asked Her Majesty's Government:When foreign aid grants are redirected from CARE to the Afghan Ministry of Education, they will ensure continuity of funding for the children in schools in Afghanistan sponsored by CARE under the Community Organised Primary Education Programme. [HL373]

Donors in Afghanistan are encouraged to provide funding for programmes that appear in the Afghan Government's National Development Budget (NDB). The Community Organised Primary Education Programme is listed as a programme for donor funding in the NDB. This shows that the Ministry of Education itself sees this programme as a priority. Donors can fund this programme either by providing funding to the Ministry of Education or by providing funding directly to the implementing agency, which in this case is CARE.DfID provided a total of £550,000 to CARE for it's work in Afghanistan in financial years 2001–02 and 2002–03. In line with the Afghan Government request that donors concentrate on key areas of support, we are no longer providing funding to the education sector although we continue to provide funding to the Afghan Government budget, which includes teachers' salaries. A number of other donors are focusing on education. They include the US, Denmark and Sweden.

asked Her Majesty's Government:On what dates the final versions of the 2004 business plans for cross-border bodies were provided to the appropriate departments. [HL406]

Details of the date on which each body supplied a final version of the 2004 business plan to the relevant sponsor departments are set out in the attached table.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answers by the Lord President on 10 December (

I have nothing further to add to the Answer given on 12 November 2003 (WA 197).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is their policy that the cross-border implementation bodies can only function in the long term with devolution arrangements in place. [H L654]

I have nothing to add to the previous Answer given on 11 June (WA 43).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether their expectation, on signing the Belfast agreement, was that the Government of Eire would undertake their tasks with respect to the agreement; how these obligations are monitored; and what steps will be taken if there is a failure to comply. [HL693]

The Government intend to observe all of their commitments under the Belfast agreement and have always believed that the Irish Government would do so as well. All aspects of the agreement are kept under close review. We have no grounds to expect any failure on the part of the Irish Government in meeting their obligations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What requirements have to be met by drivers of emergency vehicles, including private ambulances, and what plans there are to introduce statutory requirements. [HL638]

Drivers of emergency vehicles are subject to the rules of the Highway Code, many of which are legal requirements.However, Section 87 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 exempts drivers of vehicles used for fire brigade, ambulance or police purposes from speed limits in an emergency. The Zebra, Pelican and Puffin Pedestrian Crossings Regulations 1997 give qualified exemptions from signals at puffin and pelican crossings to vehicles used for fire brigade, ambulance, national blood service and police purposes, and the Traffic Signs Regulations 2002 give similar qualified exemptions from other red light signals and keep right/left arrows to vehicles being used for fire brigade, ambulance, bomb or explosive disposal, national blood service or police purposes.In no case is any distinction made as to whether a vehicle being used for ambulance purposes is private or not.Officials in the Driving Standards Agency working together with the Department of Health, the fire brigade, police and the Ministry of Defence have developed an agreed set of minimum core competences for drivers of emergency vehicles of all types which have been adopted by these "blue-light users". The DoH has agreed that the core competences should apply to all ambulance drivers employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.Powers were taken in the Transport Act 2000 to require drivers of certain classes of motor vehicles to take a prescribed training course. We are considering what regulations should be introduced using these powers, including post-test training for drivers of vehicles under "blue-light" conditions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why the West Coast Main Line, especially the section north of Colwich, has received a large proportion of rail expenditure, when recently published figures show that this route has had a 6 per cent decline in passenger miles since privatisation, compared to an average 25 per cent rise on other intercity routes. [HL713]

Patronage on the West Coast Main Line reflects unreliability, limited capacity and restricted line speeds arising from past lack of investment. The Strategic Rail Authority's West Coast Route Modernisation Strategy is designed to remedy that.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any money paid for horse passports has been paid to the Government; and, if so, by what authority the money has been levied. [HL535]

Her Majesty's Government have not directly received any of the money received by passport issuing organisations from the issue of equine passports. No money paid for horse passports has been paid to the Government. Fees are paid to the passport usury authorities, which set their own fees. Normal taxation rules apply to these organisations so Her Majesty's Government may receive money indirectly. No specific authority is needed for this purpose.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether there are plans to privatise the Iraqi oil industry. [HL30]

We are not aware of any plans to privatise Iraq's oil industry.I apologise for the delay in answering this question; an administrative error led officials to believe that this question had been answered by the Department for Trade and Industry.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Oil for Food Ration List could be used as the basis for the electoral register for democratic elections in Iraq; and what would be the advantages and disadvantages of doing this. [HL635]

