asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether appointments to the Scottish judiciary by the Judicial Appointments Board have been of a higher quality than those appointed to the English and Welsh judiciary by the Lord Chancellor since 1997. [HL4288]

The Scottish Judicial Appointments Board began work in June 2002. The Government have made no such assessment; nor should they do so. Appointments are made on merit in each jurisdiction.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have identified a pool of potential judges of superior talent to those appointed since 1997 and who may have been unfairly overlooked. [HL4289]

No. The overriding principle is that judges are appointed on merit and that those appointed are the most able and suitable. However, it is important to be able to make appointments from the widest possible pool of applicants, and the judicial appointments process should seek to bring forward the most talented candidates for appointment from the diverse groups within our society. The creation of a Judicial Appointments Commission will provide a fresh opportunity to look at the ways in which the appointments process works.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of the British Council trustees' annual report and accounts for 2002–2003. [HL4431]

Copies of the British Council's trustees' annual report and accounts for the financial year ended 31 March 2003 will be placed today in the Library of the House. During the period the council received £151.5 million grant-in-aid from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they plan to publish the annual reports of the Multi-agency Public Protection Arrangements (the MAPPA). [HL4476]

I am pleased to announce the publication today of the second annual report of the Multi-agency Public Protection Arrangements (the MAPPA) of the 42 police and probation areas in England and Wales.The MAPPA have made a significant difference to the way the police and probation services protect the public from the risks posed by sexual and other violent offenders. The MAPPA were established by the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 and introduced in April 2001. As a direct result there is now greater consistency and robustness in arrangements to manage these offenders and an increasing involvement of other agencies.I am very pleased that the statutory arrangements we introduced are proving to be so effective. However, there is no room for complacency: to consolidate good practice we have included provision in the Criminal Justice Bill to formalise the involvement of other agencies in this very important area of public protection. I congratulate the police and probation services for their commitment and achievement in developing the MAPPA.Each annual report contains the number of MAPPA offenders in that area. The total number has increased. As expected, some offenders remain within the MAPPA longer than a year, some for life or for as long as they present a serious risk of harm to the public. The total number of MAPPA offenders increased 12 per cent to 52,809, of which 21,413 are registered sex offenders.For the first time annual reports contain information about the number of MAPPA offenders referred to the highest level of MAPPA activity—the multi-agency public protection panels (MAPPPs). Offenders are referred to a MAPPP because they present a particularly high risk or difficulties. In England and Wales 2,843 offenders (5 per cent of the total) were managed through referral to a MAPPP. Early indications are that the recidivism of offenders managed through MAPPPs is significantly reduced.Public protection is one of this government's highest priorities and the excellent work the police and probation services have done to improve it through the MAPPA deserves to be widely acknowledged.I have placed in the Library a copy of each area report together with other background information about the operation of the MAPPA.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answers by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 3 March (

The Ministry of Defence identifies the costs of operations in terms of the net additional costs it has incurred. The costs which the department would have incurred had the operation not been undertaken—expenditure on wages and salaries or on conducting training exercises, for example—are deducted from the total costs of the operation.Calculating all the costs of military action will take some time since they will include the cost of ammunition, bombs and guided weapons consumed in excess of peacetime levels and equipment destroyed and damaged. Excluding those costs, the latest estimate is that the net additional cost of operations in Iraq for 2002–03 is around £700 million—less than the £1 billion set aside at Spring Supplementary Estimates 2002–03.Items in the £700 million estimate include costs for the procurement or modification of equipment under the heading of urgent operational requirements, increased maintenance and stock consumption, civil sea and air charter and provision of infrastructure in the theatre of operations. It is most likely that a comprehensive and robust figure for 2002–03 will he available only when the National Audit Office has approved the departmental resource accounts.It is too early to estimate the costs (including those that might arise from my department's involvement in work towards stabilising a new government in Iraq) likely to arise in 2003–04. Once these are known, additional funding will be sought in the normal way through Supplementary Estimates.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much of the £3 billion set aside in the Budget on 9 April in a special reserve available to the Ministry of Defence for the conflict in Iraq has now been spent. [HL4318]

