asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 13 October

The provision of a leased car was part of the remuneration package agreed with the prospective chief executive of the Special European Programmes Body before his appointment to the post.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 14 October

There is no government policy focused specifically on reducing the need for payments under the compensation schemes. However, I would refer the noble Lord to my previous Written Answer, which explained that the implementation of a range of government policies should have the cumulative effect of reducing the need for payments under these schemes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Given that Roman Catholics made up 8.0 per cent of the Royal Ulster Constabulary whereas women made up 12.6 per cent, why reverse religious discrimination is justified regarding the police in Northern Ireland, while reverse female discrimination is not. [HL4885]

The basis for the Government's policy on this is set out in the report of the Independent Commission on Policing.Section 48(2) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 allows the Policing Board to require the Chief Constable to prepare a draft plan for the monitoring of women in the police and, if they are under-represented, for increasing that number.Of the 930 trainees recruited to PSNI since November 2001, 318 were women.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have seen the legal advice referred to in paragraph 15.11 of the Patten report on policing; who has possession of the advice (if they have not seen it); and whether they will seek to have it published. [HL4886]

The legal opinion referred to in paragraph 15.11 of its report was obtained by the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland as part of its deliberations about recruitment to the Police Service. The advice was not obtained on behalf of the Government; there are no plans to publish it. However, as part of the implementation of the Patten recommendations, the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 included provisions to ensure that the 50:50 recruitment procedures would not be in breach of the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 or the Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In each of the six most recent competitions for recruitment to the police in Northern Ireland, how many recruits were sought initially; and how many were recruited. [HL4887]

The PSNI workforce strategy, as approved by the Policing Board on 3 October 2002, sets out the aim to appoint 540 trainees each year. It does not stipulate a breakdown of targets for individual competitions.The first intake of PSNI recruits appointed on a 50:50 basis was on 4 November 2001. To date competitions one to four have produced a total 1,196 appointable candidates. The final appointments from this number are presently being made.Appointments from competitions five and six will begin next year. Application numbers have been very encouraging.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the outcome of the Madrid Donors' Conference on Iraq. [HL5284]

The Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Benn, represented the United Kingdom at the Donors' Conference on Iraq held in Madrid on 23 and 24 October. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury and my noble friend Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean also attended.The conference was opened by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. A total of 73 countries attended, with 20 international organisations and 13 non-governmental organisations. The Iraqi Governing Council was represented by its President, Dr Ayad Allawi, and a number of other members. Iraqi Ministers also participated. The conference was characterised by a strong and visible Iraqi presence, as well as by a sense of the international community coming together to focus on how it can help Iraqis to secure a stable and prosperous future.Over 33 billion US dollars in grants and concessional loans was pledged towards Iraq's reconstruction for the period 2004 to 2007, significantly exceeding expectations. Twenty billion dollars was pledged by the USA, 5 billion dollars by Japan, 3 billion to 5 billion dollars by the World Bank, 2.5 billion dollars by the IMF, and the rest by other bilateral donors, mainly from European and Arab countries. Additional pledges were made by way of export credits and assistance in kind.In addition to the finance committed at Madrid, Iraq's investment needs are expected to be met increasingly by oil revenues, foreign direct investment and commercial lending once Iraq's debts have been rescheduled through the Paris Club. Another donor meeting could be called in the future if necessary.As set out in a statement made in another place by Hilary Benn on 14 October, DfID pledged £296 million over the next two years on behalf of the United Kingdom, bringing the total commitment in Iraq since April 2003 to £544 million. This commitment will not result in any reduction in DfID's planned development expenditure for low-income countries, or affect our commitment of £1 billion for Africa by 2005–06. Nor will it result in any reductions to existing programme commitments in the current financial year.The conference chair's conclusions can be found on the conference website:

asked Her Majesty's Government:What their spending plans are in low and middle income countries. [HL5403]

