asked the Chairman of Committees: How many staff accommodated in offices at the House of Lords’ end of the Palace of Westminster are:

A total of 230 members of staff are currently allocated accommodation in the House of Lords’ portion of the Palace of Westminster. Of these, 172 are staff of the House; 33 are employed by political parties and groups, the Whips’ offices and the office of the Leader of the House; 25 are departmental civil servants, all of whom are employed by the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will amend the Mental Health Tribunal Rules (Northern Ireland) 1986 in the light of the declaration of incompatibility made by the English Court of Appeal in

There are no plans, at present, to amend either the Mental Health Tribunal Rules (Northern Ireland) 1986 or the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986. However, a review of mental health legislation is being undertaken as part of the wider review of mental health and learning disability (Northern Ireland) currently under way. One of the issues, which the review will be considering, is the compatibility of the Mental Health Order with the European Convention on Human Rights.

asked Her Majesty's Government: Who is on the register of researchers held by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; and what were the criteria for their selection. [HL4353]

There are 52 names on the current register of researchers. These are individuals or organisations with particular experience and knowledge of human rights research who have submitted their details to the commission and who are retained on the register which the commission refers to when seeking external work.The commission selects researchers according to their particular skills and experience relevant to the research project at hand, as well as giving due consideration to practicalities such as availability and cost and to its commitments as outlined in the NIHRC equality scheme.The complete list is as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 8 September

A breakdown of the Parades Commission's operating costs for 2002–03 is available in its annual report, which was laid before Parliament on 8 September 2003.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 8 September

No funds have been transferred from one financial year to the next in respect of North/ South Implementation Bodies budgets since the bodies were established in December 1999.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to increase the number of government jobs in Strabane District Council area. [HL4466]

At present the Department for Employment and Learning has 23 staff in the Strabane District Council area based in the Strabane Job Centre. It is currently estimated that this number will increase by 5.5 when the office becomes a Jobs and Benefits Office in October 2005. The North-West Development Office of the Department of Social Development is the key driving force behind the successful regeneration and development of Londonderry, Limavady Borough Council and Strabane District Council area. In the past it assisted with the identification of suitable sites for the new Pension Centre, Londonderry, officially opened in June 2003. In the future, it will continue to provide similar assistance in the Strabane District Council area.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What work has been done to the railway line from Ballymena to Portrush and Londonderry in each of the past five years; how much it cost; and what work is proposed for the next five years. [HL4533]

Translink has advised that in each of the past five years the following maintenance work has been carried out on the lines from Ballymena to Portrush and Londonderry:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will refer the arrangements for the allocation and inheritance of public house licences to the Equality Commission for assessment of their adherence to current equality law and good practice. [HL4535]

No. There are no known equality implications arising from the current Northern Ireland legislation governing the grant, renewal and transfer of liquor licences allowing public houses to sell alcohol. Such licences cannot be inherited.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the cost of the new underpass at Belfast City Airport; what is the estimated number of cars currently using the underpass; and what was the estimated use when the decision was taken to construct the underpass. [HL4537]

I have asked the chief executive of Roads Service to write to the noble Lord in response to this question. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have a policy to reduce the need for payments from the Northern Ireland Compensation Agency by promoting greater understanding among all sections of the community. [HL4555]

No. Government policies are focused on promoting greater understanding among all sections of the community, as part of their commitment to taking forward peace and reconciliation. They have also developed policies on crime reduction and crime prevention. Collectively, these policies should, over time, reduce the need for payments under the compensation schemes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which recommendations from the National Institute for Clincial Excellence have not been implemented in Northern Ireland and why.[HL4556]

There are currently no formal arrangements whereby the recommendations of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence are applied in Northern Ireland. The remit of NICE does not currently extend to Northern Ireland. Negotiations are under way with NICE with a view to extending its remit to Northern Ireland as soon as this can practically be arranged.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 10 September

Paediatric renal isotope scans have been available in Belfast at the main Royal Victoria Hospital for some time.The Eastern Health and Social Services Board has made available an additional £32,000 to the Royal Group of Hospitals Trust in the current financial year to facilitate the relocation of these services to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC). The trust is currently in the process of recruiting the additional staff required. It is anticipated that the service will be offered at the RBHSC site from January 2004.

