asked Her Majesty's Government:What support they have given to education in southern Sudan during each of the past five years; and what form this took. [HL1169]

This financial year we have committed £220,000 to support scholarships programmes in Sudan, particularly for women, and £300,000 to UNICEF for schools rehabilitation and teacher training in the Nuba mountains. We are also planning a significant intervention in the education sector in government and SPLM/A controlled conflict affected areas. We have committed £303,263 support for education initiatives for displaced people through the joint funding scheme since May 1998.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Chancellor on 7 January

In my Written Answer of 7 January to which the noble Lord refers I stated that I am directly and personally answerable to Parliament for the systems and policies relating to the award of Queen's Counsel. I may therefore be questioned in Parliament on these, as distinct from decisions whether to advise Her Majesty to award Silk in individual cases.Constitutional propriety dictates that Her Majesty should be able to rely on the advice of a Minister in the exercise of Her Royal Prerogative. That includes appointments to the rank of Queen's Counsel. I am the appropriate Minister in this case. My responsibilities include policy on the regulation of the legal professions and the safeguarding of the public interest in the provision of legal services: the award of Silk assists in this since Silk is a quality mark for the consumer.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they required the United States to pay for support, help and use of facilities as a result of the Gulf War in the 1990s. [HL1037]

The United Kingdom did not require the United States to pay for support or make any direct financial payment to the UK during the Gulf conflict. The UK's contribution to the Gulf conflict was part of an international coalition force. As part of that international coalition force, coalition partners pooled resources and equipment and were able to share capabilities and facilities. This meant that the US, along with other coalition partners, loaned to the UK a certain amount of equipment. According to records held by the Ministry of Defence, the US loaned communications equipment, a number of high mobility load carriers and logistic support to UK Armed Forces.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the valuation process to assess the market value for a residence in Cultra in North Down which they sold to a former senior civil servant in the Anglo-Irish Secretariat who is now involved with the Boundary Commission; and whether the full normal procedures were adhered to. [HL952]

The process followed was that the average of two valuations was used to assess the sale price. One of the valuations was provided on the prospective buyer's behalf and the other by surveyors acting for the Northern Ireland Office. The full normal procedures in place at that time were adhered to.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many applications were received from (a) Roman Catholics and (b) non-Roman Catholics for each recruitment competition to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. [HL964]

Numbers of Roman Catholics and non-Roman Catholics who have applied to join the Police Service of Northern Ireland to date are as follows:

	Total Applicants	Roman Catholic applicants (rounded to nearest %)	non-Roman Catholic applicants (rounded to nearest %)
Competition 1	7519	35%	65%
Competition 2	4890	39%	61%
Competition 3	4674	35%	65%
Competition 4	4327	35%	65%

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many successful applications were accepted from (a) Roman Catholics and (b) non-Roman Catholics for each recruitment competition to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. [HL965]

	Roman Catholics appointed	Non-Roman Catholics appointed
Competition 1	153	152
Competition 2	98	94 to date
Competition 3	59 to date	57 to date

In relation to Competition 1, the final non-Catholic to be offered an appointment withdrew a few days prior to taking up post. The competition had by this time been closed, and it was not therefore possible to offer the appointment to another candidate.Further appointments are anticipated from Competitions 2 and 3. No appointments have been made as yet from Competition 4.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many (a) Roman Catholic and (b) non-Roman Catholic recruits to the Police Service of Northern Ireland have successfully completed all elements of the training course. [HL966]

Three hundred and eighty-one student officers have graduated to date into the Police Service of Northern Ireland; 192 graduates are considered as coming from the Roman Catholic community, and 189 are not.

