asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to ratify the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. [HL4255]

The UK signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography in September 2000 and does intend to ratify this instrument.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking to prevent the possibility of a nuclear war over the escalating tension between India and Pakistan along the line of control and international borders. [HL4367]

My right honourable friend the Prime Minister has spoken several times during the current crisis in South Asia to President Musharraf and Prime Minister Vajpayee. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs is in frequent contact with his Indian and Pakistani counterparts and other international partners about this issue. He most recently spoke to his Indian counterpart on 18 May. We are urging Pakistan to clamp down visibly and definitively on terrorism, in line with the commitments given in President Musharraf's speech of 12 January. We continue to impress on both countries that their differences will best be resolved through dialogue, not violence.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to apply electronic monitoring technology to juveniles released from the custodial part of the detention and training order. [HL4494]

Section 62 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Services Act 2000 provides for the electronic monitoring of prisoners released on licence. By virtue of Section 62(5)(a), this includes young people during the community element of a detention and training order (DTO).

asked Her Majesty's Government:What re-appointments or appointments are to be made to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. [HL4495]

Her Majesty has approved the re-appointment for a further term of the following existing members of the Criminal Cases Review Commision:

• Sir Frederick Crawford (Chairman)
• Mr Laurence Elks
• Mr Tony Foster
• Mr Karamjit Singh
• Mr Baden Skitt.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have concluded their consideration of the report of the working group on an advice service for wrongfully convicted prisoners and whether they have made final decisions on the matter. [HL4496]

After careful consideration of the report and recommendations of the working group, we have decided to establish an advice service for such individuals. The service will operate as a pilot project for an initial period of 12 months and will be provided by the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux. The project will be subject to rigorous monitoring and evaluation during this pilot phase. Decisions on future service provision will be made in the light of evidence from the evaluation. To inform the evaluation process we have also decided to establish a consultative group whose members will be drawn from a range of organisations and individuals with an interest in this issue. Expressions of interest in membership of this group are now being invited.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the latest figures for the incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin's disease in the United Kingdom, categorised by sex and age; and what is the percentage rise in incidence since 1982. [HL4248]

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

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their response to the European Commission proposal for an international air transport tax to finance aid and development; and whether such a tax would be an effective and more workable alternative to the currency transactions tax. [HL4375]

The Government are committed to exploring the full range of options for increasing the amount of finance available for development purposes. However, as the Commission's February 2002 report Responses to the Challenges of Globalisation made clear, there are a number of practical issues such as coverage and enforcement that would need to be resolved before any of these proposals could become feasible. International initiatives such as these, which require co-ordinated implementation, rely ultimately on the political will of many national governments to make them work.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much they anticipate saving (a) in the current financial year and (b) in subsequent financial years from the discovery that Tornado aircraft can be loaded inside a C17 transport for roulement purposes. [HL4217]

The RAF's decision to use the C17 from December 2001 to transport its Tornado F3 to the Falkland Islands is expected to release approximately 324 flying hours and 300 man hours per roulement. These resources are being redeployed by the RAF to undertake training and other tasks, so a cash saving will not accrue. Each of the four Tornado aircraft are returned to the United Kingdom for servicing every 18 months and a turnover of approximately one aircraft every nine months is planned.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to ratify the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. [HL4254]

Yes. Officials in both the Ministry of Defence and Foreign and Commonwealth Office are working actively towards ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvment of children in armed conflict, and we hope to be in a position to ratify soon. As part of the ratification process, an explanatory memorandum will be laid before Parliament to explain the significance of the Optional Protocol.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What date Eurofighter is expected to enter service with the Royal Air Force. [HL4492]

