asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Irish Republican Army's refusal to permit visible evidence of decommissioning is preventing the full implementation of the Belfast agreement; and whether they propose to set a deadline for such implementation. [HL460]

:The issue of transparency in decommissioning needs to be resolved for the political process in Northern Ireland to move forward. We do not believe it would advance matters to seek to impose deadlines.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any of the weaponry seized by the Police Service of Northern Ireland since 10 April 1998 is believed to have been manufactured after that date. [HL515]

A variety of weapons have been recovered by the PSNI on a number of occasions since 1998. A number of different organisations were believed to be responsible for these weapons and some may have been manufactured since 10 April 1998.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the centre of excellence for the education of children with autism in Middletown, County Armagh, which was endorsed by the North/South Ministerial Council on 11 April 2002 was envisaged as part of the Belfast agreement of 1998; and, if not, what is the basis for its inclusion as a cross-border activity. [HL650]

The Belfast agreement of 1998 did not specifically envisage the centre of excellence for the education of children with autism, in Middletown, County Armagh. In accordance with paragraph 8 of Strand 2 of the agreement, the North/South Ministerial Council agreed on 1 December 1999 that education should be one of the six areas for co-operation. It also agreed that education for children with special needs (e.g. autism, hearing impairment) would be suitable for initial consideration in this sector.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to permit taxis to use existing bus lanes in Belfast. [HL680]

Belfast public hire taxis, and taxis operating under a Road Service licence, have been permitted to use most bus lanes in Belfast since June 2002. Motorcycles are currently permitted to use bus lanes on an experimental basis. It is not proposed that any changes will be introduced before the experimental scheme ends later this year, when Roads Service will consider permitting other taxis to use bus lanes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 16 December 2004 (

The process of engaging an implementer who would be close to the communities targeted by the department's Interreg IIIA measure took longer than anticipated. The sum of money involved was £467,000 and no specific projects were adversely affected.Weak community capacity giving rise to a lower volume of project application meant that the Urban II programme focusing on inner north Belfast did not spend as projected. The underspend against forecast was £316,000.In both cases the money was not lost to the programmes as the amount underspent was available in the next financial year.

Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:On what grounds they rejected the advice of their scientific advisers that price and availability were the two main levers for reducing alcohol related harm, including crime and disorder. [HL125]

I responded to the noble Lord's previous Question on this issue on 15 December 2003. As I said in my reply, the draft analytical paper (which became the interim analytical review, published on 19 September 2003) on the harms associated with alcohol, was circulated by the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit to key stakeholders on a personal basis. The purpose of that process was to enable the Strategy Unit to draw on expert advice and reflect this in the final report. It is reasonable to expect the content of draft documents to change during this process, and the published interim analytical review represented the best assessment of the evidence available.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which European Union member states failed to meet the deadline of 2 December 2002 to transpose the directive on the mutual recognition of expulsion decisions. [HL482]

Currently, four infringement procedures concerning the non-notification of national implementing measures of Directive 2001/40 are pending against France, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Hellenic Republic. The United Kingdom did not meet the deadline but did notify the Commission shortly after that the United Kingdom could give effect to the directive without any changes and set out the relevant legislative provisions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many British citizenship applications have been refused under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1997 because the applicant did not meet the requirement of being solely British, broken down according to the other nationality they held. [HL485]

This information is not readily available and could be supplied only at a disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their response to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' reiteration on 14 December of his recommendation, originally made in March 2002, that states suspend all removals of persons to Zimbabwe; and what is the fate of those who have been forcibly returned.[HL501]

Asylum and human rights claims by Zimbabwean nationals are considered on their individual merits in accordance with our obligations under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). As with any other nationality, Zimbabweans who meet the definition of a refugee in the 1951 convention are granted asylum. If they do not qualify for asylum, but there are other circumstances that make them particularly vulnerable and engage our obligations under the ECHR, they are granted humanitarian protection or discretionary leave. If their application is refused, they have a right of appeal to the independent appellate authorities. In this way we ensure that we provide protection to those Zimbabweans who need it.

asked Her Majesty'sGovernment:What recent inspections have taken place at HM Wakefield and HM Manchester prisons. [HL544]

Wakefield prison was last inspected by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons (HMCIP) between 13 and 17 October 2003. The report of that inspection was published on 25 March 2004. Manchester prison was last inspected by HMCIP between 5 and 9 July 2004. The report of that inspection was published on 16 November 2004.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the last inspection at HM Wakefield prison took place which resulted in a report measuring the quality of prisoners' lives; what the key recommendations were; and what action has been taken. [HL545]

