asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether responsibility for deciding whether to publish the opinion given to the Government by the Attorney-General on the legality of the invasion of Iraq is that of the Attorney-General or that of government. [HL1619]

Any decision to disclose legal advice provided by the Law Officers to the Government would be taken by the Government with the consent of the Law Officers, in accordance with paragraph 24 of the Ministerial Code.There is a strong public interest in maintaining the confidentiality of Law Officers' advice. This is why there is a long-standing convention, adhered to by successive Governments and reflected in paragraph 24 of the Ministerial Code, that neither the fact that the Law Officers have advised on a particular matter, nor the substance of any advice they may have given is publicly disclosed. The purpose of the convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence. This is in the public interest so that governments take full and frank legal advice and act in accordance with the rule of law.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they consider that the public disclosure of the opinions given to them by the Attorney-General about the legality of the invasion of Iraq would harm the public interest; and, if so, what harm they consider would arise. [HL1621]

There is a strong public interest in maintaining the confidentiality of Law Officers' advice. This is why there is a long-standing convention, adhered to by successive governments and reflected in paragraph 24 of the Ministerial Code, that neither the fact that the Law Officers have advised on a particular matter, nor the substance of any advice they may have given is publicly disclosed. The purpose of the convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence. This is in the public interest so that governments take full and frank legal advice and act in accordance with the rule of law.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend the terms of reference of the inquiry under the chairmanship of Lord Butler of Brockwell to include (a) instructions given by them to the Attorney-General; (b) the Attorney-General's advice on the legality of the invasion of Iraq; and (c) the use made by the Government of the Attorney-General's advice. [HL1624]

The Government intend the Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction chaired by Lord Butler of Brockwell to inquire into the matters referred to in their terms of reference, which have been published.My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary set out the terms of reference for Lord Butler's review on 3 February 2004 (

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has since 2000 put funding in place for cultural diversity and linguistic diversity from its budgets; if so, to whom the funding was made available; how much was made available; and how much funding can be identified as for Irish or Ulster-Scots purposes. [HL1883]

Since 2000 DCAL has put the following funding in place for cultural diversity and linguistic diversity:

	Amount	Made available to
2000–01	2,345,000
		Foras Na Gaeilge
		Ulster-Scots Agency
		Iomairt Cholm Cille (ICC)
2001–02	3,327,500
		Foras Na Gaeilge
		Ulster-Scots Agency
		Arts Council NI
		Ultach Trust
		ICC
		Apprentice Boys of Derry
		Old Museum Arts
		Tinderbox
		E. Tyrone (Marshalling training)
		Young at Art
		Football in the Community
		Queen's Film Theatre
		The Gathering
		Cineversity
		Down Community Arts
		Lisburn Development Organisation
2002–03	4,233,000
		Foras Na Gaeilge
		Ulster-Scots Agency
		ICC
		Armagh City and District Council
		BDS Community Association
		Best Cellars Music Collective
		Oi-Kwan Womens Group
		Replay Productions
		Spamount and District Cross
		Community
		Travellers Movement

	Amount	Made available to
		The Cathedral Quarter Arts
		The Nerve Centre
		Apprentice Boys
		Football in the Community
		Tinderbox
		Young at Art
		Ballynafeigh Community
		Development Association
		Altnaveigh House Cultural Society
		PUL
		Rhythm in the City
2003–04	5,266,000
		Foras Na Gaeilge
		Ulster-Scots Agency
		ICC
		Apprentice Boys

Of this funding, approximately £3,900,500 was made available to organisations that could be considered to have some Ulster-Scots language or cultural dimension, and £10,998,500 was made available to organisations that could be considered to have an Irish language or cultural dimension.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is possible for the Belfast Education and Library Board to modify the funding formula set by the Education Department for each school. [HL1913]

Yes. The funding formula is set by the Belfast Education and Library Board and is published by the board in its local management of schools (LMS) scheme. Where a board wishes to make a replacement scheme or make a significant variation of a previous scheme, it must consult the board of governors of every school covered by its existing scheme and the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) before finalising the replacement or variation scheme. Following consultation, it must be submitted to the department for approval.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish the concordat between the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales on the framework for the future relationship between the Government and the judiciary. [HL1792]

