expected to be in the region of £1.5 million.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether consultation has taken place regarding a joint inspectorate for prisons, probation and police in Northern Ireland; and, if so, what is the Government's position on this issue. [HL3972]

The Criminal Justice Review recommended the establishment of a statute-based, independent criminal justice inspectorate, and the Government have fully accepted this recommendation.The Northern Ireland Prison Service, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and the Probation Board for Northern Ireland, are included within the remit of the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice. Consultations are continuing with a number of organisations and agencies, with a view to adding to the list of organisations specified in the Bill.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the letter by the Secretary of State at the Department for International Development to the Lord Alton of Liverpool dated 26 March, what is the nature of the allegations of family planning abuses in Hunan, Hubei and Fujian provinces which they have brought to the attention of the Chinese authorities. [HL3810]

The allegations which were drawn to the attention of the Chinese authorities were those which received wide coverage in the UK media at the time. The allegations concerned abandonment and murder by Chinese officials.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are making progress on:

We continue to work closely with France to address the problem of cross-Channel illegal migration and achieve a situation in which the Red Cross Centre at Sangatte can be closed. A package of measures was announced following a meeting between my right honourable friend the Home Secretary (David Blunkett) and Daniel Vaillant in September. Since then bilateral discussion and a special Cross-Channel Commission subgroup has been set up to look specifically at the issue of Sangatte and how to deal with its residents. The group has met twice, in Paris on 13 February and in London on 18 March. A further meeting will take place shortly.We look forward to pursuing these matters with the new French Government once one is in place and will naturally announce new measures as they are agreed.Juxtaposed controls have been in place since June 2001 at stations in the United Kingdom (UK) and France served by Eurostar. Since 4 February, these controls have applied to all passengers intending to board UK-bound services, including those travelling between Paris and Calais with domestic-only tickets. This has effectively closed off what was a major route through which improperly documented passengers arrived in the United Kingdom.The provision of a legislative base for funding a resettlement programme, which would operate with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, is included in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill. It will not be possible to begin any programme until that provision has cleared Parliament and received Royal Assent. My officials are at present, therefore, developing a best practice model in consultation with other government departments, and expert groups that could be the basis for a programme, should sufficient funding be available.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the principle that justifies providing different burdens of proof for claims of unlawful discrimination in employment and non-employment claims under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 as amended. [HL2702]

The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 was amended in 2001 by the Sex Discrimination (Indirect Discrimination and Burden of Proof) Regulations 2001 (SI 2001 no.2660) to reflect and implement the Burden of Proof Directive 97/80. The directive relates only to measures which encompass generally employment and vocational training. The Sex Discrimination (Indirect Discrimination and Burden of Proof) Regulations were made under powers which flow from the European Communities Act 1972 so consequently only the employment and vocational training aspect of the Sex Discrimination Act could be amended.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will introduce amending legislation to provide for the same burden of proof for claims of unlawful discrimination in employment and non-employment cases under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975. [HL2703]

There are no plans at present to make such changes to the Sex Discrimination Act 1975.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect to bring forward legislation on late payment in commercial transactions to meet the requirements of the Late Payment Directive 2000/35/EC. [HL3676]

We aim to bring forward legislation to comply with the date for implementation of this Directive, which is before 8 August 2002.I would like to thank the Better Payment Practice Group for their support. The members of the Group are: the Association of British Insurers, the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants, the British Bankers Association, the British Chambers of Commerce, the Confederation of British Industry, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, the Credit Management Research Centre, the Credit Services Association, the Factors and Discounters Association, the Forum for Private Business, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, the Institute of Credit Management, the Institute of Directors, the Institute of Exporters, the National Farmers Union, and the Union of Independent Companies.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the outcome of the second stage of the quinquennial review of the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils will be announced. [HL4052]

