asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the legal status of the European Union flag; and whether in order to fly it on public or other buildings it is necessary to have a local authority licence or other authority. [HL4326]

The flying of the EU flag in the UK is controlled under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 1992 and for this purpose the flag is classified as an "outdoor advertisement".Government buildings benefit from Crown immunity. In order to fly the EU flag from other buildings the express consent of the local planning authority is required.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in the context of the South-East Europe Stability Pact and the Prime Minister's recent remarks on migration in Europe, they can report progress on improving land communications between the Black Sea and the Adriatic, or on an oil bypass for the Bosphorus and Dardanelles; and when they expect improvements to come into use. [HL4480]

Land communications between the Black Sea and the Adriatic are being improved largely through the Corridor VIII road and rail project to link Burgas (Bulgaria) and Durres (Albania). Some work on the various elements of the corridor is under way but we understand that there are differences between some states of the region over rail routes and prioritisation of component projects. We hope that the parties involved will soon approve a memorandum of understanding to enable the work to accelerate.A number of projects involving oil pipelines which would bypass the Bosphorus are under consideration. The two most advanced proposals are (a) a pipeline from Burgas via Macedonia to Vlore (Albania) on the Adriatic coast and (b) a pipeline from Burgas with Alexandropoulis (Greece) on the Aegean Sea coast. We understand that no firm decision has been made with regard to construction of either.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they can confirm reports from France and Germany that heavily armed Turkish military forces crossed the frontier into Iraq on 16 May, killed and wounded some civilians and arrested others, who were then subjected to torture; whether NATO was informed of any such operations; and, in any case, what is their response. [HL4506]

We cannot confirm the reports cited by the noble Lord; nor have we received other reports suggesting a major incident of that kind. We continue to monitor the situation closely and to raise our concerns where appropriate.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to set up fora within the United Kingdom to engender and encourage discussion relating to the Convention on the Future of Europe as envisaged and recommended on page 33 of the first progress report from the United Kingdom representatives to the convention; if so, what form these fora will take; and, if not, why not. [HL4545]

The convention recommends that member states organise forums for civil society to discuss the future of Europe. In line with the Government's efforts to bring Europe closer to the people, we are encouraging local and regional governments, think tanks and other public organisations to engage in this debate. There will also be a web-based discussion and direct contact with citizens during ministerial visits across the country.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What material assistance they have provided to facilitate the Inter-Congolese Dialogue; and with what tangible results. [HL41615]

The UK has provided substantial financial assistance of £525,000 and an expert to work with the talks facilitator, former President of Botswana, Sir Ketumile Masire. As a result of the dialogue, for the first time in almost 30 years a large representation of Congolese society have come together to discuss arrangements for a democratic government in the DRC. We welcome the progress that was made during these discussions and continue to work with all the parties to conclude arrangements for an inclusive transitional government which will lead to peace in the country for the first time for many years.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How they intend to support the United Nations peace-keeping force in the eastern Congo during the coming year; what is the strength of that force; how many casualties it has suffered; and how it will be expanded. [HL4616]

In addition to political and financial support, the UK is providing six military personnel to the United Nations Mission in the DRC. The mandated strength of the UN force is 5,537, of which 3,633 are deployed in theatre. There have been six fatalities since the mission was established in November 1999. The force can only be expanded on the recommendation of the Secretary General and with the agreement of the Security Council. There are no plans to do so at present.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What foreign armies are operating in the areas of the eastern Congo monitored by the United Nations; and what is the estimated strength of those forces. [HL4617]

Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zimbabwe and Angola still have troops in eastern DRC. The estimated strength of these forces is 4,000, 20,000–30,000, 1,500, 8,000 and 1,000 respectively.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for June, and what are the major European Union Events for the period between 1 July and November 2002. [HL4640]

See attached.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking to reduce the level of drug use in prisons. [HL4476]

The Prison Service Drug Strategy mirrors the Government's national strategy by seeking to reduce both the supply of drugs and the demand for them. Key elements include:security and deterrent measures, including mandatory drug testing (MDT);detoxification services, to manage the physical symptoms that arise from drug dependence, now available in all local prisons;a CARATs (counselling, assessment, advice, referral and throughcare) gateway service to meet the non-clinical needs of prisoners;50 intensive treatment programmes to meet the needs of prisoners with moderate to severe drug misuse problems and associated behavioural problems;voluntary drug testing to offer support to prisoners wishing to remain drug free and willing to be tested;a wide research programme to develop good practice.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 14 September 2001

The Government are considering their response in light of the comments received and will make an announcement in due course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they have taken to prevent child pornography appearing on the Internet. [HL4388]