I made a Statement to the House on 26 January 2004 setting out the Government's proposals relating to the transfer of the Lord Chancellor's judiciary-related functions. An explanatory document giving more detail was placed in the Libraries of both Houses titled ConstitutionalReform, The Lord Chancellor's judiciary-related functions: Proposals. This document has subsequently been referred to as the concordat. Copies are available in both Houses and also on the Department for Constitutional Affairs website at http:// www.dca.gov.uk/consult/lcoffice/judiciary.htm

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they first sought legal advice about the legality of an invasion of Iraq. [HL1779]

It is not the practice to disclose when and whether any particular legal advice was sought or given, and if so by whom, on specific occasions. Information concerning government legal advice is exempt from disclosure under exemptions 2 and 4(d) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many prisoners are being held in Afghanistan at (a) Bagram airbase, and (b) Jowzjan Prison; under what legal authority they are held; whether their individual status is being considered by a competent tribunal as required by the Geneva Convention; whether charges of war or other crimes are being brought in any case; and, if so, how many. [HL1843]

Around 150 prisoners are being held at Bagram, and fewer than 1,000 prisoners are being held at Jowzjan (also known as Sherbergan). The prisoners at Bagram are being held under the authority of the United States and those in Jowzjan under the authority of the Afghan Ministry of Justice. In both cases prisoners are held under Article 3 of the Geneva Convention. Their individual status is not being considered by a competent tribunal. Charges for war crimes or other crimes have not, to date, been brought against any of the detainees.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will take steps in intergovernmental fora to establish the best means for preventing Russian exports and existing stocks of small arms from falling into irresponsible hands; and what is their response to the 2003 report on this matter by Saferworld and others. [HL1922]

Improved international export controls are key to preventing small arms falling into irresponsible hands. The UK is working through its transfer controls initiative to build global consensus on such controls for small arms and with key states on concrete improvements to their controls. We are engaged with Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union on this issue in intergovernmental fora including the UN, G8, the Wassenaar arrangement and the OSCE, as well as bilaterally.Russia has signed up to the OSCE's small arms and light weapons (SALW) document which requires the adoption of a series of principles to improve national controls over the export of SALW and for states to exchange information on legislation and current practice on export policy and procedures. Russia is also party to the Wassenaar arrangement's

asked Her Majesty's Government:When Basra Airport will be open to commercial traffic. [HL1966]

The Iraqi Ministry of Transport and the Coalition Provisional Authority are considering reconstruction and investment at a number of airports in Iraq, including Basra. Basra Airport will open to commercial aviation as soon as it is practical to do so.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the statement by the Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 23 February regarding benefits of mentoring at the Shannon Trust (HL Deb, col. 3), whether they intend to foster such mentoring throughout the prison service. [HL1667]

Mentoring and peer support have an important part to play in improving offenders' learning and skills. The Prison Service runs a range of peer support schemes in literacy and numeracy. In addition to the approach favoured by the Shannon Trust, other initiatives include the Link Up project (funded by the DfES and delivered by the Basic Skills Agency) which trains prisoners, prison officers and staff from other agencies to become adult learner supporters and the Reading Champions scheme (run by the National Literacy Trust) which has also been extremely popular among prisoners.It will be up to prison governors to consider whether greater use of such programmes will help to engage those who lack confidence or are put off by traditional approaches to learning, and provide them with the opportunity to gain accredited skills, based on expert advice from their head of learning and skills.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is a requirement for parole to be granted for the prisoner to admit the offence and to take part in a rehabilitation course; and, if not, how many prisoners have been granted parole without meeting these conditions in the year for which figures are available. [HL1819]

