asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they still accept paragraph 13 of strand two of the Belfast Agreement (Cm 4705) which states that the North/South Ministerial Council and the Northern Ireland Assembly are mutually interdependent. [HL1507]

Yes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made on a charter of rights, proposed in paragraph 10 of the rights, safeguards and equality of opportunity section of the Belfast Agreement. [HL1670]

The joint committee of the Northern Ireland and Irish Human Rights Commissions issued an initial pre-consultation draft of a proposed charter of rights for the island of Ireland to a limited number of interested parties in May 2003. The pre-consultation period was extended to December 2003. The joint committee has been considering the implications of this pre-consultation for any more formal consultation exercise that may take place at a later stage.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the annual budget of the Northern Ireland Electoral Office for each of the years 1995–96 to 2000–01. [HL1691]Baroness Amos: The annual EONI budget for the years 1995–96 to 2000–01 was as follows:

	£ million
1995–96	1.2
1996–97	3.4
1997–98	1.2
1998–99	4.9
1999–2000	1.2
2000–01	1.4

Expenditure in 1996–97 includes £2.1 million spent in respect of the Northern Ireland elections held in May 1996. Expenditure in 1998–99 includes £3.6 million spent in respect of the Northern Ireland referendum on the Good Friday agreement held in May 1998 and the Northern Ireland Assembly elections held in June 1998. Figures for the 1997 Westminster election and 1999 European elections are not included as they are funded by HM Treasury.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many full-time members of staff were employed within the Northern Ireland Electoral Office for each of the years 1995–96 to 2000–01. [HL1692]

The number of full-time EONI staff for the years 1995–96 to 2000–01 was as follows:

	Number
1995–96	25
1996–97	23
1997–98	21
1998–99	21
1999–00	21
2000–01	25

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much investment they have made in new equipment and other capital expenditure to improve the efficiency of the electoral process in Northern Ireland in each of the years 1995–96 to 2000–01. [HL1693]

Investment in new equipment for the EONI and other capital investment in the years 1995–96 to 2000–01 was as follows:

	£'000
1995–96	15.7
1996–97	118.0
1997–98	21.8
1998–99	21.0
1999–00	18.9
2000–01	83.4

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the annual budget of the Northern Ireland Electoral Office for each of the years 2001–02 to 2003–04. [HL1694]

The annual EONI budget for the years 2001–02 to 2003–04 was as follows:

	£ million
2001–02	2.5
2002–03	5.5
2003–04	7.6

Expenditure in 2002–03 and 2003–04 includes that spent on the development, production and distribution of the new electoral identity card. Expenditure in 2003–04 includes a projected spend of £3 million in respect of the Northern Ireland Assembly election in November 2003 and adjustments arising from new resource accounting procedures.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many full-time members of staff were employed within the Northern Ireland Electoral Office for each of the years 2001–02 to 2003–04. [HL1695]

The number of full-time EONI staff for the year 2001–02 to 2003–04 was as follows:

	Number
2001–02	29
2002–03	38
2003–04	45

This increase in posts reflects partly an equivalent reduction in the use of part-time casual staff, plus additional staff to implement the Representation of the People Act 2000 and the Electoral Fraud (Northern Ireland) Act 2002.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much investment they have made in new equipment or other capital expenditure to improve the efficiency of the electoral process in Northern Ireland in each of the years 2001–02 to 2003–04. [HL1696]

Investment in new equipment for the EONI and other capital investment in the years 2001–02 to 2003–04 was as follows:

Year
2001–02	£70,000
2002–03	£1.52 million
2003–04	£154,000

The large capital expenditure in 2002–03 was due to the purchase of a new computer system to implement the Representation of the People Act 2000 and the Electoral Fraud (Northern Ireland) Act 2002.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many new posts have been created in the Northern Ireland Electoral Office since April 2001; at what level and grade; and what specific functions do they fulfil. [HL1759]

The new posts created in the EONI since April 2001 are as follows:

• One assistant chief electoral officer at grade 7 equivalent.¹
• One operations manager at deputy principal equivalent.¹
• One head of office services at staff officer equivalent.¹
• One human resources officer at executive officer grade equivalent.¹
• One IT support officer at executive officer grade equivalent.¹
• One information assistant at administrative officer equivalent.²
• One IT assistant at administrative officer equivalent.²
• Three administrative officers for general clerical duties across the nine area electoral offices.²
• One administrative assistant for general clerical duties in headquarters.²
• Twelve registration assistants across the nine area electoral offices.³

The increase in posts reflects a broadly equivalent reduction in the use of part-time casual staff, plus the recruitment of three specialists in the IT and HR disciplines.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Crown Prosecution Service has discussed with the Metropolitan Police the recent statements made by Abu Hamza with a view to his prosecution under the appropriate legislation. [HL1923]

The Metropolitan Police have not consulted the Crown Prosecution Service about the recent statements made by Abu Hamza with a view to his prosecution.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What information they have about the response of the government of Sudan to the request by the acting High Commissioner for Human Rights for it to extend an open invitation to the fact-finding and investigate mechanisms of the Commission on Human Rights to visit Sudan. [HL1438]

We are not aware of any response by the Government of Sudan to the recent statement by the acting High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation in Darfur, western Sudan. We are pressing the government, and the other parties to the conflict, to declare a ceasefire preferably with international monitoring to permit humanitarian access to all those in need, and to resume talks to find a peaceful solution to Darfur's problems.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the five British detainees in Guantanamo Bay, whose prospective release has been announced, will return to the United Kingdom. [HL1614]

What are the reasons for the continuing delay in the repatriation of those British detainees at Guantanamo whose repatriation has been agreed by the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom. [HL1767]

The five British nationals detained at Guantanamo Bay, whose prospective release was announced on 19 February, returned to the UK on 9 March.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In view of the release of Danish and Spanish nationals from Guantanamo Bay, why they have not been able to secure the immediate release of the British detainees. [HL1615]

Five of the British detainees returned to the UK on 9 March. Discussions between the UK and US Governments about the other four British detainees continue. The Government's position remains that either they should have a fair trial in accordance with international standards or they should be returned to the UK.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In respect of which British dependent territories the European Court of Human Rights has jurisdiction to receive complaints in individual cases. [HL1663]

The British Overseas Territories concerned are:

• Anguilla
• Bermuda
• Falkland Islands
• Gibraltar
• Montserrat
• St Helena and Dependencies
• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

asked Her Majesty's Government:What assessment they have made about the veracity of reports of biological and chemical experimentation on human subjects in North Korea. [HL1704]

We are appalled by the reports of testing of biological and chemical weapons on human subjects in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Bill Rammell) summoned the DPRK Ambassador on 13 February and raised these allegations. EU partners and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights have also called upon the DPRK to allow access to the country by independent human rights monitors to establish the veracity of such reports.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the outcome of the recent meeting between the Government and the Ambassador of North Korea following the broadcast of a BBC programme detailing allegations of chemical weapons testing on civilians detained in prison camps. [HL1705]

My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Bill Rammell) summoned the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Ambassador on 13 February to discuss the allegations made in the BBC "This World" documentary, "Access to Evil". The Minister called upon the Government of the DPRK to allow access to independent human rights monitors to establish the veracity of these and other disturbing reports of human rights violations, as called for in the resolution adopted by the 2003 UN Commission on Human Rights. The ambassador maintained that independent human rights monitoring visits were not possible in the current security climate. We will continue to urge the DPRK to address our concerns about its human rights record and to co-operate with the UN human rights machinery.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What work they are undertaking in advance of the 2004 meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to ensure increased support for the resolution of human rights violations in North Korea, passed in 2003; and whether the Government have lobbied the commission to appoint a special rapporteur to monitor human rights abuses within North Korea. [HL1706]

The Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have failed to comply with the recommendations set out in the resolution, which was adopted by a substantial majority in 2003, and have yet to respond to calls for independent monitors to be allowed access to the country to verify the numerous reports of human rights violations. At the 2004 meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) we will work to ensure that the language of the second resolution on the DPRK attracts broader support by UNCHR members. During the past year we have not lobbied the commission to appoint a special rapporteur on the DPRK but this is an option we are prepared to consider.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the outcome of the six-party nonproliferation talks recently held in Beijing; whether human rights violations in North Korea have been raised during those talks; and what timetable has been established for the continuation and deepening of the process. [HL1707]

