asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will support the modifications of Montserrat's airstrip so that it meets the regional civil aviation authority's regulations requiring a minimum of 600 metres for the safe normal operation of Twin Otter aircraft. [HL5096]

The requirements of the Directorate of Civil Aviation for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States were clarified at a meeting in Antigua earlier this month. The Government of Montserrat's project consultants have been asked to modify their designs accordingly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What further ministerial meetings are planned with the Government of Montserrat to discuss the progress of their airport project. [HL5098]

The progress of the proposed airport development was discussed when Montserrat's Chief Minister called on the DfID Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State on 10 July.There are no further ministerial meetings currently planned.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any decision has been taken on the recommendations contained in Law Commission Report No 270,

The Government accept in principle the Law Commission's recommendations on limitation of actions, subject to further consideration of certain aspects of its report, and will legislate when a suitable opportunity arises.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they plan to publish any guidance on publication schemes under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for central government and non-departmental public bodies. [HL5295]

I am grateful to the noble Baroness for her Question. I am pleased to inform your Lordships' House that I have today published guidance for central government and non-departmental public bodies on publication schemes under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Copies of the guidance have been placed in the House Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which aspects of railway activity are devolved, by any means, in Scotland; and [HL4845]Which aspects of railway activity in Scotland are reserved matters. [HL4846]

Head E.2 of Schedule 5 to the Scotland Act 1998 defines the following as reserved railway activities affecting Scotland: provision and regulation of railway services; rail transport security, including the on-railways activities of the British Transport Police; the subject matter of the Channel Tunnel Act 1987; and the subject matter of the Railway Heritage Act 1996; with exceptions to the above as follows:Grants so far as relating to railway services; but this exception does not apply in relation to:

asked Her Majesty's Government:In view of the importance to Northern Ireland of air travel, whether they will consider removing taxation on travel to the mainland as they have done on travel from mainland Scotland to the Western Isles. [HL5057]

There are no such plans. The exemption from air passenger duty for flights from airports in the Scottish Highlands and Islands was introduced in recognition of the importance of air transport given the low density of population in the region. Population density in Northern Ireland is greater.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the procedure for redress for those wrongly accused by HM Customs and Excise of non-compliance in their obligation to file accurate documentation. [HL5135]

Any business that believes it has been wrongly treated by Customs and Excise should follow the procedures set out in its code of practice Complaints and putting things right (Notice 1000), which is available on its website or through its national advice service. The code of practice includes arrangements for providing redress when a mistake has been made in dealing with a business's tax affairs.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on the 24 June 1999 (HL Deb, col. 1063) that "any country which chooses to enter EMU does so on the basis that it is an irrevocable step" and "The treaty contains no legal basis for a member state withdrawing from EMU", whether this conflicts with the constitutional principle, set out by Dicey and others, "that one Parliament cannot bind its successor"; and, if not, why not. [HL5162]

I refer the noble Lord to my Answer of 1 July 2002 (WA 7).

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the level of fuel duty rebate in price per litre equivalent for LPG (liquid petroleum gas); CNG (compressed natural gas); LNG (liquid natural gas); biodiesel; and bioethanol; and [HL5237]

The current duty rates are 9p. per kilogram for gas used as road fuel (including liquefied petroleum gas, compressed natural gas and liquid natural gas). Biodiesel and bioethanol are currently taxed at the rate of 45.82p. per litre but we shall shortly be introducing a new, lower rate of duty on biodiesel of 25.82p. per litre. We have also given a commitment that duty on road fuel gases will be frozen in real terms until at least 2004.Taxation of road fuel, including biofuels and road fuel gases, is reviewed Budget by Budget. In making his judgement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer takes into account a range of economic, social and environmental factors.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the reply by Lord Filkin on 30 May

