asked Her Majesty's Government:How the reorganisation of the British Council will ensure that the role of Britain in global health concerns will be strengthened. [HL5093]

Under the reorganisation of the British Council, global health issues will he further strengthened by their integration into the council's broader governance portfolio. This will include areas such as health sector reform, child protection and HIV/ AIDS prevention.Current work will be underpinned by the recruitment of a health professional at the senior management level and a senior practising surgeon on a consultancy basis.The British Council's science department will continue its work in the field of bio-medicine.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they consider the human rights situation in Algeria to have improved since the European Union signed an association agreement with Algeria on 22 April, given that the agreement contains a clause requiring the contracting parties to promote and protect human rights. [HL5113]

The signature of the EU/Algeria Association Agreement on 22 April marked the conclusion of negotiations between the EU and Algeria. The next stage is ratification of the agreement by all member states, the European Community and Algeria. Only after all have ratified will the agreement enter into force. This therefore means that neither the trade provisions nor the other provisions of the agreement are at present binding. However, signature of the association agreement means that when the agreement does enter into force the EU will be in a position to monitor closely adherence to the human rights principles laid out in the text of the association agreement:"Relations between the Parties, as well as all provisions of the Agreement itself, shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which guides their internal and international policy and constitutes an essential element of this agreement".The agreement provides for dialogue through the creation of an EU-Algeria Association Council at ministerial level and association committee at senior official level. These bodies will follow up and monitor the agreement on a regular basis, including, of course, respect for human rights.The ratification process also provides member states with the opportunity to raise their concerns about human rights in Algeria.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What decisions were taken by the meeting of G8 Foreign Ministers on 12 to 13 June with regard to the international community's goal of reducing the levels of tension in South Asia and realising more stable relations between India and Pakistan. [HL5115]

At their meeting on 12–13 June, G8 Foreign Ministers set out their commitment to continuing to work with India and Pakistan to deal with the fundamental problems underlying the current crisis and to sustaining co-ordinated diplomatic efforts in the region.The international community remains fully engaged in seeking further de-escalation and in encouraging India and Pakistan to work towards a lasting settlement of their differences.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many suicides and how many attempts at suicide there have been inside HM Prisons in each of the last four six-month periods for which figures are available. [HL5065]

The figures requested are set out in the tables.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking to ensure that next of kin are notified when prisoners are moved to another prison so that visits will not be missed. [HL5066]

For confidentiality reasons, there are no plans to make it a requirement for the Prison Service to inform a prisoner's next of kin when a transfer takes place. Subject to security considerations, prisoners are normally notified of their transfer in advance.It is a mandatory requirement for prisoners to be allowed to make telephone calls immediately on reception to a new establishment so that they can inform their next of kin of their new location if they wish to do so. They also have access to telephones on each association period and may also ask prison staff to contact their next of kin on their behalf. In addition, there is provision for prisoners to be issued with special letters, over and above any statutory entitlement, which may be sent at public expense, either before or immediately after the transfer takes place.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the cost of detaining Ms Lindis Percy in custody for 11 days following her arrest on a charge of aggravated trespass; what was the cost to the Crown Prosecution Service and the courts of dealing with the case. [HL5080]

Ms Lindis Percy was remanded into custody at Holloway Prison on 4 March 2002 and was bailed on 12 March 2002, a total of nine days. The annual cost of holding a prisoner at Holloway in 2001–02 was £40,020. On this basis the cost of detaining Ms Lindis Percy in Holloway for nine days is estimated to be £991.Generally, Crown Prosecution Services costs for specific cases are not available, as records are not kept to this level of detail. Averages of various case types are kept, however. The average cost of a case prepared for summary trial is £395. The approximate cost for the court time in this case was £600. This does not include legal aid costs or other agencies' costs. The total cost is estimated to be £1,986.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their view of the Boris Project (Blakenhurst Offender Rehabilitation and Resettlement in Solihull); and whether they intend to continue to fund it. [HL5087]

