asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether and when they propose to alter the membership of the Northern Ireland Policing Board; what principles they will follow for the appointment of members during the suspension of devolved government; and how they propose to ensure that the independent members, like the political members, are representative of the community in Northern Ireland if devolved government is restored. [HL743]

The Government are not proposing to alter the membership of the Northern Ireland Policing Board. The board is currently constituted under Part II of Schedule 1 to the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000— "membership during suspension of devolved government". In October 2002, following the suspension of the devolved institutions the then Secretary of State, John Reid, appointed the current members of the board for a three-year period.At any other time, ie after restoration of devolved government, Part III of the schedule takes effect. Part III would require the reconstitution of the board, with 10 members of the Assembly nominated as political members under the d'Hondt formula. In appointing the nine independent members the Secretary of State would be statutorily required to exercise his powers of appointment to secure as far as is practicable that the membership of the board is representative of the community in Northern Ireland. In line with guidance from the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the Secretary of State might consider it appropriate to run a supplementary competition to identify further potentially appointable candidates as independent members.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether acceptance of the euro as the currency of the Republic of Ireland has had a positive or negative impact on the economy of Northern Ireland. [HL770]

Given the relatively short time since the introduction of the euro and the significant movements in the exchange rate over this period it is difficult to determine the impact of the Republic of Ireland's membership of the single currency on Northern Ireland.The Center for Cross-Border Studies, in co-operation with InterTradeIreland, has commissioned a research project on the impact on Northern Ireland business of the Republic of Ireland's adoption of the euro. The terms of reference specifically address the impact on small and medium enterprises and the retail sector. The study will involve both quantitative and qualitative research and is due to be published in spring 2004. The findings from this study will give policy makers a better understanding of this issue.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 12 January (

No.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 19 January 2004 (

While acknowledging that the time taken to develop a pension scheme for staff in the North/South Implementation Bodies has been longer than was expected, this has been due to the number of complex issues surrounding the unique status of the scheme. The outcome of the meeting on 15 December 2003 was considered satisfactory in that it enabled further progress to be made in identifying outstanding legislative issues, the resolution of which will facilitate full implementation of the scheme.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking to implement the recommendations of the Department for International Development report,

The paper on Breaking the Cycle of Child Poverty is a discussion paper, published in May 2002, which sets out a range of options for tackling child poverty that could be taken forward by the development community. As part of our rights-based approach to development we are concerned that all groups, including children, are fully included in our work. DfID is currently reviewing its work that directly involves children to see how we may better integrate children's issues.The Government are fully committed to working with others to achieve the millennium development goals (MDGs), the internationally agreed targets for eradicating poverty. Almost all the MDGs have direct relevance to child poverty. We are particularly active in the areas of reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other major diseases and promoting gender equality.Our development assistance is provided in response to our partner countries' needs as driven by their poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs). We are working actively with partner governments to support production of PRSPs and we encourage them to ensure that as wide a range as possible of stakeholders participate in the consultation process, including groups representing children and young people.We support the United Nations (UN) Children's Fund (UNICEF) through our core contribution of£19 million, together with our support for specific projects, which in 2003 totalled around £68 million. Much of what UNICEF does is about giving children a greater voice in their future. For example, children from around the world went to the UN Special Session on Children in 2002. UNICEF also has a global website "Voices of Youth" where young people can discuss, explore and take action on issues that affect them. We also support the Commonwealth Youth Programme, which promotes youth participation in development. Before the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting last December my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development consulted civil society, including youth representatives, about what issues they considered were important for the meeting.A number of DfID-funded programmes and projects have involved participation of children and research into children's participation. The following are some examples from DfID country programmes. Last year DfID supported a discussion between the Government of Brazil and representatives of the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) on increasing the participation of young people in decisions on sustainable development in the Amazon region. The outcome was a proposal by the Government of Brazil and State Government of Amapa to set up their own Youth Parliament and we are supporting this through the European Youth Exchange Programme.In Pakistan, DfID provided a secondee to work with the United Nations (UN) Children's Fund (UNICEF) office on integrating children's participation into particular initiatives, such as changing the approach to juvenile justice and developing new areas of research, and on ensuring that participation of the poorest and excluded children and women is fully integrated into the activities of UNICEF and local partner organisations.In Malawi children are participating in the design and implementation of the Malawi Government's free primary education policy.The Government are committed to designing policies and services around the needs of children and young people. DfID is in the process of developing an action plan, expected to be ready by late April, which will show how we are adopting these principles.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will establish a prisons and probation ombudsman for Northern Ireland. [HL1087]

