asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps the Northern Ireland office proposes to improve the quality and speed of answers to House of Lords Questions for Written Answer; and [HL4194]When they will respond to the Question for Written Answer tabled on 10 September (HL4194) concerning the time taken to answer Questions. [HL4690]

The Northern Ireland Office does its utmost to provide prompt and accurate answers to Written Questions. Unfortunately some delays have occurred largely because of the detailed nature and volume of questions received. Where relevant information has been overlooked or errors occur, the department takes immediate action to clarify the position.I can assure the noble Lord that the Northern Ireland Office will continue to strive to answer all questions as quickly and fully as possible.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action the United Nations Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) will take to investigate allegations of sexual violence detailed in the Amnesty International report

In United Nations Security Council Resolution 1565, adopted on 1 October, the Security Council expressed its grave concern at the allegations of sexual exploitation and misconduct by civilian and military personnel of MONUC, and requested the Secretary-General to continue fully to investigate allegations and to take appropriate action in accordance with the Secretary-General's bulletin on special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and abuse.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether there are any plans to review the future work of the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia. [HL4685]

The future work of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is set out in its completion strategy, on which the ICTY reports at six monthly intervals to the United Nations Security Council. The next report is expected later this month when there will be a discussion of the future work of the ICTY.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations they have received from the United States Administration regarding the future of the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia. [HL4686]

The United States has made no direct representations to the United Kingdom regarding the future of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). However, we regularly discuss the ICTY with the US in the Security Council and other bilateral and multilateral fora.The ICTY has an agreed completion strategy on which it reports regularly to the United Nations Security Council.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Following the European Union takeover of the SFOR operation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which non-European Union countries will continue to have a presence in Bosnia-Herzegovina after 2 December. [HL4687]

According to current plans, the non-European Union countries that will continue to have a presence under EUFOR In Bosnia and Herzegovina after 2 December are Albania, Argentina, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Switzerland and Turkey. The non-European Union countries that will continue to have a presence under NATO are the United States, Canada, Romania, Argentina, Turkey and Norway.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are under a duty to protect the interests of those who are former British residents and are now detained by the United States Government at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; and, if so, whether the duty is affected if those detained had refugee status in the United Kingdom and had not intended to leave this country permanently. [HL4730]

The British Government are not in a position to provide consular or diplomatic assistance to those detainees in Guantanamo Bay who are not British nationals, including those who hold refugee status and are, or were, resident in the United Kingdom.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have made representations to the United States Government in respect of the cases of Mr Bisher al-Rawi and Mr Jamil el-Banna; and, if so, what information about these cases they have asked the United States to take into account. [HL4731]

Bisher al-Rawi and Jamil el-Banna are not British nationals. The British Government are therefore not in a position to provide them with consular or diplomatic assistance or to seek to make representations to the US Government on their behalf.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will seek to prevent the deportation of Mr Bisher al-Rawi to Iraq and Mr Jamil el-Banna to Jordan on the humanitarian grounds that their families are resident in Britain and that the men themselves might be at risk of death or torture if they were to be deported. [HL4732]

Bisher al-Rawi and Jamil el-Banna are not British nationals. The decision on whether they will be released from Guantanamo Bay, and if so to which country they may be returned, is a matter for the US Government.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they have taken to fulfil the obligations imposed upon the United Kingdom as a party to the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984) and, in particular, to comply with Article 15 of the convention by ensuring that any statement which is established to have been made as a result of torture shall not be invoked as evidence in any proceedings, except against a person accused of torture as evidence that the statement was made. [HL4501]

Details of the Government's actions to fulfil the United Kingdom's obligations under the convention are given in the United Kingdom's 4th Periodic Report under the convention, which was submitted to the United Nations in November 2003. The report can be accessed at http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/ffl2cfd554742700c1256edf00559e29?Opendocument.The Government unreservedly condemn the use of torture and have made it an important part of their foreign policy to pursue its eradication worldwide. The Government are not aware of any proceedings in a UK court in which any statement which is established to have been made as a result of torture has been invoked as evidence, except against a person accused of torture.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the average price of a dwelling in each of the nations and regions of the United Kingdom and for the United Kingdom as a whole, in (a) 1984; (b) 1993; (c) 1997; and (d) 2003. [HL4678]

The average dwelling prices are tabled below:

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the estimated average price paid for a dwelling by first-time buyers for each of the nations and regions of the United Kingdom and for the United Kingdom as a whole, in (a) 1984; (b) 1993; (c) 1997; and (d) 2003. [HL4679]

The average dwelling prices paid by first time buyers are tabled below:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 25 October (

As I explained in my Answers to the noble Lord on 16 September (WA 201), and on 25 October (WA 108), the Government believe that the practical value to UK citizens of individual petition to the United Nations is unclear. They also have concerns about the levels of cost to public funds if individual petition were used extensively to explore the meaning of the provisions of a treaty. However, they wish to consider the merits of individual petition on a more empirical basis and, to enable them to do that, they have decided to accede to the right of individual petition under the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What research they have undertaken or commissioned on alleged abuse of the war pensions scheme arising from placing the burden of proof for entitlement on the Ministry of Defence, leaving the claimant only needing to raise a "reasonable doubt"; and what figures they have on the prevalence of such abuse in each of the past five years. [HL4318]

