asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 27 November (

The financial year of Tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch is the calendar year.The under-spend for 2001 was not made available to Tha Boord in 2002.The government financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March. In accordance with best practice, funding is not paid to the North/South Language Implementation Body in advance of demonstrated need in line with objectives in approved business plans. Any under-spend of funds remaining at 31 March is surrendered to the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP).

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many meetings of the Northern Ireland Policing Board have been held since 1 January 2002; and how many of these board meetings have been attended by each member of the board. [HL546]

There were 13 meetings of the Northern Ireland Policing Board held during the period 1 January 2002 to 19 December 2002.The number of these board meetings attended by each member is as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:What have been (a) the total salary and (b) the total expenses and allowances paid to each member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board since the 1 November 2001; and whether the independent members of the board requested an increase in salaries and allowances. [HL547]

While the level of remuneration available to policing board members is set by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, details of the actual remuneration paid to members over a given period of time is a matter for the Northern Ireland Policing Board. My honourable friend the Minister of State for Northern Ireland has written to the chief executive of the Policing Board for Northern Ireland asking that he respond direct to the noble Lord with the information requested.Regarding the noble Lord's second point, the Government have undertaken a review of the levels of remuneration currently offered to policing board members in light of the board's first year in existence. Both political nominees and independent members of the policing board are being afforded the opportunity to contribute to this review.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many persons in each district council area applied to be independent members of the proposed district policing partnerships; and what percentage of the applicants in each council area were Roman Catholics. [HL5481]

The detail of how many persons in each district council area applied to be independent members of the proposed district policing partnerships and the percentage of the applicants in each council area that are Roman Catholics are provided in the table below.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many persons applied for the civilian posts in the Police Service of Northern Ireland; how many were (a) Roman Catholic and (b) non-Roman Catholic; and how many Roman Catholics and non-Roman Catholics were appointed. [HL549]

Since 4 November 2001, 23 competitions have been run for civilian support staff posts in the Police Service of Northern Ireland; the 50:50 recruitment arrangements, effected by Section 46(5) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000, did not apply to the majority of these.These competitions attracted a total of 2,876 applicants, comprising 674 Roman Catholics and 2,202 non-Roman Catholics. To date they have resulted in 70 appointments, comprising 31 Roman Catholics and 39 non-Roman Catholics, and further appointments are expected.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the British Irish Agreement Bill 2002 in the Republic of Ireland has been discussed in intergovernmental talks since 14 October. [HL558]

Yes. The exchange of letters which gave rise to the Bill was negotiated between the British and Irish Governments. The communiqué following the meeting of the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference on 18 December, and the statement of clarification relating to exchange, have been placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they consider that the claim of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to "be independent from every organisation" in its annual report for 2002 is consistent with the number of members who are also members of the Committee for the Administration of Justice appointed to the Commission in 1995. [HL560]

The Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission wrote to the noble Lord on 29 March 2001 answering the same points which he has raised in another Parliamentary Question (HL530). I would like to refer the noble Lord to the answer provided in Brice Dickson's letter.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In what cases and on what dates the Parliamentary Commissioner for Complaints has made findings of maladministration regarding the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. [HL629]

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration has not made any findings of maladministration regarding the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. In one case the commissioner declined to investigate a complaint but regarded a consolatory payment of £50 a reasonable redress because of the commission's delay in responding to the complainant's correspondence.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the last time the gate lodge at the main entrance to the Stormont Estate was occupied; and what proposals there are to attract new occupants. [HL602]

The Prince of Wales Avenue Gate Lodge was last occupied in 1983. It is now planned to use the building as accommodation for the Stormont Estate Rangers and an information point for members of the public. It is expected that this facility will be open for use in early 2003.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 17 December (

The Foyle Valley Railway Museum is presently closed while Derry City Council reviews its viability.Security measures for the building have not diminished since the building's closure to the public. Additional security lighting has been installed, the council has retained the full-time caretaker and a council employee carries out nightly out-of-hours inspections of the building.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they accept the recommendation of the chief inspector of prisons in her annual report that a consolidated Prison Service order should be introduced to encapsulate best practice on safer custody; and, if so, when will it be introduced. [HL755]