As my noble friend Lord Filkin has previously indicated, the new Correctional Services Board may consider this proposal. The Correctional Services Board will set the overarching strategy for the correctional services, monitor performance, review allocation of resources and encourage joint working.The initial focus of the board is likely to be on improving services in relation to 18 to 20 year-olds, with a view to expanding this focus to other groups, which could include women. However, we have no plans at present to establish a separate board with specific responsibility for women.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to lay before Parliament the annual report for the Forensic Science Service. [HL5338]

Copies of the Forensic Science Service's (FSS) annual report and accounts for 2001–02 have today been laid before Parliament.Performance against agency targets 2001–02:The FSS met seven of its 10 targets and concluded the financial year with a strong performance.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many times the Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet has met since it was set up last year and what progress has been made. [HL5339]

The then Home Secretary (Mr. Straw) announced the establishment of the Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet on 9 May 2001. Since then, the full task force has met four times and most recently on 3 July 2002. The work of the task force has been taken forward by a number of sub-groups which have met regularly and have been looking at the criminal law, law enforcement, child protection measures, public awareness, training and further developing co-operation between the industry and others on reporting and handling child protection issues.Members of the respective sub-groups have given freely of their time to support the aim we set last year: to make the United Kingdom the best and safest place in the world for children to use the Internet, and to help protect children the world over from abuse fuelled by criminal misuse of new technologies.The task force has developed, run and now evaluated a successful national awareness campaign. Research had confirmed two key gaps: first, that parents are ill-informed about their children's use of the Internet and chat rooms: and, secondly, that young people give out their personal details without considering the consequences. Two campaigns were designed, one to target 14–16 year-olds and the other parents/carers of 11–13 year-olds. The media used included press advertising, cinema, radio, on-line and viral marketing from December 2001 until spring 2002. Independent evaluation of the campaigns shows significantly improved awareness of the key messages in both target audiences. The task force is now considering that evaluation and how to build on the momentum created.The task force has also developed proposals for a criminal offence to tackle the "grooming" of children by paedophiles online or offline. This is intended to allow prosecution at an early stage when children are being groomed, before an existing sexual offence has been committed. In addition, the proposals include the creation of a new civil protection order relating to behaviour towards a child for an illegal or harmful sexual purpose.Practical online child protection measures have been drawn up in a draft good practice document for service providers which deals with chat, instant messaging and web services. These encourage, among other things, clear and accessible safety messages and advice and user-friendy ways of reporting abuse. The drafts are being considered by the wider industry through the Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA) and the London Internet Exchange (LINX).Work is also in hand to develop a shared matrix for reporting and handling child protection issues and developing good practice for dealing with law enforcement requests for information from Internet Service Providers (ISPs). This is being taken forward, with the oversight of the task force, by the Internet Crime Forum.The task force will continue to work in partnership with the industry to consider the extent to which the criminal law currently covers unsuitable material being sent to children and all the forms of indecent representations of children; assess the new challenges posed by development of 3G mobile phones; and develop basic training materials for child protection staff on children's Internet use.In parallel with the task force, the United Kingdom has played a leading role in the development of a G8 strategy for protecting children from sexual exploitation on the Internet. The strategy, which is not yet finalised, will cover issues such as victim identification; intelligence gathering and sharing; location of suspects; enforcement tools and training; awareness building and prevention; and police working with industry and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether British Gas has decontaminated the site of the Millennium Dome and its surroundings for both commercial and residential use. [HL4647]

Remediation of the dome site and its surroundings was carried out in stages. British Gas, the original landowner, carried out the statutory remediation, removing all substances which could be a danger or harmful to health. The second phase was carried out by English Partnerships, the Government's regeneration agency, to make the site fit for known planned developments.Both British Gas and English Partnerships employed WS Atkins as their remediation consultants, which secured the agreement of the Environment Agency and the Environmental Health Department of the London Borough of Greenwich to the remediation solutions which were carried out on site.The whole of the 300-acre Greenwich peninsula site now owned by English Partnerships has been remediated fit for its purpose. Any further remediation will depend upon the final use to which the land is to be put and will relate to the form of construction used.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Since the publication of the Countryside Commission's

