asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they accept the explanation given by the then Iraq Ambassador to the Holy See to the International Atomic Energy Authority for his visit to Niger in February 1999; and, if not, whether they have provided the authority with any additional evidence on the purpose of that visit since the date of the letter from the authority quoted in paragraph 502 of the Lord Butler of Brockwell's Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction. [HL3926]

The question of evidence supporting the assertion in the Government's dossier that Iraq had sought to procure uranium from Niger was investigated in detail by the review headed by Lord Butler of Brockwell. The review concluded that there was sufficiently robust evidence to support the assertion.Based upon this evidence, the Government cannot accept the explanation provided by Ambassador AlZahawi of the purpose of his visit to Niger in 1999.The evidence on which the assertion in the Government's dossier was based came from the intelligence service of another state. It has not been made available by the UK to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). We have not passed any information to the IAEA on this issue.

Strategy	FY 2002–03 Budget (£m)	FY 2002–03 Spend (£m)	% Spent Against Budget	FY 2003–04 Budget (£m)	FY 2003–04 Spend (£m)	% Spent Against Budget
(a) Middle East
Iraq	n/a	n/a		7.5	5.0	67%
This new strategy underspent in FY 2003–04 because it took some time for projects on the ground to get up and running as a result of difficulties relating to security considerations.
Middle East & North Africa (MENA)	5.1	4.7	92%	4.6	3.4	74%
MENA GCPP Strategy spending is partly driven by the opportunities in relation to the Middle East peace process. The lower spend in FY 2003–04 reflects the difficulties the strategy had in implementing projects on the ground.
(b) Afghanistan	15.7	11.0	70%	23.8	18.5	78%
The strategy was underspent in these financial years.
This is largely the result of the UN and US bodies responsible for implementing the programme of support to the Afghan National Army (ANA) being unable to use £5 million allocated to them in FY 2002–03 (and subsequently FY 2003–04) to pay ANA salaries. But this allocation has now been disbursed and the Afghanistan Main Strategy is well on course to achieve full spend against the £17 million available in FY 2004–05.
1 All figures rounded to the nearest 100,000; FY 2003–04 spend figures might not be 100 per cent complete as we are still awaiting last minute adjustments.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are obliged by treaty obligations, and if so by which articles, to notify the International Atomic Energy Authority of any evidence which comes to their attention of attempts to procure uranium ore illegally; and, if so, when they notified the authority of intelligence referred to in paragraph 494 of the Lord Butler of Brockwell's Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction that in 1999 the Iraqi régime made inquiries about the purchase of uranium ore in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [HL3927]

There are no treaty obligations which require any state to report to the International Atomic Energy Agency evidence of attempts to procure uranium ore.Trade in uranium ore is not prohibited under any international treaties.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the rate of expenditure from the Global Conflict Prevention Pool in (a) the Middle East, and (b) Afghanistan has been in line with the original budget for the years 2002–03 and 2003–04. [HL4040]

The Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCCP) strategies which cover the Middle East region are: the Iraq strategy (which began in FY 2003–04), and the Middle East & North Africa Strategy (MENA).Expenditure against the original budget for (a) The Middle East and (b) Afghanistan is given in the following table

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether decisions of the Commission and the European Court of Justice have direct effect in non-European Union member states of the European Economic Area. [HL4054]

The non-European Union member states of the European Economic Area are affected indirectly by decisions of the Commission that are EEA-relevant. As soon as a relevant EC legal act has been formally adopted on the EU side, the EEA Joint Committee takes a decision concerning whether an appropriate amendment to the EEA Agreement is required "with a view to permitting a simultaneous application" of legislation in the EU and the EEA EFTA States (Art 102(1) EEA). The EEA EFTA states can negotiate adaptations to Community legislation when this is called for by special circumstances and agreed on by both sides.Decisions of the ECJ do not have direct effect in the non-European Union member states of the European Economic Area. However, the EFTA court must take into account relevant case law of the ECJ in interpreting the EEA agreement. The EFTA court deals with infringement actions brought by the EFTA Surveillance Authority against an EFTA state with regard to the implementation, application or interpretation of an EEA rule, and with the settlement of disputes between two or more EFTA states.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What concerns they have raised with the Chinese Government about the arrest on 6 August of some 100 House Church leaders in Tongxu County, Kaifong City, Henan Province. [HL4077]