The Ministry of Defence identifies the costs of operations in terms of the net additional costs it has incurred. The costs which the department would have incurred had the operation not been undertaken—expenditure on wages and salaries or on conducting training exercises, for example—are deducted from the total costs of operation.Calculating all the costs of military action will take some time since they will include the cost of ammunition, bombs and guided weapons consumed in excess of peacetime levels and equipment destroyed and damaged. Excluding those costs, the latest estimate is that the net additional cost of operations in Iraq for 2002–03 is around £700 million. This is less than the £1 billion set aside at Spring Supplementary Estimates 2002–03, which is the only funding that has been voted by Parliament so far for operations in Iraq.Items in the £700 million estimate include costs for the procurement or modification of equipment under the heading of urgent operational requirements, increased maintenance and stock consumption, civil sea and air charter and provision of infrastructure in the theatre of operations. It is most likely that a comprehensive and robust figure for 2002–03 will be available only when the National Audit Office has approved the departmental resource accounts.It is too early to estimate the costs likely to arise in 2003–04. Once these are known, additional funding will be sought in the normal way through Supplementary Estimates.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they plan to issue a new land use planning policy statement for rural areas in England. [HL4460]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) is today publishing a draft, for public consultation, of a new planning policy statement (PPS) on Sustainable Development in Rural Areas in England. It is the Government's intention that the new PPS (PPS7) should, in due course, replace existing planning policy guidance note 7 (PPG7), The Countryside—Environmental Quality and Economic and Social Development) published February 1997).The December 2001 planning Green Paper,

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they propose to use their powers to cap local budgets. [HL4461]

Despite above inflation increases in grant for all English local authorities in 2003–04, we were disappointed that the average council tax increase was 12.9 per cent. Having looked at the budget returns from all English authorities, we have considered very carefully whether to use our powers under Part IVA of the Local Government Act 1992 to cap any local authority budgets. We have decided against doing so this year.Every local authority has a responsibility to its own taxpayers and electors. However, the Government are clear that the current trend in council tax rises is not sustainable. We will look at council tax rises very closely next year and we will also want to take account of the trend in increases over more than one year. Local authorities should be aware that we are prepared to use our targeted capping powers in 2004–05. In exceptional circumstances I do not rule out the possibility of capping authorities categorised as "good" or "excellent" in the current and future comprehensive performance assessments.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list the outputs, results and public benefits which flow from the research expenditure of £58 million by the Economic and Social Research Council in 2002–03. [HL4268]

It is too early to expect outcomes from investments made in research activities funded during 2002–03. It is in the nature of investment in research that it will take a number of years for the outputs to arise and their outcome and benefit to be evident.The ESRC annual report (which was laid before both Houses of Parliament on 17 July 2003) provides a review of the work and investments of the ESRC during 2002–03. It includes information about the outcome and benefits arising from previous investments.The ESRC REGARD database

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the estimated distribution of entitlement to child tax credit and working tax credit by value across household income bands of £0 to £5,000, £5,000 to £7,500, £7,500 to £10,000, £10,000 to £15,000, £15,000 to £20,000, £20,000 to £30,000, £30,000 to £50,000, and over £50,000, or the closest bands available, once both these benefits are in place and have fully replaced previous benefit entitlements. [HL4270]

The information requested is contained in Child and Working Tax Statistics: Quarterly Statistics, July 2003. This is on the Inland Revenue website (www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm). This publication includes an analysis of the number of families receiving awards in income bands.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What allowance is made in the long-term annual net migration assumption for those asylum seekers who are refused permission to remain in the United Kingdom but for whom there is no evidence of departure. [HL4272]

The migration assumptions underlying the official UK national population projections, produced by the Government Actuary's Department, use the internationally agreed definition of a migrant. A migrant is defined as someone who changes his or her country of usual residence for a period of at least a year so that the country of destination becomes the country of usual residence.No allowance is made for failed asylum seekers who may remain in the UK for longer than 12 months as there is no reliable evidence on which to base such an estimate.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many of the 674,000 public-sector jobs that are forecast by the Office for National Statistics and the Treasury to have been created between May 1997 and 2006 contribute to gross national product; and in what way. [HL4305]

All public sector jobs contribute directly to gross national product by virtue of the associated production of goods and services.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they plan to simplify self-assessment income tax forms. [HL4321]

There have been continual improvements related to self-assessment tax returns to make them easier to understand and to complete, including improvements to the online tax return for self-assessment. The Inland Revenue is currently piloting a new short tax return with a view to introducing it generally for people with straightforward tax affairs.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What changes in entitlement to legal services for asylum seekers and others in England and Wales will occur when the funding of immigration advisory services is transferred to the Legal Services Commission in April 2004; and whether they intend to make any changes in the funding of these services in Scotland. [HL4043]

The Home Office currently provides funding for certain organisations to provide immigration and asylum advice under Section 110 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. On transfer to the Legal Services Commission, the services will be subject to the same scope and quality assurance requirements as the rest of the asylum services funded through the Community Legal Service. The Home Office will be responsible for negotiating future funding arrangements in Scotland with the Scottish Legal Aid Board, because the Community Legal Service fund only covers work undertaken in England and Wales.