There has been one planning application for a major sporting arena within the South Downs by Brighton Hove Albion Football Club for a community stadium on land north of Village Way, Brighton. Brighton and Hove City Council has resolved to grant planning permission. The application has been referred to the Deputy Prime Minister as a departure from the development plan. The Deputy Prime Minister will consider whether he wishes to call in the application for his own determination. Information on planning applications within all areas of outstanding natural beauty is not held centrally by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the statement by Lord Falconer of Thoroton at the Labour Party conference in September 2001 that the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill was the result of a bargain between the interested parties, whether they can identify any leaseholder or leasehold representative organisation which is aware that they have struck a bargain in this Act with the Government or with any landlord representative. [HL4815]

In taking forward their proposals for leasehold reform, the Government always made it clear that they were seeking to strike a fair balance between the legitimate interests of landlords, leaseholders and other parties with an interest in the leasehold system. Both leaseholders and leaseholder representative organisations should, therefore, be fully aware that the provisions of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 reflect the legitimate interests of landlords as well as those of leaseholders. For further information on the extensive consultation which took place, I would refer the noble Lord to the responses previously given by the Lord Chancellor on 26 March (WA 31) and the noble Baroness, Lady Scotland of Asthal, on 24 April (WA 31–32) and 13 May (WA 6).

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many respondents to the Planning Green Paper consultation were against the abolition of the county council's role in the preparation of structure plans; and whether they will now either review or drop these proposals. [HL5072]

The standard response form to the Planning Green Paper included the question, "We are proposing to simplify the hierarchy of plans by strengthening regional planning and abolishing county structure plans. Do you agree?". Of those respondents using the form, 90 per cent answered no. However, in the detailed comments on this question, only 23 per cent said that they wanted to keep/retain county (structure) plans. We hope to make a statement in response to the Green Paper consultation shortly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will make public a full analysis of the results of the consultation on the Planning Green Paper. [HL5073]

The analysis by Messrs Smith and Williamson of the 10,417 detailed responses made on the standard form was placed in the House Library on 27 May and is on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister website. It was not possible to analyse those responses not using the standard form, many of which were more detailed, in the same way. However, those responses have been considered fully and will inform the Government's thinking in taking forward the proposals.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What damage could be done to Anschutz Entertainment Group by revealing the priority return due to the company from English Partnerships with regard to the Millennium Dome. [HL5117]

It is common practice in commercial agreements of this nature for the parties to agree to maintain commercial confidentiality. Were details of the commercial arrangements to be revealed, this could compromise Anschutz Entertainment Group's negotiations with potential dome users or occupiers and any negotiations conducted by Anschutz Entertainment Group for the delivery of similar facilities elsewhere.Revealing details of the commercial agreement could also affect English Partnerships' ability to secure value for money for the public purse in their ongoing negotiations with third parties on the Greenwich peninsula and in negotiations on other regeneration projects.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Answer by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on the air transport industry on 14 January (HL Deb, col. 825) whether they have set targets for the reduction of emissions from military air transport; and, if so, what they are. [HL2802]

No targets have been set for the reduction in emissions from military air transport.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will answer the Question for Written Answer on targets for the reduction of emissions from military air transport tabled by Baroness Byford on 7 February. [HL4995]

I replied to the noble Baroness, Lady Byford, today.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proportion of the annual expenditure of the Equal Opportunities Commission was spent on law enforcement over the last five years for which records are available. [HL5021]

The annual expenditure of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) on law enforcement for the last five years, including advice and support to individual cases and lobbying campaigns on legal matters for which records are available, is as follows:

• 1998–99: £1,406,649
• 1999–00: £1,439,848
• 2000–01: £1,559,044
• 2001–02: £1,353,559
• 2002–03: £1,218,115

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Whitty on 19 June

In approximate terms and taking an average across all agricultural grants and subsidies, for each £1 of grant and subsidy made 7 per cent is due to the administrative costs.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs office at Worcester has resumed normal working; and what is the current backlog of bovine tuberculosis tests waiting to be assessed. [HL5151]

