asked Her Majesty's Government:How many asylum applicants without final decisions are currently being held in detention in England and Wales. [HL179]

The latest available information for asylum applicants in detention in England and Wales is for 29 June 2002 and is given in the table:

	At 29 June 20022
Asylum applicants in detention in England and Wales1	1,355
1 Those recorded as having sought asylum at some stage.
2 Figures are rounded to the nearest five.

I regret that information on how many of these persons had not received a final decision on their asylum claim is not available except by examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost.The next quarterly information on detainees will be published in

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proposed legislation for this Session of Parliament will have significant application in Scotland. [HL223]

Until the text of each Bill is available, it is not possible to state precisely what will be the application of proposed legislation in Scotland. With that proviso, it seems likely that around half the Bills announced in the Queen's Speech will include measures which would apply in Scotland. Some of these Bills will extend to Scotland in relation to matters which are reserved to the UK Government e.g. the Communications Bill and the European Union (Accessions) Bill. Others may extend to Scotland in relation to certain devolved matters, subject to the consent of the Scottish Parliament under the terms of the Sewel convention, e.g. the Waste and Emissions Trading Bill. Others still are a mixture of reserved and devolved matters.The Government have been working closely with the Scottish Executive on those aspects of the UK legislative programme that may have implications for Scotland, and are continuing to do so.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much has been spent by the Treasury on external consulting contracts in each of the years since 1996–97. [HL80]

Spending by HM Treasury on external consultants was as follows:

Year	Spending, £
1996–97	1,032,250
1997–98	1,159,530
1998–99	1,788,706
1999–2000	1,489,024
2000–01	1,666,799
2001–02	1,160,099

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 22 October (

Employers have had to pay national insurance contributions on the earnings of their employees who are over state pension age from the start of the scheme in 1948.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the success of the process instituted at the Lisbon Council designed to promote greater levels of entrepreneurship in small and medium-sized enterprises in Britain and in the European Union; and how they will contribute to Commissioner for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Erkki Liikanen's proposed Green Paper on the subject. [HL155]

Small and medium-sized enterprises make a significant contribution to increasing productivity and growth, innovation and job creation. Entrepreneurship can also offer disadvantaged and socially excluded groups employment and prosperity. That is why enterprise is a key plank of the agenda on EU economic reform agreed in Lisbon in 2000. Her Majesty's Government have made a significant contribution to the work on an Entrepreneurship Green Paper. In October my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry sent Commissioner Liikanen a copy of UK Enterprise for All to assist his efforts. Produced by the Small Business Service, this is a paper that sets out the significance of small business across Europe and makes practical suggestions to encourage enterprise in the EU. Copies of the paper have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been their response to the decision of the European Commission not to pursue the cases in the European Court of Justice against France for its illegal ban on United Kingdom beef; and what representations they have made to the Commission since this decision. [HL169]

We have made no representations to the Commission on this issue since its decision. After all, as the noble Lord is aware, it was the actions of the European Commission and the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that helped persuade the French Government finally to lift their unjustified and illegal ban on beef imports from the United Kingdom. We very much welcome the role that those EU institutions played in resolving the issue. As the noble Lord will also be aware, the National Farmers Union continues to pursue its own case in the French courts, in which it seeks a ruling that the beef ban was illegal. This follows a separate judgment by the ECJ.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they believe that there should be greater flexibility in state aid rules to allow specific economic emergencies, such as those that occurred in Cumbria in 2001, to be addressed. [HL30]

Agricultural state aid rules are put in place to prevent member states giving aid which distorts or threatens to distort competition by favouring certain undertakings. We support the Commission in applying the rules consistently across the EU.Regarding non-agricultural state aid, the Government consider that the block exemption regulations and the current Commission guidelines, including that for rescue and restructuring, provide sufficient avenues for aid to be paid in most such circumstances.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they support the introduction of the European Union directive concerned with the re-use and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment; what savings they expect, in terms of environmental benefit; and what might offset the predicted two per cent price rise of goods in the shops. [HL115]

