asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the total cost of the members' expenses in the Northern Ireland Civic Forum in the year 2001–02. [HL809]

Members of the Civic Forum claimed a total of £34, 825 in expenses during the financial year 2001–02.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In the light of the European Commission's aim to reduce the proportion of traffic that travels by road in the European Union, what plans they have to expand the railway system in Northern Ireland. [HL1113]

The regional transportation strategy for Northern Ireland 2002–12, the strategic direction and underlying principles of which were agreed by the Assembly in July 2002, does not contain any plans to expand the railway system in Northern Ireland. In accordance with this strategy the Government do not propose to expand railways in Northern Ireland.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the new rolling stock for Northern Ireland railways will be available for traffic on all parts of the current railway system. [HL1114]

The first of the 23 new trains is scheduled to be delivered in April 2004 with the remainder being delivered progressively through the rest of 2004 and the first part of 2005. Translink expects that all the trains will be in service by the autumn of 2005. Translink is currently considering how the trains can best be deployed on the Northern Ireland railway network and will announce its decision when this work is complete.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much they propose to spend in the next financial year on engineering work on the Northern Ireland railway lines between Ballymena, Portrush and Londonderry and between Whitehead and Larne. [HL1115]

Translink estimates that it will spend about £1.5 million on maintenance work in the next financial year on the lines between Ballymena, Portrush and Londonderry and between Whitehead and Larne.

asked the Chairman of Committees:How many Members of the House are currently affiliated to each political party recognised by the usual channels. [HL1233]

I am unable to answer for the views of the usual channels. However, on 10 February the Journal and Information Office recorded the political affiliation of Members of the House as follows:

• 209 Conservative Peers;
• 182 Labour Peers; and
• 64 Liberal Democrat Peers.

In addition there were 180 Cross-Bench Peers, 26 Bishops, and six non-affiliated Peers, including one Green Party Peer, one Independent Socialist Peer, and one Independent Labour Peer. Eleven Peers were on leave of absence.

asked the Chairman of Committees:What was the total cost to the House of Lords of its copies of the report of the Hutton inquiry. [HL1250]

The total cost to the House of Lords for its copies of the report of the Hutton inquiry was £19,600.

asked Her Majesty's Government:With regard to the European Council (Heads of Government) and ministerial meetings of the European Council respectively, how many persons may accompany each Minister or Head of Government into the room or chamber where such meetings take place; and when and by whom any such rules were approved. [HL1063]

In the case of the European Council, its Conclusions at Seville (June 2002, Annex 1, paragraph 11) state that not over 20 persons are allowed in each member state delegation (excluding technical personnel assigned to specific security or logistical support tasks).No maximum number has been formally set for delegations at the Council of Ministers. At present, the number of delegates is a function of the size of the meeting room and the nature of the discussion.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many regulations and directives of the European Union and European Community came into force in each calendar year from 1997 to 2003; and how many resulting changes to regulations or Acts of Parliament were made or are due to be made in respect of each year. [HL1066]

Based on the records in the Official Journal of the European Union (copies available in the Library of the House) we assess that the number of EC, ECSC and Euratom Regulations made was as follows:

	Number
1997	2,339
1998	2,852
1999	2,802
2000	2,882
2001	2,600
2002	2,125
2003	2,176

Based on the records in the Official Journal of the European Union (copies available in the Library of the House) we assess that the number of EU directives issued was as follows:

	Number
1997	85
1998	109
1999	100
2000	91
2001	83
2002	159
2003	134

All the data above covers the period from December (of the preceding year) to November of that year inclusive.Many of the above regulations and directives will be taken into account in writing and revising domestic legislation. The exact number of resulting changes to regulations or Acts of Parliament made or due to be made between 1997 and 2003 is not available in any form.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What legal proceedings can be expected against Saddam Hussein; what timescale is likely to be involved; and by whom these decisions will be made. [HL1116]

We expect Saddam Hussein to face prosecution before the Special Tribunal, which the Governing Council established to prosecute senior members of the former regime. He would be tried by Iraqi judges, although the statute of the Special Tribunal includes provision for expert international involvement. It will be for the Iraqi judicial system to determine the timescale of the trial.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What official positions the Government's nominees have in the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. [HL1167]

Staff seconded by Her Majesty's Government to the Coalition Provisional Authority are working in several areas of governance, assisting reconstruction and building Iraqi government capacity. The more senior secondees include: Director of Civil Affairs; Senior Police Adviser; Deputy Commander of the Coalition Military Assistance & Training Team; Regional Co ordinators for the South and the North; and Governorate Co-ordinators in Basra, Dhi Qar, Wasit, Kirkuk and Irbil.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What purpose gaol sentences serve in their criminal policy; and what purpose they intend such sentences to serve in future. [HL869]

The Government have for the first time in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (Section 142) made explicit the purposes of sentencing and put them in statute. They are: the punishment of offenders; the reduction of crime (including its reduction by deterrence); the reform and rehabilitation of offenders; the protection of the public; and the making of reparation by offenders to persons affected by their offence.Custodial and non-custodial sentences have complementary roles to play in furthering these purposes. Prison should be reserved for serious and dangerous offenders.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What, if any, are the implications, legal or otherwise, of a transsexual moving from a married relationship to a civil partnership with the same person. [HL1004]