The Rural Development Service and the State Veterinary Service are now all established at Worcester. In addition, some post-foot and mouth disease work continues on site, utilising additional staff to those required for routine operations.At the end of May 2002, there was a GB backlog of 20,030 overdue bovine tuberculosis tests (down from 27,000 at the end of 2001). The figure for Hereford and Worcester Animal Health Office was 408.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many hearings have taken place under the Seeds (National Lists of Varieties) Regulations 2001 into the listing of genetically modified seeds varieties. [HL5202]

To date there has been only one hearing on the proposed addition of a genetically modified variety to the national list, relating to the maize variety Chardon LL. That hearing concluded on 13 June 2002.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What targets they have set the Pesticides Safety Directorate for 2002–03. [HL5296]

We have set the Pesticides Safety Directorate the following performance targets for 2002–03.Quality of ServiceTo complete evaluations and contribute to the EC Review Programme under Council Directive 91/414/ EEC, according to the processing times set out in Table 1 below.1. To deliver high quality scientific work to underpin the protection of human health and the environment.2. To provide clear and accessible public information about pesticide issues consistent with sustainable and economic production.3. To ensure the UK's objectives are reflected in the revised Council Directive 91/414/EEC and to maintain our international reputation as a leading regulatory authority.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What targets were set for the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science for 2002–03 [HL5298]

We have set the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science the following performance targets for 2002–03.Quality of ServiceTo make satisfactory progress with the action plan resulting from the 1999–2000 science audit.To manage the agency in an effective manner, including pursuit of commerical exploitation of research outputs.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will publish the 2001–02 annual report for the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science. [HL5299]

The 2001–02 annual report and accounts for the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science were laid before Parliament today. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have received the report of the Royal Society's Scientific Review of Infectious Diseases in Livestock. [HL5336]

We are delighted that the Royal Society has today published the report of its independent Scientific Review of Infectious Diseases in Livestock. Copies will be placed in the Library of the House.This report was commissioned by the Government following the unprecedented outbreak of foot and mouth disease last year. We are very grateful to Professor Sir Brian Follett and his committee for producing such a thorough and excellent report in such a short space of time. This is a very significant contribution to our work to strengthen our ability to guard against and deal with animal disease.We welcome the importance that the report places on the livestock industry in this country and Great Britain having animal disease free status. We are already taking action on imports and disease surveillance to protect this and the report's views on these matters will be of great assistance.More widely, we intend to press ahead with an animal health and welfare strategy and will need to consider carefully the recommendations made by the report on research and development in the light of yesterday's spending review announcement.The report's recommendations will be of crucial importance in developing the Government's emergency preparedness for controlling animal diseases, and we will need to study these closely, in particular the recommended approach to vaccination against foot and mouth disease. The Government have never rejected vaccination as an option in the fight against foot and mouth. The report recognises that there are aspects of vaccination, in particular trade and technical issues, which are not yet resolved but which can and should be resolved. Even then, vaccination will not necessarily be a panacea and will not necessarily be right in all circumstances. The report notes that, even with emergency vaccination in place, culling would still be necessary.We welcome the Royal Society's endorsement of the need to take forward the work we have in hand on a greatly improved contingency plan for foot and mouth. Its findings on biosecurity and animal movements will also be of particular importance.In taking work forward on the report, we will need to involve stakeholders, in particular the farming industry, who have a share in the responsibility for maintaining the animal disease free status recommended by the report.We intend to give a fuller initial response on the recommendations in this report when the lessons learned inquiry has reported on Monday 22 July. It is also intended later in the year to issue a detailed reply to the recommendations in both these independent reports.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the exclusion figures for each local education authority, including the number of special educational needs pupils with and without statements who have been permanently excluded. [HL5105]

The latest information available is shown in the table. Figures for 2000–01 will be available shortly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the Director of Public Prosecutions will publish his annual report. [HL5300]

I can confirm that I have today placed a copy of the annual report in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hollis of Heigham on 26 June

