asked Her Majesty's Government:How many equality officers are employed in the Northern Ireland Office; when each post was created; and what are the duties of those officers. [HL3240]

The Northern Ireland Office has no nominated equality officer. Work on the statutory equality duty under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 is mainstreamed into the day-to-day work of the department.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much has been paid in expenses to the chief executive of Waterways Ireland each year since 2000. [HL4107]

The expenses paid to the chief executive of Waterways Ireland for the years since 2000 are as follows:

• 2000: (Not in post—chief executive appointed in 2001)
• 2001: £7,246.96
• 2002: £11,248.12
• 2003: £5,629.42
• 2004: £3,306.27 (to August)

asked Her Majesty's Government:What ratings their auditors gave to the audit report for Waterways Ireland in each year since 2000; and whether they will place copies of these reports in the Library of the House. [HL4109]

The ratings of the Comptroller and Auditor-General are contained within the audit certificate incorporated into the annual report and accounts of Waterways Ireland for the years 1999–2000, 2001 and 2002. Copies of these documents have been placed in the Library of the House.The Comptroller and Auditor-General has yet to report on the accounts for 2003.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When and by whom the Waterways Ireland director of marketing and communications and the head of administration and communications were appointed; after what process; and how many candidates there were for the positions. [HL4143]

Following its establishment, functions were transferred from existing statutory bodies, north and south, to Waterways Ireland. The legislation in each jurisdiction made provision for the designation and transfer of staff to the body.The director of marketing and communications and the head of administration (marketing and communications division) were appointed by the chief executive of Waterways Ireland with effect from April 2002 following their designation and transfer from the former Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands under the relevant legislative provisions. They were the ony candidates for the posts.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure first became aware of the allegations of staff harassment in Waterways Ireland; and what action the department took and when. [HL4146]

The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) in Northern Ireland and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (DCRGA) in the south first became aware of the allegations of harassment against an employee in Waterways Ireland in January 2003. The matter is currently the subject of an investigation by two independent investigators appointed by the departments in November 2003.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why allegations of staff bullying and harassment in the Ulster-Scots Agency during 2001 were not investigated by the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. [HL4145]

The Department of Culture. Arts and Leisure was informed of allegations made in 2001 by a seconded civil servant and a consultant employed by the Ulster-Scots Agency. The noble Lord (as the chair of the board at that time) was advised that it was the board's responsibility to investigate these claims.As the agency did not have the appropriate policies and procedures in place, in order to assist the board, the department followed up the claims on its behalf. The noble Lord was informed of the outcomes of the process.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they support the policy of the Ulster-Scots Agency of providing resources to groups which promote the 12 July celebrations as a tourist attraction; and, if so, why the Northern Ireland Department of Culture Arts and Leisure has removed funding from the agency's requested budget for 2004 for that policy. [HL4147]

I would refer the noble Lord to the Written Answer I gave him on 7 September (WA 98). I would also refer the noble Lord to the Written Answer I gave him on 17 June 2004 (WA 80), in relation to the agency's budget.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 7 September (

The specific agreed marketing initiatives were to increase promotion in main Continental European markets; to extend the duration and regional impact of campaigns in Great Britain; to extend the period and scope of campaigns in North America; and to undertake opportunistic campaigns in new and developing markets within Continental Europe and long haul countries. In addition, the receipt of additional funding allowed Tourism Ireland Ltd to increase the planned activity in relation to Northern Ireland and border regions' specific campaigns; to provide additional support to carriers in relation to access development initiatives; and to extend the autumn and year-end marketing campaigns in terms of duration and across different media.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 7 September (

Funding for Tourism Ireland Ltd (TIL) in 2004 was increased in line with budgetary requirements identified in the company's corporate and operating plans.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the seminar organised in June by civil servants to train loyalist paramilitary support groups in presentational skills was officially approved by the relevant department beforehand; and whether it was part of the overall policy of community engagement endorsed by the two administrations. [HL4210]

No member of the Northern Ireland Civil Service was involved in organising the seminar attended by members of the Ulster Political Research Group. Therefore the issue of departmental approval does not arise. As already stated in my answer of 7 September (WA 106), both Governments endorse the policy of engagement with community groups.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What were the enrolment figures for each of the last five academic years in each primary school in the constituency of Strangford. [HL4246]

