asked Her Majesty's Government:Which specific activities they are funding through the Chinese Ministry of Health. [HL2169]

We are funding a number of activities implemented in partnership with the Chinese Ministry of Health. We are providing support to the Ministry of Health to implement the Government of China-World Bank Basic Health Services Project. We are helping to develop replicable models of HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care for high-risk and vulnerable groups in Yunnan and Sichuan. We are also supporting the development of sustainable and replicable community health systems which improve access for the poor in four cities. We have also made a significant contribution to the Government of China-World Bank TB prevention and control programme.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will consider diverting funding to China from abortion towards other healthcare needs. [HL2170]

The Government do not fund abortions in China and are working to raise the health status of poor people in China through support that improves their access to basic health services that cost less, are of higher quality and target specific public health challenges like TB and HIV/AIDS.The Government do not support coercive family planning practices. All UK assistance for health programmes is provided in support of the principles of free and informed choice set out at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo in 1994 and reaffirmed at the Cairo plus 5 meeting in New York in 1999.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why the Attorney-General of the Cayman Islands has departed. [HL2174]

The Attorney-General of the Cayman Islands, Mr David Ballantyne, decided to leave office on 15 March, by mutual agreement with the Cayman Islands Government. Mr Ballantyne had come under criticism in the Cayman Islands following the collapse of the Eurobank money-laundering trial. He took the view that this made it impossible for him to carry out his role there effectively. Press allegations that Mr Ballantyne had prior nowledge of, or had approved, the destruction of evidence which led to the collapse of the Eurobank trial are inaccurate. He acted to ensure the disclosure of all relevant information to the defence in order to secure a fair trial and acted properly in bringing the trial to an end when he concluded that a fair trial could not be ensured. In doing so, he carried out the independent role the Cayman Islands constitution assigns to the Attorney-General. Her Majesty's Government are satisfied that Mr Ballantyne has throughout acted with professional integrity and in the best interests of the administration of justice in the Cayman Islands.Press reports suggesting that I agreed, on behalf of Her Majesty's Government, to the dismissal from office of Mr Ballantyne are also incorrect. The independence and security of tenure of the Attorney-General is constitutionally protected in the Cayman Islands.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the principal steps which the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Home Office, the Prison Service, the Youth Justice Board, the Department for Work and Pensions, Jobcentre Plus and the Learning Skills Council have each taken over the past year to promote the resettlement of prisoners. [HL1982]

The principal steps taken by Her Majesty's Government over the past year in promoting the resettlement of offenders are as follows:OFFICE OF DEPUTY PRIME MINISTERThe Homelessness Act 2002 places new duties on local housing authorities to undertake a review of homelessness in their areas and develop a homelessness strategy based on that review by July 2003. This will need to cover all homeless groups, including ex-prisoners.In 2002 the Homelessness Directorate funded a number of new pilot schemes with voluntary sector organisations and local authorities to prevent homelessness among released prisoners. It has also funded a scheme to secure hostel bed spaces for remand and short-term prisoners who are vulnerable to sleeping rough on release.The Homelessness Directorate has worked with the Department for Work and Pensions to update the B79 (notification of discharge from prison) form and to support guidance used by Jobcentre Plus staff that can help prisoners verify their identification.From April, local commissioning bodies, on which local probation services are represented, will develop Supporting People strategies setting out how they will meet the needs of vulnerable people in their areas, including ex-offenders.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the draft Corruption Bill will be published. [HL2263]

I am publishing today a draft Corruption Bill as a command paper (Cm 5777). The Bill will modernise the law and make it more effective, replacing the existing patchwork of overlapping offences—which date from 1889—with a single statute. The Bill's reforms give effect to a Law Commission report of 1998 and to the recommendation of the Joint Committee on Parliamentary Privilege to enable evidence of proceedings in Parliament to be led in corruption cases. They will also ensure that the UK is up to date in its international obligations and enable it to ratify the Council of Europe Civil Law Convention on Corruption. We recognise that corruption is an intricate and sensitive issue and the Bill will be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny before being introduced to Parliament.These reforms are part of the Government's overall anti-corruption strategy. This country is relatively free from corruption, but it remains an insidious threat, to which we need to be constantly alert. We have already made important changes to the law.Part 12 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 extended UK jurisdiction to corruption offences committed abroad by UK nationals and incorporated bodies. Many UK companies have adjusted their policies in the light of this legal change, which is specifically identified in the National Policing Plan 2003–06 as an important issue for forces, though we hope the number of cases will be small.Part 3 of the same Act gave wide powers of disclosure to tax authorities and others to assist all criminal investigations and proceedings.The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 introduced new provisions to strengthen the framework, both for tackling money laundering and for assisting others to access the UK legal system to detect, freeze and recover funds and assets of illicit origin.The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 charged the Financial Services Authority (FSA) with reducing the extent to which financial institutions are used in connection with financial crime. The Act gave the FSA a range of powers, including the power to make rules on money laundering and the ability to prosecute firms for breaches of the Money Laundering Regulations.The Police Reform Act 2002 set up a new system for handling complaints against the police, under the guardianship of a new body, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which will come into existence as a shadow body next month. Under the new system, which will start next year, police forces will be required to refer all serious cases of corruption involving police officers to the IPCC, whether or not a complaint has been made.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether immigration officers at points of entry into the United Kingdom have the facility to check on-line the validity of British passports presented by persons leaving or arriving; and how long after the reporting in any part of the world of a lost or stolen British passport this information is available to immigration officers at points of entry into the United Kingdom. [HL2158]