My right honourable friend, the Secretary of State for International Development, has previously indicated that changes would be made to planned future programme allocations for middle-income countries over the next two years. This results from decisions taken on financing for Iraq and the Government's commitment to increase the proportion of our direct assistance going to the poorest countries.As reported in the Department for International Development's 2003 annual report, we are planning to increase significantly total bilateral allocations for DfID's country and regional programmes over the next two years from this year's estimated total of £1.429 billion to £1.762 billion in 2004–05 and £2.078 billion in 2005–06. This includes meeting the Prime Minister's commitment to increase our spending for Africa to £1 billion annually by 2005–06; and increasing our spending in Asia by some 45 per cent to nearly £800 million by the same year. Overall, the UK's aid budget will grow to nearly £4.6 billion by 2005–06, an average annual increase over the 2002 spending review period of 8.1 per cent in real terms. The UK's level of official development assistance is set to reach 0.4 per cent of national income by 2005–06— a 93 per cent increase in real terms since 1997. This is evidence of this Government's continued commitment to make progress towards meeting the UN target of an ODA/GNI ratio of 0.7 per cent.As set out in the 2003 departmental report, responding to changes in circumstances is an integral part of DfID's work, and financial allocations for future years are subject to change. We had already planned to reduce the overall allocation to middle-income countries in order to allow an increase in spending on the poorest countries.Over the next two years, funding for the reconstruction of Iraq includes £50 million reallocated from planned programmes, together with DfID contingency funding of £115 million and contributions from other government departments. Our public service agreement includes the commitment to increase the share of our bilateral programme going to low income countries to 90 per cent by 2005–06. As a consequence of the temporary increase in funding for Iraq, which we expect to return to middle-income status soon, we will also need to move a further estimated £50 million from middle-income country programmes to low-income country programmes. This is in line with our commitment to the 90 per cent target.The total effect of these changes will be a reduction in planned bilateral spending in middle-income countries in 2004–05 and 2005–06 of around £100 million. Funding for programmes in middle-income countries during the current financial year will not be affected. Our budget for humanitarian activities will remain as planned.We will continue to provide substantial support to middle-income countries through our contributions to multilateral institutions. In 2001–02 this amounted to some £600 million, of which some £350 million was for middle-income developing countries. The rest was for middle-income countries in transition.These changes in planned bilateral allocations will involve withdrawal from programmes, earlier than we had previously decided, from a number of middle-income countries, which are less dependent on UK bilateral aid. Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Egypt are in this category. Our planned programme in Jordan will be re-phased. Our current programmes in Anguilla and TCI will now close in 2004–05, a year earlier than originally planned.We will be continuing with our bilateral programmes, with some reduction in spending levels and in some cases an adjustment of focus, in the following countries/regions: South Africa, China, Sri Lanka, Russia, Jamaica, Guyana, Brazil, Bolivia, Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo and the Caribbean. Our small programme in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will close by 2005–06, as will the small programmes in Peru and Honduras. We will be developing a new approach to regional involvement in Latin America. Our programmes in the Palestinian Authority, Montserrat and St Helena will remain unaffected; and we will retain a programme in Nicaragua.The Secretary of State for International Development also proposes to increase, from 2005–06, our partnership funding for NGOs, including those working with middle-income countries and Latin America.DfID officials are in touch with all of the countries affected by these changes in plans. We are also talking to the multilateral agencies and some other bilateral donors about the scope for increasing our co-operation with them. This will be reflected in the new middle-income country strategy that the department is preparing in consultation with other departments in Whitehall. My right honourable friend will report further to the House of Commons on the impact on individual country programmes once these discussions are complete.

asked the Chairman of Committees:What plans there are to make material on Parliament's internet site available in a language other than English. [HL5412]

A brief guide to the House of Lords is already available on the Internet in PDF format in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish and Welsh. There are no plans at present to make further material available in languages other than English.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they will be taking to consider the circumstances which led to the termination of Operation Boyne at Blackfriars Crown Court on 6 November 2003. [HL5446]

Mr Justice Butterfield was asked last year by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury and by me to conduct a review arising out of the London City bond cases. I refer to my Answer to Lord Peston on 25 November 2002, which sets out Mr Justice Butterfield's terms of reference. We received his report in July 2003 and it was published in full on 15 July 2003. I refer to my Answer to Lord Barnett on 15 July 2003. The published report can be found on the Treasury website, www.hm_treasury.gov.uk. He made a number of important recommendations, many of which have already been implemented. The others are being considered by the Government.Consideration of matters relating to Operation Boyne was included in the remit of Mr Justice Butterfield's review. At his request any analysis or comment on this matter by him was suspended to avoid prejudice to proceedings in this matter. As a

result of developments on 6 November 2003, on behalf of the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, John Healey MP, and myself, I invited Mr Justice Butterfield to consider further the issues that arise from the case in the context of his earlier inquiry and he has agreed. His terms of reference will be:

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many sentenced persons were repatriated to England and Wales from other countries in each of the last three years. [HL4713]

In 2000, 20 prisoners were repatriated to England and Wales; in 2001, 36 prisoners; and in 2002, 41 prisoners.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many Bills sponsored by the Home Office have been introduced into Parliament in the current Session; what is the total number of pages in those Bills when last reprinted; and how many were introduced in the following Sessions:

There are currently five Home Office Bills which have been introduced during the current Session. The information requested is set out in the following tables.

Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Filkin on 6 October

The investment available, £75 million, will still allow us to improve the speed and quality of work in the civil and family courts and reduce unnecessary delays caused by manual working practices. Customers will be able to communicate electronically with us. Already our money claim online service has grown to be the largest issuer of money claims in a single year.We have a range of ambitious plans to use technology to reduce delay, increase access to justice, and improve efficiency in this spending period. We are constantly reviewing the strategy for modernisation as the plans for the unified administration of the courts emerge.Although I am not yet in a position to make a formal announcement about individual modernisation projects, all our plans will go through a rigorous internal evaluation to ensure that they contribute to our public service agreements. We will also use the Office of Government Commerce's gateway review process where appropriate.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How policies aimed at helping poor families to climb out of social exclusion are affected by the lack of accessible legal aid. [HL5204]

The Community Legal Service (CLS) aims to improve access for all to good quality legal and advice services and underpins other government policies that promote social inclusion. In many areas local CLS providers have linked up with other government programmes to jointly help people to climb out of social exclusion. The exent to which the CLS has been successful in doing this will be measured by the second national periodic survey of legal need (which will be carried out in April 2004) and the local legal need telephone survey (the findings of which are expected in January 2004).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Skills:What is the number of children taken into care in the past five years primarily because of the imprisonment of one or both parents. [HL5186]

National statistical information concerning the reasons for children becoming looked after does not record the numbers of children who enter public care in England because of the imprisonment of one or both parents.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to compensate manufacturers and retailers for the cost of removing from shelves and destroying those safe and appropriately labelled products marketed in accordance with current government policy but which will become illegal in July 2005 under the provisions of the Food Supplements (England) Regulations on the basis that they contain ingredients missing from the list of permitted nutrients and nutrient sources. [HL5159]

The Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 make use of the derogation in Article 4 of the directive that allows member states to permit the continued marketing beyond 1 August 2005 of food supplements containing vitamins and minerals and their sources missing from the positive lists subject to the following conditions: that they were on the market when the directive came into force; that dossiers to support their addition to the positive lists have been submitted to the European Commission before 12 July 2005; and that the European Food Safety Authority has not given a negative opinion on such use.The Government have no plans to compensate manufacturers or retailers for the costs of removing from sale any products that do not satisfy these conditions.

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

The safety of blood and blood products used in the National Health Service is of paramount importance. Although most United Kingdom sourced fresh frozen plasma (FFP) is not virally inactivated, high levels of safety are achieved by using single unit, as opposed to pooled plasma, by screening out potential high-risk donors and by testing every unit of donated blood for the presence of infections such as HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C before it is released to hospitals. In addition, the National Blood Authority (NBA) is conducting an options appraisal of means to minimise the risk of transfusion-related acute lung injury from FFP. The NBA is currently looking at the practicalities of producing FFP from male donors, and a plan has been produced for implementation in the new year.The decision taken to import single unit FFP sourced from the United States for young babies and children born after 1 January 1996 will provide additional protection to the most vulnerable group who will not have been exposed to BSE through the food chain. The NBA is involved in arranging for supplies of FFP from male donors for this group of patients. A commercially produced, pooled FFP product sourced from the United States is also available for the National Health Service to purchase.The Government's Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Blood and Tissue for Transplantation (MSBT) will continue to review the risk of new emerging viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) on the blood supply. There is no evidence at present that SARS can be transmitted by blood transfusion. The minutes of MSBT meetings will be published on the Department of Health website around the end of the year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the outcome of the recent meeting between the Food Standards Agency and the European Food Safety Authority on the difficulties anticipated by industry in preparing dossiers of information to support the inclusion of substances on the lists of nutrients and nutrient sources appended to the Food Supplements Directive; and whether they will indicate what specific plans the Food Standards Agency has to continue that dialogue. [HL5197]