asked the Leader of the House: What consideration is being given to replicating in the House of Lords the procedure of the House of Commons on Written Ministerial Statements. [HL4612]

The procedure of Written Ministerial Statements in the House of Commons operates so that Ministers can make written announcements directly to that House. This procedure was introduced at the start of this Session.In the House of Lords Ministers cannot make written announcements directly to the House. Instead they have to "plant" Written Questions in order to make announcements.I can see merits in the Written Ministerial Statement system, but at the moment the Government have no plans to initiate such a procedural change. However it is open to any Member of the House to put suggestions for procedural reform to the Procedure Committee.

asked the Leader of the House: Whether she intends to reinforce the existing convention that Questions for Written Answer should be given replies within two weeks; and what steps she intends to take in connection with those departments that have failed to provide replies to the 52 Questions that have awaited replies on 7 October for between three and 12 weeks. [HL4653]

The time taken to reply to Parliamentary Questions is an issue that concerns me and my ministerial colleagues.I have recently reminded colleagues of the importance of prompt and accurate answers and will continue to do so on a weekly basis.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the prison population in Northern Ireland on 1 September in each year since 1994. [HL4668]

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress is being made in building a new training centre for the Police Service of Northern Ireland. [HL4735]

The project for the provision of a new police college is being progressed by the Police College Project Board (chaired by the PSNI and with representatives from the NIO and the Policing Board). An outline business case for the supply of new facilities was recently submitted to Treasury, seeking permission to proceed to procurement stage. Treasury approval has now been received and a project manager appointed. The PSNI and the Policing Board have carried out an exercise to identify a suitable site for the location of the facility and this process is due to reach a conclusion shortly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the total cost to public funds, including expenditure on policing and security, of the recent Defence Systems and Equipment International (DSEI); and what benefits they estimate to have accrued to the British economy. [HL4625]

The direct cost to the Ministry of Defence identified centrally has been estimated at some £400,000. The final cost remains to be established.The Metropolitan Police estimate a total of £1.48 million in additional pay and other costs associated with policing the event. British Transport Police estimate their cost of policing the event as £250,000. As above, the final cost remains to be established.The benefits to the UK economy were evidenced by the presence of a large number of UK exhibitors, who were able to take advantage of the increased opportunities to show and discuss their equipment, and to allow those with current sales campaigns under way to progress their interest. Benefit will also have arisen from the attendance of more than 20.000 visitors, including official defence delegations, travelling to, or staying in, the capital.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the total financial cost to the British Treasury, to date, of financing the preparation for and participation in the war in Iraq and the restoration of law and order and essential services in that country. [HL4662]

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 the cost of repairing and replacing equipment destroyed and damaged. We do however estimate the cost of preparatory activities in 2002–03 at around £700 million-less than the £1 billion set aside at Spring Supplementary Estimates 2002–03. This estimate includes the procurement or modification of equipment, increased maintenance and stock consumption, civil sea and air charter and provision of infrastructure in-theatre. A figure for total costs in 2002–03 including the cost of operations up to 31 March 2003 will be published in the department's resource accounts at the end of October 2003.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:What plans they have to call out Reserve Forces in support of the stabilisation and reconstruction operations in Afghanistan. [HL4830]

On 3 October 2003, following the expiry of the call-out order made last October, we signed a new call-out order-made under the Reserve Forces Act 1996-to allow reservists to continue to be called out in support of the stabilisation and reconstruction operations in Afghanistan. The new order is effective until 30 September 2004.Over 230 reservists were called out under the order made last October. We are most grateful for their continuing commitment and the invaluable contribution they and their employers make to this operation.We have also authorised the military secretary to call out special members of the reserve forces, known as Sponsored Reserves, who are involved with the heavy equipment transporter contract. They will support operations in Iraq, with about 10 reservists deployed at any one time.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any new members have been appointed to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. [HL4829]

I am pleased to inform the House that Mr Ian Nichol has been appointed as a member of the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Copies of the press release relating to this appointment are available in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to publish a framework document for the new UK Passport Service. [HL4831]

On 1 September 2003 the Criminal Records Bureau became an independent agency in its own right and the UK Passport Service was re-established as a separate agency. The UK Passport Service and Criminal Records Bureau will not operate under separate framework documents. The UK Passport Service framework document has been published today and copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish consultation papers on the new arrangements for regional and local planning introduced in the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill. [HL4793]