As part of the inspection of Wakefield in October 2003, the inspection team examined the conditions and treatment of prisoners, using their usual four tests of a healthy prison, which are safety, respect, purposeful activity and resettlement.The report of the inspection was published on 25 March 2004 and contained nine main recommendations along with a further 73 recommendations. Seventeen areas of good practice were identified. In line with the existing protocol, an action plan is in place to respond to the recommendations made by the inspection team.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What were the results of audits of security standards in HM Wakefield and HM Manchester prisons; and whether they revealed the need to maintain the present high security standards and the full complement of prison staff at these prisons.[HL546]

The result of the audit that took place at Manchester in September 2004 was 95 per cent compliance with the Prison Service security standard. The result of the audit that took place at Wakefield in June 2004 was 92 per cent compliance with the same standard. The audits measure compliance with a standard range of key mandatory security practices and processes. The target level for compliance in high security prisons is 90 per cent and any non-compliances found are addressed immediately through a mandatory action planning process. There are no grounds for reducing high security standards in either prison and the complement of staff will reflect this.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the undertaking given in 1997 by the then Home Secretary that the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) would be reviewed by the Home Office "at least every five years to examine critically both the justification for the body on policy grounds and its internal systems of financial management and control" (CCRC Management Statement paragraph 8.2) has been fulfilled; and, if so, when and with what conclusions. [HL597]

An interim review of the Criminal Cases Review Commission took place in January 2000. This review found no evidence to suggest that the CCRC was not managing its systems of control effectively, efficiently and economically. An assurance was provided to the departmental accounting officer that there were adequate and effective mechanisms in place for achieving good governance. The commission's accounting officer has also provided annual statements of systems assurance.For small NDPBs like the Criminal Cases Review Commission, there is no longer a requirement to undertake reviews every five years, nor is a minimum period stipulated. The Cabinet Office has issued new guidance for departments on how to conduct reviews.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they consider that the Criminal Cases Review Commission is successfully fulfilling its remit; and in particular whether the time taken for it to process claims is satisfactory. [HL598]

The Government believe that the Criminal Cases Review Commission is successfully fulfilling its remit as an independent body investigating miscarriages of criminal justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The commission has won the confidence of its stakeholders and built a solid reputation for its impartiality and thoroughness.In 80 per cent of cases the time taken to process applications is within weeks and is therefore satisfactory. The remaining cases are complex and require considerable case worker effort to complete, and the number of accumulated cases in this category means that the waiting times are longer than we would like. This is why the commission's priority is to reduce the remaining case accumulation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list HM Chief Inspectors of Prisons and their terms of office. [HL658]

Since the office of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons was established in its current statutory form, the postholders have been as follows:

Mr William Pearce	1981–82
Sir James Hennessey	1982–87
Sir Stephen Tumim	1987–95
Sir David Ramsbotham	1995–01

The post is currently held by Anne Owers, CBE, who was appointed from 1 August 2001 for a term of five years.A copy of the full terms of reference for HM Chief Inspector of Prisons is in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the planned average number of whole-time equivalent service and civilian persons employed by the Ministry of Defence in each of the next three years. [HL283]

I refer the noble Lord to the Ministry of Defence report The Government's Expenditure Plans 2004–05—2005–06, copies of which are in the Library of the House. Table five of the report, on page 23, sets out the number of military staff currently employed within the Ministry of Defence and projected figures for the years 2004–05 and 2005–2006.The MoD has not produced civilian manpower forecasts since introducing the new definition of civilian manpower at the end of July 2004. Forecasts of civilian staff numbers against the previous definition are also included in table five of the

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is an equal opportunities investigation; who sits on such an investigation; and what powers it has. [HL565]

An equal opportunities investigation is an investigation into a complaint of bullying, harassment or discrimination made under the Armed Forces' formal complaints procedures. Investigations are normally commissioned by commanding officers when a formal complaint is made or by a higher authority if the complaint is against the commanding officer.In most cases complaints are investigated by a team composed of personnel within the unit who are not in the same department or in any of the parties concerned in the complaint and who will be viewed as impartial by the parties, and who have received equal opportunities training.An investigation team is nominated by the commanding officer or the authority handling the complaint, and commissioned to investigate the allegations made in the complaint. It has authority to interview the parties concerned and any witnesses, and report its findings. The aim of the investigation is to enable the commissioning authority to reach a decision on the complaint and to determine what action to take.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their response to the findings and recommendations of the September 2004 report