We are aware of the report of the arrest of some 100 House Church leaders in Kaifeng City and are monitoring the situation closely.We are very concerned about the treatment of House Church members in China. My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Bill Rammell) raised human rights with Vice-Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui during his visit to China in July. My right honourable friend the Prime Minister raised human rights with the Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, during the latter's visit to the UK in May. We also raise religious freedom with the Chinese during our biannual UK/China Human Rights Dialogue, the latest round of which was held in London in May. We have repeatedly made clear that harassment of religious groups is unacceptable and not in keeping with the provisions of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, which we continue to urge the Chinese to ratify.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What concerns they have raised with the Government of Sri Lanka about the apparent break-in and ransacking of the office of the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka on 3 July 2004. [HL4079]

We have not made representations to the Government of Sri Lanka regarding this specific incident. Our High Commission in Colombo continues to urge the Sri Lankan authorities to ensure that those responsible for attacks such as this are brought to justice, and that the rights of all religious minorities in Sri Lanka are respected.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will propose that the European Commission should consult with the Council of Europe concerning measures to combat terrorism. [H L4094]

We encourage international organisations to co-operate in measures to combat terrorism to ensure that they do not duplicate effort. As a member of both the European Union and Council of Europe, we endeavour to ensure that their efforts are complementary.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What information they have received from the United Nations on its report on NATO's reaction to unrest in Kosovo in the spring of 2004. [HL4095]

There have been two UN reports produced in response to the March 2004 violence in Kosovo. The UN Secretary General gave his quarterly report on the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) on 30 July 2004 available at http://ods-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N04/446/69/IMG/ N0444669.pdf?OpenElement. The UN Secretary General also commissioned the Norwegian Ambassador to NATO, Kai Eide, to produce a report on the situation in Kosovo. This report is not yet in the public domain, although its key recommendations are well known. These include the acceleration of the transfer of competencies to Kosovo institutions in conjunction with elaborating a programme of Kosovo-wide decentralisation, which we support.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What preparations have been made for the European Union to take over SFOR operations in Bosnia. [HL4096]

Preparations for the EU military mission to Bosnia, underpinned by close and regular contacts between the EU and NATO, are proceeding well. The EU's General Affairs and External Relations Council approved the Concept of Operations for the mission on 13 September. Work is now being taken forward on the Operation Plan; and a Force Generation Conference took place on 15 September, which all troop contributing nations—including non-EU countries—were invited to attend. The EU mission will take over in December. It will be a robust military force with some 7,000 troops and will operate under a chapter VII mandate.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What sources of security advice they used when deciding to locate British consular services in Kirkuk rather than Erbil; what was the substance of that advice, and what other consultations they had regarding the location of consular services in Northern Iraq. [HL4157]

The decision to locate the office of the British Embassy of Northern Iraq in Kirkuk was taken, among other considerations, on the basis of security advice provided by Foreign and Commonwealth Office security advisers and the British Office, Baghdad. A major factor was the opportunity to house the office within the US mission in Kirkuk. The decision involved discussions with our officials in Iraq, the Iraqi authorities and the US.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will set out the steps they are taking in connection with Israel's plan for disengagement from Gaza, given the need for the plan to be fully consistent with a durable solution to wider Israel-Palestine issues. [HL4169]

The UK, bilaterally and in co-operation with international partners, continues to engage with Israel to ensure withdrawals from Gaza and the West Bank take place as soon as possible and are as complete as possible.We are continuing to work with the Palestinian Authority in areas where it needs to deliver a visible improvement in the security situation, and we are also encouraging the parties to work together and with the World Bank to ensure the economic viability of Gaza post-withdrawal. We have also made it clear that it is essential these withdrawals be a first step rather than an end in themselves. The UK believes the road map remains the best means to achieve a comprehensive and lasting settlement to the conflict.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether those dwelling in permanently moored houseboats are covered by the Protection from Eviction Act 1977. [HL4116]