There is no rule or policy which prevents a prisoner who denies his or her guilt from progressing through the system, or being released on parole licence. Nor is there a requirement to participate in a rehabilitation course. Such prisoners may be granted parole if their risk is assessed as having been reduced to a level that is compatible with the protection of public safety.Information on the number of prisoners applying for parole and who deny their guilt is not centrally recorded by the Prison Service and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. However, as from January 2003, the Parole Board began to collate such data and for the period January to June 2003, in 34 per cent of cases, where prisoners maintained their innocence, parole was granted. Information is not held centrally on how many of these prisoners undertook interventions to address their offending behaviour.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many casualties, both military and civilian, have occurred in Iraq as a result of unexploded ordnance such as missiles, cluster bomblets or other sub-munitions; and what assistance they are giving to agencies carrying out surveys or clearance of such ordnance. [HL1535]

Unexploded ordnance in Iraq includes munitions from the Iran-Iraq war as well as mines laid by Iraqi forces, ordnance fired or dropped by both sides during recent hostilities and stores of ammunition and other ordnance left by Iraqi military and paramilitary forces.United Kingdom forces have suffered one fatality from unexploded ordnance. We are not in a position to comment on casualties suffered by other members of the coalition. We have no reliable means of ascertaining the number of civilians killed or injured by unexploded ordnance since the end of the conflict.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What training assistance has been given by HM forces to United States military personnel in respect of counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism missions in Iraq. [HL1636]

The United Kingdom and United States forces exchange a wide range of training techniques on a regular basis as part of their close operational relationship. Counter-insurgency and counterterrorism skills are included in this exchange. Recent examples have included search training, techniques to support operations in built up areas and maritime interdiction/boarding techniques.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in view of the acquittal of the defendant in

It is not necessary to give additional training to the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) as MDP officers fully understood the law in relation to aggravated trespass. The question of prosecution is, of course, a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What air defence exercises have been undertaken by Harrier GR7 aircraft operating from carriers in the past two years. [HL1796]

RAF Harrier GR7 aircraft have exercised from aircraft carriers four times in the last two years although not in the air defence role.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of the letters sent by the Ministry of Defence to Members of Parliament and Members of the House of Lords pursuant to Answers to Parliamentary Questions about British troops who could have been affected by fall-out from the destruction by United States forces of the Iraqi stockpile of chemical weapons at Khamisiyah in southern Iraq in 1991. [HL1881]

Yes. Parliamentary Questions (PQs) have been tabled on Khamisiyah since at least 1996, and I have asked officials to ensure that a copy of all letters written pursuant to these PQs have been deposited in the Library of the House as soon as possible.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why, and on what dates, the Ministry of Defence's original estimate of the number of British troops who could have been affected by fall-out from destruction by United States forces of the Iraqi stockpile of chemical weapons at Khamisiyah in southern Iraq in 1991 has varied since the stockpile was destroyed. [HL1882]

In 1996, based on information provided by the United States authorities, it was initially concluded that no British units would have been affected by the demolition of chemical agents at Khamisiyah. From July 1997, following more detailed analysis by the US authorities, it became clear that British forces could have been exposed to low levels of chemical agents. As a result, the Ministry of Defence reviewed the US modelling work and published a paper in December 1999 titled, Review of Events Concerning 32 Field Hospital and the Release of Nerve Agent Arising From US Demolition of Iraqi Munitions at the Khamisiyah Depot In March 1991 which can be found at: www.mod.uk/issues/gulfwar/info/medical/ khamisiyah.htm. The paper concluded that up to 9,000 British troops could have been within the modelled plume but that the possible level of nerve agent exposure would have no detectable effect on human health, in either the short or long term.Further modelling work has been carried out in the US and was published in 2002. The US General Accounting Office is publishing a report on the modelling work later this year and once the US Department of Defence has responded to this, the MoD will undertake a further assessment and make the results public.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they anticipate that the Watchkeeper project will have advanced sufficiently far by 31 March for it to be included, by reference to current criteria, in the major projects report at that date; and, if not, what steps they will take to ensure that future versions of this report will contain appropriate information about that project. [HL1988]

