My right honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ivor Caplin) has made the following Written Ministerial StatementThe Ministry of Defence has today placed in the Library of the House copies of the Military Aircraft Accident Summary of the RAF Board of Inquiry into the accident to Tornado GR4A ZG710, which was shot down during Operation TELIC by a US Patriot Battery on 22 March 2003.The Board of Inquiry found that the immediate cause of the accident was that the Patriot Battery, in following its self-defence rules of engagement, misidentified Tornado ZG710 as a hostile anti-radiation missile and engaged it. However, like most aircraft accidents, no single cause was to blame. There were several contributory factors. These included the failure of the Tornado's IFF (Identification Friend or Foe), the wide classification criteria for anti-radiation missiles programmed into Patriot system and the Patriot Rules of Engagement, which were not sufficiently robust to prevent a friendly aircraft without a functioning IFF system being classified as an anti-radiation missile.The war in Iraq was completed in a highly efficient and effective manner, for which all those involved must take great credit. As part of that campaign, the crew of ZG710 conducted a dangerous and demanding combat mission in an exemplary manner yet did not return safely. ZG710 was the only Royal Air Force aircraft lost during the war. The Board of Inquiry has established the causes of this tragic accident and has highlighted the various factors that contributed to it. The board's recommendations are now being implemented.

My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office has made the following Written Ministerial Statement today.The Government believe that current developments in science are providing significantly more opportunities to do work on the reduction of the number of animals used, the refinement of the procedures involved to minimise suffering, and the replacement of animal use (the 3Rs), and that to take advantage of these opportunities we should put more resources into this area and broaden the community of interestI am, therefore, pleased to inform the House that the Government are setting up a new national centre for research into the 3Rs and animal welfare. The Centre for Best Practice for Animals in Research (CBPAR), established by the Medical Research Council, will form the core of the new centre. The new centre will be called the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research, and will act as a focal point for research into the 3Rs.This decision implements the recommendation by the House of Lords Select Committee on Animals in Scientific Procedures, in its report published in July 2002, that such a centre should be established, which we broadly accepted in the Government's reply in January 2003. The Government have today published a report prepared by the Inter-Departmental Group on the 3Rs (IDG3Rs) on the implementation of the Select Committee recommendation and have accepted its recommendation that responsibility for the new national centre should rest with the Office of Science and Technology, with its wider scientific remit, rather than with the Home Office, whose role is constrained by its regulatory function under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. A copy of the Inter-Departmental Group's report has been placed in the House Library.Placing the lead responsibility with the Office of Science and Technology emphasises that the 3Rs, humane experimental techniques, and the development of advanced research methods are part of the mainstream United Kingdom science base. It also acknowledges that department's leading role in signalling both the financial and scientific benefits of such developments. In the initial stages the centre will need the wider support and structure that the MRC can offer.A new board will be set up to direct the centre and I am delighted to announce that Lord Turnberg has agreed to chair this board, aided by Professor Paul Flecknell as vice-chair. The remaining membership of the board will be appointed shortly. It is envisaged that all major stakeholder groups will be represented, including academics, government, industry and animal welfare groups.The mission statement for the centre will be:

My honourable friend the Minister for Energy, E-commerce and Postal Services (Stephen Timms) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I am pleased to announce to the House that I am today offering a Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence (PEDL 133) to Composite Energy plc to cover acreage in the counties of Falkirk and Clackmannanshire (Blocks NS88, NS89, NS97, NS98 and NS99).The company will have a fixed period in which to decide whether or not to accept the offer.

Guidance on Dealing with Fatalities in Emergencies has been published today on the UK resilience website (www.ukresilience.info). Copies have been placed in the Library of the House. The purpose of this guidance—which is directed primarily at local planners and responders—is to reaffirm, update and consolidate what emergency officers should consider when planning the response to an emergency involving fatalities. It is the product of consultation with a range of stakeholders—central and local government, and the emergency services among others—and builds on earlier guidance in Dealing with Disaster—Revised Third Edition.Thankfully, mass fatality incidents have not occurred frequently in the United Kingdom. The emphasis of any response will focus on saving lives—but we must be prepared should the worst happen.But the guidance is by no means intended to be a stand-alone solution to ensure that there is sufficient capacity across the country to deal with such incidents. Work is being taken forward by the Home Office, in collaboration with the regions, the devolved administrations, planners and responders to establish existing levels of national capability. This should inform the development of a framework for a national response.The guidance will be revisited in light of developments stemming from the Civil Contingencies Bill, currently before Parliament, and a review of the coroner system, set out in the Home Office position paper