UK immigration officers operating the primary immigration control at ports of entry do not have direct access on-line to the UK Passport Agency database. However, details of passports reported as lost or stolen to British embassies or high commissions abroad are entered onto the Immigration Service Warnings Index, which is available at all ports of entry.As part of its anti-fraud programme, the UK Passport Service is developing a database for passports reported lost, stolen or recovered. This work is taking place in conjunction with a project to provide Foreign and Commonwealth Office posts abroad with access to the main passport index. Once these projects are completed there will be a system in place for the prompt recording of reports of passports lost or stolen anywhere in the world. This system will be available to UK passport issuing offices world-wide and it will also be made available to the Immigration Service.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many designers are members of the Chief Executive Advisory Group of the Office of Government Commerce; and whether there are any plans to appoint a designer as a member of the executive hoard of the Office of Government Commerce. [HL2168]

The OGC Chief Executive's Advisory Group (CEAG) provides strategic advice on OGC activities from key departments, executive agencies and NDPBs. Each member organisation is represented by a member of staff best placed to carry out the role, typically their head of procurement. Therefore, while departmental representatives may have qualifications or experience of design, this is not a factor in their appointment to the group.The executive board provides strategic and operational direction to OGC. Its members are all OGC executive directors, with the exception of a. non-executive director, with a background in human resources. There are no plans to appoint a designer as an additional member.OGC promotes the importance of excellent design in terms of functionality, build quality, efficiency and sustainability, respect for context and aesthetic quality in achieving whole-life value for money. For example, OGC collaborated closely with the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) to produce and publish guidance in October 2002

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their estimate, in respect of the most recent year for which figures are available, of how many members of defined benefit pension schemes retired with a starting pension of:

The information is not available in the format requested. However, available estimates are given in the following table. They are derived from the Survey of Personal Incomes 2000–01 and show the total number of taxpaying individuals in receipt of any kind of private pension in the specified bands. For completeness, those with a private pension of less than £50,000 and the total number have also been included.It is not possible to identify separately whether the private pension is derived from membership of a defined benefit or defined contribution scheme, nor to identify individuals retiring in the year.

Number of taxpaying individuals1 in receipt of a private pension in 2000–01
Private pension amount2 (lower limit)	Number of individuals (thousands)
Less than £50,000	5,340
£50,000	8
£60,000	5
£70,000	3
£80,000	2
£90,000	1
£100,000 or more	4
Total	5,370
1 Total individuals in receipt of a private pension is estimated at around 7½ million (Family Resources Survey 2000–01)
2 The pension in payment recorded is net of any tax-free lump sum drawn from the fund in the year of retirement.

However, maximum tax-approved pensions available to people under the 1989 occupational tax regime are limited to two-thirds of the earnings cap, currently £97,200—ie £64,800. This covers around two-thirds of all occupational pension scheme members and potentially covers the remaining third if they change employment. Current estimates suggest that about 10 per cent of the pre-1989 group move out of this group each year. Therefore the number shown with pensions over £70,000 may not be a good indicator for future levels of tax-approved pension income.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will estimate, under the present taxation arrangements and annuity rates, for:

The following table shows for a number of age groups the income derived from a fund of £1.4 million built up in a personal pension. The table shows what income could be derived from both a joint life level annuity escalating annually with the retail prices index and with a 50 per cent survivor's pension; and additionally the income from a single life level annuity—the most common form of annuity purchased. These are based on annuity rates quoted by the Annuity Bureau in March 2003 and all assume that the maximum lump sum of £350,000 has already been drawn from the fund.