Watchkeeper will be included in the major projects report 2004.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proportion of the total amount of funding provided in the United Kingdom for diabetics has been allocated to the paediatric services in South Tyneside primary care trust. [HL1927]

The information requested is not collected centrally. Allocations of funding for particular treatments are matters for the local primary care trust.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the answer by the Lord Warner on 10 March (HL Deb, col. 1233) on the National Health Service smoking cessation services, how many women who used the services in 2002–03 failed to give up smoking. [HL1930]

Around 33,600 (25 per cent) of the 135,000 women who set a quit date with the National Health Service Stop Smoking Services between April 2002 to March 2003 did not successfully quit smoking at four-week follow-up (based on self-report). Around 70,200 (52 per cent) had successfully quit smoking at the four-week follow-up (based on self-report), and around 31,200 (23 per cent) were lost to follow-up or the outcome was not known.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any component of the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has ever been genetically modified. [HL1972]

No component of the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has been genetically modified.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Oxford criteria for determining fatigue states include patients with neurological disorders; and [HL1975]What neurological diseases, apart from myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome, classified by the international statistical classification of diseases and related health problems are included in the recently published World Health Organisation guide to mental and neurological health in primary care. [HL1976]

The Department of Health was not involved in the publication of the Oxford criteria or of the World Health Organisation guide to mental and neurological health in primary care. Questions on the content of these publications should be taken up with the authors.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What services and assistance designed to assist disabled people local authorities are required by statute to give. [HL1998]

The NHS and Community Care Act 1990 provides the legislative base for the provision of community care services, and in particular Section 47 places a duty on authorities to assess the needs of anyone who seems to them to be in need of community care arranged by the authority.Section 2(1) of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Person Act 1970 requires local authorities to arrange the provision of a range of services for those disabled people they consider to need them. The services which are to be provided as needed are:

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many school sport co-ordinators and partnership development managers were employed

	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04
East	0	0	13	42	93
East Midlands	0	8	30	65	97
London	0	10	26	146	196
North East	0	21	55	70	110
North West	0	47	83	123	183
South East	0	6	31	68	129
South West	0	15	65	113	145
West Midlands	0	29	48	82	159
Yorkshire & Humber	0	16	46	79	146
Total	0	152	397	788	1,258

The number of partnership development managers employed in England for each academic year since 1999–2000 is as follows:

	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04
East	0	0	3	7	18
East Midlands	0	2	7	13	17
London	0	3	7	30	37
North East	0	4	11	14	20
North West	0	9	16	23	31
South East	0	1	6	12	24
South West	0	3	11	19	24
West Midlands	0	6	10	14	25
Yorkshire & Humber	0	3	9	16	26
Total	0	31	80	148	222

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the statement by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 26 February (HL Deb, col. 378), whether they will provide a breakdown of the £90 million start-up costs of the Child Trust Funds Bill. [HL1869]

The estimated start-up costs for the period 2003–04 to 2006–07 will cover around £56 million for IT costs and around £34 million for other administrative costs.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the statement by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 10 March 2004 (HL Deb col. 1278) that 57 per cent of private finance initiative projects are on the balance sheet, whether they will identify:

The number of school sport co-ordinators employed in England for each academic year since 1999–2000 is as follows:(a) these projects, showing the amount for each that was on the balance sheet at the end of 2002–03 or is expected to be on the balance sheet at the end of 2003–04; and(b) those private finance initiative projects which comprise the 43 per cent of projects that are not on the balance sheet. [HL1874]

Where the assets constructed under PFI contracts are reported on departmental balance sheets, the value reported is the full and fair value of the assets concerned.The estimated capital value of signed PFI contracts where capital assets are accounted for on departmental balance sheets is £20.2 billion. This represents 57 per cent of the total estimated capital value.Those PFI contracts where the assets concerned are on departmental balance sheets are reported in departmental accounts.A list of all PFI contracts signed to July 2003 is available on the HM Treasury public website at:

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the National Lottery expenditure on sport, in each year since 1993–94, in (a) South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council; (b) Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council; (c) North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council; (d) Newcastle Metropolitan Borough Council; and