Prison Service Order (PSO) 2700 (suicide and self-harm prevention) came into effect on 1 January 2003. It replaces the previous instructions and sets out mandatory requirements. This PSO brings existing policy in line with the direction of the Prison Service's approach to suicide prevention (the move from "awareness" to "prevention") and the broader context (decency, safety, the concept of the healthy prison). It provides prison staff with instructions on identifying prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm and on providing the subsequent care and support for such prisoners.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps are being taken to reduce the long delays and late arrivals of prisoners from court and to improve the limited information received by prisons from escort contractors; and what assessment has been made of the benefits that could be secured from placing responsibility for escort services with the Prison Service. [HL756]

The Prison Service is taking a number of steps to improve the service to the courts. These include the greater use of video links to reduce prisoner movements to court and the provision of additional resources to contractors to enable them to respond to the increased volume of business..All necessary information is passed between the contractor and the Prison Service whenever a prisoner is moved. Any failure to pass on any necessary information would be investigated by the Prison Service as part of their monitoring processes.The contracting out of prisoner escort arrangements has offered better value for money and a reduction in the number of escapes and has freed up prison officers to concentrate on their core duties. A recent Prison Service review confirmed that the service should continue to be contracted out. It also concluded that existing contracts, which are planned to be re-let in 2004, should be replaced with more flexible ones to allow the Prison Service to respond more quickly to future business needs. The Prison Service is developing this approach and is considering how the relevant agencies in the criminal justice system can work together to improve the service.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ask the Chief Inspector of Prisons to conduct inquiries into all deaths and serious injuries in prisons; and whether they will provide adequate additional resources for that purpose. [HL758]

My right honourable friend the Home Secretary launched a three-year safer custody programme in April 2001 aimed at reducing deaths, self-harm and violence in prisons. The programme targets the highest risk prisoners in the highest risk locations, concentrating on six pilot sites. As part of this programme the Prison Service is considering how it can improve and strengthen investigation procedures into deaths in custody to determine not only what happened in an individual case but also how practice might be improved in future to try to prevent further deaths.The Prison Service has conducted a wide-scale consultation exercise, considering a number of options (including asking HM Chief Inspector of Prisons to conduct such inquiries) to make investigations into deaths in custody more independent. Ministers are considering whether to give responsibility for investigating deaths in prison custody to the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman. In the interim, the Prison Service is doing what it can within available resources to strengthen and improve the current system of investigating deaths in custody. There are no plans at present to introduce routine independent investigations for serious incidents in prisons.Section 5A(4) 1952 permits the Home Secretary to refer specific matters connected with prisons and prisoners to HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and direct her to report on them. Similarly, the Home Secretary can ask the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman to investigate and report on any prison matter.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 1 November (

The independent review team delivered its conclusions and recommendations to my right honourable friend the Home Secretary in December. These took the form of advice to Ministers, including on matters that are commercially confidential; as such they are not in a form suitable for publication. We shall be considering the review team's findings and recommendations very carefully and are minded to publish a summary document, together with the Government's response, in due course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What special rapporteurs and working groups of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights have visited China over the past 10 years; whether there are any outstanding requests for invitations by any of those bodies; and, in each case, what was the date of the request and the reply, if any. [HL786]

The Office of the UN High Commission for Human Rights has given us the following response to the noble Lord's question:

asked Her Majesty's Government:What reply they have received from the Chinese authorities when they have raised the duty of member states to co-operate with United Nations mechanisms and those of the High Commission for Human Rights, in particular at the United Kingdom-China and European Union-China human rights dialogues. [HL787]

