asked Her Majesty's Government:What will be the composition of the British elements in the provisional reconstruction teams in Afghanistan; and what will be their rules of engagement. [HL3651]

Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) are joint civil-military teams that draw upon a range of expertise. Although predominantly military in composition, the British contribution to PRTs in Northern Afghanistan includes representatives from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development. The troops who serve in the PRTs are mostly infantry, drawn at the moment from the First Battalion, The Green Howards, together with the appropriate supporting staff. Since 1 July 2004, the UK-led PRTs have been under the command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and so operate under the ISAF rules of engagement, which are robust and consistent with our obligations under national and international law.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What efforts they have made to encourage other NATO members to provide troops for the provisional reconstruction teams in Afghanistan. [HL3652]

My right honourable friends the Prime Minister and the Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Defence routinely engage with our NATO allies to encourage them to provide troops for the provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many British troops are currently serving in (a) Iraq; and (b) Afghanistan. [HL3854]

There are currently approximately 8,500 British troops deployed in Iraq and 600 in Afghanistan.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the number of applications for Japanese and Chinese studies has declined or risen in each of the past three years. [HL3797]

According to figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) shown in the table below, the number of undergraduate students taking Japanese studies has risen in each of the past three years. The latest figures for entry in 2004 show that the number of applications for undergraduate places is up by 9.6 per cent.For Chinese studies, the trend over the past three years is also upwards, although applications for 2004 indicate a decline of 14 per cent.Information on the number of postgraduate applications is not available.

Number of students taking full time undergraduate courses of 'Japanese studies' and 'Chinese studies' at UKHE institutions.
Year of Entry	Japanese Studies	Chinese Studies	Both
2001	110	80	190
2002	115	105	220
2003	160	90	250

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether higher education institutions within the United Kingdom have yet made satisfactory progress towards implementing the agreement to introduce a diploma supplement, as part of the Bologna process signed by European ministers of higher education in 1999. [HL3904]

We want higher education institutions (HEIs) to implement widely the diploma supplement by 2005 for the benefit of their students, and have been discussing progress with Universities UK. Most HEIs have already introduced the HE progress file, the transcript element of which includes most of the information required for the diploma supplement. I understand Universities UK is planning to review the practical implications and cost involved to institutions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the response of United Kingdom higher education institutions to the introduction of the European Union Erasmus Mundus programme is satisfactory. [HL3905]

The European Commission's new Erasmus Mundus programme has been well received by higher education institutions across Europe. UK institutions' response has been very encouraging. Some 8 per cent of the total applications received by the Commission from the 25 EU member states, in response to the first call for proposals for new Masters courses and scholarships under Actions 1 and 2 of the programme, were from UK higher education institutions. I look forward to the results of the selection exercise and hope that future calls for proposals will attract an even greater response from our higher education institutions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 5 July (

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) have liaised with the Audit Commission since the coming into force of the Building (Local Authority Charges) Regulations 1998 in April 1999. The role of the commission is to appoint auditors to local government who then carry out their responsibilities and exercise their judgment independently of the Commission. The Commission has not therefore asked its appointed auditors to specifically identify the use of accumulated surpluses, but it has drawn their attention to guidance issued by the ODPM/WAG to individual authorities on the treatment of surpluses arising. This guidance advises that any surplus of income over costs should either be carried forward to the following financial year and offset against projected future costs (thereby resulting in reduced charges); or it should be reinvested in the quality of delivery of the building control service.There are no enforcement powers in the charges regulations. It falls to individual local authorities to interpret and apply the requirements of the regulations, to remain within

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 25 June (

Department of Health expenditure on focus groups in each year from 1997–98 to 2003–04 can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to implement the recommendations of the Health and Safety Executive's document

The leaflet Driving at Work, which was published by the Department for Transport and the Health and Safety Executive, guides employers on managing sensibly the risks to their employees when driving at work. The document is not a definitive statement of the law; employers may choose whether or not to follow it. Therefore resources have not been allocated for enforcement. Active steps continue to be taken to promote the guidance through, for example, regular contacts with employers by local authority road safety officers.The Government's policy is more fully set out in the review of its road safety strategy,

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their medal target on a sport-by-sport basis for Great Britain Olympic athletes in Athens in 2004; and what was the target and actual Great Britain Olympic medal tally on a sport-by-sport basis in Sydney 2000. [HL3653]

Full details of the sport by sport medal target for the Athens Olympics are not finalised and will be published by UK Sport as part of its post-Athens reviews. The details for Sydney 2000 are shown in the table.