	Gateshead	Newcastle upon Tyne	North Tyneside	South Tyneside	Sunderland	Yearly Total
1995	£555,079	£500,500	£6,629,015	£107,420	£672,450	£8,464,464
1996	£342,201	£570,500	£0	£19,496	£0	£932,197
1997	£400,852	£0	£11,500	£27,489	£1,225,502	£1,665,343
1998	£326,166	£9,242,540	£1,792,877	£0	£0	£11,361,583
1999	£51,731	£507,633	£2,220,140	£6,900	£5,018,592	£7,804,996
2000	£221,221	£643,271	£102,310	£54,878	£2,023,408	£3,045,088
2001	£1,799,493	£2,934,935	£397,483	£412,073	£370,671	£5,914,655
2002	£190,605	£835,387	£11,740	£564,754	£726,057	£2,328,543
2003	£0	£1,280,612	£0	£0	£50,000	£1,330,612
2004	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0
LA TOTAL	£3,887,348	£16,515,378	£11,165,065	£1,193,010	£10,086,680	£42,847,481

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proportion of the total National Lottery expenditure on sport was allocated to the Tyne and Wear area in each year since 1993–94. [HL1925]

The table shows, by calendar year, what proportion of all lottery sports funding in the UK went to the County of Tyne and Wear, since the start of the lottery.

Year	% of all Lottery sports funding in Tyne and Wear
1995	7.47
1996	0.65
1997	0.80
1998	4.41
1999	2.45
2000	0.83
2001	1.28
2002	0.75
2003	1.22
2004	0
Average	1.99

These numbers are for each calendar year and are derived from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's database of lottery awards, which is based on information supplied by the lottery distributing bodies.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their marketing budget for encouraging sports clubs to apply for community amateur sports club status. [HL1977]

Neither the Department for Culture, Media and Sport nor the Inland Revenue has a defined marketing budget for this purpose.

The table shows how much lottery funding went to each local authority area for sport in each calendar year from 1995. These numbers are derived from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's database of lottery awards, which is based on information supplied by the 'lottery distributing bodies.Last autumn, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Inland Revenue organised, with the assistance of the Central Council of Physical Recreation, Deloitte & Touche and Bates, Wells & Braithwaite a series of regional seminars for sports clubs, that promoted awareness of, and provided advice about, the community amateur sports club scheme. Over 700 representatives from sports clubs, sports governing bodies and local authorities attended these seminars.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Inland Revenue and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister continue to promote the scheme through engagement with the sporting national governing bodies and local authorities.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will place in the Library of the House a list of the recipients of the Pesticides Safety Directorate's

The Pesticide Safety Directorate is carrying out this exercise to seek reassurance that any possible adverse human health effects of pesticides are being reported fully by the agrochemical industry.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Environment and Agri-Environment on 13 November 2003 (HC Deb, 417W) on wild bird imports, why in 2002 10,058 parrots were brought in out of a total of 25,531 for the five years 1998 to 2002; and why the figures for other wild-caught birds has risen each year since 1998, with a four-fold increase between 2001 and 2002. [HL1764]

Levels of trade in wildlife vary, and are driven by many factors including market forces, supply and demand, changing policies of various governments and by actions taken as a result of international agreements such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).I am not aware that there was any particular reason why trade was greater in 2002 than in other years or why trade in particular species has increased in general over recent years.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many individuals were granted official approval to process and feed swill to pigs under Article 25 of the Animal By-Products Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/646). [HL1938]

At the time of the ban there were 74 people that were approved under Article 22 to process swill and 93 who were approved under Article 26 to feed swill to their pigs. Article 25 provided for the approval of persons to consign swill from their holding. The number of people who were approved to consign swill is not held centrally.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the cross-compliance consultation on the common agricultural policy payments scheme will begin; over what period of time it will run; and when they will respond to the consultation exercise. [HL1969]

I anticipate that the consultation on cross-compliance measures in England will be announced shortly and will run through the spring. Ministers will make decisions as soon as possible after considering the consultation responses.