At the second round of six-party talks which took place in Beijing in February participants agreed to establish a working group to continue discussions on the nuclear issue and to prepare for the next plenary meeting which will take place before the end of June 2004. Human rights issues were not raised at the talks. The remit and format of the working group has yet to be determined.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What initiatives have been launched to pursue the implementation of the resolution of the 59th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on violations of human rights in North Korea. [HL1708]

We have raised the issue of the UN Commission on Human Rights resolution regularly with the authorities of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on both ministerial and official levels, and have urged them to allow access to the DPRK by independent monitors. EU officials, visiting Pyongyang in December 2003, also raised the issues outlined in the resolution.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations they have made for the release of all returnees, detainees and abducted citizens of Japan, the Republic of Korea and other nationals being held in North Korea; and what information they have on the plight of humanitarian aid workers, imprisoned in China and North Korea. [HL1709]

We regularly express our deep concern about reports of cruel treatment of prisoners and returnees to the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). We have expressed full support for Japan's efforts to reach agreement with the DPRK Government on the abductee issue. We also raise the issue of the DPRK border crossers and humanitarian aid workers, including specific individual cases, with the Chinese Government on a regular basis. We discussed these most recently with the Chinese authorities at the EU-China human rights dialogue in February, and before that at the annual UK-China human rights dialogue in November last year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will promote North Korea as a priority country for inclusion in the European Union Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights. [HL1739]

Priorities for the EU Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) for 2004 have already been agreed. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is not on the list of focus countries. However, in future years the fund will drop focus countries in favour of a thematic approach. Civil society organisations working in the DPRK may then be able to seek EIDHR funding.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations they have made, with regard to North Korean migrants and refugees to the Peoples' Republic of China, concerning its obligations under the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951 and the protocol of 1967, particularly in respect of providing North Koreans with a reasonable opportunity to petition for asylum and in respect of ways to evaluate asylum claims and to facilitate resettlement. [HL1736]

We regularly raise the issue of North Korean refugees with the Chinese, including at the biannual UK/China human rights dialogue. At the last round of the dialogue, on 10 to 11 November 2003, we urged China to allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) access to border areas and to observe its obligations under the 1967 Additional Protocol to the 1951 Refugee Convention.We will continue to encourage greater co-operation between China and the UNHCR on this issue.In February 2004 the UK supported an EU demarche to the Chinese authorities concerning the detention of three Democratic People's Republic of Korea nationals in China.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ask the United Nations Secretary General and Security Council to request an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the legality of China's denial of access by North Korean refugees to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. [HL1737]

No. We believe that it is for the parties involved to determine the legality of China's actions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will promote a new United Nations resolution designating displaced North Koreans to China as a population of concern subject to protection by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. [HL1738]

We are concerned by reports that China is not fully implementing its obligations under the UN convention on refugees, by forcibly returning North Koreans without proper consideration of their asylum claims. The UK supports requests by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for access to refugees to confirm that China is keeping to international obligations and regularly calls on China to co-operate with the UNHCR.The 1951 convention and its protocol of 1967, to which China has acceded, define refugees. The UNHCR determines which populations it considers are of concern. This assessment is carried out independently of resolutions by the UN General Assembly or other bodies. We would not wish to constrain the UNHCR's mandate by using UN resolutions to define populations of concern. However, we remain in close contact with the UNHCR about all aspects of its work.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they consider that the human rights situation worsened in Zimbabwe between 2002 and 2003, and, if so, why a higher proportion of applications for asylum and appeals to adjudicators against refusal of applications for asylum by Zimbabweans was rejected in 2003 than in 2002. [HL1612]

According to the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO forum, by some measures the human rights situation in Zimbabwe was worse in 2002 than in 2003, largely due to the presidential elections that year. By other measures (for example total number of assaults, unlawful arrests, restrictions on freedom of movement and press freedom), the situation was worse in 2003.Asylum issues are a matter for the Home Office. Each asylum case is dealt with on its own merits.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What reference material is accessed by officials dealing with asylum applications of citizens from Zimbabwe other than the six-monthly Home Office Country Information Policy Unit reports [HL1757]