Income and annuity rates for a £1.4 million fund built up in a personal pension scheme
	Joint life escalating*			Single life level
Purchaser	Spouse	Initial annual income (£)	Annuity rate (%)	Initial annual income (£)	Annuity rate (%)
Female. 60	60	40,341	3.8	61,740	5.9
	65	41,444	3.9
Female, 65	65	47,576	4.5	70,350	6.7
	70	49,098	4.7
Male, 60	55	40,278	3.8	67,200	6.4
	60	42,378	4.0
Male, 65	60	47,513	4.5	77,490	7.4
	65	50,537	4.8
* Note that as the expected value of the income stream to be paid out by the annuity provider depends on the life expectancy of joint lives; the annuity rate depends upon their age differential. If the joint lives are of the same age and the man purchases, the annuity rate is higher than if the woman bought the annuity. This is because he is not expected to live as long as a woman purchaser and therefore a full annuity income is expected to be paid out for a shorter period than if the woman had purchased. Annuity rates are rounded to one decimal place.

However, the maximum tax-approved pension available to those who have joined their scheme since 1989, approximately two-thirds of all occupational scheme members, is two-thirds of the earnings cap, currently £97,200. The maximum benefits under the 1989 tax regime for occupational pensions are also dependent on annuity rates. So, for example, a man retiring at a scheme's normal retirement age of 65, on a salary of at least £97,200 and sufficient service to give a pension of two-thirds of capped final remuneration, could have a pension of no more than £64,800 if no lump sum were taken. If the maximum lump sum of £145,800 is taken, his actual pension income would then be reduced to £58,239, assuming an annuity rate of 4.5 per cent is used to calculate the necessary reduction to the pension in respect of the lump sum.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will inform the House of the progress being made to update the Indices of Deprivation 2000.[2262]

I wish to inform the House that we will not be able to publish the updated Indices of Deprivation on the original timescale of July this year.The Indices of Deprivation 2000 (ID 2000) combine statistical indicators on economic, social and housing issues into a single score for each ward in England. This enables all wards to be ranked relative to one another according to their level of deprivation. The indices are used by government and other agencies to identify areas where there are concentrations of deprived people. They are, for example, used in the allocation of substantial resources aimed at renewing deprived neighbourhoods. For all these reasons it is therefore important for the indices to remain a robust way of identifying the most deprived areas. They were last revised in 2000; more recent and detailed data have now become available and last year we began consulting across and outside government for views on how best to strengthen and update the ID 2000.The two-stage consultation period began in November 2002 and was due to be completed by the spring to allow publication in July 2003. We received over 200 responses to the recently concluded consultation on the stage one report, with many useful suggestions, including confirmation of the need for data on crime to form part of the revised indices.The timing has been affected by the lack of crime data to form this crime domain. The required data are unlikely to be available until later this year. Additional research is also needed on how to move away from using wards as the basic geography of the indices, to one based on geographic units that are more consistent over time and in terms of size. This will allow us to identify areas where very small pockets of deprivation exist and to track change over time. There is more work to do on other aspects such as take-up of means-tested benefits and affordability of housing.To investigate these issues in full will involve additional research and analysis so we have decided to delay the second stage of the consultation. We hope to complete this during the autumn with a view to publishing the revised Indices of Deprivation in the winter.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they propose to consult on the cost model they are developing to assist the Boundary Committee for England to assess the relative cost differential of different patterns of unitary government in the regions. [HL2264]

In December, the Government published for consultation a draft of the guidance that we intend to give the Boundary Committee for England in the event that we direct it to carry out local government reviews in any of the English regions.The draft guidance indicated that for the purpose of assessing the relative cost differential of different unitary structures of local government, we would develop a cost model which would be made available to the boundary committee and others should they choose to use it. We said that we would consult on any model before it was finalised. Accordingly, I have today sent a paper with details of the work undertaken for us by PricewaterhouseCoopers to the Local Government Association (LGA), the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accounting (CIPFA) and the Boundary Committee for England. This sets out proposals for a model which we will be discussing with those bodies.I am placing copies of the paper in the Libraries of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, as reported in the

On 17 and 18 February senior officials of the European Commission and the United States administration met to discuss the problems for airlines operating Flights to or from the US arising from the requirements imposed by US legislation for airlines to disclose detailed information about passengers to US Customs.Following the discussions the two sides issued a joint statement explaining the outcome. They agreed to work towards a bilateral arrangement which will permit the Commission to make a formal decision under Article 25.6 of the EC Data Protection Directive that there is adequate protection for the passenger information that US Customs receives from airlines which are bound by EC law. Such a decision will be based on information and undertakings provided by US Customs.The joint statement sets out the undertakings that US Customs has already made to protect the passenger information that it receives from airlines in the interim. They include an undertaking to respect the principles of the Data Protection Directive. The requirement for airlines to provide passenger information to US Customs is effective from 5 March.The joint statement is not binding on airlines. It is for airlines to decide whether they disclose passenger information as required by US law. Airlines not providing the information will be liable to heavy fines and other sanctions from the US side. The content of the joint statement is a matter for the two parties in whose name it was made. It requires no formal endorsement by either Her Majesty's Government or the Council of Ministers. The Government are considering the implications of the joint statement for UK law.I am placing the joint statement in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 25 February (