The information requested is as follows:

asked the Chairman of Committees:What additional cost was incurred by the two week sittings of the House of Lords during September 2003 and September 2004, compared to the cost of extending the July sittings by one week and starting the October sittings one week earlier. [HL4293]

The additional cost to the House of Lords incurred by the two-week sitting of the House during September 2003 was in the region of £180,000. The cost for the equivalent sitting in September 2004 was £430,000.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will now annul the reservation entered by the previous Government to Article 9 of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women, when it was ratified in 1986. [HL4181]

No. As explained in the report on the Interdepartmental Review of International Human Rights Instruments, copies of which were placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 22 July 2004, there remains some minor inconsistency between British nationality law and the terms of Article 9 of the convention. Accordingly, it would not be appropriate to withdraw the reservation at the present time.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their response to the view expressed on 1 September by the Prison Reform Trust that thousands of women are needlessly imprisoned. [HL4182]

The Government are concerned about the number of women offenders in prison, both on remand and sentenced. The Prison Reform Trust's recent report on the rise of the women's remand population highlights some important issues and we welcome its contribution to the debate on this.It is, of course, for the courts to decide in each case whether to remand a person in custody and subsequently what sentence is appropriate. We acknowledge, though, that there is a significant number of women who are remanded in custody who do not go on to receive a custodial sentence.We are taking forward the Women's Offending Reduction Programme, published on 11 March 2004, which promotes a more focused response to the range of factors that have an impact on why women offend. It encourages joint working between departments, agencies and other organisations to tackle those factors, including problems with mental health, drugs, housing, childcare, abuse and employment. The longterm objectives of the programme are to reduce women's offending and to reduce the number of women in custody. The intent is to maximise the opportunities for a diversion at the pre-sentence stage. The focus too will be on improving community based interventions that are better tailored to the needs of women, and encouraging greater use of community disposals to ensure that custody is only used for women who really need to be there. In addition, the recently published national probation service accommodation strategy includes a commitment to develop more all-women provision within the approved premises estate.It is encouraging to note that after a decade in which the female prison population grew by almost 200 per cent the current total is broadly the same as it was this time last year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking to prevent prisoners losing all contact with their families and to avoid the collapse of prisoners' marriages; and [HL4248]What, if any, improvements the Prison Service has planned to current systems for booking prison visits and for transport available to visiting families; especially to the more remote prisons. [HL4251]

The Prison Service recognises the importance of promoting and facilitating the maintenance of close and meaningful contact between prisoners and their family and friends. This may be achieved by social visits, by telephone or written correspondence.A number of establishments are improving the environment for social visits, within the constraints of prison security. An increasing number offer extended or family visits that focus on improving the relationship between imprisoned parent and child.The Prison Service also recognises the difficulties of maintaining marriages and other relationships. It has constructive partnerships with organisations that have experts in the delivery of programmes in this area, such as Relate.The Prison Service is continuing to look critically at how the current booking systems for visits operate, as well as looking at how new or existing technology can be used to improve the position. Some establishments already offer alternatives to booking by telephone, such as the prisoner booking the visit or the visitor booking a future visit while at the establishment.Several establishments are working with voluntary organisations or transport companies to try to ease the burden of travel for visitors. A number of improvements have recently been made to the Prison Service's Assisted Prison Visits Scheme, which provides financial assistance with travel costs for those visitors who are on low income. Changes include permitting grandparents to be classed as close relatives, increases in the tax credit household income threshold, and an increase in the overnight accommodation rate.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What good practice guidelines they have published on booking prison visits and prison visitor centres; and [HL4302]What is the acceptable maximum response time to telephone callers wishing to book a visit to a family member in prison. [HL4303]

In January 2003, the Prison Service wrote to all Prison Service area managers disseminating principles of good practice which could be applied to the arrangements for booking social visits. An update will be issued to governors early next year and it remains a matter for each governor to determine to what extent the recommendations can be applied to augment existing local practices.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are seeking to involve families and next-of-kin in sentence planning for prisoners and in arrangements for resettlement; and, if so, how. [HL4249]

It is not a mandatory requirement for Prison Service establishments in England and Wales to involve family members and next-of kin in sentence planning for adult offenders, nor in arrangements for their resettlement. However, some establishments do involve families where the offender wishes it, and where resources and other practicalities allow.For offenders under the age of 18, and all those sentenced to the detention and training order, governors are required to ensure that, where appropriate, families are given the opportunity to contribute to the sentence planning process throughout the custodial part of their sentence.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What studies they have commissioned into the effects on children of the imprisonment of a parent. [HL4250]