Where the necessary information is not available in the country report, information from a wide variety of published sources may be accessed by caseworkers, although they are expected to seek advice initially from senior caseworkers or the Country Information and Policy Unit (CIPU). In the case of Zimbabwe, such sources may include the Movement for Democratic Change's website, the monthly violence reports compiled by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum, or the integrated regional information network (IRIN) news network of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many prisoners in England and Wales have requested transfer to (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the Republic of Ireland; how many qualified in terms of length of sentence and other criteria; what is the average time taken to consider and approve a request; and how many prisoners were transferred in the past 12 months. [HL1400]

In 2003, 17 prisoners applied for repatriation to the Republic of Ireland. Of these, one application was refused, 12 applications met the normal repatriation criteria and have been referred to the Irish Government for consideration, and four applications remain under consideration by HM Prison Service.No application for repatriation to the Republic of Ireland submitted during this period has yet been approved. The average time taken by the British authorities from receipt of the application to referral to the Irish authorities was 119 days.Twenty prisoners who submitted applications prior to 2003 had their requests approved last year. Of these, six prisoners were repatriated and 14 prisoners are awaiting removal by the Irish authorities.In the same year, 25 prisoners applied for transfer to Northern Ireland. Of these, five applications were withdrawn, five were refused, and two prisoners were released before their applications could be determined, seven applications have been referred to the Northern Ireland authorities and five remain under consideration by HM Prison Service. One application was approved. This application took 74 days from submission of the application to approval of the request.One prisoner whose application was submitted prior to 2003 was transferred during this period, a further six prisoners have had their requests approved and are awaiting a place in a Northern Ireland prison.

asked Her Majesty's Government:On how many occasions the Victims Advisory Panel has met since March 2003. [HL1420]

The Victims Advisory Panel has met on five occasions, most recently on 3 February 2004. In additon, lay and co-opted members were invited to an awayday in York in October 2003. The next meeting of the panel will be in June 2004.

asked Her Majesty's Government:On how many occasions since March 2003 the Victims Advisory Panel has reported directly to the Home Secretary; and whether its reports are printed or presented to Parliament by a government Minister. [HL1422]

My right honourable friend the Home Secretary met lay members and representatives of victim organisations at the very first meeting of the panel in March 2003. The Home Secretary is represented at panel meetings by myself.As an advisory non-departmental public body (NDPB) the Victims Advisory Panel is required to produce an annual report. The panel's first annual report will be published at the end of April 2004, and will give details of the issues it has discussed during its first full year of operation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many refugees of the Chechen wars have been offered political asylum to the latest convenient date. [HL1431]

It is not possible to say how many people have been granted asylum in the UK who had previously become refugees of the conflict in Chechnya. Data on asylum applications, initial decisions and appeals outcomes are collated by nationality only. Data on the ethnic origin of asylum seekers granted refugee status or their reasons for claiming asylum are not collated centrally and would be available only by examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost.Information on asylum applications, initial decisions and appeal outcomes is published quarterly, including data on Russian nationals. The current publication covering the fourth quarter of 2003, and provisional 2003 data, is available on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 4 February (

The Government do not determine the number of staff associations in the Police Service. The range of associations reflects the diverse work of the service and the diversity of its staff. We welcome this and are committed to ensuring that the views and interests of staff are effectively represented when decisions are taken about the service. We will continue to work with staff associations to enable the Police Service to reduce crime and build safer communities.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In the light of the announcement at the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit's (NHTCU) second e-crime congress, what changes to the Computer Misuse Act 1990 they are contemplating to address the extent of Internet crime exposed by the NHTCU's recent survey; and [HL1501]When they will bring forward legislation to strengthen the Computer Misuse Act 1990, given that the Home Office has identified this as a priority. [HL1502]