The Government are determined to tackle child pornography whether on or off line and the criminal law applies equally to both.The majority of child pornography is placed on servers outside the United Kingdom. However, there are effective measures to deal with it when it appears within our jurisdiction. Since its formation in 1996, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has operated a hotline to enable users to report the presence of child pornography in a newsgroup or website. If the IWF assesses the material as likely to be illegal and it is hosted on a UK server, the internet service provider (ISP) is notified by the IWF and must remove it or risk breaking the law. Over 40,000 items of child pornography have been removed in this way. Details of the site are sent to the police or, if the originator is abroad, to the enforcement agency of the country concerned via the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS).In January 2001, we raised the maximum penalties for taking, making, distributing or showing indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children to 10 years (from three years) and the maximum penalty for simple possession of such material to five years (from six months).In November 2000 the then Home Secretary announced a £25 million investment in the police over three years specifically to fight hi-tech crime and to enhance the capability of the police at national and local level to investigate computer based offences, including the possession and distribution of illegal pornography.In March 2001, the then Home Secretary established a Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet. The task force began work in May. It is a partnership of representatives from the Internet service and communication providers; the Internet Watch Foundation: PC and software retailers and manufacturers; child welfare organisations; the main Opposition parties; law enforcement agencies and academics.The task force is looking at proposals for legislation to tackle paedophile "grooming" activity on and off line and best practice models for providers of chat and other Internet services and computer awareness training for the police and child protection practitioners.Internationally, the Government are supporting efforts within the European Union and more widely to combat child pornography on the Internet. In November 2001, we signed the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime which will underpin co-operative action between signatory states in respect of computer-related crimes, including the making, distribution and possession of child pornography.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will provide a table showing how many hours each week are allocated to purposeful activity in each of HM prisons and young offender centres for (a) remand prisoners and (b) sentenced offenders; and what improvements are planned for the coming year. [HL4444]

The Prison Service does not collect centrally information to distinguish time spent in purposeful activity by sentenced prisoners and those on remand. The average weekly purposeful activity time for all prisoners in 2001–02 in each establishment in England and Wales is given in the table.Targets agreed with establishments for 2002–03 aim to increase the overall average purposeful activity time. Additional investment in regimes is intended to increase the proportion of time spent in activities which contribute to reducing crime, such as education, drug and offending behaviour work and resettlement activity.

Function name	Prison name	Purposeful hours
Male local	Altcourse	34.3
Male local	Bedford	19.8
Male local	Belmarsh	11.0
Male local	Birmingham	19.3
Male local	Blakenhurst	18.9
Male local	Bristol	21.1
Male local	Brixton	16.6
Male local	Bullingdon	13.8
Male local	Canterbury	18.0
Male local	Cardiff	20.4
Male local	Chelmsford	18.8
Male local	Doncaster	20.1
Male local	Dorchester	15.7
Male local	Durham	20.3
Male local	Elmley	18.6
Male local	Exeter	22.9
Male local	Forest Bank	21.7
Male local	Gloucester	20.5
Male local	High Down	15.9
Male local	Holme House	15.5
Male local	Hull	20.5
Male local	Leeds	18.7
Male local	Leicester	21.0
Male local	Lewes	18.6
Male local	Lincoln	18.6
Male local	Liverpool	17.7
Male local	Manchester	19.7
Male local	Norwich	18.9
Male local	Nottingham	17.2
Male local	Parc	26.8
Male local	Pentonville	15.0
Male local	Preston	21.1
Male local	Rochester	23.0
Male local	Shrewsbury	23.8
Male local	Swansea	22.0
Male local	Wandsworth	17.1
Male local	Winchester	19.0
Male local	Wolds	28.3
Male local	Woodhill	16.0
Male local	Wormwood Scrubs	18.5
Dispersal	Frankland	20.9
Dispersal	Full Sutton	17.4
Dispersal	Long Latin	18.3
Dispersal	Wakefield	18.2
Dispersal	Whitemoor	20.2
Category B	Albany	24.2
Category B	Blundeston	25.8
Category B	Dovegate	27.5
Category B	Garth	23.4
Category B	Gartree	30.5
Category B	Grendon	35.6
Category B	Kingston	24.3
Category B	Lowdham Grange	27.2
Category B	Maidstone	21.0
Category B	Parkhurst	19.1
Category B	Rye Hill	29.4
Category B	Swaleside	24.3
Category C	Acklington	23.2
Category C	Ashwell	31.7
Category C	Buckley Hall	30.3
Category C	Camp Hill	21.4
Category C	Channings Wood	33.5
Category C	Coldingley	38.2
Category C	Dartmoor	21.6
Category C	Erlestoke	27.9
Category C	Everthorpe	28.0
Category C	Featherstone	24.2
Category C	Guys Marsh	22.6
Category C	Haverigg	31.1
Category C	Highpoint	18.9
Category C	Lancaster	24.8
Category C	Littlehey	23.1
Category C	Moorland	25.0
Category C	Mount	20.0