On 15 November 2003, the Iraqi Governing Council announced plans for establishing a Transitional National Assembly formed through caucus elections at provincial level. The Assembly will be elected no later than 31 May 2004, leading to the creation of a new transitional administration by the end of June 2004. This will be followed by elections for a Constitutional Convention and the holding of a census, leading in turn to national elections for a new representative Iraqi Government by the end of 2005. The Oil for Food Ration List would only be used at national level if direct elections were held before the census. There are no plans to do so at this time.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their assessment of the recent Russian Memorandum for the resolution of constitutional and other issues in the Republic of Moldova. [HL259]

Our aim is a political settlement in Moldova acceptable to all there. The memorandum recently drawn up by Russia following negotiations with the parties represented significant progress on some constitutional issues. But it was not ultimately accepted by President Voronin, who had reservations about certain aspects of the proposed settlement. Other OSCE member states, including the United Kingdom, shared some of these concerns. We remain committed to encouraging the parties to continue negotiations, with a view to concluding a settlement acceptable to all concerned at the earliest possible date.

asked Her Majesty's Government:To what extent they are satisfied with the level of security surrounding former Soviet Union nuclear, chemical and biological legacies; what schemes for increasing security are planned; and what contribution from Western and Asian governments is promised. [HL646]

Ensuring the security of sensitive materials is an integral part of many projects currently being carried out as part of the G8 Global Partnership. Work is also being carried out specifically on physical protection. The UK recognises the importance of helping Russia ensure that its stocks of proliferation-sensitive materials are protected to international standards from the risk of sabotage and theft. We will be identifying a portfolio of high priority projects in collaboration with the Russian authorities and other G8 Global Partnership donor countries, which will enhance nuclear security at key buildings and infrastructure. Once identified we expect to spend at least £1 million per annum on these projects as part of our commitment to the Global Partnership. Some pilot projects have already been completed including a physical protection system for a nuclear-propelled cargo ship in north-west Russia in collaboration with Sweden, and physical protection systems for two nuclear powered ice-breakers in collaboration with Sweden and Norway.During the International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference in 2002 the UK pledged £500,000 to its nuclear security fund. The fund contributes to meeting the UK's objective of improving the security of nuclear and radioactive material and nuclear facilities in the former Soviet Union.A number of other countries have provided, or plan to provide, assistance with improving the security of nuclear, chemical and biological facilities and materials. For example, during the last financial year, the US spent 39.8 million dollars on nuclear weapons storage security, 19.6 million dollars on nuclear weapons transportation security, and 199.5 million dollars on nuclear material protection, controls and accounting, and some 20 million dollars on security at the Kizner and Shchuch'ye chemical weapons storage sites. Canada has committed 65 million dollars to strengthen nuclear and radiological security. Germany has committed 170 million euros by 2009 for the physical protection of storage sites for fissile material. France has committed up to 5 million euros in 2003–04 towards security and safety in Russian biological facilities.Copies of the UK's first annual report on the G8 Global Partnership published in December 2003 have been placed in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What additional measures they and the European Union will take, before the expiry of the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MIN URSO) on 31 January, to persuade Morocco to accept the United Nations peace plan. [HL651]

The United Kingdom will continue to urge Morocco to engage positively with the United Nations Secretary-General and his personal envoy, James Baker III, to find a solution to the Western Sahara dispute that is acceptable to the parties and provides for self-determination for the people of Western Sahara.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many cases have been lodged with the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Armenia since 2001; and how many of these arise from the parliamentary and presidential elections of 2003. [HL656]

One hundred and fourteen cases have been lodged with the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Armenia, of which 86 are pending. The remainder have been dismissed. Fifteen of the 86 cases pending relate either directly or indirectly to the parliamentary and presidential elections of 2003.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will make representations to the government of Syria about the continuing state of emergency; the citizen and civil rights of the Syrian Kurds; and allegations of torture by those detained by security police. [HL657]

We regularly raise our concerns about Syria's human rights record, bilaterally and in conjunction with EU partners. Most recently, the EU made a demarche to the Syrian authorities on 16 December 2003 in respect of those arrested in Aleppo for protesting against the continuing state of emergency. EU representatives have attended all the court hearings in this case. The EU is also trying to gain access to the hearings against eight Kurdish defendants taking place in the (usually) closed State Security Court. Bilaterally, my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Bill Rammell) spoke of Syria's human rights failings in an adjournment debate in the House on 2 July 2003(Official Report, cols.139WH-146WH), and my honourable friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mike O'Brien) raised the issue with President Bashar al-Assad during his visit to Damascus on 5 March 2003.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have not found it possible to answer Lord Hoyle's Written Question (HL 30) tabled on 26 November 2003 which has now been on the Order Paper for almost seven weeks, when the standard time for replies is two weeks. [HL750]

An administrative error led officials to believe that this Question had been answered by the Department for Trade and Industry. I have answered the Question today and apologise to my noble friend Lord Hoyle for the delay.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the terms of reference and job specification of the new Director-General of Higher Education, Sir Alan Wilson. [HL658]