In the view of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, houseboat dwellers are already protected by this legislation. However, we cannot give categorical assurances that this is the case, because only the courts can interpret legislation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will provide a breakdown of the costs incurred for each ministerial visit connected with regional referendum campaigns in (a) the north-west; (b) Yorkshire and the Humber; and (c) the north-east. [HL4120]

The information requested in respect of a breakdown of the costs incurred for each ministerial visit connected with regional referendum campaigns in the north-west, Yorkshire and, the Humber and the north-east is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate costs.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will place in the Library of the House the transcript of the trial of Barbara Salisbury. [HL3845]

It is not departmental policy to place transcripts of criminal cases in the Library of the House. A transcript of the trial of Barbara Salisbury can be obtained via Chester Crown Court.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the value to governments and individuals of the system for individual petitions under the United Nations human rights treaties given that such petitions do not result in binding judicial decisions. [HL4084]

In its recent Interdepartmental Review of International Human Rights Instruments, the Government concluded that the practical value to individual citizens of individual petition to the United Nations is unclear. They also have concerns about the levels of cost to public funds that governments might incur if individual petition were used extensively to explore the meaning of the provisions of a treaty. Therefore they have decided to accede only to one right of individual petition, under the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, to enable them to consider the merits of individual petition on a more empirical basis.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to publish the results of their evaluation of the merits of the right of petition under United Nations human rights treaties. [HL4087]

The Government published their evaluation of the merits of the right of petition under United Nations human rights treaties as Appendix 5 of their Report on the Interdepartmental Review of International Human Rights Instruments, which was laid in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament on 22 July 2004.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether their review of international human rights instruments included an evaluation of the case law of the United Nations Human Rights Committee in considering complaints under the First Optional Protocol to the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and of the experience of states which have accepted the First Optional Protocol; and, if so, what were the results of that evaluation (a) as regards the case law; and (b) as regards the experience of States Parties. [HL4089]

Yes. The review did include an evaluation of the case law of the United Nations Human Rights Committee and of the experience of states which have accepted the First Optional Protocol. The results are set out at Appendix 5 of the report on the review, which was laid in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament on 22 July 2004. Ministers concluded that the practical value to individual citizens of individual petition to the United Nations was unclear. They also had concerns about the levels of cost to public funds that governments might incur if individual petition were used extensively to explore the meaning of the provisions of a treaty. Therefore, they have decided to accede only to one right of individual petition, under the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, to enable consideration of the merits of individual petition on a more empirical basis.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Who are the present occupants of Middlesex Guildhall, which is a favoured option for occupation as a Supreme Court; where it is proposed that these occupants will move to; what will be the cost of such, and of rehousing; what will be the cost in adapting that accommodation for the purposes of the Supreme Court; what catering facilities will be included for (a) Justices; (b) staff; (c) advocates; and (d) the public; and what library facilities will be provided and at what cost. [HL4195]

Middlesex Guildhall is an operational Crown Court centre.As part of the overall analysis of the two buildings under consideration for housing the Supreme Court, officials are evaluating the options for managing the work of Middlesex Guildhall. The costs of relocating this work will be dependent upon the option selected. Similarly, the cost of adapting Middlesex Guildhall will be dependent upon the final design. It would be premature to give details concerning any relocation options before a final decision has been made on the site of the Supreme Court.The Supreme Court statement of requirements provides space for catering facilities for justices, staff, advocates and the public. The statement of requirements also details the space provision for the library facilities required to meet the needs of the justices and court users. The estimated cost of setting up the library and providing materials for it is in the region of £350,000, excluding the value of any materials donated from existing library resources.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What contractual arrangements they have made for the ongoing support and maintenance of the first tranche of the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft; and whether there are additional or separate arrangements for further support and maintenance as necessary; and [HL4097]