Function name	Prison name	Purposeful hours
Category C	Ranby	23.6
Category C	Risley	25.2
Category C	Shepton Mallet	22.9
Category C	Stafford	26.4
Category C	Stocken	23.2
Category C	Usk	37.9
Category C	Verne	28.4
Category C	Wayland	20.8
Category C	Wealstun	32.6
Category C	Weare	18.8
Category C	Wellingborough	28.1
Category C	Whatton	30.6
Category C	Wymott	27.7
Male open	Ford	39.8
Male open	Hewell Grange	42.6
Male open	Hollesley Bay	36.5
Male open	Kirkham	43.4
Male open	Leyhill	37.8
Male open	North Sea Camp	42.2
Male open	Stanford Hill	39.6
Male open	Sudbury	41.5
Male remand centre	Northallerton	22.1
Male closed YO1	Aylesbury	17.4
Male closed YO1	Brinsford	27.5
Male closed YO1	Castington	25.1
Male closed YO1	Deerbolt	21.1
Male closed YO1	Feltham	24.7
Male closed YO1	Glen Parva	18.2
Male closed YO1	Hindley	20.5
Male closed YO1	Lancaster Farms	22.6
Male closed YO1	Onley	18.0
Male closed YO1	Portland	24.5
Male closed YO1	Reading	24.4
Male closed YO1	Stoke Heath	25.8
Male closed YO1	Swinfen Hall	28.0
Male open YOI	Hatfield	37.1
Male open YO1	Thorn Cross	43.9
Male juvenile	Ashfield	27.1
Male juvenile	Huntercombe	26.7
Male juvenile	Werrington	32.5
Male juvenile	Wetherby	27.1
Female local	Brockhill	18.2
Female local	Eastwood Park	19.4
Female local	Holloway	20.3
Female local	Low Newton	23.7
Female local	New Hall	22.9
Female closed	Bullwood Hall	27.2
Female closed	Cookham Wood	22.0
Female closed	Downview	23.7
Female closed	Foston Hall	25.4
Female closed	Send	31.4
Female closed	Styal	24.9
Female open	Askham Grange	41.1
Female open	East Sutton Park	42.0
Semi open	Blantyre House	49.0
Semi open	Dover	27.3
Semi open	Drake Hall	35.8
Semi open	Haslar	15.2
Semi open	Kirklevington	51.6
Semi open	Latchmere House	61.2
Semi open	Lindholme	27.7
Semi open	Morton Hall	30.7

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to make changes to current authorisations under Section 19D of the Race Relations Act 1976 (as amended). [HL4666]

We have today revoked the authorisation signed on 23 April 2001 by the then Immigration Minister (Mrs Roche) which permits immigration officers to discriminate in the examination of passengers from certain specified ethnic or national groups. We have kept this authorisation under close review in the light of intelligence assessments from the Immigration Service. After a year's experience of operating the authorisations, the Immigration Service has found it sufficient to rely on the authorisation made on 27 March 2001 which permits it to prioritise certain passengers for additional examination on the basis of their nationality. We will keep under review the possible need for further authorisations permitting discrimination on grounds of ethnic or national origin where necessary in respect of specific targeted operations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have any plans to stop the practice of gazumping in relation to house buying in England. [HL4601]

The Government believe the answer to problems such as gazumping lies in increasing transparency, certainty and speed in the home buying and selling process. That is why we are committed to making it easier for people buying and selling homes through the introduction of the seller's pack. The seller's pack will provide at the very start of the transaction process key information required to enable the transaction to proceed smoothly and quickly. This should reduce significantly the period between offer acceptance to exchange of contracts, thereby reducing the window of opportunity during which problems like gazumping can occur. The necessary legislation will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the answer by Dawn Primarolo MP, Paymaster General on 22 April (HC Debs, col. 119), whether the inclusion of a company employing 350 people in the small business category is common to departments other than that of the Paymaster General; and what are the definitions of small business used by each department of state. [HL4613]

There is no single definition of a small firm.The Small Business Service website sets out some of the various definitions at http://www.sbs.gov.uk/statistics/smedefs.asp.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 20 May

Customs is committed to tack ling all aspects of spirits fraud, and deploys resources in this area on the basis of relative risks, by far the greatest of which currently relates to diversion fraud.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have received any representations from the Government of the Irish Republic to appoint any members of the current Irish Parliament to the House of Lords; and, if so, what was their response. [HL4389]

Any recommendations for membership of your Lordships' House are strictly confidential.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether records are kept of the numbers of pink (tendered) ballot papers at elections; and, if so, whether they intend to publish them for the local elections on 2 May. [HL4541]