The Government support the WEEE directive, which is a priority waste stream for the UK. It is growing fast and electronic equipment often contains hazardous substances. It is therefore right that action is taken to limit potential environmental damage.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to foster and develop a British solar thermal industry to rival those of Germany, the Netherlands and Austria. [HL129]

In the past, the Government have supported the solar thermal industry through a number of measures, including field trials, testing of systems, dissemination of objective information and funding for training courses. The Government recognise the importance of solar thermal in contributing to reducing carbon emissions and as such extended the enhanced capital allowance scheme to cover solar thermal in the last budget. This is in addition to the reduced VAT rate of 5 per cent that applies to professionally installed systems.The Government are likely to further encourage the development of the solar thermal industry through the forthcoming Community and Household Capital Grants Scheme for Renewable Energy. The scheme will disburse grants to individual homeowners and community groups who wish to install renewable energy systems such as solar water heating. The scheme will run concurrent to an installer accreditation and training programme to expand the current installer base. The scheme is likely to be launched in the new year. In addition to this scheme, several electricity suppliers have been encouraged to offer grants as part of the energy efficiency commitment.The Government are also working on a strategy of support for further research and development and market penetration through the technology status reports. The reports aim to identify where government can best assist the industry through funding for research, development and deployment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they intend to take to encourage operators of landfill and of mass burial sites in counties seriously affected by foot and mouth disease to build on existing initiatives to ensure that complaints of smell or other environmental intrusions on the local community are fully addressed. [HL102]

The EA issues licences to waste disposal sites in England and Wales. These licences contain conditions to ensure that the activities authorised do not cause pollution of the environment, harm to human health or become seriously detrimental to the amenities of the locality. Conditions will typically stipulate environmental monitoring requirements for surface and groundwaters, leachate, gases and odours. The licence will also contain conditions relating to the aftercare and post closure monitoring of the landfill site until such a time that the licence is surrendered. The agency carries out appropriate periodic inspections of waste management facilities to check and audit operator compliance with the conditions of the licence and to ensure protection of the environment and human health.Where odour complaints relate to sources or activities regulated by the agency such as licensed landfill sites, the complaint will be fully investigated and managed in accordance with agency procedures. In light of recent legislative developments, the EA is due to issue a public consultation relating to guidance documents on the management of landfill gas. This guidance will be used by the EA, Iandfill operators and their advisers to achieve a step change in the management of landfill gas. A number of these guidance documents will focus on the management and minimisation of landfill gas emissions, which will have a beneficial impact on reducing odour.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their policy on supporting horticultural research in the United Kingdom. [HL189]

The Government support horticultural research through the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and through government departments. Research of immediate relevance to the horticulture industry is also funded by the Horticultural Development Council, a levy-funded statutory body.The goal of the BBSRC is to support science of international quality that is relevant to the council's mission and to the needs of its users and beneficiaries. Funding is allocated to universities and research institutes by a number of mechanisms, mainly through open competition. The agriculture industry, including the horticulture sector, is one of the main beneficiaries of the council's research.The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) funds strategic research in support of its published aims and objectives. Individual horticultural research projects are commissioned by Defra from a number of research providers. A proportion of the available funding is allocated to open competitions in which research proposals are invited from universities, research institutes and other providers.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any research programmes currently being carried out at Horticulture Research International are to be terminated next year; and, if so, why. [HL190]

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Horticulture and Potatoes Programme consists of fixed-term projects with specified deliverables which are either commissioned individually from research contractors or chosen from among proposals put forward in response to open competitions. A number of such projects will terminate next year in the usual way. The programmes of work identified by Horticulture Research International (HRI) in its annual reports are not directly commissioned by Defra, but encompass work commissioned from a number of customers. The organisation of these programmes is a matter for the management of HRI.The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) currently funds HRI on a similar basis to its own sponsored institutes, mainly through a four-year core strategic grant (CSG) that started in April 2002, and will be reviewed in 2005 prior to its potential renewal. The particular programmes of research supported from the CSG and their start and end dates are determined largely by HRI's chief executive, subject to the general direction of BBSRC based on scientific advice obtained in its four-yearly institute assessment exercise. In addition, HRI is able to apply to the council, in competition with other institutions and up to a defined limit, for supplementary grants for specific fixed-term (usually year) projects. There is ongoing turnover of such projects, some of which will come to their scheduled end in 2003.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What public money has been allocated to Horticulture Research International during the financial years 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2002–03 respectively; and what funds are due to be allocated in 2003–04. [HL191]