An international contractual framework has been established between the four Typhoon partner nations and the industrial consortia responsible for building the Typhoon aircraft. This takes the form of a "Framing Agreement" that specifies the principles for the support and maintenance arrangements, allowing contracts for Typhoon Tranche 1 support to be placed on the nations' behalf by NETMA, the NATO Agency responsible for managing the Typhoon project. Contracts are, however, placed nationally for engine repair services for which the partner nations have different support policies. No specific contractual arrangements have yet been made for the support and maintenance of Typhoon tranches 2 or 3 beyond those also required for tranche 1.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What information they have on the support and maintenance arrangements for Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft purchased outside of the United Kingdom. [HL4100]

In common with the United Kingdom, the other NETMA partner nations plan to maintain their Eurofighter fleets through a mixture of in-house support and nationally and collaboratively procured contractor services. Third-party nations purchasing Eurofighter will make their own arrangements supported as necessary by partner nations, NETMA and Industry.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many schools have been closed, or listed for closure in (a) the past six months, and (b) the six months prior to that; and how many of these were schools for children with moderate learning disabilities. [HL4041]

The numbers of maintained schools that closed during these periods are as follows:

	Total maintained schools (including special schools)	Total special schools for children with moderate learning difficulties
(a) Closed
1 February 2004–31 July 2004	17	0
(b) Closed
1 August 2003–31 January 2004	253	5

The department has been informed of the following numbers of school closures, decided during these periods but which will be implemented after 31 July 2004:

	Total proposals for maintained schools (including special schools)	Total proposals for special schools for children with moderate learning difficulties
(a) School closure proposals approved
1 February 2004– 31 July2004	114	7
(b) School closure proposals approved
1 August 2003– 31 January 2004	122	8

The figures in both tables include schools that have closed, or are closing, as a result of local school reorganisations, amalgamations and schools closing but reopening with a religious character.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will publish a list of those education providers which will have approved status, enabling international students proposing to study at those institutions to qualify for a visa for entry to the United Kingdom; which department has the lead responsibility in determining whether an institution may be admitted to the approved list; and what criteria will be used in so determining. [HL4111]

The Department for Education and Skills has responsibility for the Register of Education and Training Providers in the UK and will publish the register on a publicly accessible website in January 2005. The criteria for inclusion on the register are that an organisation must be a genuine entity (registered company/registered charity/public body/sole trader/partnership); an organisation that registers students; holds courses and/or assessments; and has appropriate accommodation for class based provision (with the exception of e-learning/distance providers).

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proportion of medical and dental students admitted to medical schools in the United Kingdom have physical disabilities. [HL4185]

The available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) shows that in 2002–03, 0.4 per cent of UK-domiciled undergraduate entrants to all courses in medicine and dentistry at UK HE institutions said that they had a physical disability.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What system is in place to monitor whether medical and dental schools are complying with current disability equality legislation in their admissions procedures. [HL4186]

Universities are autonomous bodies and they are responsible for monitoring their own compliance with legislation. Professor Steven Schwartz published his working group's report on fair admissions on 14 September. It recommended that all higher education institutions should adopt five key principles for fair admissions, one of those being that a fair admissions system should seek to minimise barriers for applicants. This includes those with disabilities.The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) expects institutions to include details of how they are developing provision for disabled students in their annual monitoring statements (returned to the Council in July each year). HEFCE also provides funding and sources of advice for institutions seeking guidance in implementing legislation and best practice.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, if the 2012 Olympic Games were to be held in London, it would be possible under current rules on the use of firearms and on gun clubs to stage all the shooting events which have featured in recent Olympiads. [HL4101]

If the bid to stage the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London is successful, the Home Secretary has already granted his authority for the shooting events to take place and for a test event in the previous year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which, if any, rights or freedoms covered by the United Nations Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women are not protected by United Kingdom law. [HL4064]

The UK Government are confident that their legislation on sex discrimination and wider provisions on gender equality broadly cover the rights and freedoms within the United Nations Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).The UK's fifth periodic CEDAW report (June 2003) illustrates the various measures the UK Government have taken to implement CEDAW.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What practical benefits are likely to result for women in the United Kingdom, in terms of equal rights with men, as a result of the right to petition the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, under the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. [HL4065]