My honourable friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Dr Moonie) made clear on 26 February 2002 (Official Report, col. 1139W) to the honourable Member for North Essex (Mr Jenkin) in another place that the June 2002 in-service date for Eurofighter was becoming increasingly challenging to achieve. Although good progress has been made by industry, with the first three instrumented production aircraft achieving successful first flights in early April, delays in bringing the detailed design to full maturity in some areas prevented the flight test programme from starting on time.Following a thorough review of the programme involving the partner nations, the NATO agency responsible for undertaking the procurement and industry, we have jointly concluded that acceptance of the first aircraft into service should be delayed, to take place by the end of this year, and we shall plan on that basis. We shall now be working hard with industry to recover lost time and achieve the planned operational employment date in the second half of the decade, thus avoiding any gap in front-line capability or extra costs to the Ministry of Defence. The delays are disappointing but reflect the complexity of the project and the major advance in technology it represents. Initial flights of the instrumented production aircraft have been impressive and the Government remain fully committed to this contribution to the United Kingdom's military capability.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the answer by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 30 April (HL Deb, col. 569), whether they will list the countries to which Lord Sainsbury referred which run a postal service as a competitive enterprise while at the same time maintaining a universal service. [HL4124]

In Sweden, Finland and New Zealand there is no reserved postal sector while the universal postal obligation continues to be maintained.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to set up a local inquiry to consider the designation order for a New Forest national park. [HL4459]

Under Schedule 1 to the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, an inquiry must be held into the designation order if a local authority has objected and the objection has not been withdrawn. Several local authorities have lodged objections, which are being maintained. A letter is being sent to all those who have made objections or representations advising them that a local inquiry is to be held and what the scope of the inquiry will be. A copy of the letter is in the Library of the House. The inquiry is expected to start in October.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the criteria for the installation of traffic lights at intersections on trunk roads; and whether the intersections in Derbyshire of the A6 and the B5023 at Duffield and the A6 and the B5057 at Darley Dale meet these criteria. [HL4383]

I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Tim Matthews, to write to the noble Lord.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Given that the East London line project lacks a private funding partner and that the construction start date is still some way off, whether they consider that the proposed demolition by London Underground Ltd at Bishopsgate goodsyard is premature. [HL4392]

This is a matter for London Underground Ltd, in the exercise of the powers granted to it under the London Underground (East London Line Extension) Order 1997.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the recent publication of their White Paper

Chapter 9 of the White Paper, Your region, Your Choice, sets out the process by which an elected assembly can be established in a region. Box 9.1 sets out the key features of a referendum on an elected regional assembly, while paragraphs 9.2 to 9.4 discuss the process by which we will decide which region or regions should hold a referendum first. We will say more in due course about how we will gauge public interest and we have given a commitment to take decisions only after consulting all eight regions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether new regulations dealing with civil aviation in the United Kingdom will no longer come before the British Parliament when the European Safety Agency is operating fully. [HL4332]

The draft EC regulation setting up the European Aviation Safety Agency provides the framework for a new European regulatory system and has been subject to UK parliamentary scrutiny procedures. It sets out basic principles and essential safety requirements with regards to aircraft and product certification. Further EC regulations, also subject to UK parliamentary scrutiny, will be required to extend the scope of the system, including essential safety requirements, to other areas of civil aviation, initially for operators and personnel.Member states will continue to play a major role in the new system. Many of the European safety standards will be implemented by existing national aviation authorities. The Civil Aviation Authority will continue to issue a range of certificates and approvals under UK regulations which will be subject to normal parliamentary processes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many London theatres have received lottery or heritage help during the years 1999, 2000, 2001 and in 2002 to date; and [HL4354]How many theatres in North West England have received lottery or heritage help during the years 1999, 2000, 2001 and in 2002 to date. [HL4355]

I have contacted the Arts Council of England and the Heritage Lottery Fund to request the information required to answer these questions. Once I have the information I will write again and place copies of my letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they accept the concept of parity of esteem and parity of treatment for the two traditions on the island of Ireland as set out in the Belfast Agreement of 1998; and [HL4110]

We accept unhesitatingly all the provisions of the Belfast Agreement. The agreement gives no specific directions to the Northern Ireland Court Service, but it makes a number of provisions concerning the importance of respect, understanding and tolerance in relation to linguistic diversity, including the Irish language and Ulster Scots; and a number of other provisions relating specifically to the Irish language.