On 14 October representatives from food supplement industry trade associations met with representatives of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to discuss requirements for dossiers supporting addition of nutrient sources to the lists appended to the Food Supplements Directive. The meeting was constructive. EFSA representatives indicated that applicants should submit data establishing the identity and purity of the nutrient source, and any available safety data. EFSA would then advise whether further data were required, taking into account similarities with substances which have already been approved either as nutrient sources or as additives. This, together with advice that combined dossiers for similar substances are welcome, means that dossier preparation costs for many of the "missing" substances will be significantly lower than previously estimated. The Food Standards Agency is writing to inform interested parties of the outcome and will continue to liaise with EFSA and European Commission representatives on this issue.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Food Standards Agency has any plans to establish a constructive dialogue with the Health Food Manufacturers Association, the Institute for Optimum Nutrition and other stakeholder organisations to explore ways of improving the evidence base for the assessment of nutrient safety. [HL5201]

The Food Standards Agency has been in regular dialogue with stakeholders. This has included meeting manufacturers' associations and other stakeholders to advise on the requirements for submission of dossiers on nutrient sources to European Food Safety Authority, and advising, where requested, on the types of research needed to fill data gaps on the safety of individual vitamins and minerals.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will now review the law to ensure that United Kingdom citizens overseas involved in brokering arms deals are brought within the jurisdiction of United Kingdom law. [HL5191]

The secondary legislation which will be made under the Export Control Act 2002 will introduce controls affecting UK persons anywhere in the world who traffic or broker in arms to embargoed destinations, or in torture equipment or certain long-range missiles to any destination.The Government will review the legislation within three years of the new controls coming into force. The review will monitor and evaluate the implementation of the new controls, the effectiveness of the proposed enforcement regime and the extent to which the "solutions" did actually solve the problem.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will simplify the small firms loan guarantee scheme so that small and medium-sized companies can have better access to early-stage funding. [HL5203]

From 1 April 2003 to 30 September 2003 take-up increased by 40 per cent over the same period last year. The DTI continues to monitor the operation of the SFLG to ensure that it remains relevant and accessible to small businesses.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they will take to remedy the potential conflict of interest in the operation of Business Link, in its dual role as a broker of advisory services to small firms and as a provider of such services. [HL5225]

Business Link operators (BLOs) seek to address gaps in the provision and quality of locally delivered business support services and integrate local Business Link services with what is on offer from other local providers.All BLOs offer an account management brokerage and referral service and they are encouraged to broker or subcontract as much of their service provision as possible. The brokerage service is most frequently and effectively employed servicing those customers receiving high intensive assistance. This frequently involves the drawing in of specialist expertise from the national Business Link consultants register.SBS will continue to press BLOs to increase the level of brokerage or subcontracting of business support services to local and/or specialist providers, as a means of ensuring more effective business support in response to customer needs.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much benefit from the new child tax credit and pension credit systems is unclaimed; and what steps they will take to encourage it to be claimed. [HL5155]

Of the 6 million families expected to benefit from the new tax credits in the full year, it is estimated that 5.9 million families were benefiting from the child or working tax credits, or were receiving the equivalent level of child support through income support or jobseeker's allowance, at 31 October.A high-profile publicity campaign has been running since September 2002 to alert people to their entitlement to child tax credit and working tax credit and to encourage them to claim.The campaign has so far included national television advertising, local radio advertising across the UK. advertisements in the national press as well as online publicity and the use of direct mail.Leaflets and posters in English and nine community languages have been produced and are available free to community organisations, post offices, doctors' surgeries and libraries. Leaflets are available in large print, and can be obtained on request in braille or audio.An information pack, including sample material and ordering details has been sent out to intermediaries. A similar pack has also been sent to Members of both Houses of Parliament and the devolved administrations. Further publicity will include television, press, radio and online advertising as well as direct mail.Pension credit was introduced in October 2003. I understand from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that the latest information for its predecessor, minimum income guarantee, is for

2000–01. The amount unclaimed for that year in Great Britain is estimated to lie between £470 million and £820 million, as published by DWP in

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why they have not provided the House of Lords Printed Paper Office with sufficient copies of the consultation document,

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

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many persons currently hold ordinary accounts with the National Savings Bank; what are the total sums deposited in such accounts, the rate of interest currently paid, and the maximum sum which can be deposited in any one account; when that maximum was most recently changed; and what it would be if increased by inflation for the period since it was last altered. [HL5226]