We have yet to see the full results from the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit National Opinion Poll survey "The Impact on UK Business during the year 2003". We will however be considering whether there is any information within it which suggests that existing legislation is inadequate to deal with hi-tech crime.As has previously been announced, changes to the Computer Misuse Act 1990 in order to implement the requirements of the framework decision on attacks against information systems and the related provisions contained in the Council of Europe Cybercrime Convention will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether there have been prosecutions for speeding based on evidence from SPECS speed cameras; and, if so, how many. [HL1515]

Information on prosecutions for speeding collected centrally in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland does not include the type of camera device used.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 5 February (

Yes. Whenever a new criminal offence is implemented following Home Office legislation the standard procedure is for the relevant unit to ensure that those responsible for the appropriate enforcement action are suitably informed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:For each police force in England and Wales, how many people have been killed or seriously injured in road accidents involving police vehicles, during the most recent period for which figures are available. [HL1600]

The numbers of police and civilian fatalities and serious injuries arising from police responses to immediate/emergency calls and pursuits over the past five years are shown in the tables.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking in conjunction with Internet service providers to limit access to child pornography; and [HL1674]What progress is being made in investigating and prosecuting Internet child pornography; how many persons have been (a) charged; and (b) convicted, as a result of the police Operation Ore: and how many more they expect will be prosecuted in the coming 12 months. [HL1673]

The Government continue to work, through the Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet, with law enforcement, industry and children's organisations on considering what action can be taken in respect of restricting access to child abuse images.The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) provides a focal point for reporting material which appears to be illegal. They assess the material and refer any they agree appears illegal to the police for investigation. Where an illegal image is on a website hosted by a UK Internet service provider and they are notified of this fact, they have an excellent record in removing the offending material. Less than 1 per cent of child abuse content reported to the IWF is hosted in the UK. Where the material is produced or hosted outside the UK, arrangements exist for notifying the relevant law enforcement agency and Internet service providers concerned.While the Internet has increased the transmission and exchange of images of child abuse, it has also provided a valuable opportunity to identify, prosecute, and treat a significant group of child abusers who might never otherwise have come to our attention. This has resulted in a generally increasing numbers of investigations and prosecutions for the making and possession of indecent images of children in recent years.In respect of Operation Ore, I understand that of approximately 6,000 suspects being investigated, to date there have been 1,202 individuals charged and 655 convictions. It is not possible to predict how many more individuals will be prosecuted in the next 12 months.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much money has been (a) committed; and (b) spent to date by police forces, to stop football hooligans travelling to this summer's European football championships in Portugal. [HL1679]

Information on the cost of policing football generally is not collected centrally. However, as of 2 March 2004, the Home Office had reimbursed local forces a total of £578,065 to cover the cost of targeted operations designed to gather evidence and obtain football banning orders on known football hooligans. The Minister of State for crime reduction, policing and community safety (Hazel Blears) announced last year that £5 million has been allocated to fund the targeted football banning order operations over a period of three calendar years.As of 2 March 2004, the courts have imposed 2,015 football banning orders preventing the subjects travelling to matches overseas, including Euro 2004. The banning orders have been prompted by evidence gathered during public order policing of football operations or as a result of the Home Office-funded targeted, operations mentioned above.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many Section 14B banning orders have been issued to football hooligans each year since they were first introduced and what are the totals for each police force. [HL1680]

The following number of banning orders under Section 14B of the Football (Disorder) Act 2000 have been imposed by the courts in each calendar year since the Act came into force.

Year	Number of 14B football banning orders issued
2000	37
2001	56
2002	55
2003	12
2004 (up to 3 March)	11

It is not possible to compile data by police force for expired banning orders. There are currently (as of 3 March 2004) 71 Section 14B banning orders in place, distributed among police forces as follows:

Police Force	Number of current Section 14B football banning orders
Avon and Somerset Constabulary	1
Derbyshire Constabulary	1
Essex Police	9
Gloucestershire Constabulary	3
Greater Manchester Police	13
Lancashire Constabulary	2
Leicestershire Constabulary	4
Merseyside Police	11
Metropolitan Police	9
North Wales Police	1
Northumbria Police	1
Nottinghamshire Constabulary	1
South Yorkshire Police	8
Staffordshire Police	1
Sussex Police	2
West Midlands Police	2
West Yorkshire Police	2