Since the EU and UK/China human rights dialogues started in 1997 we and the EU have regularly urged China to co-operate with all UN human rights mechanisms.China has issued invitations to the Rapporteur on Torture and the Rappporteur on the Right to Education. It has also recently repeated an earlier invitation to the chairman of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.At the most recent UK/China human rights dialogue in November 2002 we urged China to issue an open invitation to all special rapporteurs and in particular to the new Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers. The Chinese response was that their authorities would be unable to cope with a flurry of visits and that the UN's limited budget for rapporteurs should not be concentrated on just a few countries. However, they agreed to consider issuing an invitation to the Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What subjects were on the agenda of the European Union-Iran human rights dialogue, held in Tehran on 16–17 December, and in particular, whether the European Union representatives expressed any opinion about the holding of public executions. [HL788]

The two main themes for discussions were torture and discrimination (the latter covered women, minorities, racial discrimination and xenophobia). The EU troika handed over a list of individual cases in Iran to which it attached particular importance and about which it sought information. The EU also expressed its concern at public executions and other severe punishments.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are working with the support of the major religious leaders towards a ceasefire by all parties in Israel and in the Palestinian Authority covering Christmas and the New Year and, if possible, a longer period. [HL844]

We have consistently called on all parties to do all they can to end the violence. We support the efforts of the quartet to adopt a roadmap to a permanent solution which includes a cessation of violence, among other steps. Peace can only be achieved through a negotiated settlement, not through force.We are supporting a number of initiatives aimed at achieving a ceasefire, including follow-up to the Alexandria Declaration of 21 January 2002, in which religious leaders committed themselves to work together for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they support the creation of an inter-religious council for Jerusalem and the holy sites. [HL845]

The creation of an inter-religious council for Jerusalem and the holy sites has been mooted as one option, among several, for the resolution of sovereignty issues relating to the city. It is for the parties themselves to settle these issues, as part of final status negotiations. Her Majesty's Government attach great importance to ensuring access to Jerusalem and freedom of worship there for those of all faiths. Any solution on Jerusalem should ensure freedom of worship.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What information they have on the numbers of prisoners of war held by the Northern Alliance and others outside the control of the government of Afghanistan who have died, been released and are still imprisoned; and whether they accept that the condition and future prospects of those prisoners reflects on the honour of the allied powers. [HL846]

British Embassy staff in Kabul are in frequent contact with the ICRC, which monitors closely the situation and welfare of all prisoners in Afghanistan. However, the ICRC cannot provide full reports.A number of prisoners have been released from Shiberghan prison since February. According to our most recent information, around 1,200 men are still being held there.We are concerned about reported conditions in prisons across Afghanistan and have made clear to the Afghan Transitional Administration, which includes former Northern Alliance members, that we expect them, as the responsible authority for prisoners in Afghanistan, to respect their international obligations. This includes treating their prisoners humanely and in accordance with the Geneva Conventions and international human rights law.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they will take to support and consolidate the recent peace agreement in the Congo; and what action they will take to encourage other governments to do likewise. [HL847]

The 17 December agreement on transitional Congolese Government is a very positive development. We would encourage all the parties involved to establish the new government as soon as possible.We are exploring direct assistance to the new government. We are considering Quick Start initiatives to demonstrate the benefits of peace to the Congolese people. Consideration is also being given to other areas, including disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of all armed groups; forming a new national army; and poverty reduction. We will continue existing humanitarian and peace building activities and support re-engagement in DRC by the international financial institutions.We will take every opportunity, particularly in the UN Security Council and EU, to encourage other governments to play a similarly constructive role.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What assessment they have made of the impact of landmines on the African continent; and what action, if any, they are taking to seek to eliminate landmines in Africa. [HL853]

