asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 21 December 2004

I have nothing further to add to my Answer given on 21 December 2004 (Official Report, col. WA 135).

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the budgets for the cross-border bodies for 2005 taking the two sections of the Language Body as separate; and what percentage increase this represents over the 2004 budgets. [HL832]

The table below provides details of the budgets for the North/South implementation bodies for 2005 and the percentage increases over the 2004 budgets. The figures quoted in the table for the agencies of the Language Body are based on draft business plans provided by the agencies, as the 2005 budget figures for the Language Body have not yet been agreed.

North/South body implementation	2005 Budget £ million	Percentage increase on 2004
Language Body	1.769*	3.81*
-Ulster-Scots	12.968*	0.53*
-Foras Na Gaeilge Inter Tradelreland	9.27	3.00
Special EU Programmes Body	2.195	8.66
Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission	3.67	14.69
Waterways Ireland	34.16	7.76
Food Safety	6.16	1.32

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 11 January

The single complainant was seconded to Waterways Ireland at the time and he has since returned to his parent department.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 11 January

The number of applicants interviewed for each post were as follows:

	Number
CEO	6
Director of Operations:	10
Director of Finance/Personnel:	7
Director of Technical Services:	6
Director of Corporate Services:	13

The recruitment procedure was carried out under UK employment legislation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether those civil servants who had been seconded to Waterways Ireland before March 2002 have had their secondments terminated by 31 March 2002 as proposed in the Inland Waterways sector meeting minutes of 23 November 2001. [HL913]

Due to the large number of applications received for permanent posts within Waterways Ireland, it was necessary to retain a number of seconded staff beyond the proposed termination date to allow the business of Waterways Ireland to continue while the recruitment process took place. In total, 13 civil servants remained on secondment for periods within 2002, one continued into 2003 and one into 2004.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many applications were received by Waterways Ireland as a result of advertising 47 administrative posts at the end of November 2001. [HL1031]

Some 1,452 applications were received by Waterways Ireland as a result of advertising 47 administrative posts at the end of November 2001.

asked Her Majesty's Government:For the 10 years ending on 31 December 2003, how many Northern Ireland Civil Service employees have been found guilty of (a) intentional harassment; (b) harassment without malicious intent; and (c) harassment with no deliberate intent; and how many were employees of the Northern Ireland Department of Education. [HL915]

No member of the Northern Ireland Civil Service has been found guilty of (a) intentional harassment; (b) harassment without malicious intent; or (c) harassment with no deliberate intent. This is in accordance with guidance issued by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, which makes clear that when dealing with complaints of harassment it is the impact of the behaviour which is relevant and not the motive or intent behind it.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 25 January

I refer the noble Lord to my Answer of 31 January (Official Report, col. WA 3)

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking to ensure that the needs of orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe are being met. [HL1132]

The plight of orphans in Zimbabwe is tragic. More than 1.3 million children have already been orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS. Within five years, over 20 per cent of Zimbabwe's children will have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS. The Department for International Development is already responding to this challenge in Zimbabwe.In 2003–04, DfID funded non-governmental organisations to implement feeding programmes at schools and clinics which reached over one million children, many of whom were highly vulnerable or within families affected by HIV/AIDS.In 2005, DfID is working with UNICEF and other donors to design a programme of international support for Zimbabwe's National Plan of Action for Orphans and Vulnerable Children. DfID support will amount to £25 million over the next five years, including £2 million already approved for community-based activities that directly assist children in need. Activities will include increasing school enrolment of orphans and vulnerable children, as well as their access to healthcare, food and clean water.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to abolish the offence of blasphemy. [HLl67]

The Government acknowledge that there are a wide variety of views on whether the blasphemy laws should be retained, repealed or extended. We have no immediate plans to amend these laws but will keep the issue under review, particularly as the benefits of the new provision against incitement to religious hatred are realised.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking to assess the effectiveness of the current round of anti-binge drinking advertisements. [HL534]

The Home Office is supporting work by police and trading standards, but is not currently running any advertisements on anti-binge drinking.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What extra funding they will make available to police forces in 2004–05 to cover any additional work arising from the Licensing Act 2003. [HL644]

The Association of Chief Police Officers has made representations to us about this and we have promised to look into their concerns. We want to work together to ensure that I he new legislation impacts properly.The licensing fees will, for the first time, fund enforcement of licensing conditions by local authorities. We estimate that a minimum of 60 per cent of the premises annual charge will go to enforcement—about £30 million. In contrast, the existing licensing system does not provide any resources for enforcement. Furthermore, through streamlining the administrative licensing process, the Licensing Act 2003 should save the police up to £15 million annually.Fees are not meant to pay for the policing of the night-time economy, for example dealing with street drinkers and anti-social behaviour. That is why we have been developing separate policy proposals for

tackling alcohol-related crime and disorder which we outlined in our consultation document D