A summary of total public funds provided to Horticulture Research International during the financial years 1997–98 to 2001–02 and an estimated outturn for the years 2002–03 and 2003–04 are set out in the table below.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs failed to claim the £4 million European Union grant aid which was available for the monitoring of disease such as scrapie and BSE in 2002. [HL218]

The TSE programme was not submitted as a result of an oversight and a subsequent misunderstanding with the Commission. The programme was submitted on 22 October when we asked the Commission to reconsider making an EU contribution. The Commission has now confirmed that it is not legally possible for a payment to be made.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will continue with their plan to establish a scrapie resistant sheep flock, following the recent case of a sheep with the genotype that is most resistant to the brain disease scrapie developing BSE after the infective prion was injected into its brain. [HL221]

When the Government announced these emerging sheep research findings on 18 November we said we would continue to operate the National Scrapie Plan as normal pending advice from the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC). That remains the position. A subgroup of SEAC is meeting in early December to consider the findings. We will then review the situation in the light of SEAC's advice. The research project used intracerebral inoculation, and this is not a natural route of transmission for TSEs. It remains the case that no sheep of the most resistant (ARR/ARR) genotype has been confirmed as having developed a TSE in natural, non-experimental, conditions or experimentally through the oral transmission route.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they accept the finding of the joint inspectorate review published by Ofsted (October 2002) that staff shortages in key social services, including schools and social services departments, are in some local authorities a problem seriously affecting the quality of the service they offer; and, if so, what action is being taken to remedy these staff shortages. [HL68]

The joint chief inspectors' report Safeguarding Children, published on 14 October 2002, contains a recommendation that the Department of Health, Home Office, Department for Education and Skills, and the Lord Chancellor's Department should support and facilitate national and local agencies to recruit and retain sufficient levels of appropriately qualified staff, paying particular regard to the image, status, morale, remuneration and working conditions of specialist child protection staff.The Government have welcomed the publication of this report. They recognise that there is still more to be done to ensure that the highest standards of child protection are applied in every case. That is why they commissioned the joint chief inspectors' report. It is also why the Secretary of State for Health and the Home Secretary set up the statutory inquiry, chaired by the noble Lord, Lord Laming, into the circumstances leading up to, and surrounding, the death of Victoria Climbié. The recommendations of the joint chief inspectors' report and those of the Victoria Climbié inquiry will provide the Government with an authoritative basis for any reforms to child protection that may need to be made, and if reform is necessary the Government will implement it.The Government have introduced initiatives designed to improve recruitment and retention in these key areas.All our policies that affect teachers aim not only to encourage new graduates into the profession, but also to ensure that teachers already within it stay. The Chancellor announced in the recent spending review that more money than ever is going direct to schools to enable heads to manage and staff their schools more effectively. There is also funding for Recruitment Strategy Managers, who are currently working in over 100 LEAs across the country helping to provide a coordinated local approach to vacancy-filling, with three specialist advisers dedicated to helping schools in challenging circumstances.Similarly, the national social work recruitment campaign was launched in October 2001 by the Secretary of State for Health. This includes both national and local press and radio advertising and particular efforts are being made in London and the South East where retention and recruitment of social workers is a particular problem. The third phase of the recruitment campaign was launched on 24 October 2002 with the aim of raising by 5,000 the number of people applying for social work training by 2004. Since the start of the campaign, applications have seen the first increase since 1995 and provisional figures suggest a year on year increase in applicants of 8.3 per cent.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any of their 500 Sure Start programmes for deprived children include any rural communities. [HL171]