The Government's response to the report of the United States Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War veterans' illnesses was set out in another place by my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for Veterans on 6 December 2004 (Official Report, col. 34 IW ), and in my response to the Unstarred Question tabled by the noble Lord for Answer on 21 December 2004 (Official Report, col. 1737 ).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether funds have been set aside to cover expenses that will be incurred in the change of uniform and regimental embellishments by officers and senior non-commissioned officers in infantry regiments and bands affected by the implementation of the future army plan. [HL657]

The Ministry of Defence is still working through all of the consequences of recent announcements on the reorganisation of the infantry, including the implications for changes to uniforms and regimental embellishments. Consideration is already being given to amending contracts with clothing suppliers to ensure current stock levels are reduced in a timely manner. It is anticipated that overall costs should be modest and will be absorbed into in-year budgets as they occur.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the net additional costs of deploying United Kingdom Armed Forces to Iraq and supporting and sustaining them there will be met from the central reserve for so long as it is necessary to continue such deployment.[HL687]

Funding for the additional costs of maintaining UK forces in Iraq will continue to be met from outside the core defence budget.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Who is the senior responsible owner for the new aircraft carrier project. [HL718]

The senior responsible owner for Carrier strike capability is Rear-Admiral N C F Guild. As SRO for carrier strike he is not only responsible for the new aircraft carrier programme but has wider responsibility for the joint expeditionary air capability represented by joint combat aircraft and for the associated enabling systems.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What factors would need to be taken into account in decisions to extend the decommissioning date of HMS "Invincible" from 2010 to 2015 and that of HMS "Illustrious" from 2012 to 2017. [HL720]

There are currently no plans to extend the service lives of any of the Invincible class aircraft carriers (CVS) beyond those scheduled. However, in considering the possibility of extending the service life of any ship a number of factors would need to be taken into account. These include certification (fire safety, stability and hull structural strength) of the ship concerned, legislative compliance, general engineering issues (e.g. the viability of extending the life of ship systems), risk and cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How they intend to ensure that their proposed school improvement partners have expertise relevant to the particular educational needs of children in local authority care. [HL442]

School improvement partners (SIPs) will be selected for their ability to analyse school performance and to help schools to improve. Within the framework of Every Child Matters they will help schools map out their future priorities for improvement, looking particularly at the attainment and progress of groups of pupils, including vulnerable pupils, such as children in local authority care. We expect SIPs to be serving and recent head teachers or other professionals with relevant experience who have met accreditation standards. Quality assurance of SIPs will be rigorous and they will be accredited only after they have successfully completed their training.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 21 December 2004 (

At present Customs have no evidence of organised crime or serious fuel related fraud among rail operators. There are examples of poor security in some instances. Customs are working with those operators and British Transport Police to minimise opportunities for fraud.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What amount of personal assets is at present frozen on grounds of connection with or ownership by terrorist suspects. [HL636]

Forty-five accounts, totalling some £378,000.00, are currently frozen by UK financial institutions. All organisations and individuals whose assets have been frozen in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions, associated EC regulations and domestic legislation are listed, by HM Treasury instruction, on the Bank of England's financial sanctions website.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much the United Kingdom owes to the government of the United States as a result of the First World War and the Second World War respectively; when the most recent payments were made; and what are the arrangements for repayment. [HL647]

On First World War debt due to the United States Government, I refer the noble Lord to the Answers I gave to him on 17 July 2002(col.WA 159 ), 30 July 2002 (col.WA 161 ) 25 October 2002 (col.WA 103–4 ) and 11 July 2003 (col.WA 66 ). On Second World War debt due to the United States Government, I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave to him on 27 May 2002 (col.WA 127 ), January 2003 (col.WA 73 ) and 11 July 2003(col.WA 66 ).As at 1 January 2005 principal of 84 million dollars (£43.5 million at the exchange rate on that day) was outstanding on the loans provided by the United States Government in 1945. The most recent repayments were made on 31 December 2004. There remain two more scheduled repayments of interest and principal sums of 142 million dollars in December 2005 million and 83 million dollars in December 2006 that relate to previously deferred interest and principal payments.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they propose to take to reduce the visible trade deficit. [HL654]

The most relevant measure of the UK trade deficit is not the absolute figure, but the deficit as a percentage of GDP.The UK trade deficit was 2.9 per cent of GDP in 2003, below the 4.1 per cent of GDP seen in 1989. The current account deficit was 1.7 per cent of GDP in the same period, less than half the peak of 5.1 per cent of GDP in 1989. The Government are committed to free trade and fighting trade protectionism and have put in place a range of measures aimed at boosting productivity and competitiveness. This is the best way to ensure that the UK economy is equipped to meet the challenges and exploit the opportunities of the global economy.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In relation to the estimated overall shortfalls in stamp duty receipts of £0.6 billion in 2004–05 and £0.9 billion in 2005–06 set out in Table B12 of the Pre-Budget Report, what is the breakdown of those (shortfalls between)