The Government are to establish a Prisons Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Prison Service will be launching a consultation document shortly. There are no current plans to establish a probation ombudsman.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many new criminal offences have been created since 1997. [HL923]

Although the Home Office is responsible for scrutinising proposals for new offences, no comprehensive records are kept centrally of all new offences. The following information therefore relates only to measures within the remit of the Home Office which have been enacted since 1 May 1997.The

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will initiate investigations into allegations against Captain Ladislav Niznansky, who was recently arrested in Munich on charges relating to crimes against Czech civilians, concerning his alleged involvement in the murder of British intelligence officers in World War II. [HL977]

We are aware of the arrest of Ladislav Niznansky. The matter currently rests with the German authorities and, as with all such cases, we will co-operate fully with them and the relevant authorities in other countries in possible legal proceedings arising from this arrest.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the answer by the Lord Bach on 22 January (HL Deb, col. 1138) that"… war widow's pensions are paid when death is deemed to be due to service, and that the widow has to raise only a reasonable doubt for claims to succeed", how claimants like Major Ian Hill's widow would have been affected if their proposals to substitute "balance of probabilities" for "reasonable doubt" had already been given operative effect when pension entitlement was determined. [HL978]

Awards under the planned new Armed Forces Compensation Scheme will be made where there is reasonable evidence that the death was due to service, with all claims determined on the evidence relating to the specific case. Mr Hill's case was not considered against the criteria for the new scheme and we have no plans to do this for his case or for others that fall to be considered under the current arrangements. I am satisfied, however, that the new arrangements, which include provision for appeal to an independent tribunal, should deliver fair outcomes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether laws forbidding or restricting alterations to the interior of listed buildings which are private homes to which the public do not have, and are never likely to have, access are compatible with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. [HL931]

Her Majesty's Government consider the legislation to be compatible with Article 8 of the ECHR.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been the rise in output per worker in the United Kingdom annually since 1960; and what has been the annual rate of output per worker since 1997 and for the last 12 months for which figures are available. [HL983]

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

asked Her Majesty's Government:What facilities in law exist to reclassify a person's gender where the true genetic gender was wrongly attributed at birth. [HL991]Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the remarks attributed to the chair of Sport England in the Daily Telegraph on 22 January, what concerns they have about the quality of sports administration. [HL998]

Game Plan, the joint DCMS/Strategy Unit strategy for delivering the Government's sport and physical activity objectives, published in December 2002, recognised that modernisation of the national governing bodies (NGBs) of sport was required to improve the delivery of sport and physical activity. Through UK Sport, the department has made available £7 million for NGB modernisation between 2001–02 and 2003–04 and further significant funds are available in 2004–05 and 2005–06. Twenty key sports will also receive prioritised investment from Sport England to deliver whole sport plans.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 5 January (

UK Sport's review of the United Kingdom Sports Institute in 2002–03 was an internal matter, undertaken with the aim of maximising the impact of investment in world class athletes. The review encompassed the role, structure and effectiveness of the UKSI Central Services Team at UK Sport.The review did not produce a single consolidated report. The focus of the review was on taking early action and managing change, on a timescale which did not impact negatively on support for Olympic and Paralympic preparation. As such, the review informed a number of UK Sport decisions before its formal conclusion. A number of subsidiary reports covering UK Sport's functions in supporting world class athletes, and the revised staffing structure of the performance directorate, were received and agreed by UK Sport's council in March and July of 2003, and the implementation of the review has now been completed.The subsidiary reports concerned internal discussion and advice, under the terms of exemption 2 of part II of Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. However, the minutes of the council's meetings are available on request.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the draft Disability Discrimination Bill will incorporate the recommendations of the Dyslexia Association on the correct fonts, spacing and colour of paper to be used. [HL1023]