There are 13 full Sure Start programmes in rural areas. These programmes are developing innovative ways to deliver in rural areas the high quality services that characterise Sure Start in towns and cities.In addition, we are funding a pilot project of 50 mini Sure Start programmes in rural areas and pockets of deprivation. These programmes cover areas where the number of disadvantaged children living in a defined area is considerably less than the 800 required for a typical full programme and so would not be covered by the traditional Sure Start model. The mini Sure Starts are building on existing services like neighbourhood nurseries or other facilities delivering children's services and using Sure Start funding to deliver outreach and additional health work. Of the 50 mini Sure Start pilots, 29 are in rural areas.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 21 November (

I regret that my Answer of 21 November (WA 14) did not say more about the position in Northern Ireland, for which no data are held by the Department for Education and Skills. I am happy to clarify that my noble friend Lord Williams of Mostyn will reply to the noble Lord's Questions as he is the government spokesperson on all matters relating to Northern Ireland.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the comments by Lord Whitty on 2 November 2000 [HL Deb, col. 1187), what progress has been made in electronic relicensing of motor vehicles. [HL224]

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has launched a major programme of work to enable electronic relicensing of motor vehicles. Plans include provision of both Internet and telephone facilities to support the present over-the-counter service.Pilot systems are expected to be in place early in 2004. This will provide facilities for keepers of private and light goods vehicles not requiring an MOT certificate. The service will be extended to include vehicles in all taxation classes, and of all ages, by the end of 2005.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the total annual value and number of dishonoured or fraudulent credit or debit card transactions involving the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for the last convenient period. [HL226]

Dishonoured or fraudulent credit/debit card transitions involving the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in the financial year 2001–02 amounted to 127 at a value of £24,300. The total number and value of credit/debit transactions for the same period was 239,000, at almost £64 million. The transactions relate to DVLA, Great Britain; there were no similar transactions in Northern Ireland.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether credit or debit card transactions present any practical difficulties for either motorists or the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. [HL227]

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is able to accept credit/debit card payments for some driver and vehicle transaction fees, sales of attractive vehicle registration marks, penalty charges and, in certain circumstances, for vehicle excise duty (VED). DVLA does not know of any practical difficulties for the motorists in using these forms of payment. The customer benefits from a speedier delivery of the service required and the agency benefits from the early settlement by electronic transfer of funds.DVLA is seeking to extend the availability of credit card payments for VED. This move will be feasible if arrangements can be agreed for recovering the cost of credit card commission charges.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many responses have been received to the consultation on the future development of air transport, broken down by region; and how many letters have been received, broken down by government department. [HL246]

A breakdown of the responses received for the future development of air transport as at 22 November is set out below:

	NOP Questionnaire	Letter	E-Mail	Total
South East England	6,625	15,226	260	22,111
Midlands	8,429	11,526	755	20,710
South West	781	42	20	843
Wales	44	9	18	71
North of England	1,625	102	55	1,782
Scotland	655	72	20	747
Northern Ireland	76	12	8	96
Total	18,235	26,989	1,136	46,360

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether a new airport for 64 million passengers per year, sited in Warwickshire, would automatically be designated under Section 80 for the purposes of Section 78 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982 in order to impose restrictions on night flying from any such airport. [HL248]

No. However, decisions on the siting of any additional airport capacity resulting from the current consultation exercise will be based upon an expectation that appropriate controls will be established to protect communities. If such an airport were to be constructed, it would be possible to stipulate restrictions on night flying under existing planning legislation. A decision on whether to designate the airport would be taken in the light of all relevant circumstances.An environmental impact assessment would be required for the new airport option included in the consultation document for the Midlands region.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, if a new airport to handle 64 million passengers per year is built in Warwickshire, local authorities downstream of the existing flood plain which the airport will cover will be indemnified against flooding; and, if so, by whom. [HL249]