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

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland, through its Lottery fund, was the main funder of films in NI until March 2002, when the NI Film and Television Commission (NIFTC) was delegated responsibility for Lottery film funding. NIFTC has provided information on both its own investments and those of the Arts Council for Northern Ireland since 1997. The following films have been assisted:

• "Crossmaheart"
• "All For Love"
• "Divorcing Jack"
• "Titanic Town"
• "Sunset Heights"
• "With or Without You"
• "Mad About Mambo"
• "A Love Divided"
• "Wild About Harry"
• "Eureka Street"
• "Hotel Splendide"
• "Country"
• "The Most Fertile Man in Ireland"
• "H3" (a.k.a. "No Distant Heroes")
• "An Everlasting Piece"
• "Puckoon"
• "Mapmaker"
• "Straight to Video"
• "The Honeymooners"
• "Made of Jam"
• "Blind Flight".

asked Her Majesty's Government:Under what terms Gosford Castle in County Armagh was disposed of by the Department of Agriculture; whether those terms required certain remedial works to be undertaken within a given time-scale; and whether any such works have been completed. [HL1012]

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) remains the castle's current legal owner. The terms and conditions under which Gosford Castle is to be disposed of by DARD will be subject to negotiation of a legal agreement with the successful bidder—the Boyd Partnership and Lagan Developments Limited—for the restoration and development of the castle. The successful bidder had to satisfy conditions with regard to financial ability to purchase and carry out restoration work and that the proposed development had to be sympathetic to the existing uses of the forest park.DARD granted the latter a short-term licence up to 11 January 2003 for the purpose of carrying out a survey of the building and to effect minor but essential repairs. The survey work will identify a schedule of repair work for agreement with DARD and for inclusion in the agreement for disposal.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the terms of disposal of Gosford Castle in County Armagh included a provision which would allow for new building works to take place outwith the current footprint of the castle, subject to planning permission and listed building consent. [HL1013]

It is intended that some land surrounding the castle will be included in the disposal and the question of new building works outside the castle is a matter for the developer. However, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development would not object to such in principle, subject to normal planning and building controls.

asked the Chairman of Committees:What arrangements there will be for payment of the London congestion charge to be made within the precincts of the Palace of Westminster. [HL1198]

Transport for London has now agreed to supply a self-service machine for payment of the congestion charge within the Palace of Westminster. The machine will be installed near the House of Commons' cash machines, and is likely to be available from the end of March. Congestion charging will start on 17 February, and in the interim the nearest self-service machine will be at the entrance to the Abingdon Green car park. Other methods of payment include:

• online at www.cclondon.com;
• by telephone on 0845 900 1234;
• by mobile phone text message, having registered online or by telephone;
• at a range of petrol stations and retail outlets.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What guidelines apply to interventions in administrative procedures within Whitehall by ministerial offices, special advisers and press officers. [HL1299]

All departmental business is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, the Civil Service Code, the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, Guidance on the Work of the Government Information Service and the GICS Handbook, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they intend to publish the allocations of grant for police authorities in England and Wales. [HL1456]

We have today placed in the Library a copy of the Police Grant Report (England and Wales) 2003–04 (HC 270). The report sets out our determination for 2003–04 of the aggregate amount of grants that we propose to pay under section 46(2) of the Police Act 1996 and the amount to be paid to each police authority and to the Greater London Authority for the Metropolitan Police Authority.Allocations for each police authority for financial years 2002–03 and 2003–04 are set out in the table.