	Sydney Olympics
Sport	Target	Actual
Archery	0	0
Athletics	7	6
Badminton	1	1
Boxing	1	1
Canoeing	1	2
Cycling	2	4
Diving	1	0
Equestrian	3	1
Fencing	0	0
Gymnastics	0	0
Hockey	0	0
Judo	1	1
Modern Pentathlon	1	2
Rowing	3	3
Sailing	3	5
Shooting	1	2
Swimming	10	0
Table Tennis1	0	0
Taekwondo	2	0
Tennis	0	0
Triathlon	1	0
Weightlifting	0	0
Wrestling2	0	0
Total	38	28
1 No GB athletes/teams selected for Athens 2004.
2 No GB athletes selected for Sydney 2000.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What they are doing to promote cricket as a sport for girls. [HL3779]

With Sport England, the Government are working with the English Cricket Board (ECB) on its Equity Action Plan. This will include a closer look at the promotion of the women's game including using players in schools, and a specialist women's cricket magazine. Furthermore, the women's cricket development officers have been instrumental in the sustained growth of women's clubs in recent years. In 2003 there were, for the first time, in excess of 2 million participants in girls' cricket.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many planning applications affecting playing fields have been referred to Sport England under its statutory consultee status for each year since 1997. [HL3787]

Sport England has had the following number of planning applications relating to playing fields referred to it in each year since 1997:

Year	Number of Applications
1997–98	604
1998–99	807
1999–2000	625
2000–01	875
2001–02	985
2002–03	1,297

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking to promote the collaboration of school sport associations and national governing bodies of sport for the best interest of sport. [HL3791]

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Education and Skills are funding a post within the National Council for School Sport (NCSS). Both departments want the NCSS and the School Sport Associations to play a full part in the new context for schools-based competitive sport being created by both the rollout of a national structure for PE, School Sport and Club Links and national governing body modernisation. The post-holder is working with national governing bodies and school sport associations to ensure that school sport associations are effectively linked into national governing bodies' one-stop/whole-sport plans.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they intend to fulfil the Labour Party 2001 manifesto commitment to provide "a sports entitlement for all children, giving them access to at least two hours a week of sport in or after school" given that the latest public service agreement target is for only 85 per cent of children by 2008. [HL3828]

The public service agreement target is about the number of pupils aged five to 16 taking up two hours each week of high-quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum. The manifesto commitment was about providing new and extending existing opportunities to enable increased levels of take-up. This is being fufilled chiefly through the roll-out of school sport partnerships (all schools will be in a school sport partnership from September 2006) under the national strategy for PE, school sport and club links. Provision is also being enhanced through the Big Lottery Fund's investment of £581 million in school sport facilities over 2000 to 2006. By spring 2005, funding will have been committed to 1,700 projects across England. Space for Sport and the Arts is investing an additional £130 million in primary school sport facilities in deprived areas.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What level of financial support towards the costs of bidding to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2012 has been raised from the private sector, either in cash or value-in-kind. [HL3792]

To date, London 2012 have raised a total of £6,357,000 (in cash and value-in-kind) towards the costs of bidding to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2012.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will define "priority groups", "active sports" and "moderate intensity level sport" as targeted by the 2005–08 public service agreement for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. [HL3829]

In reference to PSA target 3, priority groups are defined as those people with a physical or mental disability, people from a black or minority ethnic group, or those in socio-economic groups C2, D and E (all self-defined). In line with the Government's commitment to Game Plan, women are also defined as a priority group. Active sports are defined as all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and well-being.Moderate intensity level sport varies according to the fitness level of the participant. Moderate activity for a person with a moderate fitness level has a MET value of between 4.6 and 6.3. MET (metabolic equivalent) values are assigned to activities to denote their intensity and are given in multiples of resting metabolic rate.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What percentage of adults and young people aged 16 and above from priority groups currently participate in active sports at least 12 times a year as targeted by the 2005–08 public service agreement for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. [HL3830]

The General Household Survey (GHS) sport and leisure dataset, published on 29 June 2004 by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), reports the participation rate for the following priority groups, who have taken part in at least one sport, game or activity (excluding walking) in the previous four weeks, which is broadly equivalent to a participation rate of 12 times a year, is as follows:

• 26 per cent of people with a physical or mental disability
• 30 per cent of those from black or minority ethnic groups
• 35 per cent of socio-economic groups NS-SEC 5–8
• 36 per cent of women

Definitions of Priority Groups:

asked Her Majesty's Government:What percentage of adults and young people aged 16 and above from priority groups currently engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity level sport at least three times a week as targeted by the 2005–08 public service agreement for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. [HL3831]

The Health Survey for England (1998) reports the participation rates for the following priority groups, who have taken part in sport or walking for at least 30 minutes at least three times a week, averaged from the last four weeks as follows:

• 10 per cent of people with a physical or mental disability
• 18.9 per cent of those from black or minority ethnic groups
• 18.5 per cent of social classes IIIM, IV and V's
• 17.3 per cent of women

Definitions of Priority Groups:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the announcement by UK Sport on 13 July that it is investing £800,000 in British Olympic Association pre-Games preparation camps, how much money is being invested in pre-Games preparation camps for the British Paralympic Assoication. [HL3833]

UK Sport has contributed lottery funding of around £230,000 to the British Paralympic Association (BPA) towards its holding camps in Cyprus and additional lottery funding of £40,000 has been provided to the BPA towards a number of holding camps in the United Kingdom.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much world class performance funding United Kingdom athletics has received since the 2000 Sydney Olympics; how many athletes have been supported with these funds; and how many of these funded athletes have been selected to represent Great Britain at the 2004 Athens Olympics. [HL3859]

UK Athletics has received £8.3 million in lottery funding from UK Sport to support the core programme of its able-bodied world class performance programme for the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2005. Since April 2001, 121 athletes have been supported, with 64 athletes currently funded, of which 35 have been selected to represent Great Britain at the Athens Olympics.

asked Her Majesty's Government:On which dates meetings have taken place since 2000 between the Athletics Commission and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. [HL3860]

There have been no meetings between the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the Athletics Commission since 2000. The Secretary of State has, however, met athletes on an informal basis on three occasions to discuss their thoughts on the support and level of service being provided to them. In addition the Secretary of State has agreed to meet the British Athletes Commission on a biannual basis with the first meeting planned for 20 October.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their best estimate of the total amount of money paid to the national governing bodies of sport and recreation in affiliation fees last year. [HL3862]

The Government do not hold information about the affiliation fees paid to national governing bodies of sport.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 5 July (

Customs will normally consider for investigation and prosecution cases involving a clear commercial use of endangered species listed in Annexes A or B of EU Regulation 338/97 or in circumstances where a deliberate or organised attempt has been made to evade or breach the regulations for commercial gain and where there is both sufficient evidence to give a realistic prospect of conviction and it is in the public interest to do so. There were no seizures during 2003 that customs deemed to meet these criteria.Many seizures made are "technical" in nature, including errors on permits, incorrect descriptions or incorrect arrangements made for the carriage of the specimens in breach of the IATA regulations.Live animals and birds seized by Customs are taken to the Animal Reception Centre at Heathrow Airport or other suitable border inspection posts to ensure compliance with the appropriate health and welfare requirements. Customs arrange the rehousing of specimens in consultation with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the Animal Reception Centre and others such as zoo authorities. In the case of highly endangered species included in Annex A of EU Regulation 338/97, Customs are required to consult JNCC, which is designated as the scientific authority for endangered fauna under the regulations. The precise rehousing arrangements depend on a number of factors including rarity of species, the number of specimens seized and availability of suitable zoos and other establishments, which can include captive breeding programmes in the case of highly endangered species.The 99 seizures of live animal and bird species in 2003 contained a total 2,925 specimens from the following type or genus:

Animals	Birds	Fish, Clams and Amphibians
Boa	African Grey parrot	American bullfrog
Box turtle	Amazon parrot	Giant clam
Chameleon	Cockatoo	Seahorse
Dwarf chameleon	Conure
Flat-tail gecko	Hartlaub's turaco
Land tortoise
Python
Spiny-tailed lizard
Tegu lizard
Terrapin

Customs seizure powers in respect of CITES endangered species do not require evidence of the value, either of the purchase price abroad or potential value in the UK. The information sought on estimated values of seized endangered species is therefore not available.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 5 July (