The draft Disability Discrimination Bill has been published in a wide range of accessible formats, including audio tape, Braille, British Sign Language video and an easy read booket for people with learning disabilities. The easy read booklet is designed to assist people with a wide range of learning disabilities. It reflects guidance from a number of sources, such as the Disability Rights Commission, and is largely in line with the Dyslexia Association's dyslexia style guide guidance on font size, colour of paper and spacing.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In respect of the recently announced award of £65 million for the proposed Cambridge-St Ives-Huntingdon guided bus scheme, what is the total amount of finance required for the scheme; how much of the award is from grant; how much is authorised local authority borrowing; how much is contingent upon the local authority obtaining finance from its own sources; and whether the Government have given permission for the additional expenditure, as announced by Cambridgeshire County Council last week. [HL970]

The estimated capital cost of the scheme is £73.5 million. The department in the 2004–05 local transport settlement provisionally agreed to provide a maximum contribution of £65 million. The exact split of the department's contribution will not be finalised until the scheme receives full approval. At present funding for major public transport schemes is split equally between grant and borrowing approvals. Cambridge County Council (CCC) and the Government Office for the Eastern Region expect to secure the remaining capital funds from private developers through Section 106 agreements. The recent announcements by CCC relate to funds made available by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for site access improvements at Northstowe new town to enable more rapid delivery of new housing.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether European legislation requires separation of ownership of rail track and related fixed installations from ownership and operation of rolling stock used for movement of goods or passengers; and what obligation there is on owners of railways in the United Kingdom to accept, on agreed terms of use, applications by owners of rolling stock in continental Europe to use rail track in the United Kingdom. [HL1067]

No such separation is required. What is required is accounting separation and that the body responsible for allocating infrastructure capacity is separate in legal form, organisation or decision making from bodies or firms that provide rail transport services. Where such separation does not exist, a separate allocation body must be established. The main GB network with the Channel Tunnel is fully open to applications (not limited to rolling stock owners) from continental Europe seeking access to operate services, subject to safety certification. The regulatory body can require access to be granted where this has been refused.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many appeals were made to the Civil Service Appeal Body by staff (including industrial staff) of the Ministry of Defence in each of the years 1994–2002 and in the year 2003 to date; and over the same periods:

Information on the number of appeals received from the Ministry of Defence by the Civil Service Appeal Board for the years 1994–95 to 1997–98 could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. This is because a central record is no longer held. For later years, the number of appeals received from the Ministry of Defence was as follows:

	Number
1998–99	28
1999–2000	33
2000–01	36
2001–02	24
2002–03	15
2003–04	111

The number of appeals received from agencies of the Ministry of Defence was as follows:

	Number
1998–99	20
1999–2000	11
2000–01	7
2001–02	8
2002–03	18
2003–04	18

The number of appeals received by the board from all departments and agencies and eligible NDPBs (with the percentage provided by former employees of the Ministry of Defence and its agencies in brackets) were:

		Per cent
1998–99	165	(29.1)
1999–2000	216	(20.4)
2000–01	238	(18.1)
2001–02	255	(12.5)
2002–03	321	(10.3)
2003–04	1218	(8.7)
1 as at 30 November 2003.

The percentage of the whole Civil Service (including industrial staff) represented by the staff of the Ministry of Defence and its agencies as at 1 April each year was:

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the total annual cost of public bodies. [HL1005]

The most recent published information is contained in Public Bodies 2002 for the 2001–02 financial year, when the expenditure by UK government departments on their public bodies was £377 million.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which government departments impose an age disqualification on appointment or reappointment to their public bodies. [HL1027]

As a general rule, there are no age restrictions for public appointments. The exception to this are appointments made by the Lord Chancellor to tribunals which do have some restrictions.