Police Authority	2002–03Allocation1,4	2003–04 Allocation1	%Change
English Shire forces
Avon&Somerset	152.4	157.1	3.1%
Bedfordshire	57.5	60.1	4.6%
Cambridgeshire	67.7	71.1	5.0%
Cheshire	99.0	103.9	4.9%
Cleveland	80.1	84.1	5.0%
Cumbria	55.8	57.7	3.4%
Derbyshire	95.0	97.9	3.1%
Devon & Cornwall	156.7	161.5	3.0%
Dorset	59.7	61.6	3.0%
Durham	77.8	81.5	4.9%
Essex	151.3	155.9	3.0%
Gloucestershire	55.3	57.0	3.0%
Hampshire	179.0	184.5	3.1%
Hertfordshire4	98.6	101.5	3.0%
Humberside	106.0	110.9	4.6%
Kent	171.6	176.8	3.0%
Lancashire	168.8	177.1	4.9%
Leicestershire	94.5	98.8	4.5%
Lincolnshire	57.0	58.7	3.0%
Norfolk	76.7	79.6	3.7%
North Yorkshire	68.3	70.4	3.0%
Northamptonshire	59.3	62.2	5.0%
Nottinghamshire	118.5	123.6	4.3%
Staffordshire	102.7	105.8	3.0%
Suffolk	62.0	63.9	3.1%
Surrey4	82.9	85.4	3.0%
Sussex	148.6	153.1	3.0%
Thames Valley	199.8	205.9	3.0%
Warwickshire	46.8	48.2	3.0%
West Mercia	101.3	104.4	3.0%
Wiltshire	56.8	58.7	3.2%
English Metropolitan forces
Greater Manchester	362.8	380.8	4.9%
Merseyside	229.1	240.5	5.0%
Northumbria	204.2	214.3	5.0%
South Yorkshire	164.2	172.3	5.0%
West Midlands	368.3	386.5	4.9%
West Yorkshire	275.8	289.4	4.9%
London forces
GLA—all functions5	1,926.8	2,022.1	4.9%
City of London2	29.8	32.5	9.1%
English Total	6,668.8	6,957.2	4.3%
Welsh forces
Dyfed-Powys3	47.9	49.3	3.0%
Gwent3	66.7	69.6	4.3%
North Wales3	70.2	73.4	4.5%
South Wales3	158.3	163.0	3.0%
Welsh total	343.0	355.2	3.6%
Total	7,011.8	7,312.4	4.3%

asked Her Majesty's Government:What guidance has been published for the emergency services and other responding agencies on the decontamination of people exposed to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear substances or material. [HL1457]

The Strategic National Guidance on the Decontamination of People Exposed to Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear Substances or Material, for use by the emergency services and other responders, has today been placed on the Home Office website (www.homeoffice.gov.uk) and United Kingdom Resilience website (www.ukresilience.info). The guidance may be downloaded from those sites and we are also placing a copy in the Library.The guidance will be updated periodically and these updates will be available on the Home Office and United Kingdom Resilience websites.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will draw to the attention of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews requirement 4.7 of the United Kingdom Sports Council's guidelines for the recognition of governing bodies concerning equal opportunities. [HL1216]

The Sports Councils deal with applications seeking recognition as United Kingdom or home country governing bodies. Their requirements relating to equal opportunities apply only to these bodies which seek such recognition. However, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews is the International Governing Body for Golf (with the exception of the United States of America) and as such the sports councils have no authority over it. The R&A has not applied for recognition to any of the sports councils.The content of paragraph 4.7 relating to equal opportunities policy in Sport England's

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will review the policy set out in the Licensing Bill with regard to regulated entertainment taking place in churches and other places of public worship, and in church halls, chapel halls, community centres and similar premises. [HL1455]

Following further consideration and consultation with faith groups, the Government have tabled an amendment to the Licensing Bill that would exempt secular entertainment provided in places of public religious worship and the provision of entertainment facilities in such places from the need to obtain a licence under the Bill when it is enacted. Music for the purposes of or incidental to a religious service or meeting is already exempt.The exemption reflects the current position outside Greater London. Within Greater London, the provision of secular entertainment at places of public worship has for many years been licensable. The amendment the Government have tabled will add further to the deregulatory measures already contained in the Bill.The Government also wish to make plain their intention to exempt church halls, chapel halls or other similar buildings occupied in connection with a place of public religious worship, and village halls, parish or community halls or other similar buildings from the fees associated with the provision of entertainment or entertainment facilities under the licensing regime. Use of such premises to put on entertainment will still require a licence as such provision can and does give rise to issues of nuisance, public safety and crime and disorder. However, the Bill provides for a streamlined and straightforward licensing scheme with minimum bureaucracy. In addition, the guidance to be issued by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport under the Bill will make it clear that conditions attached to any licences for such premises be proportionate to the risks involved which are likely to be minimal in most cases.Where a premises licence authorises the sale of alcohol in premises of this nature, however, the normal licence fee will be payable. This is entirely in line with existing arrangements. In addition, those wishing to use village, church and parish halls, and other community buildings will all be able to take advantage of the simple and easy notification procedure that the Bill provides for temporary events.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they think any of the British regulatory regimes may be regarded as "more burdensome than necessary" for the purpose of the General Agreement on Trade in Services. [HL1139]

