asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answers by the Lord President on 19 November (WA 325) and 11 June (WA 44) on the Ulster-Scots Agency budget, whether the agency's business plan had been discussed and agreed when the budget was first communicated to the agency. [HL97]

I refer the noble Lord to the Answers given on 12 November 2003 (WA 197) and 11 June 2003 (WA 44).

asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 12 November (WA 197) concerning the budget for the Ulster-Scots Agency for 2003, on what date the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure was supplied with the business plan for 2003 by the agency. [HL102]

The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure received the first draft of the Ulster-Scots Agency business plan for 2003 on 13 November 2002.

asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 18 November (WA 271), who took the decision to use the word "North" on the occasion referred to; and whether an instruction was issued to all departments, including to the Secretariat, to use the title Northern Ireland when referring to the country. [HL173]

The decision to use the word "North" was taken by the North/South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat. No instructions have been issued on this matter.

asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 20 November (WA 356), when the section of the Joint Declaration of 11 May 2003 concerning the diversity of traditions and respect for civil, political, social and cultural rights will be applied to those of an Ulster Scots background; and whether it has been so applied to date. [HL191]

Further to my answer of 20 November (WA 356), which dealt with rights and equality, in the Joint Declaration, the Government undertook to take steps to encourage support to be made available for an Ulser Scots academy. A business case examining the options for giving effect to this commitment is under way.

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will make representations to the Bosnian Government for victims of rape during the civil war to be afforded "civilian war victim status", which is currently reserved for those with physical disabilities, so as to secure limited financial support for such victims and their children. [HL1]

The Government deplore the war crimes committed during the Balkans conflict in the early 1990s, including the rape of women and girls in Bosnia.We are sympathetic to any proposal to improve the situation of the victims of these crimes, but it is not clear that awarding civilian war victim status would be the most effective means of ensuring support for these women. What is required is recognition of their suffering as victims of rape, conviction of the perpetrators and provision of appropriate support for these women and their children.Through the work of the Department for International Development, and support for UNICEF and local NGOs, the Government support projects to raise awareness of rape as a war crime. We strongly support the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia, which is tasked with bringing to trial those suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Balkans conflict, including rape. It has convicted a number of individuals of this crime. With our partners in the EU, we apply concerted pressure to all governments in the region for greater co-operation with ICTY, particularly in the handover and prosecution of indictees.The best way to secure financial support for these women and their children is through successful convictions in the Bosnian courts, which can award compensation to the victims of rape. Together with our EU partners, we are working hard to strengthen the capacity of the Bosnian judicial system, so that it can prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes more effectively and efficiently, and provide sustainable support to the victims.

asked Her Majesty's Government: In view of the 70th anniversary of the famine of 1932-33 in the Ukraine, whether they will consult the Ukrainian community in the United Kingdom about an appropriate form of commemoration. [HL24]

This is a matter for the Embassy of Ukraine, which arranged for the famine to be commemorated appropriately in London.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What initiatives they have supported to build democracy and civil society in the southern Caucasus. [HL25]

The UK has done much to support the development of democracy and civil society in the south Caucasus. We have funded a number of initiatives both on a regional level and on a national level with each of the three countries.

asked Her Majesty's Government: How many troops the United Nations Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) has on the ground in Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo; whether the local commanders consider that they have sufficient forces to complete the processes of disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, reintegration or resettlement of foreign armed forces; and whether they will seek a resolution in the Security Council extending the mandate of MONUC so that the same processes can be implemented for the domestic militias. [HL89]

There are 6,948 MONUC personnel in north and south Kivu and Ituri. These numbers are considered adequate by the local commanders for the tasks authorised in Security Council Resolution in 1493, which include the processes of disarmament, demobilisation, repatriation and reintegration of foreign armed forces. UNSCR 1493 also authorised MONUC to assist the Government of National Unity and Transition in disarming and demobilising those Congolese combatants who may voluntarily decide to enter the DDR process within the framework of the Multi-Country Demobilisation and Reintegration Programme, pending the establishment of a national DDR programme in co-ordination with the United Nations Development Programme and other agencies concerned.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the purpose of the visit to Pakistan by the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. [HL280]