We are today publishing for consultation draft regulations and policy statements on regional and local planning arrangements, and on development control processes. The regulations and guidance underpin the provisions of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill, currently being debated in another place. They are issued for consultation, subject of course to changes during its passage.The draft regulations set out detailed procedural matters in relation to regional and local planning matters and development control. We are also publishing draft revised rules for procedures for major infrastructure projects.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What key performance indicators and targets they have set for the Public Guardianship Office executive agency for 2003–04. [HL4794]

I have today set the following key performance indicators and targets for the Public Guardianship Office for 2003–04:KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 1: To INCREASE THE SATISFACTION OF ITS CUSTOMERS IN THE DELIVERY OF ITS SERVICES.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they have taken concerning the treatment of chancel repair liability under the Land Registration Act 2002, following the decision of the House of Lords in the case of the

The Government have considered the reversal by the House of Lords of the Court of Appeal's 2001 judgment in Wallbank. My honourable friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, David Lammy, has made a Statement today in another place that a transitional provisions order relating to the status of chancel repair liability was made under the Land Registration Act 2002 on 14 September 2003. The order provides that, for a period of 10 years from the coming into force of the Act on 13 October 2003, chancel repair liability will remain an interest that binds successive owners of land even though it is not protected by an entry in a register kept by the Land Registry. As no land registration fee is payable for applications to protect similar ancient property rights, such as payments in lieu of tithe, Crown rents and manorial rights, the Land Registry intends to waive the fee for applications to protect chancel repair liability for the 10-year period.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations they have made to the United Kingdom delegation advising the European Commission on any changes necessary to fulfil the aims of Defra's sustainable food procurement initiative. [HL4683]

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has worked closely with the Office of Government Commerce to ensure that the UK Government's position on integrating sustainable development objectives with procurement practice has been made known to the European Commission by the UK delegation. The UK Government's position is to maintain the current legal and policy framework, which allows public sector bodies to pursue sustainable development through their procurement activities, while also providing that value for money is obtained through purchasing goods and services in a manner that is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to create a citizens’ information register to bring together the existing information held by the Government and their agents on the citizens of the United Kingdom. [HL4616]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Registrar General, who has been asked to reply.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the performance of the Office for National Statistics is satisfactory. [HL4635]

Yes. The annual reports of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) report on ONS performance against its corporate targets. Following many years of underinvestment, the ONS has embarked on an ambitious development programme to improve its infrastructure to the level necessary to support a world-class statistical service. The ONS's 2002’03 annual report provides detail on this development programme.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

I am advised that in the financial year ending 31 March 2002, the Financial Ombudsman Service received a total of 43,330 cases, of which 39,194 cases were resolved. In the financial year ending 31 March 2003, the Financial Ombudsman Service received a total of 62,170 cases, of which 56,459 cases were resolved.The table below shows a breakdown of the outcome of all cases resolved during the period:

asked Her Majesty's Government: Why on 12 September the Office for National Statistics introduced a new methodology for assessing economic growth. [HL4638]

The information falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many new jobs have been created since the Government came into office in 1997 in (a) the public and (b) the private sectors; and [HL4645]How many new jobs have been created since they came into office in 1997 by region in the United Kingdom; and how many were in (a) the public and (b) the private sectors in each region of the United Kingdom. [HL4646]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the statutory guidance relating to the Licensing Act 2003 is to be published. [HL4658]

The Licensing Act 2003 provides that the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport may not issue the licensing guidance to licensing authorities unless a draft of it has been laid before, and approved by resolution of, each House of Parliament. The Government intend to lay the guidance before Parliament as soon as possible.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is their intention to provide long-term funding for Sportsmatch; and [HL4674]Whether they intend to continue funding Sportsmatch from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport via Sport England and retain Sportsmatch as an organisation independent from government; and [HL4675]Whether they intend to increase funding for Sportsmatch in order to keep pace with demand for Sportsmatch programmes. [HL4676]

As a result of the 2002 spending review, Sportsmatch was allocated £3.675 million for each of the years 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06. The future of the scheme, including its funding, will be considered as part of the 2004 spending review.