Sir Alan Wilson, as the Director-General for Higher Education, will be the senior civil servant responsible for the department's wider strategic policy development and its corporate management within higher education. He will be a member of the DfES Board, reporting to the Permanent Secretary, and will be responsible for advising Ministers on the overall development of higher education policy and for ensuring that processes, systems and people are in place to convert policy into action. His key task is to develop and implement a long-term strategy for investment and reform in higher education which reinforces excellence in our universities and increases participation. He will lead relationships with a range of key players in Whitehall and beyond, engaging partners and stakeholders in the design and implementation of the Government's higher education strategy and presenting government policy on higher education to the sector and the public. Sir Alan Wilson takes up his post on 1 February. The appointment was made after an open competition, which was overseen by the Office of Civil Service Commissioners to ensure the principles of fair and open competition on merit were observed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will take steps to ensure that every school has a teacher who is trained in bereavement counselling. [HL664]

The Government have no plans to introduce a requirement that all schools have a specifically trained bereavement counsellor. When appropriate, there is a wide range of support, including bereavement counselling, that local education authorities and schools can call upon depending on the circumstances and individual needs of the child. In order to become qualified, all teachers need to demonstrate an awareness of, and an ability to work within, the statutory frameworks relating to teachers' responsibilities. In particular they need to develop an ability to judge when they should seek advice on, for example, matters of child protection or confidentiality.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the estimate of the number of letters signed by Ministers in 2003; what proportion were to Members of either House of Parliament: and what were the equivalent figures for 2001 and 2002.[HL639]

Ministers sign a variety of letters including letters to other Ministers, Members of both Houses, overseas governments, public bodies and members of the public. Records of these letters will be maintained by departments in different ways It is not therefore possible to provide an accurate breakdown of the numbers of letters signed by Ministers between different categories of senders without incurring disproportionate costs.However, the Cabinet Office publishes an annual report on departments' and agencies' handling and volume of correspondence received from Members of both Houses. Information for the 2003 report is n the process of being collated and will be published as soon as it is ready. In 2001 160,000 pieces of correspondence were received compared to 185,000 in 2002.Information relating to the handling of Peers' correspondence was, for the first time, included in the 2002 report and will be included in future reports.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are aware of any examples of price cutting of the cover price of newspapers and periodicals at the retail level; and, if so, whether they will identify the examples. [HL161]

Her Majesty's Government do not keep pricing information on individual publications. However, we are aware of occasional discount on cover prices as part of short-term promotions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they will take to ensure that British workers will not lose the right to opt out of the 48-hour working week clause negotiated by the United Kingdom in 1993. [HL670]

The opt out is important to the UK as it maintains flexible labour markets and gives choice to individuals to work longer hours if they so wish. I and my colleagues are working in Europe to stress the importance of the opt out to both employers and employees and to ensure that key decision-makers understand the benefits of an approach which provides protection to workers who do not wish to work long hours without restricting those who wish to make a different choice.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they accept the findings of the report

The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit recently published an interim analytical report detailing the evidence they have examined on the harms which can be associated with alcohol misuse, including the impact on a range of public services. This will be the evidence base for the Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England. We welcome all contributions, such as the Alcohol Harm Reduction Group's No Half Measures report, towards identifying and tackling the problems associated with alcohol misuse.The potential impact on public services of the abolition of permitted hours as allowed under the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003 was examined before the Act was passed and the impact of these provisions will be monitored after they come into force in 2005.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been the total number of deaths from (a) vCJD and (b) HIV/AIDS recorded in the United Kingdom. [HL684]

As at 5 January 2004, 139 people had died of definite or probable variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the United Kingdom.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition intends to take to review the nutritional science relating to obesity. [HL695]

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) discussed its forward work plan in September 2003. Various topics, including obesity, were discussed. A general summary of the committee's discussions and a formal work plan will be placed on the SACN website following the next committee meeting in February 2004.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and the Health Development Agency have taken into account the full range of weight management and reduction options in their respective recent reviews of literature and other evidence in this area; and what dialogue these bodies have recently had with the Obesity Awareness and Solutions Trust. [H L697]

The Health Development Agency (HDA) has indeed taken into account the full range of weight management and reduction options in its recent review of the literature in this area. Both the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the HDA follow an open and transparent methodology where high quality evidence is extensively gathered in order to assess the effectiveness of interventions.A transparent and open approach will be taken during the development of the joint NICE/HDA guideline on obesity, referred to them by the Department of Health and the Welsh Assembly. It would therefore be inappropriate for either agency to have dialogue with any individual organisation. NICE/HDA expects to be consulting on the scope (exactly what the guideline will and will not cover) for this guideline from 27 January-24 February 2004. All interested parties are encouraged to register as stakeholders on the NICE website by 23 January 2004 in order that they may fully contribute towards the development of the guideline. The Obesity Awareness and Solutions Trust has registered as such a stakeholder and will therefore have an opportunity to engage with this process at that stage.