The Minister of State, my honourable friend the Member for North Warwickshire (Mike O'Brien) is to visit Pakistan imminently. Pakistan is an important ally and partner of the UK. We work closely with Pakistan in a number of fields and our bilateral relationship is warm and close. Our mutual commitment to developing this relationship is shown by the successful visits to the United Kingdom by President Musharraf and Foreign Minister Kasuri during the course of 2003.Pakistan is a key partner for the UK in the campaign against terrorism. With US, UK and other international support, Pakistan has arrested over 500 terrorist suspects since 11 September 2001, including leaders like Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, who is suspected of planning the attacks in New York. We also welcome and encourage measures taken by the Government of Pakistan against organisations which pose a threat to Pakistan's security and to regional and international stability, including efforts to root out the Al' Qaeda and Taliban elements which continue to destabilise Afghanistan in particular.In the political sphere we value Pakistan's membership of the UN Security Council and have welcomed their constructive contribution in that forum over the past year. We hope to continue and intensify our co-operation in the year ahead. We are also engaging with Pakistan on a whole range of regional and global issues, both bilaterally and in other international fora.We welcome recent progress in normalising relations between Pakistan and India, including the latest agreements on a ceasefire and resumption of air links. It has taken statesmanship by President Musharraf and Prime Minister Vajpayee to achieve the progress so far. This is an encouraging start to a process which we hope, with sustained efforts of both sides to address each other's legitimate concerns, will lead to the resolution of all the outstanding issues between them, including on Kashmir.Our defence relationship is deepening following the re-establishment of the UK-Pakistan Defence Co-operation Forum in early 2002. We greatly value our important and historic links with the Pakistan armed forces. We will maintain and build on this progress.We have an important trade relationship. The UK is the biggest foreign investor in Pakistan and the UK is the country's fifth largest export market. All this is in the context of an increasingly stable and strong macro-economic environment in Pakistan, and a government committed to liberalising reform, including privatisation. We appreciate the good work being done in this field by the Pakistan-Britain Trade and Investment Forum (PBTIF), and the Pakistan-Britain Business Advisory Group (PBBAG). The UK was also a strong supporter of the establishment of the EU/Pakistan trade agreement in later 2001.We are also working together in the field of judicial co-operation through the Joint Judicial Co-operation Working Group.The UK remains committed to supporting Pakistan's long-term development. We are giving approximately £70 million of development assistance this year—four times more than previously—and last week agreed to the release of an additional tranche of £22.5 million in budget support for the Government of Pakistan's long-term poverty reduction strategy and the health and population welfare facility. This bilateral programme is focused on social sector development, particularly in education and health, to make a difference to the lives of those millions of Pakistanis who live in poverty. UK development assistance for Pakistan will amount to over £200 million over the next three years.Finally, there are of course strong community links between the UK and Pakistan. Some 800,000 people of Pakistani heritage are estimated to live in the UK. Over 85,000 Pakistanis visited the UK in 2003, including 6,000 students, and we expect this to rise to over 100,000 next year. Under normal circumstances our visa operation in Pakistan is one of the busiest in the world, and we are working hard to restore a full service following the disruption caused by terrorist threats to High Commission personnel.

asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 25 February 2002 (WA 199) in respect of rough sleeping in the piazza in front of Westminster Cathedral, how many people in the Government's Homelessness Directorate are involved in attempting to reduce the numbers of those sleeping rough in the area. [HL217]

The Government's Homelessness Directorate employs 50 full-time civil servants. The directorate is split into different areas of responsibility, which includes the implementation of supporting people, bed and breakfast, homelessness and rough sleeping. The Rough Sleeping Team consists of six members of staff who work with all local authorities across England with the aim of assisting them to reduce rough sleeping in their areas.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What investment will be made by the Homelessness Directorate in 2004–05 to tackle and prevent homelessness. [HL367]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has announced today resource grants totalling nearly £45 million to local housing authorities in England for 2004–05 and nearly £14 million to voluntary sector agencies. Copies of a list which details amounts to be allocated to individual local housing authorities and other organisations are available in the Libraries of both Houses. These allocations will help local authorities and voluntary sec:or agencies to sustain progress in reducing rough sleeping and ending all but the emergency use of B and B hotels for homeless families with children, and to go further in preventing wider homelessness problems more effectively, through local homelessness strategies.

asked Her Majesty's Government: How many colleges of further education are providing courses in business studies, plumbing, catering-related services, tourism-related services and skills required in construction work; and how many students are taking courses in those studies. [HL140]

The information requested is shown in the table below. The figures are for 2001–02 and are for England only.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What would be the estimated annual cost in 2003–04 to the Exchequer of financing all additional top-up fees of universities and colleges of higher education in England and Wales, with a cap in each case of £3,000 per annum. [HL233]

The Government propose to introduce variable fees in 2006–07. The estimated annual cost will depend on the level of fee charged by each university and college of higher education, and the extent to which students take out loans to cover their fees. We will make further details available in the new year in the regulatory impact assessment, which will set out the financial implications of the policies announced in the higher education White Paper.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What evaluation is being made of the teaching of "citizenship" since it became a compulsory school curriculum subject in September; and [HL235]Whether monitoring of the effectiveness of citizenship classes includes consideration of the views of pupils. [HL236]

Ofsted is evaluating the teaching of citizenship through the section 10 inspection regime and provides effective progress reports on a range of models of delivery of citizenship education in schools. Ofsted's first report following the introduction of citizenship in secondary schools in September 2002 is available at www.ofsted.gov.uk/ publications. The department has also commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NfER) to conduct an eight-year longitudinal study to consider the impact of the subject on pupils' knowledge, understanding and skills in citizenship. Details can be seen at www.nfer.ac.uk.Both the revised Ofsted inspection guidance for citizenship published in 2002 and the NfER study include requirements to gain the views of pupils in relation to teaching and learning in their school.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What percentage of the time available in the citizenship curriculum has been spent on parenting, including both the relationships of pupils with their own parents and the role and responsibilities pupils themselves will have as parents; and [HL237]What percentage of time available for citizenship classes is spent in classroom instruction; and how much is spent visiting local institutions and voluntary organisations which provide the citizenship services they are learning about. [HL238]