The African continent comprises the entire range of mine-affectedness, with some countries among the most heavily mine-infested in the world, others completely mine-free and others again falling somewhere between these extremes. Apart from the toll of human tragedy caused by anti-personnel landmines, affected countries share to differing degrees a common experience of social and economic dislocation caused by denial of access to productive land, diversion of medical and other resources and, in many cases, obstacles to conflict resolution and post-conflict reconciliation, regeneration and development.HMG's global humanitarian demining strategy is directed towards universalisation of the Ottawa Convention and helping developing countries to develop their own capacity to meet their convention obligations. The Department for International Development (DfID) funds work in support of mine clearance, mines awareness and capacity building programmes. The latter include programmes aimed at improving the linkage with poverty reduction in national planning and prioritisation; encouraging practical innovation to enhance safety and efficiency in operations; and strengthening international systems for co-ordination and collaboration. DfID has a planned provision for around £10 million annually for mines action, the majority provided through the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and the United Nations Development Progamme (UNDP).DfID has supported humanitarian mine action in Africa for over 10 years, with bilateral demining programmes covering Angola, Chad, Guinea Bissau and Mozambique. In the current financial year DfID is providing financial support of £2 million to UNDP, aimed at enhancing the capacity of mine action organisations in Angola, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Somalia and Sudan, with a view to improving the effectiveness of their operations planning, building national capacities and linking their mine action work with broader development goals.The Ministry of Defence has trained Kenyan forces in demining techniques prior to their deployment with the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In light of the recent report published by UNICEF, what action they are taking to give children around the world a greater role in decision-making about their future. [HL854]

The UK welcomes the UNICEF report on child participation.In line with its commitments under Article 12 of the UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) the UK is fully committed to ensuring that children's views are taken into consideration when making any decision that will affect them. We have sought to lead the international community by example in this area.We sent two young people to South Africa to attend the World Conference Against Racism as part of the UK delegation. We also sent two young people to attend the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children as members of the UK delegation in 2001. Chapter 8 of the FCO's Annual Human Rights Report 2002 provides more detailed information on the range of work HMG undertake to promote child rights world-wide. In 2002, that included support for 30 projects in 24 countries worth over £1 million.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What changes have been made to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice for Indonesia. [HL929]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) travel advice for Indonesia was changed on 7 January.Previously it advised against all travel to the country. It now advises against all non-essential travel to Indonesia. The FCO continues to assess that the threat to British nationals and British interests from terrorism throughout Indonesia remains high and that British nationals already in Indonesia should consider leaving if their presence is not essential.The decision to change the advice was taken after careful consideration of the latest information, including intelligence. It also brings it into line with the latest advice of the Australian Government. The terrorist threat in Indonesia remains real, and further attacks cannot be ruled out. But account has also been taken of the strengthened Indonesian commitment and actions since Bali to confront the terrorists.Since Bali, there has been only one significant attack, at a McDonalds restaurant and a car showroom in Makassar, Sulawesi, in December which killed three Indonesian nationals. A number of antiterrorist decrees have been passed and some important arrests made in respect of the Bali bombings and previous terrorist incidents. The Muslim mass movements are now speaking out against terrorism. The radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has been held for police questioning. The Indonesians have also provided more security than before to diplomatic missions and international schools, as well as other non-specifically Western targets, such as shopping malls, entertainment centres and churches.A copy of the latest advice can be found on the FCO website

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any goods subject to the national arms embargo have recently been approved for export to Iran. [HL930]

The Government have recently issued a licence for the export of synchros to be used as an inspection tool on Tay 650 engines used to power Fokker 100 aircraft. These synchros were made as military electronic equipment. However, the Government are satisfied that these synchros are to be used only for the upkeep of the Fokker 100, a civil aircraft. The risk of these goods being diverted for use by the Iranian military is minimal.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many directly applicable regulations of the European Community have had, without further enactment, the force of law in the United Kingdom (a) at the time of accession to the Community; and (b) in the course of each calendar year subsequent to that of accession until the year 2001; and whether they will place in the Library of the House the reference numbers, names of each such regulation and year of application, listed under the headings of the principal and other departments of state. [HL649]

EC regulations are, in general, directly applicable in the member states, without the need for further incorporation into national law. However, some regulations require UK measures to make them workable and enforceable. It would incur disproportionate cost to identify the number of regulations enacted at the time of the UK's accession to the European Community.Some regulations enact small or technical amendments. Others may have been repealed since their enactment. As far as we have been able to verify, the number of regulations enacted since the UK's accession are as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:What information they have received from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the alleged construction of clandestine nuclear fuel cycle facilities at Natanz and Kashan; why the visit by IAEA Director-General General Mohammed El Baradei scheduled for the week of 12 December was postponed; and whether they wil remind Iran of its obligation under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to allow inspection by the IAEA of all of its nuclear activities. [HL789]