Ministers can act only within the law. It follows that an extension of ministerial power will always require legislation (or, conceivably, a change in the common law). Legislation will also be necessary where what is proposed requires not only the exercise of powers but also, for example, the imposition of legal obligations, the creation of offences, or the raising of taxes.If, however, it is proposed that Ministers exercise powers that are already available at common law to private individuals, or to the Crown by virtue of the prerogative, there is no legal requirement for legislation.The case for putting existing powers onto a statutory footing will therefore depend not on strict law but on the matters of convention, good governance and practicality discussed in the previous Answer. These include the considerations of propriety addressed by the Public Accounts Committee Concordat mentioned in that Answer. They include also the principles of legal certainty, accessibility and clarity, which the Government regard as important in their own right, quite apart from human rights considerations.In considering the possibility of legislation, the Governnment indeed have in mind all their international treaty obligations. As well as the European Convention on Human Rights, these include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights and the International Labour Organisation Conventions.The use of non-statutory powers was discusssed by the House of Lords in the

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their response to the report, published by the Defence Analytical Services Agency in June 2002, on the Army's future manpower requirement. [2162]

The Defence Analytical Services Agency monty statistical Tri-Service Publication 3 includes Armed Forces full-time strength and requirement figures. Copies are placed in the Library of the House. The June 2002 edition included a revised Army manpower requirement figure. This figure is reviewed annually in the light of evolving doctrine, new technology and equipment and possible changes to the operating environment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to accommodate press teams and television networks in any forthcoming conflict in the Gulf. [HL2163]

The Ministry of Defence has compiled a media pool of accredited United Kingdom war correspondents to accompany our forces. Some 130 such correspondents are presently embedded with all three services, aboard ships, with frontline fighting regiments and at RAF bases in the region. In addition, there is an intention to take parties of journalists from all disciplines, but with a more international mix, on short escorted visits periodically to our Armed Forces in the Gulf.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much poultry meat has been imported from Brazil in each of the last four years (a) in tonnage; and (b) in value. [HL2209]

2002 is the latest year for which figures are available on the imports of poultry meat from Brazil. The figures are as follows:

UK imports of poultry meat from Brazil 1999–2002
Product	Year	(tonnes)	£'000
Poultry meat	1999	22,272	36,017
	2000	27,460	44,094
	2001	31,381	55,814
	2002	31,660	43,638
Poultry meat total		112,773	179,563

Crown CopyrightSource: HM Customs and ExciseData prepared by Statistics (Commodities & Food) Accounts and Trade, ESD, Defra.2002 data is provisional and subject to amendment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the value of exports to Brazil in each of the last four years of (a) luxury goods; and (b) all others. [HL2210]

According to information published by HM Customs and Excise, the value of UK exports of goods to Brazil in each of the past four years were as follows:

1999	£745 million
2000	£775 million
2001	£814 million
2002	£888 million.

It is not possible to separately identify luxury goods.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What the outcome was of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council held on 6 March in Brussels. [HL2261]

My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Malcolm Wicks) represented the UK at the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (ESPHCA) Council in Brussels on 6 March 2003, together with the Minister for Employment Relations and the Regions, my honourable friend the Member for Hull West and Hessle, Alan Johnson.The main business of this Council was a discussion on the proposed directive on working conditions for temporary workers and the preparation of the spring European Council, to take place on 21 March.On the former, following lunchtime discussion, the Presidency concluded that the dossier was not ready for agreement at this point. The UK declared its readiness to reach agreement on a directive, but one with considerably more flexibility than the current draft, and joined the consensus for aiming for political agreement in June.On the latter, the Council adopted without amendment the Joint Employment Report 2002 and its contribution to the spring Council.

asked Her Majesty's Government:On what criteria they expect universities to give preference to applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds; and how the information on the basis of which these criteria apply is to be ascertained. [HL2113]

Universities are responsible for their own admissions policies. They should select applicants by merit, based on their potential to succeed. We encourage universities to use a wide range of measures to assess that potential.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When was the Calthorpe Clinic in Edgbaston, Birmingham, last subject to inspection by the National Care Standards Commission; what was the result of this inspection; and whether recommendations made in the inspection report from the commission have been acted upon. [HL2032]