If the Government's proposed legislation on same-sex civil partnerships is enacted, couples who have ended their marriage to allow one partner to gain legal recognition in the acquired gender will be able to register a civil partnership and hence regain a legal status for their relationship.The Government are sensitive to the difficult financial and practical choices that may be faced by married transsexual people who wish to end their marriage and enter a civil partnership. We are determined to make the transition process between the end of a marriage and start of a civil partnership as quick and orderly as possible. Indeed, we believe it will be possible to dissolve a marriage and begin a civil partnership on the same day.Should there be a gap, as is likely, between the implementation date of the Gender Recognition Bill and future legislation on civil partnership, then transsexual people will be able to decide whether to delay an application for a full gender recognition certificate until it is possible to move from a marriage to a civil partnership. To assist applicants under the fast-track process, it will now operate for two years from implementation enabling applications to be delayed until arrangements are in place for civil partnerships.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they regard the marriage of two persons each of whom is capable of giving birth to children as being a same-sex relationship. [HL1009]

No. The Government are clear that marriage can only take place between two people of the opposite gender in law. The Gender Recognition Bill will enable transsexual people who have gained legal recognition in their acquired gender to marry someone of the opposite legal gender. Such marriages will not be same-sex marriages.Before gaining legal recognition in their acquired gender, transsexual people will be required to provide the Gender Recognition Panel with evidence supporting a diagnosis of the medical condition, gender dysphoria. They must also convince the panel that they are living fully and permanently in their acquired gender.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Judicial Studies Board will cease to invite Professor Sir Roy Meadow to lecture to judges, in the light of the Court of Appeal judgment in

Professor Sir Roy Meadow has not lectured at any Judicial Studies Board training seminars since May 2001 and the Judicial Studies Board has no plans to invite him to lecture at any future events.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How overall waiting times for general ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging scans have changed since the Audit Commission report of August 2002; and whether they will ask the new Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection to monitor these waiting times every six months. [HL848]

Data are not collected centrally on waiting times for ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Waiting times are directly influenced by the availability of equipment and specialist staff and we are investing in both.We are providing unprecedented funding for new equipment. Since the Audit Commission data were collated in March 2001, there are now 131 new computed tomography scanners and 39 new MRI scanners in use in the National Health Service. We have also introduced major new initiatives to expand the workforce and streamline care. These include increasing training places for radiologists and radiographers and schemes to bring radiographers back into the workforce.The Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (CHAI) will be operational from April 2004. As an independent organisation, it will be for CHAI to decide whether it would wish to monitor waiting times in the manner suggested.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will provide greater financial support for advocacy provision for disabled people, ensuring that all such people have access to suitable independent advocacy; and [HL935]Whether they will allocate responsibility for advocacy provision for disabled people to a single department or body to ensure co-ordination of their effort. [HL937]

Access to locally based advocacy schemes is important for disabled people who may, for whatever reason, have difficulty in making their views known. Local authorities have been encouraged to use and support local advocacy schemes, or to set up their own to meet particular need. The Department of Health supports a number of voluntary bodies in projects which encourage self-advocacy, as well as others which provide advocates or companions on a voluntary basis for those who may be in particular need.The importance of advocacy for people with learning disabilities is a theme running throughout the White Paper

asked Her Majesty's Government:What contingency plans they have in place for patients and clients of therapists who have to stop work because of deregistration from the Health Professions Council. [HL1096]

It is the responsibility of individual practitioners to maintain their registration. It is for local employers to verify their employees' current registration, both before appointment and periodically thereafter thus ensuring the safety of patients and clients.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their latest estimate of the numbers of (a)occupational therapists, (b)physiotherapists, and (c) speech and language therapists who have failed to complete their re-registration form correctly for the Health Professions Council. [HL1095]

The Health Professions Council is an independent statutory body and this information is available directly from that organisation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Health Professions Order discriminates against speech and language therapists whose qualifications were previously regulated by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. [HL1097]

The Department of Health is seeking an amendment to the Health Professions Order which will mean that speech and language therapists who were registered by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists from 9 July 1998 to September 2000 will be able to access the Health Professions Council's register via Article 9(4)(b).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish a report on the work of the Health Professions Council with particular reference to the time taken to process applications and respond to inquiries. [HL1098]

This is primarily a matter for the Health Professions Council. The council, which meets in public, presents at every meeting a series of performance indicators which include information on applications.The Council for the Regulation of Healthcare Professionals is developing a performance review framework with the regulators which will allow it to identify issues and compare performance between regulators.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking to prevent private nursing agencies recruiting nurses from countries banned under the Department of Health's code of practice on international recruitment of healthcare professionals. [HL1106]

The Independent Healthcare Association, Registered Nursing Home Association and Voices have produced a code of practice on international recruitment designed for the independent healthcare sector. This code contains similar principles to those contained in the department's code of practice.We have reminded these associations and other bodies representing the independent healthcare sector to be mindful of the ethics of recruiting from developing countries and to take account of the impact of recruitment on their healthcare systems.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many National Health Service trusts either spent their capital or used other one-off sources of finance, such as the sale of assets, to finance their running costs during 2003. [HL1108]

The audited annual accounts of National Health Service trusts follow United Kingdom generally accepted accounting practice which does not require the separate detailed disclosure of every source of finance. The information requested is not therefore available centrally.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is possible to break down the research on voluntary work within

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

asked Her Majesty's Government:What consultations Ministers have had or will have with the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) on the amendments to draft Council Regulations on the protection of animals during transport and related operations (COM (2003) 425, version 3); and what is their response to the amendments sought by the BVA and RCVS. [HL1117]

We consulted 61 organisations including the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). We received 31 replies. We are grateful for the views of the professional veterinary associations and other comments received during consultation which help to inform detailed discussions of the draft proposal in Brussels. We shall consult further as the EU proposals develop.