The IAEA is seeking clarification of the allegations with the Iranian authorities before reporting to member states. We understand that Dr El Baradei's visit was postponed at the request of the Iranian authorities but is now due to take place in February.The UK regularly reminds Iran both of its existing obligations under the NPT and the need to strengthen them further by signing an additional protocol to its safeguards agreement with the IAEA.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 16 December (HL Deb, cols 477–478), whether, as stated in the

I have nothing to add to the Answer given by the Lord Privy Seal. The Government believe that the enlargement of the EU will benefit the citizens of the new and existing member states.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for January; and what are the major European Union events for the period between 1 February and 31 July 2003. [HL871]

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will make a statement internationally making it clear that MV "Prestige" was not bound for Gibraltar and had no connection with Gibraltar. [HL921]

I refer my noble friend to the Answer I gave the noble Lord, Lord Kilclooney, on 27 November (WA 45).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have recently appointed an alternate United Kingdom member to the Venice Commission. [HL928]

On 7 January HMG announced the appointment of Professor Anthony Bradley as the alternate UK member of the European Commission for Democracy Through Law (the Venice Commission). The Venice Commission is a Council of Europe body which is made up of constitutional experts who provide member states with advice on constitutions and democratic institutions furthering human rights and the rule of law.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much was given and to which organisations by the Department of Health in each of the past five years for which figures are available to promote reproductive healthcare, abortion and family planning; and [HL482]How much the Department of Health gave in each of the past five years to:

asked Her Majesty's Government:How they intend to reflect the special status of the human embryo when regulating embryo research. [HL793]

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Research Purposes) Regulations 2001 place conditions on the circumstances in which human embryos can be used in research. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority may grant licences for research involving embryos only if it assesses that the proposed use of embryos is necessary for the purposes of the research and that the research is necessary or desirable for the purposes of promoting advances in the treatment of infertility; increasing knowledge about the causes of congenital disease; increasing knowledge about the causes of miscarriages; developing more effective techniques of contraception or developing methods

The Department of Health has not provided any funding to Marie Stopes International, International Planned Parenthood Federation, British Pregnancy Advisory Service, the Pregnancy Advisory Service (which is no longer in existence) or the United Nations Population Fund in any of the past five years. Funding has been given to the organisations shown in the table.Funding for Brook Advisory Centres includes funding for various projects and core funding under the Section 64 General Scheme (Section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968) to support the central office of this organisation for the purpose of reproductive health services and advice for young people aged under 25. Funding for the fpa includes funding for various projects and Section 64 funding to support the central office of the organisation. Funding for the Contraceptive Education Service is for the purposes of providing reproductive health advice and information to the public and health professionals. Funding for Education for Choice was to support specific projects for the purposes of education on pregnancy choices and funding for Fertility UK was Section 64 funding to support the central office of this organisation for the purposes of family planning.for detecting the presence of gene or chromosome abnormalities in embryos before implantion; increasing knowlege about the development of embryos; increasing knowledge about serious disease or enabling any such knowledge to be applied in developing treatments for serious disease.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action each government department is taking to implement the findings of the report

The main emphasis of the report is the need for government departments and regional and local agencies to work more closely together to address injury prevention and to do so in the context of wider government programmes. The recent report of the cross-cutting review of health inequalities and recent guidance on health and neighbourhood renewal have taken a first step towards achieving this. Accidental injury is also included in a current Social Exclusion Unit project on transport and social exclusion.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking in relation to fire safety; work safety; and risk education to implement the findings of the report

The report's findings on these issues are being taken forward in discussions on the recently published cross-cutting review of health inequalities, and in preparations for a children's national service framework for the National Health Service.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the results of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's 1993 consultation on sex selection are in the public domain. [HL892]