The programme of study for citizenship sets out what pupils should be taught. No set percentage of time is required for each subject of the national curriculum or coverage of elements of programmes of study. Decisions about delivering the framework are best made by classroom teachers applying their professional judgment and an understanding of their pupils' needs. Schools decide on time allocations and activities, such as visits, which would augment and enrich classroom teaching for their pupils. Detailed guidance for schools, based on the Citizenship Order (No. 1603), has been produced by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and sent to every school and can be obtained from www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What progress has been made towards the statutory regulation of herbalists. [HL8]

A regulatory working group has recently published recommendations for the statutory regulation of herbal medicine practitioners. The Government welcome the publication of the working group's report and are giving careful consideration to its recommendations. A consultation document on the statutory regulation of both herbal medicine and acupuncture practitioners will be published by the Department of Health early next year. A parallel consultation document on the supply of herbal remedies under Section 12(1) of the Medicines Act 1968 will be published by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

asked Her Majesty's Government: When they will publish the 10th biennial report of the Mental Health Act Commission. [HL365]

The Mental Health Act Commission's 10th biennial report, entitled Placed Amongst Strangers, has been published today. Copies have been placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What advice they have received from the Committee on Safety of Medicines about the treatment of major depressive disorder in children and adolescents under 18 years. [HL366]

The Department of Health has received new advice from the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) about the use of selective Serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in children under the age of 18 for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD).An expert working group of the CSM was established earlier this year to look at the safety of the whole class of SSRIs. The group has already advised on paroxetine and the related anti-depressant venlafaxine. It has now concluded that the balance of risks and benefits for the treatment of major depressive

asked Her Majesty's Government: When they will publish a draft Bill on the mechanics of running a referendum on the single European currency. [HL324]

My department has today published, as Cm 6081, a draft Single European Currency (Referendum) Bill. The Chancellor of the Exchequer gave a commitment to Parliament in June 2003 that a draft Bill would be published later this year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many men and how many women aged between 50 and state pension age live in a household

4.2 million men and 3.2 million women aged between 50 and state pension age live in a household with someone in work; of these 0.4 million men and 0.3 million women have a household income below 60 per cent of median income, after housing costs.1.2 million men and 0.7 million women aged between 50 and state pension age live in a household with no one in work; of these 0.6 million men and 0.3 million women have a household income below 60 per cent of median income, after housing costs.There are an estimated 200,000 people who live in a household where no one works or claims a state benefit (excluding child benefit and basic state pension); of these an estimated 100,000 have a household income below 60 per cent of median income after housing costs.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their latest estimate of the number of individuals who would be affected if the proposed pension cap of £1.4 million were implemented in 2003–04; and, assuming annual rates of inflation of 2.5 per cent and average earnings of 3.5 per cent, how many individuals would be affected in 2008–09; 2013–14; and 2018–19. [HL9]

I refer the noble Baroness to Simplifying the Taxation of Pensions: the Government's Proposals, which is published today alongside the Pre-Budget Report. Copies are available in the Printed Paper Office and in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they will take to remedy the errors in the Inland Revenue's accounting system, which led to an overpayment of tax credits of £2 billion in 2000–01. [HL32]

The Inland Revenue's compliance strategy for the new tax credits has been placed in the House of Lords Library and on the Inland Revenue website.

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they intend to amalgamate the Inland Revenue with HM Customs and Excise. [HL57]

The work of the Revenue Departments Review, led by Gus O'Donnell, Permanent Secretary to the Treasury, is ongoing. The review has made good progress and will report very soon.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was their grant to the following institutions for each year since 1997 (a) the British Museum; (b)

asked Her Majesty's Government: How long the induction event for new Ministers, provided by the Centre for Management and Policy Studies, lasts; and what subjects are covered. [HL143]

The induction event lasts for one day and is run either in one go or over several days. It covers: the ministerial, Civil Service and special advisers' code; working in the ministerial team, in departments and across government; communications; working with Parliament; collective agreement and the Cabinet Committee system; the Natural History Museum; (c) the Science Museum; (d) the National Maritime Museum; (e) the Victoria and Albert Museum; (f) the National Gallery; (g) the National Portrait Gallery; (h) the Imperial War Museum; and (i) the National Army Museum; and what was the level of the grant in real terms related to 1997. [H L138]

Grant in aid to the above institutions since 1997–98 is shown in the table in: (i) cash; and (ii) real terms on a 1997–98 base. The grant in aid supplements self-generated income.devolution; working with Europe; budgeting; the delivery and reform agenda.

asked Her Majesty's Government: How many appeals were made to the Civil Service Arbitration Tribunal in each of the years 1994 to 2002, and in the year 2003 to date; and, of each total, how many emanated from appellants from the Ministry of Defence. [HL166]

No references were made to the Civil Service Arbitration Tribunal during the years 1994 to 2002 and nor have any references been made during the year 2003 to date.