My statement on 27 May (HL Deb col. 1040) and subsequent Answer of 26 June (WA 146) were based on awareness that equity holdings vary between pension funds, dependent, for example, of the maturity of the fund and the investment policies being followed. But equity holdings are often substantial, ranging up to 100 per cent in some cases. Industry information on individual pension fund assets distributions can be found in the annual directory Pension Funds and their Advisers, published by AP Information Services. This includes details of 2,600 major occupational schemes. In the 2002 edition, a small minority of companies is listed in this publication as having a 100 per cent exposure to equities.It is estimated that, on average, between 70 and 75 per cent of all pension fund assets are invested in UK and overseas equities. This is based on industry data on pension fund asset distribution collected by Russell Mellon/CAPS, covering the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002. The market value of pension funds with a relatively high proportion of equity investments is more likely to follow stock market trends than the value of those with a lower proportion of equity holdings. The words used in my Answer on both 27 May and 26 June—"a third or so" and "the same general order"—were designed to offer a broad-brush assessment of the likely impact. They were clearly not intended to provide a precise quantitative estimate nor to imply that the effects of stock market falls on the value of some individual funds would equate to the impact on the value of pension funds generally.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why the publication of the annual report for 2001 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority was delayed; and whether they believe such delay prejudices effective scrutiny of the role and functions of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority; and [HL5180]When the next annual report of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is due to be published; and whether they anticipate any delay in the publication of the report. [HL5181]

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has identified some problems with its information technology infrastructure. These problems are now being resolved but they have delayed the availability of recent performance data.The annual report was held back in the hope that the data would be ready to include. When this proved not to be possible, the decision was taken to go ahead and publish the annual report without the data. The data will be made available shortly on the HFEA's website.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When will they publish the annual report and accounts 2001–02 for the NHS Estates Executive Agency. [HL5337]

We have received the report and copies have today been laid in accordance with the requirements of Section 5 of the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1921. Copies have also been placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many special advisers work on a part-time basis (a) within each pay band and (b) in each department; and what are the average number of days worked per week in each case. [HL3427]

There are six special advisers working on a part-time basis, of which one is unpaid. They are employed in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Cabinet Office, the Home Office, the Department of Trade and Industry and HM Treasury. On the paybands of individual special advisers, the Government have already announced the introduction of a new pay system for special advisers from June 2001 based on individual job evaluation. An announcement on the special advisers pay system will be made when the process of evaluation is completed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will publish the Cabinet Office's Performance and Innovation Unit's review of the legal and regulatory framework of charities and the voluntary sector. [HL4813]

This report will be published ill due course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect to publish the 2002 Civil Service fast stream recruitment report. [HL5301]

The seventh annual Civil Service Fast Stream Report was today placed on the Cabinet Office website at www.faststrearn.gov.uk and in the Libraries of the House. It covers the year from 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 and reports the results of fast stream competitions completed during that period and the developments that have taken place.The standard of entry to the fast stream development programme has remained consistently high and the report shows that the Civil Service has had increasing success in filling its vacancies. In addition, there has again been steady progress in broadening the diversity of fast stream recruits. Women and men were recruited in equal numbers and the proportions of those recruited from ethnic minority groups, those with disabilities and those attending universities other than Oxford and Cambridge have all increased.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 12 June

The entertainment budget for 2000–01 covered all official entertainment at Downing Street and Chequers, including the receptions listed. It is not our normal practice to breakdown the total cost of each individual reception.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has requested extra resources from them; on what occasions; and, in each case, what was their response. [HL4690]

Her Majesty's Government have received requests from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission for extra funding on a number of different occasions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

A full response to this Question could be supplied only at disproportionate cost. However, listed below are the Bills on which the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commisison has made written submissions:

• Police (Northern Ireland) Bill
• Terrorism Bill
• Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill
• Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults Bill
• Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Bill
• Freedom of Information Bill
• Immigration and Asylum Bill
• Criminal Justice and Police Bill
• Disability Rights Bill