No studies have been commissioned by Her Majesty's Government into the effects on children of the imprisonment of a parent.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 11 May (

Yes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the United Kingdom's involvement in the proposed European Galileo positioning system. [HL4161]

Galileo is a project developed jointly by the European Union and the European Space Agency. The United Kingdom is therefore involved in Galileo both as a member of the European Union, and as a participating state in the European Space Agency programme. We have taken a leading role through expert involvement in technical committees and as one of the four countries with the equal largest shares in the financial contributions to the European Space Agency's element of the programme. As a result, companies in the United Kingdom have benefited from the award of contracts including the construction of the first test satellites for the programme. We are also committed to the development of new applications for satellite navigation that will make use of the enhanced performance that will be available when Galileo is operational.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What road haulage efficiency measures, described in the July 2004 Transport White Paper, have been achieved through the Road Haulage Modernisation Fund. [HL4205]

The Road Haulage Modernisation Fund (April 2001 to March 2004) supported two efficiency projects. One was a driver training programme to train drivers and instructors in safe and fuel efficient driving (SAFED). The second was a fuel economy adviser programme to provide advice to hauliers on how to apply best practice in fuel-efficient operations. Average fuel savings recorded by participants in these schemes were 9 per cent and 6 per cent respectively. Both projects have been extended by a further year to the end of this financial year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What analysis has been undertaken, since the general introduction of 44-tonne lorries, on (a) additional damage to road pavement and structures; and (b) their competitive position in comparison to rail freight. [HL4207]

(a) No analysis has been carried out to assess any additional damage to road pavement and structures since the introduction of 44-tonne vehicles. However, the UK design and assessment loading standards for highway structures cover the effects of 40-tonne EU vehicles that were allowed on UK roads from 1 January 1999. Extensive research has shown that road pavement damage is strongly influenced by axle load; for an individual axle mass of 10.5 tonnes, there is approximately 40 per cent less road wear than for an axle mass of 11.5 tonnes. Hence, 44–tonne vehicles operating with six axles of 10.5 tonne axle mass limit cause less road wear than 40-tonne vehicles operating with five axles of 11.5 tonne axle mass limit. Therefore 44-tonne vehicles do not impose greater load effects than other permitted vehicles and so should not cause additional damage to highway structures or road pavements.(b) No specific programme of monitoring or analysis of the economic consequences on rail freight of the general move to 44-tonne vehicles has been undertaken. Initially, 44-tonne vehicles were limited to combined road-rail freight. However, market studies and forecasting exercises undertaken before the introduction of 44-tonne vehicles indicated that the main effect on rail freight markets would be increased pressure on prices and rail operators' margins, rather than a major shift of freight from road to rail transport. Since 44-tonne vehicles were introduced into general road freight, the payload advantages that accompanied the combined road/rail freight limitations have ceased. However, the overall competitive position of rail freight has been affected by influences wider than the introduction of 44-tonne vehicles into general road freight.

asked Her Majesty's Government:From which ports the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency has received correspondence on matters of maximum permitted vehicle weights, requesting them not to operate in or near ports. [HL4208]

Correspondence has been received by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency about general issues, including maximum permitted weights, in relation to operations at the ports at Dover and Bristol, Avonmouth.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 1 July (

We understand from BAA that this particular project was delayed primarily because of the discovery and subsequent removal of asbestos by licensed contractors.The revised target date for completion was 31 August. However this was over-run by 11 days for lift 13 and 16 days for lift 14. BAA is now reviewing the performance of this project with contractors and suppliers to see what lessons can be learnt for the future.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Consequent to the forthcoming closure of the Strategic Rail Authority, which organisation is responsible for sponsoring Transport and Works Application Orders for rail projects; and to whom applications should be addressed within that organisation. [HL4292]

The Strategic Rail Authority retains its responsibilities for such orders. Enquiries relating to the functions performed by the SRA in respect of these orders should continue to be addressed to James Lough at the SRA's head office at 55 Victoria Street, London SW1H OEU. Decisions have yet to be taken about the future discharge of these responsibilities.