This information is not collected.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 22 May

I am aware that the police in Birmingham and elsewhere are conducting investigations in connection with the local elections on 2 May. Until those investigations are over and the outcome known it would not be appropriate for me to comment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will consider any proposals to require electors attending polling stations in England, Scotland and Wales to provide proof of their identity, in line with the requirements that are in force in Northern Ireland. [HL4543]

There are no plans to extend the requirements for proof of identity when voting in Northern Ireland to the rest of the United Kingdom.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many members of the Territorial Army have achieved their bounty in each of the last five training years; what were the Government's estimates for this five-year period; and what is their estimate for the current training year. [HL4547]

The number of Territorial members who have earned their bounty in each of the last five training years (TY) is as follows:

TY 1997–98	TY 1998–99	TY 1999–2000	TY 2000–01	TY 2001–02
32,982	31,721	26,0051	25,853	24,318
1 The drop reflects the reduction in strength of the TA following the SDR.

As no targets are set, the Government do not hold records that show the estimated figures for bounty earning. The bounty is used as a financial incentive to encourage members of the TA to achieve a minimum level of training.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many people are currently enlisted within the Territorial Army; and what are the occupational backgrounds of its members. [HL4548]

As at 1 April 2002, the strength of the Territorial Army stood at 39,663 personnel, including those mobilised in support of operations. The occupational backgrounds of its members are too numerous to list but range from peers of the realm, through every grade of management and employee in the public and private sector, to the self-employed and unemployed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are its target wastage and fit for role rates for members of the Territorial Army for the year 2002. [HL4549]

For the year 2002, the expected rate for wastage is 25 per cent and target rate for fit for role is 60 per cent of the total TA strength. For the year 2001–02 the actual rates were 24 per cent wastage and 59·6 per cent fit for role.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many new recruits they estimated the Territorial Army would have for each of the past five years; how many new recruits there were for each of those years; how many they estimate for the year 2002; and how many there have been for the year 2002 so far. [HL4550]

We do not hold records that show the estimated figures for new recruits into the Territorial Army for previous years; however, the estimate for 2002 is 7,750 for soldiers. A review of officer recruiting is currently being carried out which will review the estimate for potential officers. The number of new recruits for the last five calendar years and for this year so far is as follows:

Year	Officer	Soldiers
1997	785	10,579
1998	756	10,144
1999	633	6,7261
2000	869	7,603
2001	790	7,511
2002	199	1,4672
1 Reflects the impact of the Strategic Defence Review reductions.
2 Figures as at 1 April 2002.

In addition, the spring recruiting campaign has just concluded and we should see the results of this campaign when the new figures come out later this year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the target of 35 per cent of National Health Service trusts introducing level 3 electronic patient records by April 2002 will not be met; and whether they intend to take account to ensure that all NHS trusts introduce level 3 electronic patient records by the target date of 2005. [HL3566]

A recent survey of progress towards level 3 EPRs presents a variable picture At present six trusts have complete hospital-wide EPR systems that meet the functionality described under level 3. However many more have some applications in place, for example results reporting and order communications. In addition, some trusts have implemented elements of EPR beyond level 3 with functionality around decision support and knowledge management of picture archiving and communications systems to support improved patient care.That is why we are taking action by introducing a new national programme and implementation plan for IT in the NHS. This will significantly step up the pace of getting modern IT in place to support frontline patient care and also ensure that IT both drives change and gets the best from the extra resources the NHS is now getting.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which government departments have completed their action plan drawn up under the Children and Young People's Unit document

The plans will be completed and then published on the Children and Young People's website (www.cypu.gov.uk) and will be in the Library shortly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their estimate of the total amount of revenue raised in the United Kingdom from sport in the financial years (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02. [HL4539]

This information is not available. Central government revenue raised from sport includes receipts from VAT, PAYE and other income taxes, corporation tax, capital gains tax and stamp duty and national insurance contributions. Local government receipts are primarily in the form of business rates, reduced where appropriate by discretionary reliefs. Receipts from these sources would need to be reduced for tax and other reliefs accorded to sports organisations by the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise to arrive at meaningful estimates of net receipts. Detailed estimates of the annual totals of these receipts and reliefs in respect of sporting organisations are not maintained.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Macdonald of Tradeston on 13th May

The Government were elected on their record. The contents of the manifesto were published during the campaign.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why the Written Answer by Lord Macdonald of Tradeston on 9 May

Ministers of this Government are not accountable for what happened under previous administrations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their estimate of potential reductions in Civil Service manpower that will result over the next live years from putting government services on-line. [HL4427]

At present there is no overall estimate for potential reductions in staff in the Civil Service resulting from e-Government plans. This is a matter for individual departments to consider and include in their business cases when implementing individual projects.