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many calls made to the Metropolitan Police between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. in each month of 2003 and 2004 respectively were classified as "violence against the person" in the divisions of Barnet, Wimbledon (Merton), Croydon, West End Central and Charing Cross respectively. [HL645]

The requested information has been supplied by the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis and is given in the table:

Violence against the person calls between 01.00 and 04.00 in selected London Boroughs/Division
	Borough/Division
Month	Barnet	Merton	Croydon	West End Chatral	Charing Cross
Jan-03	38	25	76	58	48
Feb-03	72	14	71	66	42
Mar-03	46	16	82	57	31
Apr-03	40	34	68	45	31
May-03	53	13	104	56	38
Jun-03	45	29	74	53	37
Jul-03	65	32	98	69	38
Aug-03	55	31	89	60	43
Sep-03	54	24	72	62	36
Oct-03	47	19	70	60	24
Nov-03	54	19	84	74	47
Dec-03	63	23	76	98	36
Jan-04	50	30	79	70	33
Feb-04	62	14	72	91	46
Mar-04	48	19	70	46	32
Apr-04	45	20	67	75	33
May-04	63	27	94	83	44
Jun-04	51	18	76	58	36
Jul-04	35	18	89	73	58
Aug-04	64	25	100	80	60
Sep-04	37	14	62	59	38
Oct-04	36	26	81	80	34
Nov-04	54	26	56	72	39
Dec-04	59	22	66	80	34

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many convicted murderers were allowed out of prison on compassionate grounds in the past two years; and in each instance what is:

Between 1 December 2002 and 30 November 2004, 1,273 licences were granted on compassionate grounds for offenders serving sentences for murder. We do not comment on individual cases, so it is not possible to provide the offender-specific information requested. However, the following table provides a breakdown of the main purposes for which compassionate release was granted. The statistics are based on information recorded on the central Prison Service IT system.

Total licences granted	1,273
Carer (e.g. sole carers to visit children)	98
Deaths (e.g. attending funerals)	43
Domestic circumstances (e.g. tragic personal circumstances)	17
Medical (e.g. Hospital appointments)	1,018
Religious Service (e.g. Marriage)	97

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many convicted drink-drivers were under the age of 18 in each of the past five years. [HL981]

Information for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, from 1998 to 2002 (latest available) is given in Tables A, B and C respectively.

Table A. Total finding of guilt for offenders aged under 18 at all courts for offences of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs, England and Wales, 1998 to 2002
Offence type	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
Unfit to drive drive through drink or drugs (impairment) [RTA88,s4(1)]	35	46	60	58	66
Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit [RTA88,s5(1)(a)]	1,386	1,459	1,491	1,652	1,630
Driving and failing to provide specimen for analysis (breath, blood or urine) [RTA88,s7(6)]	112	112	131	141	152
In charge of motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs (impairment) [RTA88,s4(2)]	6	6	7	12	12
In charge of motor vehicle with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit [RTA88,s5(1)(b)]	27	38	30	38	38
In charge of motor vehicle and failing to provide specimen for analysis (breath, blood or urine) [RTA88,s7(6)]	5	12	9	11	14
Failing to provide specimen for initial breath test [RTA88,s6(4)]	18	16	13	12	17
Total	1,589	1,689	1,741	1,924	1,929

Table B. Drink driving offences with a charge proved for offenders aged under 18, Scotland, 1998 to 2002.
Year	Numbers
1998	180
1999	184
2000	163
2001	166
2002	221
Total	914

Table C. Number of persons aged under 18 convicted of drink driving offences in Northern Ireland Courts: 1998 to 2002
Offence	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
Driving when unfit through drink or drugs	5	8	3	1	2
Driving with excess alcohol	0	1	0	0	0
Driving with excess alcohol in breath	11	5	12	11	10
Driving with excess alcohol in blood	2	3	2	1	2
Driving with excess alcohol in urine	0	0	0	0	1
In charge when unfit through drink or drugs	0	0	1	0	0
In charge with excess alcohol in breath	0	0	1	0	1
In charge with excess alcohol in blood	0	0	0	0	1
Failing to provide specimen of breath for preliminary test	1	2	2	0	1
Failing to provide specimen when driving unfit	0	1	2	0	1
Failing to provide specimen when driving with excess alcohol	0	0	0	2	1
Total persons aged under 18 convicted	19	20	23	15	20