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why there has been a delay in the announcement of the national e-crime strategy. [HL1504]

The e-crime strategy will look to provide a framework for government, law enforcement and industry action in response to e-crime, seeking to outline current legislation, policy and practice, as well as addressing current questions and advancing and informing the debate on longer-term issues.Officials continue to work to bring the strategy together and it will be published soon.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answers by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 20 January 2003 (

Individuals using pharmaceutical products outside the specifications within the market authorisation are not obliged to inform the licence holder of such use. The Department of Health (DH) understands that the timings of anthrax immunisations planned by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 1991 were different from those in the marketing authorisation and that fewer immunisations than recommended were to be given to each individual. In preparation for the conflict in Iraq in 2003, the DH understands that personnel deploying to the Gulf region were offered anthrax vaccine in accordance with MoD policy. Variations in use, from the summary of product characteristics, when these occur, are dictated by military-specific risk assessments and are based on the best available medical advice from the Advisory Group on Medical Countermeasures (AGMC). The AGMC is an independent civilian body specifically set up to advise on these matters.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the forthcoming review of obesity by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition will include an analysis of the contribution which the promotion of high carbohydrate foodstuffs has had on the increase of obesity; and whether it will include a review of the traditional food pyramid. [HL 1522]

The nature and timing of further work on this issue will be considered by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition at its next meeting in June 2004, taking into account the recently published report by the Royal College of Physicians.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which primary care trusts will not provide by April 2005 a dedicated falls service for the elderly who suffer falls as outlined in the National Service Framework for Older People. [HL1728]

The National Service Framework for Older People requires integrated falls services to be in place locally by April 2005. The Department of Health will be monitoring formally the 2005 milestone at strategic health authority level as this is included as one of the key targets in Improvement, Expansion and Reform, the priorities and planning framework for 2003–06. All strategic health authorities except one currently report that the April 2005 target will be achieved in their area. The department has offered support to the strategic health authority that may have difficulty meeting the target across the whole of its area.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What methods will be used to audit the standard of services in the National Health Service with regard to osteoporosis and falls. [HL1730]

The Commission for Health Improvement, the Audit Commission and Social Services Inspectorate have been responsible for developing a review of progress in National Health Service and social care organisations on implementing the standards in the National Service Framework for Older People. Those aspects of Osteoporosis that relate to falls services will be included in the review that the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection and the Commission for Social Care and Inspection plan to undertake from July 2004 to June 2005.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are satisfied that healthcare professionals in medicine, nursing and dentistry who have trained in the 10 new member states which will join the European Union on 1 May 2004 will have met the minimum training standards specified in the European Community directives. [HL1807]

All accession states are committed to ensuring that the qualifications they award to doctors, nurses responsible for general care and dentists who begin their training on or after the date for accession meet specified minimum requirements. It is for the European Commission, which is closely monitoring their progress, to see that these obligations are met. It intends to update member states shortly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether healthcare professionals in the osteopathic, chiropractic and social care professions who have trained in the 10 new member states which will join the European Union on 1 May 2004 will be eligible for registration with the relevant United Kingdom regulatory authorities. [HL1808]

Healthcare professionals in the osteopathic and chiropractic professions will be entitled to a comparative scrutiny of their qualifications and experience against any national requirements, and, in the event of a substantial difference, may be required to demonstrate additional experience or to undertake an adaptation period or an aptitude test. The registration of social workers is currently voluntary and these rules do not yet apply.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether there are, or will be, any requirements to include people aged over 65 in clinical trials which evaluate the safety and efficacy of drugs and treatments. [HL1815]

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, on behalf of the Licensing Authority, grants marketing authorisations for medicinal products provided that satisfactory quality, safety and efficacy data have been submitted for the medicinal product for use in the proposed indication and that the risk benefit is deemed favourable. Part of the assessment process involves ensuring that the target population to be treated once the medicine is licensed has been adequately represented (including age, gender, ethnicity) in the clincial trials submitted in support of the application. There are regulatory guidelines that specify the inclusion of the elderly in clinical trials if they are likely to be included in the population to be treated.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What right to roam exists for members of the public on military training land at Bovington [HL1638]