Following the Government's decision to sign the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), women in the UK may now petition the UN committee on issues either not covered by domestic legislation or when they have no other international right of appeal available.The UK was an original signatory to the convention in 1981.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations the Department of Health has received from Mrs Sue Threakall, whose husband died of hepatitis infection from contaminated National Health Service blood products, in regard to the ex gratia payments scheme administered by the Skipton Fund; what reply they are sending; and whether there is any action they will be taking. [HL4004]

My honourable friend, the Minister responsible, Miss Melanie Johnson, is writing to my noble friend about this case.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the £33.7 million cost of the Transport Direct website over its first two years represents value for money. [HL4115]

The £33.7 million represents the projected cost of the entire Transport Direct programme from its inception in April 2002 until the end of the current financial year. This includes the cost of developing the portal, comprising contracting costs, hardware, data and project costs. The remainder is being spent on future enhancements to the portal, including delivery through other media; development of the JourneyWeb protocol (that allows different systems to communicate with each other); development of internationally recognised technical standards; further development of real-time information; publicity and marketing. The programme is currently running under budget.The initial performance target is to receive 1 million users in the first 12 months following full public launch, growing to a total of 10 million users by the end of 2006. If these targets are met, the project will be considered to have represented value for money. However, at this early stage, it is not possible to gauge the success of the project on value for money grounds.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many closed circuit television cameras there are at Heathrow airport; and how many of them are currently working. [HL4135]

Both control authorities, in execution of their regulatory responsibilities, and private industry in response to their legitimate concerns, have installed and maintain CCTV systems in and around Heathrow airport. The number in operation at any one time depends upon current operations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the Civil Aviation Authority will introduce global positioning system overlays on instrument approach plates. [HL4148]

The UK Civil Aviation Authority currently has no plans to develop global positioning system (GPS) overlays for current instrument approach plates in an attempt to exactly replicate existing flight profiles based on terrestrial navigation systems. Once procedures have been developed that safely permit approaches using data from global navigation satellite system (GNSS) sources, new procedures will be designed to ensure that the appropriate design requirements are incorporated.No such procedures currently exist in the UK.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many representations they have had concerning the decision not to approve Manchester Metrolink; what replies they have had sent; and whether they will now urgently reconsider the decision. [HL4159]

Her Majesty's Government have received over 700 letters concerning the decision to withdraw approval for funding for the Manchester Metrolink Phase III extensions. Replies have been sent explaining that the reason for the decision was the substantial further increase in costs; and that the Department for Transport will work with the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE), as promoters for Metrolink, on developing alternative proposals. The department will consider carefully any alternative proposals. There have been 22 Parliamentary Questions concerning the decision on Metrolink. On 9 September the Secretary of State for Transport met a group of Greater Manchester MPs to discuss Metrolink.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps are being taken to introduce an aviation weather satellite system similar to that which is available in the United States, enabling real-time weather information to be downloaded direct to in-flight aeroplanes. [HL4149]

No International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards or recommended practices currently exist for the in-flight dissemination of satellite-based meteorological data. However, the ICAO Metlink Study Group, of which the UK is a member, is developing such criteria and this work is expected to be completed by 2007.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will introduce legislation to oblige the Greater London Authority and other United Kingdom traffic authorities to terminate congestion charging each day at 3 pm. [HL4203]

No. Her Majesty's Government do not believe it should set arbitrary restrictions on the ability of local authorities to design congestion charging schemes that respond effectively to local congestion problems.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations they have received concerning the use of lorries which are longer or heavier than currently permitted; and what is their response to these representations. [HL4206]

Two representations have been received from UK operators—Stan Robinson (Stafford) Ltd (September 2003), and Denby Transport Ltd (May 2004)—each seeking to trial, on UK public roads, vehicles that they have independently developed. Both operators have been advised that the vehicles that they have developed, which are longer and have a greater maximum mass capacity than that currently permitted, will not be allowed on UK roads.