The following table gives the differences between the Budget 2004 and Pre Budget 2004 forecasts for stamp taxes receipts:

£billion
Stamp Taxes on:	2004–05	2005–06
Land and Property (Stamp Duty Land Tax)	0·0	-0·3
Shares	-0·6	-0·6
Total	-0·6	-0·9

No reliable further breakdown of the land and property forecast is available.

asked Her Majesty's Government;In relation to paragraph 55 of Annexe B of the Pre-Budget Report, what were the total stamp duty receipts from residential property transactions in the first seven months of 2004–05; on what total number of residential property transactions these receipts were based; and what were the comparable figures for the first seven months of 2003–04.[HL741]

The table below gives an estimate of the number of UK property transactions and an estimate of UK receipts from stamp duty on land and property transactions between April and October 2003 and between April and October 2004.

	Number of transactions(millions)	Stamp duty receipts on land and property(£bn)
April—October 2003	0·9	2·8
April—October 2004	1·2	3·9

No reliable further breakdown of the land and property receipts is currently available for either period.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many places in private psychiatric hospitals are currently used by the Government, broken down into categories of secure, medium secure, low secure and open respectively and showing the current average weekly cost of a place in each category, and the overall average weekly cost of each place.[HL.694]

Information on the number of places in private psychiatric hospitals commissioned by the National Health Service is not collected centrally.Information on the numbers of occupied bed days incurred by subcontracting activity to, or directly commissioning activity from, non-NHS providers is shown in the tables. The tables also contain information on the national average cost per occupied bed day and a calculated national average cost per week (seven days) for all categories that were reported for mental health inpatient services.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they attribute the increase in survival rates for persons suffering from cancer and heart disease to any of their policies; and, if so, to which policy. [HL675]

Policies such as Smoking Kills (1998), Our Healthier Nation (1999), the NHS Cancer Plan (2000), and the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease (2000) along with the many initiatives that support them have resulted in substantial progress in the improvement of services for patients with heart disease and cancer. These policies have contributed, and will go on contributing, to improved survival, better outcomes and reduced mortality in heart disease and cancer, of 27 per cent for coronary heart disease and 12.2 per cent for cancer since 1996–97.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 13 December (HC Deb,

The evidence collected by experts from the Institute for Animal Health and officials from Defra and Northumberland County Council is reflected in the Origins of the UK Foot and Mouth Disease epidemic in 2001 report produced by the Chief Veterinary Officer. This report was sent to the FMD 2001:Lessons to he Learned Inquiry chaired by Dr Anderson, before the trial of Robert Waugh and is available on the Defra website.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 13 December (HC Deb,

It is not possible to identify with certainty from the video whether any sheep carcass was present on the farm. No Defra or Northumberland County Council official found any such carcasses on the farm.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 13 December (HC Deb,

An official first requested a copy of the video at the time of the trial. Eye witnesses of the conditions at Burnside Farm contributed to the Defra origins report provided to the FMD 2001 Lessons to be Learned inquiry, chaired by Dr Anderson.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 13 December (HC Deb, 113WS), whether the swill feed supplied to Burnside Farm was the cause of the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001; and, if so, whether they have ascertained the source of that supply.[HL467]

All possible means for the introduction of FMD into Burnside Farm have been investigated. Investigations have shown no evidence that disease was introduced to the farm by animals, people, vehicles, equipment, vermin, wildlife etc. There was no evidence of disease on premises within three kilometres of Burnside Farm which predates that found there.Having investigated and eliminated all other possible sources of infection, Defra has concluded that the likeliest source of infection for the pigs at Burnside farm was meat or meat products containing or contaminated with FMD virus and that the virus could have been introduced to the pigs through the consumption of such material in unprocessed or inadequately processed waste food or the consumption of processed waste food contaminated with such material. The source of the material is unknown.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 11 October (

This use of warfarin is being reviewed under the European Union Plant Protection Product Directive (Directive 91/414/EEC). A draft review report has been prepared by Ireland, which is the rapporteur member state. The European Commission is deliberating whether to propose the inclusion or non-inclusion of warfarin in Annex I.We have written to the Commission describing the way that warfarin is used in UK forestry and the measures that are taken to protect workers and wildlife. In meetings with the Commission and other member states we have made clear our view that warfarin can be used safely to control grey squirrels in woodlands and that we believe it should be included in Annex I.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the consequences for the environment of the restrictions placed upon the use of reprocessed fuel oil by the European Waste Incineration Directive. [HL642]