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their response to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission's criticisms not being accepted in the main by the United Nations' Human Rights Committee when it considered the report on the United Kingdom at its meeting in Geneva in the autumn of 2001. [HL5011]

In preparing for the UN Human Rights Committee's examination of the UK's Fifth Periodic Report the UK took into account the comments submitted by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. We are giving careful consideration to the concluding observations of the UN Human Rights Committee following the hearing and will take these into account during the preparation of our next periodic report. The UK takes its international obligations seriously and has an excellent record of co-operation with UN mechanisms. The UK welcomes scrutiny as part of its efforts to promote and protect human rights.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What changes, if any, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has requested to the job description of the chief executive of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. [HL5044]

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has responsibility for the appointment of the chief executive and also for the agreement of his or her terms and conditions. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has not requested the commission to make any changes to the job description of the chief executive.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their response to the concerns noted in the minutes of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission on 10 December 2001 (paragraph 5.3.1) and 11 February 2002 (paragraph 4.1) about the level of detail included in correspondence by the Northern Ireland Office about the commission's finances. [HL5052]

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is an independent public body. However, when making a bid for funding it is subject to the same constraints as all other public bodies. The Government are responsible and accountable for the correct use of public funds, and therefore require that all bids for funding are accompanied by a clear business case. If, when assessing bids, more detailed explanation is required, we will seek further information from the commission.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have received the report of Peter Hosking on the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; and whether they consider that the expenditure of £25,000 was justified. [HL5055]

I can confirm to the noble Lord that the Government have received Peter Hosking's report on the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.As the work was initiated by the commission and conducted within its own budget, is is not for the Government to consider whether or not the expenditure was justified.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What changes to ministerial responsibilities they will be making in relation to Sure Start, early years and childcare. [HL5340]

The Chancellor announced yesterday a significant increase in the combined budget for childcare, early years and Sure Start, rising to £1.5 billion in 2005–06. This includes a more than doubling of investment in childcare by 2005–06, following an inter-departmental review of childcare co-ordinated by the Performance and Innovation Unit.The extra investment will support the expansion of childcare places across the country and the integration of good quality childcare with early years education, family support and health services through a network of children's centres in the most disadvantaged areas.In keeping with this new focus on integration, responsibility for early years education, childcare and Sure Start will be brought within one inter-departmental unit based within the Department for Education and Skills. The Chancellor announced yesterday the PSA target for the new unit, which will be shared by the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Work and Pensions.This new inter-departmental unit will report to a new Minister for Sure Start, early years and childcare who will be jointly appointed to the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that our early years and childcare vision delivers on both our educational and employment objectives. The Prime Minister has asked the noble Baroness, Lady Ashton, who led the interdepartmental review of childcare to take on this role.The noble Baroness, Lady Ashton, will report to a new cross-departmental ministerial group on Sure Start, early years and childcare. This group will be a sub-committee of MISC9, the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Children's Services. The focus on health has been vital to the Sure Start programmes already up and running. To ensure that this is maintained, the sub-committee will be chaired by the Minister for Public Health. The sub-committee's other members will include the Paymaster General and the Minister for Disabled People.The Secretary of State for Education and Skills will continue to speak on these issues in Cabinet. At junior ministerial level, the Minister for Disabled People will answer Questions in the House of Commons.The Prime Minister believes these new arrangements will ensure that an integrated approach is taken to the development and delivery of our early years and childcare vision.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any increases in the public funding for Opposition parties in the House of Lords are planned. [HL.5341]

I am happy to be able to announce that under the 2002 Spending Review the following increases in the public funding of Opposition parties in the House of Lords were agreed:

asked the Chairman of Committees:Further to his written Answer on 19 November 2001

Subject to final security tests, the redesigned website will be made available on 23 July. The content management system associated with the redesign will allow staff to make further improvements in the future, so the site available on the 23rd should be viewed as the start of an ongoing process of development and improvement. Feedback on the site, using the newly provided feedback option, will be welcome.