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether existing regulations of United Kingdom-based units of large global internet service providers may be contributing to the perpetuation of cyber crime and hampering effective co-operation with law enforcement agencies. [HL1025]

I understand that this issue arose during presentations given at the Computer and Internet Crime Conference in London in January, and these comments were subsequently reported in the media.The time taken to recover material of evidential value from the UK based units of multinational internet service providers does vary on a case-by-case basis. While there is a positive attitude towards investigative co-operation from all companies with bases in the UK, where information is required from companies with headquarters outside the UK, as with any request for mutual legal assistance the provision of information may take longer than a domestic request.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the benefits to the United Kingdom of membership of the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the status of refugees. [HL1038]

We are proud of the UK's record in providing a safe haven for refugees, many of whom are fleeing in fear of their lives from the most desperate human cruelty and we remain committed to the 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which organisations within each of the main religious faiths have received government grants for social or welfare projects in the current financial year and in the previous two financial years. [HL1066]

The Government recognise the important contribution made to society by faith communities and have recently announced a £3 million funding programme to support them. The Government are also acting on the recommendations of the Working Together report on improving government's engagement and co-operation with faith communities.The Government do riot routinely hold records about the religious affiliation of organisations to which they have given grants for social and welfare projects. To obtain this in formation would result in a disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the practical difference between permitting the use in criminal trials of intercept material and permitting the use of material obtained by other forms of police and intelligence surveillance. [HL1071]

Surveillance does not involve the same sorts of sensitive capabilities and techniques as interception. Exposure of capability in the case of interception is potentially much more damaging because targets can more easily avoid interception by changing the way in which they choose to communicate.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Statement by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 26 January (WS 52), whether the review of the evidential use of intercept material in criminal proceedings analysed the law and practice in other common law and civil law jurisdictions; and, if so, what were the results of that analysis in relation to each jurisdiction that was reviewed. [HL1072]

Legal regimes in a range of overseas countries were considered. The review found that the United Kingdom could not simply transplant the evidential regimes of other countries because our legal system is very different, being both adversarial and subject to ECHR considerations. No other country examined had a statutory basis for intelligence agencies to assist law enforcement agencies as is the case in the United Kingdom. The review underlined the importance and value of the unparalleled co-operation between the United Kingdom's intelligence and law enforcement agencies but noted that this would be at risk, in a way that did not apply to the same extent to overseas jurisdictions, if there was a possibility that sensitive capabilities and techniques might be exposed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many houses have been raided by police on anti-terrorism warrants since 11 September 2001. [HL1097]

The information requested is not held centrally. Warrants to search premises as part of criminal or anti-terrorist operations and investigations are applied for by, and issued to, individual police forces.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What specific steps they propose to take to reduce the danger to United Kingdom forces in Iraq in the period either side of the Iraqi election in January. [HL656]

We continuously review the security measures for our troops in Iraq, in order to be able to minimise the risk to our forces. However, I cannot comment on these measures for reasons of operational security.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the planned level of troops in Iraq on 30 June and 31 December 2005. [HL1081]

United Kingdom force levels are constantly under review. Planned levels on 30 June and 31 December 2005 will be determined by the prevailing security conditions and the capacity of the Iraqi Security Forces to take responsibility for the security of Iraq.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why the representations made to the Director of Infantry and the Chief of the General Staff by Major General Brian Plummer on behalf of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, the Royal Regiment of Wales and the Royal Welsh Regiment, and by the Lord Morris of Aberavon, the Viscount Tenby and the Lord Crickhowell to the Secretary of State for Defence about battalion titles and other matters arising from Army reorganisation were not accepted, while similar representations on behalf of the Scottish regiments were accepted; and why the Chief of the General Staff informed the House of Commons Select Committee on Defence on 12 January that no requests about names had been made by any division of infantry, other than by the Scots division. [HL,1049]