Excluding dormant accounts with less than £1, there were 17.9 million accounts to a total value of £1.4 billion as at March 2003.The current rates of interest are 0.25 per cent per annum for accounts of less than £500, and 0.35 per cent per annum for accounts with balances of £500 or more.The current maximum holding per person (not per account, because there is no maximum sum which can be deposited in any one account) is £10,000. This was fixed in July 1969 and has not been changed since. This would be worth today £104,534 if up-rated by the RPI.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will estimate, for each year, what percentage of:

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

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect Deloitte and Touche to complete their independent research on price caps for the Child Trust Fund; and whether they will place the full results in the Library of the House when the research is completed. [HL5258]

The Government are currently analysing and reviewing results from the independent research commissioned by Deloitte, on the impact of different charge cap structures for the CTF. The report will be published shortly and I will ensure that copies are placed in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:By what process the Valuation Office arrived at a rental value yield basis of 12.2 per cent in its recent valuation of the freehold properties in the former Employment Service Estate. [HL5260]

The Valuation Office Agency was instructed to value the properties on the basis of market value in accordance with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' appraisal and valuation standards. Vacant possession of the properties was to be assumed.The individual yield adopted for each property typically ranged from 8 per cent to 13 per cent. The actual percentage adopted in each case was derived from the investment yields of sales of comparable let properties in the open market and reflected the construction, condition, user and location of the properties. In some cases a direct comparison of capital value was made with comparable properties. The poor letting prospects of most of the properties reduced their final values.The majority of the properties were situated in secondary and tertiary locations in lower-value areas of Great Britain and in most cases it was necessary to defer the receipt of the estimated rental income from the property for a period typically of one to two years to reflect the period required to find a tenant and any rent-free period that would have to be negotiated with the prospective tenant having regard to market conditions that existed at the time of valuation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether Ministers of the Crown have a duty to respect the independence and impartiality of the Civil Service. [HL5151]

Sections 1 and 5 of the Ministerial Code make it clear that Ministers must uphold the political impartiality of the Civil Service and not ask civil servants to act in any way which would conflict with the Civil Service Code.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will indicate those government departments or agencies whose enforcement officers, compliance officers or inspectors receive remuneration which includes any element related to the penalties or fees which they charge those whom they examine, inspect or monitor, indicating in respect of each such department or agency the regulatory area concerned. [HL5214]

The types of jobs necessary to deliver business objectives and the criteria on which they are rewarded is a matter for individual departments and agencies. This information is not held centrally.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to upgrade the A14 trunk road between Felixstowe and the A1; and what are the timescale and costs anticipated for any such upgrading. [HL5215]

I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to the noble Lord.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will identify the various European Union Water Directives; how much the United Kingdom has so far spent on implementing these directives; and how much they estimate remains to be spent on their implementation. [HL5267]

The existing EU directives with a major impact on water are set out in Annexes A and B of the Defra publication Directing the flow: Priorities for future water policy (November 2002). Ascertaining the full implementation costs of all the water directives, some of which date back to the 1970s, would be highly complex and disproportionately expensive. However, recent regulatory impact assessments have been published in respect of: the Water Framework Directive (see Appendix D of the third consultation paper on the implementation of the EC Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC)); the Nitrates Directive (see final RIA published June 2002), the European Commission proposals to revise the 1976 Bathing Water Directive (see Explanatory Memorandum 13789/02), and the proposed new designations under the Freshwater Fish Directive (78/ 659/EEC) (see appendix 4 of the consultation document issued by Defra/WAG in June 2003). Estimates of costs arising from the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive are contained in Sewage Treatment in the UK: UK Implementation of the EC Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.Copies of these documents are available from the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the average United Kingdom household's annual water bill, adjusted for inflation:

The existing EU directives with a major impact on water are set out in Annexes A and B of the Defra publication Directing the Flow: Priorities for Water Policy. Ascertaining the full implementation costs of all these directives, many of which date back to the 1970s, would be highly complex and disproportionately expensive.However, the annual average household water and sewerage bill in 2003–04 in England and Wales is £236, an increase of 21.4 per cent (in real terms) since 1989.The Director of the Office of Water Services sets water and sewerage companies' price limits. He will publish his draft determinations in July 2004 for the next five years, for consultation. He will publish his final decisions in November 2004.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will request the appropriate European Commissioner to take action against the discharge of raw sewage from Brussels into the River Meuse. [HL5269]

The European Commission referred Belgium to the European Court of Justice in 2001 in relation to its obligation under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive to collect and treat urban waste water in Brussels.