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority published the results of its 1993 consultation on sex selection in a press release issued on 20 July 1993, with a summary in its third annual report published in July 1994. The authority concluded that sex selection should be permitted for medical reasons only where there is a risk of a child of a particular sex inheriting a serious life-threatening disorder. A copy of the annual report was placed in the Library and a copy of the press release is available from the authority.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In view of the fact that passive smoking increases the risk of asthma in children, when they plan to implement a ban on smoking in public places. [HL916]

This year the Department of Health is funding local tobacco control alliances across England to carry out projects in close co-operation with local employers to tackle passive smoking and to increase the number of smoke-free environments. These projects vary in nature from the production of smoke-free guides to pubs and restaurants to the provision of advice and support to managers wishing to introduce policies. We hope that many will be suitable for national application.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proposals they have considered for the collection of fallen stock in those areas of Exmoor currently hunted by the three stag hound packs; and what will be the cost. [HL885]

My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Rural Affairs is aware of the role played by the hunts as a casualty service for the wild red deer. The European Union's Animal By-products Regulation will ban routine on-farm burial and burning of animal carcasses from 30 April 2003. This will mean that the existing fallen stock service provided by a number of hunts could only continue with considerable investment in new equipment. So the future of the hunts' service is in doubt irrespective of the Bill. The Government have been holding discussion with the livestock and disposal industry with the aim of developing a national fallen stock scheme.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any part of the European Union has opted out of the common fisheries policy; if so, when; and what effect this has had on the fish stocks of that part. [HL740]

No member state or acceding country has opted out of the common fisheries policy.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action is being taken to prevent deer or hare coursing which is currently unlawful. [HL901]

It is a matter for the chief constables to determine the policing priorities within his or her area and to ensure the enforcement of the relevant legislation.The Hunting Bill will have dedicated provisions in regard to unlawful hare coursing, giving the police the power of arrest, a fine of up to £5,000 and a power of confiscation of animals and equipment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they expect the hare population in England to rise or to fall, should current lawful coursing be banned [HL902]

The conclusion of the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs in England and Wales (Burns Report) was that hare coursing has a relatively small direct impact on hare numbers. A ban would have little effect in practice on the hare population but would eliminate one form of cruelty (Burns paragraph 5.94).

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to replace existing nuclear power stations with new nuclear power stations; and [HL850]What plans they have to replace the power generation provided by the existing nuclear power stations after their closure; and [HL851]How they propose to meet their Kyoto commitments if nuclear power stations are not replaced by new nuclear power stations. [HL852]

The Government are currently carrying out a review of future energy policy with a view to issuing a White Paper shortly. The review includes consideration of the future role of nuclear power.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the proportion of teachers in state primary and secondary schools in the United Kingdom who are men. [HL822]

In March 2001 (the most recent date for which provisional data are available) 14 per cent of the teachers in regular full or part-time service in maintained nursery and primary schools and 42 per cent of the teachers in regular full or part-time service in maintained secondary schools in England and Wales were male.Some 10 to 20 per cent of part-timers are not recorded on the Teachers' Pension Scheme, from which the data are obtained.The devolved administrations are responsible for the supply of teachers in their countries.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are their priorities for the allocation of public funds to improve the teaching, learning and study of particular foreign languages, as distinct from foreign languages generally, in accordance with the National Languages Strategy, referred to in

Our main priority, as set out in our strategy, is to provide high quality teaching and learning opportunities for young people regardless of the language taught. While our recently published strategy highlights the development and enhancement of joint programmes with France, Germany, Spain, Russia and China, we are also in discussion with other countries about the possibilities of similar joint programmes. Our strategy makes clear that primary schools will be expected to offer an EU language as part of the language entitlement, and to support that expectation we are funding initial teacher training primary places in French, Spanish and German.However, we also want to promote diversification in language learning. Around 20 languages are offered by the 157 specialist language colleges currently in operation. The expansion of the specialist schools programme, with their role as hubs of excellence, will provide enhanced opportunities for primary schools to access language expertise.Finally, new training opportunities for teaching a foreign language will be developed for people with language skills, including commuity languages, to give them additional teaching skills and recognition to work with teachers in classrooms. Our recognition system will also provide accreditation in a wide range of languages, including community languages.