The Calthorpe Clinic was inspected in November 2002 and the inspection report is not yet in the public domain. The clinic is currently finalising an action plan covering the requirements and recommendations that were identified in the National Care Standards Commission's draft report. The inspection report will then be completed and made public.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What recent representations they have received from individual companies, trade organisations or consumer bodies about nutrients which are currently permitted for use in food supplements in the United Kingdom but which are omitted from the list of permitted nutrients set out in Annexes 1 and 2 of the Food Supplements Directive. [HL2072]

A number of individual companies, trade organisations and lobby groups have recently suggested that the Government should seek an amendment to the Food Supplements Directive to allow the continued sale in the United Kingdom of safe and appropriately labelled food supplements even if they lie outside the technical restrictions of the directive.During negotiations the Government fought hard to secure the provisions in Article 4 of the directive, which enable member states to allow the continued sale of products that do not comply with the compositional requirements up to 31 December 2009 provided certain criteria are met. The Government are taking advantage of these provisions and have no plans to seek a further amendment to the directive. Negotiations were finished some time ago and it is not likely either that the Commission would be willing to reopen them now or that there would be support from a majority of other member states for such an amendment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Blackstone on 6 December 2001 (

No decision has yet been taken to amend the government indemnity scheme. The review mentioned in my last Answer has yet to be completed. I am not aware of any loans that have fallen due to the current arrangements for indemnifying items previously accepted in lieu of tax.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why the maximum levy on sheep and bovine animals slaughtered in (or sent out of) Northern Ireland as permitted under the Livestock Marketing Commission Act (Northern Ireland) 1967 was not increased in either the 1980s or 1990s, so resulting in the large percentage increase in the Livestock and Meat Commission (Maximum Levy) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (SR 2003/20). [HL1874]

The actual rates of levy payable to the Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland (LMC) were last revised in October 1988 when they rose from 45p to 80p per bovine (ie cattle) and from 4p to 8p per ovine (ie sheep). These amounts fell within the ceilings of £1 per bovine and 10p per sheep detailed in the Livestock Marketing Commission (Maximum Levy) Regulations (NI) 1976 (SR 184).In the late 1980s and early 1990s, finance surpluses were built up in the LMC from both levy income and the activities the commission carried out on behalf of the then Intervention Board (now Rural Payments Agency). This revenue was used to avoid the need for levy increases and to fund additional LMC activities necessary, post the 1996 BSE crisis, to support and communicate with consumers in Northern Ireland and Great Britain, given the critical need to expand beef sales in those marketplaces. However, it was considered that these surpluses would become exhausted by the end of March 2002 and consequently an increase in levy income was necessary in order for the LMC to maintain its activities at anything approaching existing levels.Formal consultation with the industry was completed in March 2002, with general acceptance of proposals to increase the existing producer levies for cattle and sheep and to make statutory the voluntary processor slaughter levies for cattle and sheep. New legislation to give effect to these proposals came into operation at the end of February this year.The Livestock and Meat Commission (Maximum Levy) Regulations (NI) 2003 (SR No. 20), which came into operation on 27 February 2003, set new ceiling amounts for each levy rate (ie £6 per bovine and £1 per ovine) which are well above the new combined actual rates of levy payable detailed within the Livestock and Meat Commission (Levy) (No. 2) Regulations (NI) 2003 (SR No. 104), which came into operation on 28 February 2003, ie £2 per bovine (£1 from producer and £1 from processor) and 30p per ovine (20p from producer and 10p from processor). The LMC had, however, also initially sought to introduce a transaction levy, to be payable on every animal movement, in order to spread the payment of levy across the industry rather than just on the finishers. The ceiling amounts in the maximum levy regulations were set sufficiently high to collect transaction levy and also to ensure that any future increases could be introduced with the minimum of legislative change. It should be noted, however, that the proposal for a transaction levy has not yet been progressed as lawyers considered that the powers within the primary legislation, the Livestock Marketing Commission Act (NI) 1967, as amended, were not sufficient to enable the introduction of such a levy. The proposal for a transaction levy is being considered further by the department.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Intelligence Services Commissioner will be reappointed under Section 59(1) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. [HL2265]

In accordance with Section 59(1) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, after consultation with the Foreign, Home and Defence Secretaries, the Prime Minister has decided to re-appoint Lord Justice Simon Brown as the Intelligence Services Commissioner from 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2006.The Prime Minister is delighted that Lord Justice Simon Brown has agreed to continue to serve as the Intelligence Services Commissioner.