I am today able to announce the outcome of the second stage of the quinquennial review of the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC).The first stage of the review recommended that the second stage of the review should focus on the issues associated with the implementation of a strategic ownership model, to encourage collective ownership by the user research councils of CCLRC's large facilities, addressing in particular the implications for the status of CCLRC and its accountability to Ministers and Parliament.The second stage of the review has been led by the chief executive of the CCLRC, Professor John Wood, and conducted under the guidance an external review-board chaired by Sir Peter Williams, and the Office of Science and Technology. The review has been conducted in accordance with the latest Cabinet Office guidance and Cabinet Office and Treasury officials have had an opportunity to comment on the draft report and its recommendations.The principal recommendation is that for its core business the CCLRC should remain a non-departmental public body (NDPB) and a research council. In addition, CCLRC should be given a strategic role, as identified in stage one, to act as a national focus for large facilities for neutron scattering, synchrotron radiation and high power lasers on behalf of the research councils UK. Further, it should also co-ordinate the development for Research Councils UK of policies and strategies for the provision of access by UK scientists to leading-edge, large-scale facilities in these scientific areas, both nationally and internationally. The co-ordination and provision of strategic advice would be carried out separately from the day-to-day operation of CCLRC-owned facilities.There should be a common scheme for access to the large facilities for researchers sponsored by all the research councils. For those proposals that successfully undergo competitive peer review, there will be a "free at the point of access" arrangement.CCLRC's funding arrangements should alter so that CCLRC receives direct funding from the Office of Science and Technology for providing, operating, maintaining, developing and upgrading its large facilities and their instrumentation. This would be on the basis that a rolling medium-term plan for the operational requirements of the large facilities be prepared by CCLRC and endorsed by Research Councils UK. This arrangement would ensure that the chief executive of CCLRC as accounting officer is clearly and visibly accountable for the value for money of all aspects of the delivery of science from these large facilities. In addition, there will be an external review of CCLRC's cost base and financial processes in advance of the changes to the funding arrangements.I warmly welcome these recommendations and offer my thanks to Professor Wood and the review board.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 25 March (

Clause 1 means that my right honourable friend the Secretary of State would only be permitted to approve proposals if she considers that they would contribute to the raising of standards. In assessing whether proposals would raise standards, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State would consider their impact on standards of achievement in the basics and on the breadth of provision available. The Government have made clear their view that they would not in general regard a proposal to suspend the requirement to teach a compulsory subject as standards-raising unless appropriate arrangements are in place to secure high standards in the basics and a broad and balanced curriculum. It follows that only in such circumstances would my right honourable friend the Secretary of State have the power to grant the order, but that if these conditions were met, the legislation would allow an order to be granted.

asked Her Majesty's Government:If under Clause 2 of the Education Bill a school were to produce proposals to raise standards by exemption from an obligation to provide children:

Clause 1 of the Education Bill means that the Secretary of State would only be permitted to approve proposals if she considered that they would contribute to the raising of standards. In assessing whether proposals would raise standards, the Secretary of State would be required to consider their impact on all children, including those who have special educational needs or behavioural disorders.The Government have made it clear that if a proposal came forward to reduce the quality of provision for a group of children, they would not regard it to be standards raising. They therefore could not approve the proposal in these circumstances. Furthermore, the Government have made it clear that it would not approve proposals that unfairly discriminated against any group of children, whatever their wider impact.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What impact they envisage government proposals for secondary schools will have on performance tables for pupils aged 16 if:

The performance tables for secondary schools already provide for pupils who take their GCSEs early.The Green Paper,

asked Her Majesty's Government:Who will meet the logistical costs, particularly within rural areas, of pupils moving between school, college and places of work, for education under the government proposals for pupils between the ages of 14–19. [HL3828]

As the Green Paper 14–19: extending opportunities, raising standards makes clear, we will use the 14–19 pathfinders to test a variety of models of collaborative working in different circumstances, including in rural areas, to secure greater choice of curriculum pathways for 14–19 year-olds. The pathfinders will provide evidence of the financial implications of delivering the 14–19 strategy: they will try out in particular different approaches to funding students who are spending significant amounts of time in an institution other than their parent institution. In addition, we will look at existing good practice in delivering 14–19, for example the Tamar Valley Consortium which featured as a case study in the Green Paper.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What help, financial or otherwise, they have given to the National Trust in the years 1999, 2000, 2001 and to date, through (a) Heritage Lottery funding and (b) Millennium Lottery funding. [HL3811]

From 1999 to date the Millennium Commission has not awarded grant under its programmes to the National Trust. In addition to its Millennium Awards for individuals and Millennium Festival programme for community events, the commission held only two relatively minor application rounds for capital projects between 1999 and the present and these were specifically aimed at projects which reflected the aspirations and achievements of ethnic minority communities.The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded grant to the National Trust as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will accede to the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the means of prohibiting and preventing the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property. [HL4067]

I am very pleased to announce that the convention has today been published as Command Paper 5500 and laid together with an Explanatory Memorandum. We hope to achieve our aim of acceding to the convention by July.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their position on recreational activities in which animals, birds or fish are killed. [HL3683]

The Government were elected on an election commitment to provide for a free vote and then to enable Parliament to resolve the issue of hunting. There is an equally explicit manifesto commitment not to place restrictions on the sports of angling and shooting.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the debate on the livestock industry on 17 April (HL Deb, cols. 944–984), what is the timetable for the working party established by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to look into the illegal import of meat into the United Kingdom; and when their findings will be published. [HL3898]

Following a meeting of stakeholders chaired by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State, the Government published an action plan on 28 March the aim of which is to reduce the risk of exotic disease entering the country and then threatening the health of susceptible livestock. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.The plan covers a number of areas which are being developed to different timetables. This involves interchange and co-operation across government and with external interests, but no formal working party has been established.