asked Her Majesty's Government:How many individuals aged (a) under 18; and (b) over 18, were convicted of drink driving in London in each of the past eight years. [HL1426]

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many prisoners either convicted, on bail or on remand, have access to secretarial support or have been provided with a personal laptop, and at what cost. [HL1489]

The information cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost. No central records are held of the numbers of prisoners who are currently given secretarial support or issued with laptops, except for those issued with laptops for access to justice. Each prison governor has the discretion to allow prisoners access to information technology or secretarial support on application, which must be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account need, benefits, relevant local security and resource management issues, to ensure that sufficient controls are in place.However, 79 prisoners currently have access to a laptop in possession in-cell to assist with their legal defences, appeals or other legal work. The total cost for providing this facility for 2004–05 was about £60,000.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 21 February (HL1083), what is the cost of informing Parliament of the legal and other costs

The available information is contained in the table and gives the number of persons proceeded against and found guilty at all courts in the London area, 1996 to 2003 for offences related to drink driving.Statistics on court proceedings for 2004 will be published in the autumn.Number of persons proceeded against and Found guilty at all courts for offences relating to drink driving

The cost of providing the information requested has been estimated at over £25,000. In reaching this decision it was unnecessary to consult with Gulf War veterans' organisations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What systematic assessment they have made of prospective metal fatigue as a determinant of safe in-service lives for military transport aircraft. [HL1412]

Transport aircraft in service with the UK Armed Forces are designed and certified to strict airworthiness standards. These require the aircraft designer to specify the safe "in-service" life of each aircraft prior to the aircraft being released into service.The structural integrity of the aircraft, which includes the fatigue life of the aircraft structure, is maintained by adherence to the procedures detailed within military airworthiness regulations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answers by the Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 23 February

The reasons why the Government decided not to introduce the Regional Assemblies Bill nor lay orders calling referendums in Yorkshire and the Humber and the north-west were set out in an oral Statement on 8 November 2004, (Official Report, col. 674–76), and the oral Statement made by my right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister in the other place on 8 November 2004, (Official Report, Commons, col. 588–89).

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many pupils they estimate on average are truant from schools in London each day. [HL1216]

We estimate that in 2003–04 on average on any one day, about 8,900 pupils were absent without prior approval from London schools. This equates to an unauthorised absence rate of 0.99 per cent.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they intend to take following the publication on 22 February of an Ofsted report into literacy and numeracy standards at key stage 2 which found that schools were struggling to implement the wider aims of the primary national strategy, and that one in three lessons in mathematics and literacy were still no better than satisfactory. [HL1487]

Ofsted's report into literacy and numeracy standards published on the 22 February found a great deal to celebrate in our primary schools. The report draws attention to the significant improvements in attainment since the introduction of the national literacy and numeracy strategies, and makes clear that last year the quality of teaching and school leadership continued to improve.Her Majesty's Chief Inspector's annual report found that around three quarters of primary teaching in mathematics is excellent or good, which compares to just half in 1997–98. The support offered to teachers through the primary national strategy (formerly the national literacy and numeracy strategies) has been critical in enabling this transformation. Of course we remain absolutely committed to providing every teacher with the knowledge and skills to ensure that their teaching progresses from satisfactory to good and excellent. Next year the national strategies will offer training in core aspects of literacy and numeracy through local authorities to around 12,000 teachers in English and 15,000 teachers in mathematics.We also remain committed to supporting schools to implement fully the primary national strategy. We are providing targeted and intensive support to around 850 lower performing schools across the country, and 10 per cent of our most successful headteachers are supporting a further 4,700 schools on leadership and raising standards. The improvements in the past year in standards to the highest ever levels show the success of our approach.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much money has been spent to date on the University for Industry, including its operating arm learndirect, since its establishment. [HL1529]

Since its establishment in 1999 UfI, with its 7,000 learndirect and UK online centres, has firmly established itself as one of the biggest e-learning networks in the world, and is successfully making learning more accessible to individuals and businesses. A total of £326.1 million has been invested in creating and supporting this network to 31 July 2004.On the basis of information provided by UfI, over 1.5 million learners have enrolled on learndirect courses and over 21 million people in the UK have received free, confidential and impartial advice on learning opportunities and career planning.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What arrangements exist for citizens of (a) Gibraltar, and (b) the Falkland Islands to attend universities in the United Kingdom; what is the reason for any differences in these arrangements; and whether they will take steps to give the students from the two areas equal status. [HL1534]