In the light of the current consultation on air transport, we will set out in next year's White Paper our policies on how much airport development is necessary, where this should be located and on what main terms and conditions such development could be taken forward. Many important issues of detail, including the impact on the water environment, will be for later determination.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answers by the Lord Privy Seal on 6 November (

It is the Government's understanding of the Implementation Bodies Agreement that the functions of the North/South Language Body in relation to the Irish language and Ullans and Ulster-Scots are exercised by the respective agencies of the body. The agreement also provides that the respective members of the board relating to the two languages have responsibility for the exercise of the functions of the body through the relevant agency. This means that the appointment of the chief executive of the Irish Language Agency was properly made by that part of the board having responsibility for that agency, and the same arrangements apply to the appointment of a chief executive for the Ulster-Scots Agency. The present Government have not received any legal opinion on this matter or had sight of any opinion which the authorities in the Republic of Ireland may have received.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 6 November (

Joint communiqués do not necessarily communicate the full range of issues discussed at each meeting. That is the function of the formal record of decisions.In addition to the issue referred to by the noble Lord, two other matters relating to the Language Body were not recorded in joint communiqués issued following NSMC meetings held on 30 March 2001 and 27 June 2001. These decisions, as recorded in the record of decisions, were communicated to the noble Lord on 6 November 2002 in a letter from the joint secretaries.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 6 November (

The business plan referred to at the officials facilitation meeting relates to year 2003. This plan has not yet been approved.The business plan for the Irish Language Agency approved at a meeting of the NSMC Language Sector held on 14 June related to the year 2002.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 7 November (

The reference to co-chairpersons refers to the co-chairpersons of the North/South Language Body—that is, the chairperson of Tha Boord o' Ulstèr Scotch and the chairperson of Foras na Gaeilge.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 6 November (

I would like to correct my Answer to the noble Lord of 6 November. No issues relating to Tha Boord o' Ulstèr Scotch were discussed at the North/South Ministerial Council meeting on 9 October. Information on the Language Sector issue discussed at that meeting was communicated to the noble Lord on 6 November in a letter from the joint secretaries.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answers by the Lord Privy Seal on 7 November (

The term "North" where it appears in the Answers referred to by the noble Lord relates to Northern Ireland.By accepted usage, the two jurisdictions in which the North/South Ministerial Council exercises its functions are sometimes referred to by their legal titles and at other times by reference to less formal nomenclature.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 6 November (

A report summarising the responses to the consultation on the review of post-primary education was published on 8 October 2002 and showed an emerging consensus on the Burns guiding principles, the development of a pupil profile, the value of greater co-operation and collaboration among schools and the ending of the transfer tests.The report shows a widespread demand for change to our current arrangements in the responses from the education partners, political parties, schools, churches, the community and voluntary sector, business interests and the public.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they plan to lay before Parliament their report on the progress made in implementing the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and publish their report on the review of legislation prohibiting the disclosure of information. [HL319]

I have today, in accordance with Section 87(5) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, laid before Parliament this year's Report on the Implementation of the Freedom of. Information Act 2000. Copies of the report will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. I will also place copies of the report on the review of legislation prohibiting the disclosure of information in the Libraries of both Houses.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the total amount of unenforced and uncollected fines in England and Wales in 2000 and 2001. [HL83]

Magistrates' courts committees have responsibility for the collection of a range of financial penalties imposed by the courts, including not only fines, but also fees, compensation, confiscation orders and some maintenance orders. The table below shows the arrears for the financial years in question. It is not possible to extract fines from the total, and neither is it possible to differentiate between the amount of debt that is uncollected and the amount of debt that is unenforced, as this is not reported to the Court Service.

England & Wales	True arrears	Actual arrears1
1999–2000	£417,501,826	£227,361,076
2000–01	£419,137,608	£225,908,941
1 True arrears are the amount of the debt outstanding, including debt that is being collected in instalments but not yet dui; for payment. Actual arrears are the amount of outstanding instalments that are in arrears.