The Government Office for the West Midlands has funded this project in order to provide the potential for seamless throughcare and action planning from the point of arrest through to resettlement. The project has been awarded funding under the Partnership Development Fund of some £238,000 up until the end of 2002–03. Feedback so far from the scheme has been encouraging, Funding beyond 2002–03 will depend on availability of funding following decisions on the Spending Review.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether Mr M Karayilan, Mr K Ceren, Mr O Gecsoyler and. Mr N Noori, arrested on 15 March, and since held in HM Prison Belmarsh, have been charged with offences; if so, what offences; whether bail has been refused, and, if so, on what grounds. [HL5193]

I can confirm that Oruc Gecsoyler, Kahraman Ceren, Mehemet Karayilan and Noon Noori have been arrested and charged with offences under the Terrorism Act 2000. A trial date has been set for 8 August 2002. As this matter is sub judice it would not be right for me to comment further.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 intends to report. [HL5384]

The review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 has completed its work. The report, Breaking the Circle, is published today. A copy has been placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list the offences covered by the European arrest warrant; and whether they will indicate which, if any, are not offences in the United Kingdom. [HL4893]

The framework decision on the European arrest warrant can apply to all offences which carry a maximum sentence of at least 12 months' imprisonment or, in conviction cases, where a sentence of at least four months' imprisonment has been imposed.The United Kingdom Government are not responsible for the criminal justice systems of other European Union (EU) member states. It is therefore not possible to provide a list of offences which will be covered.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will discuss with the Housing Corporation the provision of housing where the victims of human trafficking may receive protection and support. [HL4943]

Our work on the provision for the victims of trafficking is at an early stage. Our proposals are set out in the White Paper Secure Borders, Safe Haven. We wish to have discussions with the voluntary sector and government departments and agencies, including the Housing Corporation, about the provision of safe accommodation and other services.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they consider it appropriate for non-British citizens to sit in the House of Lords. [HL5054]

The Government are content with the existing provisions by which Commonwealth citizens and Irish Republic nationals can take seats in the House of Lords, reflecting the political ties that exist between the United Kingdom and the nations concerned.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they intend to publish the criminal justice system annual report for 2001–02. [HL5345]

My right honourable friend the Home Secretary, my noble and learned friend the Attorney-General and I will today be publishing jointly an annual report for the criminal justice system for England and Wales.The document is a report back on the criminal justice system business plan 2001–02. It summarises the progress which has been made in modernising the criminal justice system, building on what was reported in the previous two annual reports.Copies of the report will be placed in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have for the former court house in the Crumlin Road in Belfast. [HL5090]

Ownership of the Crumlin Road Courthouse in Belfast transferred to the private sector for a nominal sum in July 1999 as an integral part of the public private partnership scheme to develop Laganside Court. Dunloe Ewart Plc is the current owner of the property.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the change in the RPIX for the month of June compared with the previous 12 months; and what would be the figure if it were to be calculated on an inflation formula similar to that in other Common Market countries. [HL5169]

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

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the most significant differences in the manner in which the continental inflation rate is calculated as compared with the RPIX. [HL5170]

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

asked Her Majesty's Government:What would be the change in the RPIX for the months of December 1998, 1999, 2001 and June 2002 compared with the previous 12 months if the depreciation of owner occupied houses which has been a component of the index since 1995 were to be excluded from 1 January 1998; and how this compares with the RPIX of the relevant months. [HL5171]

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

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 27 May

The United Kingdom, as allowed for under the loan agreement, deferred payments on the Second World war debt to the United States Government in 1956, 1957, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1976. These deferments have occurred after considering the conditions of international exchange and the level of the United Kingdom's foreign currency and gold reserves.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether all the war-related debt to the United States from the period of the First World War has been paid off in full; if not, when it will be, and how much the debt was in the first place. [HL5245]