The process of re-structuring the infantry has been worked through by the Army, consulting with the divisions and regiments concerned. Colonels of individual regiments have been directly involved via the colonels commandants of the divisions of infantry. Proposals were submitted to the Executive Committee of the Army Board (ECAB) on a divisional basis by the relevant colonel commandant.In making this decision ECAB took advice from the colonel commandant of the Prince of Wales's Division as the representative of the regiments concerned and concluded that in line with that recommendation, the new regiment should be called The Royal Welsh and that its two battalions should be called 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh (The Royal Welch Fusiliers) and 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh (The Royal Regiment of Wales).With regards to the approach adopted for the Scottish division, in light of our intent to create genuinely large regiments and maximise the benefits thereof in the post arms plot era, ECAB carefully considered whether there were specific circumstances that were unique to the division. The conclusion reached was that the bold move direct to the largest single cap badge (and single tartan) regiment of five battalions warranted the retention of the antecedent names foremost. It was also felt that given the very different nature and large geographical spread of the existing regiments from Scotland, this would help maintain the best possible recruitment in light of such radical change.It remains the case, notwithstanding the representations referred to by the noble Lord, that the Scottish division was the only one to propose placing the antecedent names foremost during the consultation and decision making process, which informed ECAB's recommendation to the Secretary of State and his subsequent announcement on 16 December. The remarks by the Chief of the General Staff to the Defence Select Committee of the other place on 12 January merely reflect that.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the views expressed by the Lord Morris of Aberavon, the Viscount Tenby and the Lord Crickhowell to the Secretary of State for Defence about the battalion titles of the Welsh Regiments, the maintenance of their heritage and the location of regimental headquarters were conveyed to the Chief of the General Staff and the Army Board; and, if so, on what date. [HL1050]

A record of the exchange of views with my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence referred to by the noble Lord that took place on 6 December 2004 was conveyed to the Chief of the General Staff's office the following day. I understand that lie himself read it on 8 December.In formulating advice to the Secretary of State on the future structure of the infantry, the Executive Committee of the Army Board (ECAB)—chaired by the Chief of the General Staff—initiated an exhaustive consultation process within the infantry and took very careful account of the views of each division of infantry, as expressed by its colonel commandant, on how the restructuring should be implemented. ECAB had in mind at all times the importance of maintaining so far as possible historic linkages and traditions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In relation to the recently renegotiated contract for the purchase of two Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships from Swan Hunter:

The original contract with Swan Hunter for design and build of two LSD(A)s was valued at £148 million. This has since been increased to £232 million, with a further £3 million added to cover enhancements that have included aspects to ensure the vessels comply with the latest statutory safety requirements.Contractual stage payments agreed by the Ministry of Defence and the contractor are commercially sensitive and I am withholding this information under Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.None of the cost over-runs covered by the recent contract amendment is attributable to fault by the MOD.The contract amendment negotiations were conducted solely to ensure the best value for money for the taxpayer was achieved in the delivery of this important new capability.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether United Kingdom local authorities (other than parishes), who wish to conduct consultative referendums among their electorate, can use the full electoral register. [HL931]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been advised that the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 prevent local authorities using the full electoral register for the purpose of conducting a local referendum. However, while local authorities have the right to decide who is polled, we recognise the importance of local authorities being able to conduct such referendums on a full franchise, and we are considering how to achieve this while maintaining security of information on the full electoral register.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will encourage the 162 multinational companies based in the United Kingdom which have not established works councils or similar machinery for informing and consulting their employees and trade unions to establish such machinery; and, if necessary, whether they will amend the legal obligations relating to such matters. [HL1070]

The figure the noble Lord is referring to relates to European works councils. It does not mean that there is no other form of employee representation in the companies concerned. Moreover, new legislation implementing the EU directive on Information and Consultation will come into force on 6 April. This will give employees important new rights to be informed and consulted about significant developments in their workplace.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the total cost of the Rural Payments Agency for each of the past three years; and what is the budget for the cost of the agency over each of the next three years. [HL693]

The Rural Payments Agency's (RPA) gross expenditure, which mainly relates to the common agricultural policy (CAP) scheme payments, is as shown in the table below:

	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04	2004–05	2005–06	2006–07
	£ billion	£ billion	£ billion	£ billion	£ billion	£ billion
Gross expenditure	2.8	3.1	3.6	3.5	3.5	3.5

RPA is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and was formed on 16 October 2001 as the paying agency responsible for administering CAP schemes in England and certain other schemes throughout the UK.The detail supporting financial year 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04 can be found in RPA's accounts under House of Commons publication numbers HC 1197, HC 940 and HC 1009 respectively.Figures for future years reflect the position shown in the 2004 Pre-Budget Report (CM 6408) published on 2 December 2004, particularly the annually managed expenditure reflected in table 16 of the report.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which areas of England have introduced sea defences to their coastlines in the past 10 years. [HL816]

Defra has overall policy responsibility for flood and coastal erosion risk in England. The department funds most of the Environment Agency's activities in this area and provides grant aid on a project by project basis to the other flood and coastal defence operating authorities (local authorities and internal drainage boards) to support their investment in improvement works.The Environment Agency is the principal authority responsible for managing sea defences in England, although some local authorities are also active in managing the risk from sea flooding and coastal erosion.Most investment in projects to reduce risk of coastal erosion or flooding from the sea is to improve the protection offered by existing defences, most of which will have been in place for many years, with periodic improvement through major works in addition to regular maintenance.The department is aware of the following coastal defences (to manage risk of flooding and/or erosion) which could be considered to be "new" rather than being improvements of existing defences:

Operating Authority	Project
Barrow Borough Council	Bent Haw, Walney Island Emergency Works
Barrow Borough Council	Marsh Street, Askam-In-Furness
Caradon District Council	Cawsand—Coastfuard Cottages
Carrick District Council	Veryan—The Nare Hotel
Christchurch Borough Council	Mudeford Quay—Reconstruction
Copeland Borough Council	Parton Coastal Defences
East Devon District Council	Seaton Hole To Seaton—Rock Revetment
East Devon Distract Council	Seaton West (Check House) Sea Wall
East Ridind of Yorkshire	Easington Beach Management
Environment Agency, South West	Appledore Tidal Defence Scheme
Environment Agency, South West	Bideford Tidal Defences
Environment Agency, South West	Braunton Tidal Defence Scheme
Environment Agency, South West	Hamworthy Sea Defences
Environment Agency, South West	Lympstone Tidal Defence Scheme
Environment Agency, South West	Muddlebridge Tidal Defence Scheme
Environment Agency, South West	Poole Sea Defences—Phase 2—Town Quay West
Environment Agency, South West	Preston Sea Wall—Weymouth
Environment Agency, South West	Weymouth Harbour Tidal Defences
Environment Agency, South West	Brean
Environment Agency, South West	Minehead
Environment Agency, South West	West Bay Sea Defences
Environment Agency, South West	Sladesbridge Flood Defence Scheme
Isle of Wight Council	Castle Cove, Ventnor
Isle of Wight Council	Castle Haven, Niton Coast Protection Scheme
Kerrier District Council	Cadgwith—The Todden
North Cornwall District Council	Trevone (West) Coast Protection
North Devon District Council	Barnstaple Heanton Court Emergency Works
Poole Borough Council	Canford Cliffs Coast Protection
Poole Borough Council	Everning Hill Coast Protection—Poole—Dorset

Operating Authority	Project
Poole Borough Council	Sandbanks Coast Protection
Poole Borough Council	Sandbanks—Phase 2
Purbeck District Council	Kimmeridge Bay Sea Wall
Redcar and Cleveland Council	Cowbar Coastal Defences.
Teignbridge District Council	Teignmouth—Emergency Works—Point Car Park
Wansbeck District Council	Alcan Power Station, Lynemouth
Weymouth and Portland Borough Council	Newtons Cove Coast Protection
West Dorset District Council	Seatown Coast Protection
West Somerset District Council	Helwell Bay—Doniford

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the United Kingdom self-sufficiency figures in indigenous food for the years 1994 to 2004 inclusive. [HL1113]

The table below shows the level of United Kingdom self-sufficiency in indigenous food for 1994 to 2004.

UK self-sufficiency in indigenous foods
Year	Level
1994	86.2
1995	86.8
1996	83.3
1997	81.7
1998	81.9
1999	81.6
2000	80.3
2001	75.3
2002	75.6
2003	76.9
2004	74.2

Self-sufficiency is calculated as the value of production of raw food divided by the value of raw food for human consumption.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the total cost of services provided by Bechtel in connection with the West Coast Main Line route modernisation. [HL1068]

This is a matter of private contract between Network Rail and Bechtel.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the rail service available to passengers on the West Coast Main Line at weekends is satisfactory; and whether they consider the journey times to the railhead by bus from temporarily-closed stations to be acceptable. [HL1104]

Extensive work continues to be carried out on the West Coast Main Line as part of the route modernisation project. This requires parts of the line to be closed for periods and to be replaced temporarily by road transport. Every attempt is made by the train operators to avoid periods of peak demand and to minimise the inconvenience to passengers of replacement bus services but it is inevitable that journey times will be extended when these are in operation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the report of the public inquiry into the A303 Stonehenge improvement scheme was delivered by the inspector to the Secretary of State by the target date of September 2004; whether and when the report will be published; and when the Secretary of State will respond to the report and indicate future plans for the improvement scheme. [HL1105]

The inspector's report was received on 31 January 2005. There was no target set for receipt of the inspector's report following the close of an inquiry. Under a service level agreement, the Planning Inspectorate gives the inspector three working days for each sitting day of the inquiry to write his report, plus an additional 20 days for administration purposes. But it is accepted that this process can take longer on exceptional schemes, such as this, because of the complexity of the submissions and representations made to the inspector at the inquiry.A decision will be announced by the First Secretary of State and the Secretary of State for Transport jointly as soon as possible after careful consideration of the inspector's report. The report will be published with their decision.