The Ministry of Defence deals with a small number of claims that are made fraudulently or in error, but these are not the principal issue in this case. The question is whether it is right to pay awards where service is unlikely to have been the cause of death or injury and whether these resources would not be better used to improve the level of awards to the more seriously disabled who are not well served by current arrangements.For claims made within seven years of leaving service, war pension legislation provides that there is no burden on the claimant to prove that service caused the injury or death in question and that he receives the benefit of any reasonable doubt. The claimant himself is not required to raise that doubt. For claims made more than seven years after leaving service, the burden is on the claimant, but only to the extent that he has to raise a reasonable doubt.It is inevitable therefore, given the eligibility criteria, that war pensions will be awarded where it is unlikely—and in some cases highly unlikely—that the injury or death was caused by service. No figures are kept on the number of war pension claims which succeed because of the preferential burden of proof, though the recent analysis of the effect of the amendment to the Armed Forces (Pensions and Compensation) Bill proposed by the noble Lord gives our estimate of the effect of changing burden and standard of proof for the new Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. I am placing a copy of this in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What evidence the Ministry of Defence estimates that the cost to the department of abandoning the proposals to transfer the burden of proof in respect of war pension claims from the Ministry of Defence to the claimant, and to substitute "balance of probabilities" for "reasonable doubt" as the standard of proof in deciding claims, could be up to £200 million. [HL4319]

Based on assumptions provided by the Ministry of Defence on the effect of deciding all compensation claims under the new Armed Forces Compensation Scheme on the basis of the war pension scheme burden and standard of proof, the Government Actuary's Department has estimated the additional cost at over £300 million over a 10-year period. I am arranging to place a copy of this letter in the Libraries of both Houses. The MoD is confident that the assumptions are a fair and realistic assessment of the effect that such a change will have on the number and levels of awards.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many water purification units are held by the Ministry of Defence; and in which years they were manufactured. [HL4557]

The Ministry of Defence holds 182 portable water purification units which were manufactured between 1984 and 2003. In addition we have acquired and installed five static reverse osmosis purification units in support of the United Kingdom forces deployed on operations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What grants are given to (a) sea cadets; (b) the Combined Cadet Force; and (c) the equivalent organisations in the other services; whether such grants are balanced amongst the three services; whether they are satisfied that the grants represent value for money; and whether any stipulation to the issuing of grants applies to the recruitment of young people, broken down by sex; ethnic origin; and by type of education (whether at state and public schools). [HL4574]

The cadet forces are voluntary, community-based organisations promoting the personal and social development of young people. The focus is on bringing adventure and enjoyment, with a view to steering the cadets towards responsible citizenship. Funding is not linked to sex, ethnic origin or type of education as one of the main keystones of the cadet forces is social inclusion. The MoD funding made available for the financial year 2003–04 is as follows:Sea Cadet Corps (SCC)—£8 million—£9 million. Funding is also provided by the Sea Cadet Association (SCA).Army Cadet Force—£40 million. Some additional activities are funded by charity.Air Training Corps—£21 million. Again, some additional activities are funded by charity.Combined Cadet Force (CCF)—Each CCF is essentially a partnership between the individual school and the Ministry of Defence. The MoD, through the single services, contributed in the region of £15 million in FY 2003–04 to the CCF. In addition, the CCF benefits from the infrastructure established to support the other cadet forces. In many cases schools also provide additional funding.The fact that cadet force funding has passed spending scrutiny year on year indicates that we believe these youth activities are of considerable value to both the Armed Forces and to society as a whole.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What level of funding has been provided to British Olympic sports per annum on a sport-by-sport basis since the Sydney 2000 Olympics. [HL4443]

The following table is a summary of the funds UK Sport has released to the UK/GB National Governing Bodies of summer Olympic sports since April 2001.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's press release of 26 August 2003, what are the "appropriate safeguards which have been put in place to ensure there is no conflict of interest" between the role of the interim Chair of UK Sport, and her advisory role to government on school sport initiatives and policies. [HL4520]

The Government do not believe that there is a conflict of interest.Nevertheless, as required by the Cabinet Office code of practice for board members, all non-departmental public bodies, including UK Sport, should have in place proper procedures for dealing with conflicts of interest with chair and board member personal, business or other interests as well as the interests of close family members, which may arise out of carrying out board responsibilities.These rules include a requirement for declaring, and if necessary resolving, any potential personal or business conflicts of interests in relation to the work of the public body concerned.A register of members' interests appropriate to the body's activities should be kept up to date. The register should, as a minimum, list direct or indirect pecuniary interests that members of the public might reasonably think could influence board members' judgment. Board members are strongly encouraged to register non-pecuniary interests that relate closely to the body's activities, and interests of close family members and persons living in the same household as the board member.Board members should declare at board meetings any interest that relates specifically to a particular issue under consideration, for recording in the minutes. Board members should not participate in the discussion or determination of matters in which they have an interest, and should normally withdraw from the meeting if their interest is direct and pecuniary, or if their interest is covered in specific guidance issued by the body or the sponsoring department which requires them not to participate or to withdraw from the meeting.These controls are effectively operated at UK Sport. All board members, including Sue Campbell as chair, are required to complete and maintain a declaration of interest's statement. UK Sport also maintains a related party transactions register that is published with the annual accounts.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is their intention to continue to allocate 9.2 per cent of sports lottery funds to UK Sport for world class funding; and whether, in the event of future reductions in lottery funding, they will continue the policy of' making up shortfalls through requests to the Home Country Sports Councils. [HL4552]