Students from Gibraltar who have been ordinarily resident there for three years before their course starts, and who have British citizenship, are eligible to pay "home" tuition fees in the same way as UK students. Students from the Falkland Islands would be expected to pay the overseas rate of tuition fees. The difference is because Gibraltar is the only overseas territory formally considered part of the United Kingdom in terms of the UK's membership of the European Union (EU), and so entitled to the benefits of EU membership, including home tuition fees for their students. There are no plans to change the status of the Falkland Islands or other overseas territories vis à vis the EU.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will provide additional funds for those sports failing to meet their potential. [HL1519]

Sport England has announced plans to invest £315 million in the development of 32 sports over the next four years. The purpose of this funding is to help national governing bodies to realise their sports' potential by delivering their own objectives and those of Sport England. In practice, this will entail increasing participation and achieving greater success in international competition.Moreover, UK Sport has endorsed a new investment strategy to reinforce the best performing sports, support those that are developing and provoke change in those that are underperforming. There is a sharpened focus on those sports and individuals who demonstrate the potential to deliver on the biggest stage.Seventy-five per cent of available resources will be allocated on the basis of proven performance at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and 25 per cent based on a sport's future potential for improved performance. As a result, 14 Olympic sports will receive enhanced funding between 2005 and 2009 from a total summer Olympic investment of £75 million.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will consider allowing certain councils to administer local benefit offices of the Department for Work and Pensions to achieve greater efficiency and improvement in the take up of benefits. [HL1482]

The department aims to work closely with local authorities, where appropriate, in order to reduce duplication and improve the service offered to customers. There are, however, no plans to allow local authorities to administer local benefit offices on behalf of the department.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the estimated cost of the Lancaster House reception on 28 February arranged by the Department of Trade and Industry to say farewell to Sir Robin Young and introduce his successor as Permanent Secretary; and how many invitations have been issued. [HL1387]

In total 339 invitations were issued to a range of key departmental stakeholders. Government hospitality has not yet prepared the final invoice for the Department of Trade and Industry.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in the light of their advice in 2003–04 on ways to introduce better systems of booking National Health Service appointments and their definition of partial booking, they are satisfied with the methods of partial booking used in London for National Health Service patients referred to consultants by general practitioners, in particular when such patients are given a non-definite waiting time, such as three months or more. [HI1531]

The Department of Health is not aware of any methods of partial booking in London that are inconsistent with national policy.Partial booking was introduced as an interim measure, which recognised that, for some specialties, there were long waits that made it impractical for both the National Health Service and the patient to hook an appointment at the time of the referral decision. Under partial booking systems, patients are advised of the approximate waiting time at the time of referral and are then contacted approximately four to six weeks in advance to choose a time and date for their appointment or admission.As waiting times continue to fall, we expect more appointments to be booked at the time of the referral decision. With the introduction of the electronic choose and book system, all patients referred by their general practitioner for an outpatient appointment will have the opportunity to make an appointment at the time of referral.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they have taken to address the deterioration in the ecological condition of the Ouse Washes Special Protection Area Ramsar site since it was placed on the Montreux record of sites undergoing adverse ecological change in October 2000. [HL1186]

Since the Ouse Washes was listed by the UK on the convention's Montreux record a Ramsar advisory mission (RAM) took place in November 2001 resulting in a RAM report being submitted to Defra in January 2003. The report recognised that the complexity of problems means that there is no quick fix solution, and highlighted that long-term integrated solutions will be necessary for the Ouse Washes to be restored to a favourable condition. The report also recognised that impressive efforts had already been made by stakeholders to solve the problems on the Ouse Washes.Defra and its agencies have continued efforts to work with stakeholders to identify and develop lasting solutions to the problems, considering the recommendations of the RAM and taking account of other studies. The Environment Agency has invested considerable sums in new sluices to help control flood water on the washes, and has been leading a working group to consider technical solutions to the problems. It has also been necessary to undertake further studies to establish the hydro-ecological requirements for the site, and to identify the long-term remedies as acknowledged by the RAM.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the waters between 100 and 200 nautical miles around the Azores were opened up to European Union trawlers; and what assessment of fish stocks in these waters was undertaken prior to this extension of the fishing zone, and subsequently. [HL1510]

New arrangements on effort restrictions in Western Waters were decided in November 2003 and came into effect in August 2004. This department does not hold data on any stock assessments that may have been carried out in respect of the Azores.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 23 February

There are no plans to establish a central record of the age at which individual government agencies require their staff to retire.