Much of the detailed information sought is not available. HM Customs and Excise have no information on how many of the seizures were declared for export in the country of origin and do not require evidence of the intended destination or disposal in order to determine liability for seizure.Of the 411 seizures made in 2003: 42 seizures related to imports through ports; 310 related to airports; 237 were in air or sea freight; 174 were from individuals; and 30 were from 12 individuals or companies from whom Customs seized endangered species on a previous occasion since central records began in 2000.Smuggled plant items seized by Customs are taken to the Royal Botanic Gardens, who are the designated scientific authority to Defra, the United Kingdom management authority for CITES. These plants undergo quarantine and any that fail are destroyed under controlled conditions. Defra plant health inspectors will also monitor any seized plants which did not have appropriate certificates.All plants considered to be highly endangered (ie on Annex A of EU Regulation 338/97) are retained by Kew for conservation purposes. Others are either retained by Kew or donated to other botanical institutions, zoos or wildlife parks. The plants are cared for and used in the best interests of conservation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In connection with the 2004 elections for the European Parliament, what was the percentage turnout in each of the 25 member states; what was the method of election in each state; which states used closed list systems, as in the United Kingdom; and in which states the order of candidates within the list can be varied by the voter. [H L3889]

The information is contained in the table below. Every state of the European Union (EU) used a system of proportional representation to elect its representatives. Eight states (including Great Britain within the UK) used the "closed" list system. Fifteen states used an "open" list system in which the order of the candidates can be varied by the voter. Two states (and Northern Ireland within the UK) used the single transferable vote which also allows preferential voting by electors.

EU State	Turnout (%)1	Single Transferable Vote2	"Closed" List2	"Open" List2
Belgium	90.8			✓
Luxembourg	90.0			✓
Malta	82.4	✓
Italy	73.1			✓
Cyprus	71.2			✓
Greece	62.8		✓
Ireland	59.7	✓
Lithuania	48.2			✓
Denmark	47.9			✓
Spain	45.9		✓
France	43.1		✓
Germany	43.0		✓

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 30 June (

The safety camera programme is designed to deal with road sites with a history of accidents which are related to speeding. I understand that the local safety camera partnership of police and highway authorities has reviewed the site of the accident mentioned by the noble Lord and concluded that it does not meet these criteria for the deployment of cameras.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When work will commence on the improvements to the A27 at Beddingham. [HL3806]

The proposals for the A27 at Beddingham were added to the targeted programme of improvements in March, and it is expected that a contractor will be appointed later this year under the Highways Agency's early contractor involvement scheme to assist in the design of the scheme. Subject to the need for and the duration of a public inquiry into the proposals it is expected that construction could start at the end of next year (2005).

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they intend to bring forward proposals for a bypass to Selmeston on the A27. [HL3807]

The report on the south coast multi-modal study recommended a number of road improvements to the A27 including a bypass to Selmeston. The Secretary of State considered that the environmental impact of these proposals was significant and asked the Highways Agency to work with the statutory environmental bodies and the local highway authorities to develop less damaging options. The agency is expected to report back later this summer on options for the A27 at Selmeston.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they intend to bring forward proposals for a bypass to Lancing and Worthing on the A27. [HL3808]

The report on the south coast multi-modal study recommended a number of road improvements to the A27 including a tunnel bypass to Lancing and Worthing. The Secretary of State considered that the environmental impact of these proposals was significant and, in the case of Lancing and Worthing, very costly. He asked the Highways Agency to work with the statutory environmental bodies and the local highways authorities to develop alternative options. The agency is expected to report back later this summer on options for the A27 at Lancing and Worthing.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they intend to bring forward proposals for a bypass at Arundel on the A27. [HL3809]

The report on the south coast multi-modal study recommended a number of road improvements to the A27 including a bypass to Arundel. The Secretary of State considered that the environmental impact of these proposals was significant and asked the Highways Agency to work with the statutory environmental bodies and the local highway authorities to develop less damaging options. The agency is expected to report back later this summer on options for the A27 at Arundel.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Segway human transporter should be ridden on the pavement or in the road; and which option is safer. [HL3879]

Only invalid carriages complying with the Use of Invalid Carriages on Highways Regulations 1988 can be used on pavements. Information provided to the Department for Transport indicates that the Segway human transporter is not such a carriage, so could he used only on a road.