At the end of the First World War the United Kingdom debt to the United States amounted to around £850 million. Repayments of the debt were made between 1923 and 1931. In 1931 President Hoover of the United States proposed a one-year moratorium on all war debts, which allowed extensive international discussions on the general problems of debt repayment to be held. However no satisfactory agreement was reached, In the absence of such an agreement no payments have been made to, or received from, other nationals since 1934.At the time of the moratorium the United Kingdom was owed more by other nations (£2,269 billion) than the outstanding principal it owed the United States ($4,368 billion).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether there are plans for a review of Armed Forces personnel processes. [HL5348]

A review of Armed Forces personnel processes is to be carried out this year. Preliminary work (Phase 1) has defined the scope of the study and identified the processes concerned. The aim of the review is to ensure that the outcome of the processes (providing the Armed Forces with the right number of people with the right skills in the right place at the right time) is achieved effectively and as efficiently as possible.The review will proceed in two further phases, under the sponsorship of the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel). Phase 2 will identify management, organisational and structural options for improving the delivery of the personnel process outputs. The examination will include the busines planning and performance management framework within which these processes operate. The sponsor expects to receive the report early in 2003. Phase 3, to be completed in mid-2003, will develop more detailed proposals for improvements in future performance and service delivery.This process-based review, whose approach is supported by the Treasury and Cabinet Office, will replace planned quinquennial reviews of the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency (NRTA), the Army Training and Recruiting Agency (ATRA) and the RAF's Training Group Defence Agency (TGDA). Although the future of these agencies will be considered in detail, the review will focus on end-to-end processes, and not primarily on historical agency performance.The review team will conduct wide consultation with representatives of stakeholders. However, the team will be interested to hear the views of other organisations or individuals (including people currently in the Armed Forces) who would like to make a contribution to the review. Those wishing to do so should send their contributions by Monday 16 September by post to:

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many visits to the United Kingdom by Mary McAleese, President of the Republic of Ireland, have been organised in conjunction with the Irish Embassy. [HL5123]

Her Majesty's Government and the Irish Embassy have co-operated in the organisation of 10 visits by President McAleese to the United Kingdom since her inauguration as President in 1997. We understand that the President of Ireland has also made a number of private visits, on which the FCO does not keep records.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their estimate of the number of foreign persons living and working illegally in each member state of the European Union. [HL5133]

By its nature, the scale of illegal residence and employment is extremely difficult to measure. For the UK, while there are no accurate means of estimating the numbers involved, the most reliable indicators suggest that they could run into hundreds of thousands. We do not hold such information in respect of other European Union countries.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether Turkey has signed or ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture and its draft optional protocol; and, if not, whether they will ask Turkey to do so. [HL5232]

Turkey signed and ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture in August 1998.No country has signed or ratified the draft optional protocol. Once the draft optional protocol has been adopted, the UK will encourage all countries to sign and ratify it.

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

No. My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Rural Affairs (Alun Michael) has written to interested organisations, including the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, inviting them to contribute their views and evidence, in particular on the issues of cruelty and utility. If the society wishes to offer advice on the issue of hunting hounds my right honourable friend will take any views into account.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the computer models used in March 2001 to predict the probable course of the foot-and-mouth outbreak have yet to be peer reviewed. [HL5150]

The Government do not propose to ask for any peer review of those models used in March 2001. Defra made extensive use of a computer simulation model, Interspread, originally developed in New Zealand. For the control policies in operation in late March, the model predicted an epidemic of 1,800 to 1,900 affected farms and estimated that the epidemic would be eradicated by between July and October 2001, with a low probability of continuing beyond October 2001.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the average rate per annum of construction of new homes for the periods (a) 1946–2001; and (b) 1946–50; 1951–55; 1956–60; 1961–65; 1966–70; 1971–75; 1976–80; 1981–85; 1986–90; 1991–95; 1996–2001. [HL5168]

The average rates per annum of construction of new homes in England for the periods requested are shown in the table below.