We have no plans to alter the current allocation of 9.2 per cent of the sports lottery fund to UK Sport for the remaining period of the existing National Lottery licence. UK Sport has produced its business plan for 2005–09 on the basis of the known estimates of lottery income and no shortfall is anticipated. There is therefore currently no intention to ask the Home Country Sports Councils to meet any shortfall.

asked her Majesty's Government:How much of UK Sport's modernisation budget was transferred over the last five years to support the World Class Programme. [HL4553]

The total transferred over the past five years is £4.5 million.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many tests for erythropoietin (EPO) were carried out by UK Sport's Drug Free Directorate in each of the last three years; and how many are planned for each of the next three years. [HL4646]

In the last three years the number of bodily samples analysed for EPO, as part of the UK's anti-doping testing programme, is 111 to date. Of these 111 tests, 46 were analysed for EPO in 2002, 29 in 2003, and so far in 2004 36 tests have been analysed.In line with other leading national anti-doping organisations, UK Sport has undertaken limited EPO testing in the past, primarily because of the high cost involved. UK Sport is looking at ways in which the level of EPO testing can be made more cost effective and thereby significantly increase the number of EPO tests undertaken in the future, focusing on those sports particularly at risk.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will meet any third party claims for compensation arising out of a faulty drug lest carried out by UK Sport; or whether the national governing body will remain responsible. [HL4647]

Where UK Sport is legally obliged to pay compensation, responsibility for paying that compensation lies with UK Sport and not with the relevant national governing body.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 22 July (

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) originally set the start of the Athens Olympic Games (13 August) for the national anti-doping organisations and sport to bring out full compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code. WADA has since recognised that several complex issues need addressing in order for the code to be properly implemented, and as a result WADA has extended the timetable for full compliance.The UK's national anti-doping organisation, UK Sport, is currently concluding the consultation exercise for the new National Anti-Doping Policy that began earlier in July. UK Sport intends to publish the policy in January 2005 alongside a set of model rules that will help sport's governing bodies incorporate the code into their rules and regulations.WADA is content with the progress that UK Sport is making.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether there is a case for increased oversight and scrutiny of government information technology projects, in particular reference projects subject to significant variations in the original contract or price. [HL4655]

The Government recognise the importance of effective oversight and scrutiny of information technology projects, and have introduced a range of measures consistently reinforcing this principle.These include the OGC Gateway Review process, the Embedding Centres of Excellence Programme, Mission Critical reporting, the establishment of a ministerial committee on electronic service delivery and the mandatory application of the NAO/OGC list of common causes of project failure to major acquisition-based projects.There is on-going oversight and scrutiny of all major government IT projects, underpinned by expert support and assurance as required.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether adequate controls are in place to guarantee proper accountability and transparency in the procurement and management of government information technology projects. [HL4656]

The accountability of Government IT projects is, in the first instance, determined by internal departmental controls.Externally, the National Audit Office independently undertakes additional assurance, through its value for money work, to determine the degree to which IT and non-IT projects have met and/or are meeting stated aims within specified efficiency and effectiveness criteria. The NAO's reports and recommendations are publicly available.The Government believe that these measures are adequate to guarantee proper accountability and transparency in the procurement and management of information technology projects.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 20 October (

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the reason for the £18,203,000 underspend by Sport England identified within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's Resource Accounts 2003–04. [HL4677]

The underspend relates to the Community Club Development Programme. As this is a capital programme, although the £20 million funding in 2003–04 was fully committed to recipients during the 2003–04 financial year, it will be drawn down as recipients need it. The balance of the money is expected to be distributed during this financial year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 20 November 2003 (

A formal response was sent to the Commission in January 2004 which set out the controls already in place in the UK Fisheries Departments and the steps that are to be taken during 2004 and 2005 to strengthen existing arrangements in order to ensure that the UK fully met the obligations that arise from the CFP.The opinion of the infraction chefs is still awaited.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any record is kept of the number of badgers killed on British roads; and whether they consider that badgers are a danger to road safety and, potentially, to the occupants of vehicles. [HL4612]

The Government do not keep a record of the numbers of badgers killed on British roads. Badgers are not considered a general danger to road safety or the occupants of vehicles, although, as with any medium or larger-sized animal, there is always the potential for adverse consequences for occupants if a vehicle collides with or swerves to avoid such an animal.