Given that reprocessed fuel oil is produced from waste oil and remains waste until burnt as fuel, installations burning it have to be capable of complying with the stringent emission limits and other operating requirements specified in the Waste Incineration Directive (2000/76/EC) which are intended to prevent or limit as far as practicable negative effects on the environment from the incineration of waste.If operators of installations currently burning reprocessed fuel oil conclude that their installations do not meet those requirements, they have the option either of making improvements or of switching to a non-waste alternative fuel.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has carried out an environmental impact assessment of the consequences of stopping the reprocessing of used oils. [HL643]

There are no plans to prevent the processing of waste oil. The Government continue to monitor the decisions by current processors of waste oil in the light of the requirements of the Waste Incineration Directive.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which pesticide approval holders did not respond to the Pesticide Safety Directorate's questionnaire on possible effects of pesticides on human health; and which product approvals have been suspended or revoked. [HL701]

The following approval holders did not respond to the survey:

• Compo GmbH &Co KG SA
• Sinion EU Corporation
• Top Farm Formulations
• Marnoch Ventures Ltd
• Nissan Chemical Europe GmbH
• Quadrangle Agrochemicals
• Chemsearch NCH (UK) Ltd
• Indofil Chemicals Company
• Tomen France SA
• Elf Atochem Agri SA
• Atochem Agri BV
• Yule Catto Consumer Chemicals Ltd
• Unistar Ltd

The following products have been suspended or revoked as a result of the survey:

Clean-Up-360	(M05076)
Floranid Lawn Feed with Weed killer	(Ml1508)
Glister	(Ml1413)

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they propose to take any steps to require pesticide approval holders to submit all data relating to human adverse incidents since 1998 to the Pesticides Safety Directorate. [HL702]

The Pesticides Safety Directorate will in future carry out yearly surveys of the potential human health effects of pesticides. We do not propose to collect information retrospectively prior to 2002.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Whitty on 14 December (

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is an accredited Investor in People and is fully committed to supporting its staff in the development of agriculture or related science qualifications.RPA offers a broad range of skills-based training provided in-house and also supports further education undertaken externally by staff in agricultural and other subjects relevant to inspectorate work.In addition, during 2005 RPA plans to introduce two additional programmes for its inspectorate staff. These are:A formal vocational qualification in business skills for inspectors at NVQ Level 3;A BTEC professional diploma for EU-funded rural inspections in the UK.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will decide whether an area set in grass for more than five years will be classed as an arable area under the mid-term review. [HL734]

This issue is dealt with in European Community legislation. Regulation (EC) No 796/2004 provides that land which is used to grow grass, and that is not included in the crop rotation of an agricultural holding for a period of five years or longer, is permanent pasture rather than arable land. However, if the land has been set aside under the old arable area payments scheme or the new single payment scheme during that period, it will be counted as arable land until it has been in grass for five years following the last year it was in set-aside.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Health and Safety Executive has made a regulatory impact assessment of the policy of closing by-roads under repair to all traffic as a safety measure for those working on the road; and whether any such assessment included consideration of the length of the detour which motorists would need to make. [HL666]

Decisions concerning maintenance works on local roads are the responsibility of the local highway authority. It must decide in each case the most appropriate way of carrying out any works, taking into account both the safety of the workforce and the safety of the public, for example, by providing safety clearances between working areas and traffic. Advice on a range of typical situations is provided in the Department's Traffic Signs Manual, chapter eight. Local authorities should carry out risk assessments for each situation. Other factors, including the disruption to traffic and bus services that may be caused by road closures or traffic restrictions, can be taken into account as part of that assessment when considering options for carrying out works.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether a highway contractor has any legal authority to trap in their vehicles motorists who have inadvertently attempted to use a section of the highway closed to through traffic but still open for local access, when no repairs are being carried out at the time. [HL667]

If it is necessary for a road to be closed or traffic restricted in order to carry out road works safely, the traffic authority should make a traffic order under Section 14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to restrict or prohibit temporarily the use of the road. Under that section the authority must have regard to the existence of alternative routes suitable for the traffic which will be affected by the order. The enforcement of such orders is for the police.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many workers repairing minor country roads have been injured or killed whilst carrying out their work in the past five years. [HL669]

The information requested is not available.