No. Member countries of the World Trade Organisation are discussing, under a mandate in the GATS, whether "any necessary disciplines" need to be developed to ensure that measures relating to qualification requirements and procedures, technical standards and licensing requirements do not constitute unnecessary barriers to trade and are not more burdensome than necessary to ensure the quality of the service. Any such disciplines would not apply to national domestic regulatory regimes as a whole. No conclusions have yet been reached.The Government's

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they believe that local government services which a local authority currently provides in partnership with a private or not-for-profit sector body would fall out with the General Agreement on Trade in Services regime; and [HL1140]Whether they believe that they have issued procurement best practice guidelines to local authorities that have clarified the implications of Article 1.3 of the General Agreement on Trade in Services; and, if so, what wording they used. [HL1141]

The Government do believe that such services would fall outside the scope of the GATS. The service would still be one supplied by the local authority. Any decision to contract out to the private sector would need to be consistent with European Union public procurement rules and those of the World Trade Organisation Government Procurement Agreement. There are as yet no GATS rules on public procurement. The Government are in touch with the Local Government Association about the implications of the GATS for local government services.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they consider that the need for hydrogen as an energy source is likely to develop considerably over the next decade; and what action they are taking to ensure that adequate supplies are available. [HL1223]

The energy White Paper will be looking at the future pattern of energy demand and, among other things, the role that hydrogen could play in meeting future energy needs.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Following the statement on British Energy on 28 November 2002 (

This is a matter for the company.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How the cost of a unit of electricity produced by wind power compares with a unit produced by a nuclear power station. [HL1373]

The costs of generating electricity are a commercial matter for generators. Costs can be estimated on a variety of bases and will vary from plant to plant. For example, figures can include all cost items, including depreciation and return on capital, or can refer only to the additional costs associated with continued operation.Estimates of generation costs from different types of plant are contained in the PIU Energy Review and a report by an inter-departmental analysts group, both of which were published in February 2002.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect to provide the drafts of regulations to be proposed under Parts 2 and 3 of the Employment Act 2002. [HL1375]

We expect to carry out parallel consultations on draft regulations under Parts 2 and 3 of this Act over the summer, with a view to placing them before Parliament in the autumn, to come into effect in April 2004.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the arrangement with the National Union of Students described in paragraph 4.5 of their White Paper

The department will consider with the National Union of Students the nature of the proposed guide and its role in its development. No decisions have been made with regard to contracting for the work.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why housing benefit is not available to those serving prison sentences of more than 13 weeks; and whether they will make it available, at least where the offender has dependants aged under 18 or is of pensionable age; and [HL1201]Whether they will enable the spouse or partner of a convicted and imprisoned person to claim housing benefit from the date of the conviction. [HL1202]

In general, housing benefit is only payable to people who are occupying the home for which housing costs are payable. However, benefit can continue to be paid during periods of temporary absence from home.The existing housing benefit rules allow benefit to continue to be paid to convicted prisoners for up to 13 weeks if their absence from home, including time already spent on remand, is not expected to exceed 13 weeks. This recognises public concern that prisoners should not be treated more generously than other groups and the need to focus limited resources where they are most needed. People held in custody while on remand are entitled to receive housing benefit for up to 52 weeks.Partners of prisoners serving a sentence longer than 13 weeks can already claim housing benefit in their own right, subject to the usual conditions of entitlement.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What reply the Secretary of State for Health will make to the correspondence from Louella Houldcroft of the

We will consider the correspondence carefully and reply to my noble friend as soon as possible. A copy of the reply will be placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to conduct a quinquennial review of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence; if so, when this will take place; and what the parameters for the review are to be. [HL1277]

Quinquennial reviews were abolished following the publication in July 2002 of the report Better Government Services: Executive Agencies in the 21st Century. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence was examined by the Health Select Committee in 2002, and is arranging for an external quality assessment of its technology appraisals. The Government will keep under review the need for any further inquiries.