asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many immigration officers were employed at Heathrow Airport on (a) 1 January 2006, and (b) 16 October 2007; and what arrangements are in place to ensure that border control staffing levels at Heathrow are responsive to the expected numbers of passengers passing through the airport at any time. [HL203]

I wrote to the noble Baroness on 14 March 2008.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether any obligation to provide social housing was placed on the purchaser of Chelsea Barracks. [HL2395]

The MoD did not impose any obligations on Project Blue (Guernsey) Limited or any of the potential purchasers regarding the provision of social housing.

However, the department worked closely with the local authority, City of Westminster Council (CWC), in considering the most appropriate future uses of the site. CWC has adopted a strategic planning brief for Chelsea Barracks which provides a planning policy framework for the assessment of planning applications relating to the site. The brief confirms that CWC will expect a residential development, with associated community facilities, to include up to 50 per cent affordable housing (including key workers).

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What funding has been provided by the Ministry of Defence since 1997 for healthcare for service families abroad; and what is the planned funding for this healthcare over the next four years. [HL2046]

The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate effort. Individual budget holders do not differentiate between healthcare costs for service personnel overseas and for their accompanying families and dependants.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they will next meet representatives of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to discuss new measures to counter the decline of bird species such as robins, song thrushes and blackbirds in United Kingdom gardens. [HL2314]

My department regularly meets representatives of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to discuss a range of issues including the decline of certain species. The next scheduled meeting between the RSPB and Secretary of State is on 13 March 2008.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the statement by Tessa Jowell MP on BBC TV's Sunday AM Programme in July 2006 that the cost of the Saville Bloody Sunday Inquiry was “about £400 million” was correct; and if so, why the Northern Ireland Office recently reported the cost as £181 million. [HL2217]

I am advised that the figure quoted on the programme was inaccurate. The correct cost as at July 2006, £172 million, was reported in a Written Answer to you on 8 November 2006 (Official Report, col. WA 165).

Accurate costs were most recently reported to Parliament by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 20 February 2008 (Official Report, col. 337).

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What decision has been reached on the application for British citizenship by Ms RKS (HO Ref: W1111067, CTS Ref: M370/8 DW), following the agreement notified in a letter of 14 January by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office, Meg Hillier, that her case should be reopened and considered further. [HL2168]

My honourable friend the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration wrote to the noble Lord on 10 March 2008.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How much the British Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat has cost for each year since its creation. [HL2277]

The expenditure of the British Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat is met by the two Governments. The total costs to the British Government for the past six years are shown in the following table. Costs for 1999-01 are no longer held.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference has met since its creation; where each meeting was held; what was discussed at each meeting; and when is the next meeting. [HL2278]

The details of all British Irish Intergovernmental Conferences (BIIGC) are contained in the following table. Information on the discussions can be found within the official joint communiques, issued by the two Governments after every BIIGC. These communiques can be found on the NOI website at www.nio.gov.uk. A suitable date for the next BIIGC is currently being discussed with the Irish Government.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many members of staff the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat has; how they were recruited; by whom they were recruited; and what is the breakdown of their community background. [HL2279]

The British side of the British Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat (BIIGS) comprises of 12 members of staff employed by the Northern Ireland Office. The staff were recruited by the NIO under normal Civil Service (NICS/HCS) procedures and subsequently posted to the BIIGS under normal NIO posting policy. Data on the community background of NIO staff are held by the Northern Ireland Office or the NICS/Department of Finance and Personnel. The community background of NIO staff will not be disclosed, given the small number of staff involved.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

On what issues and occasions the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference has facilitated co-operation in security matters, as required by strand three, paragraph six of the Belfast agreement of 1998 (Cm 4705). [HL2292]

Security matters and co-operation have been regularly discussed at the British Irish Intergovernmental Conferences (BI IGC), both at ministerial and official level. Information on the discussions can be found within the official joint communiques, issued by the two Governments after every BIIGC and can be found on the NIO website at www.nio.gov.uk.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference has raised issues of human rights in the Republic of Ireland; and if not, why. [HL2293]

Human Rights issues have been discussed at the British Irish Intergovernmental Conferences (BIIGC), both at ministerial and official level. Information on the discussions can be found within the official joint communiques, issued by the two Governments after every BIIGC and can be found on the NIO website at www.nio.gov.uk.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the estimated benefit to the public purse that will arise from the auctioning of emission permits within the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme during its first post 2012 phase. [HL2362]

The Government do not comment on the carbon price, on which the revenue from auctioning of emissions allowances is dependent. In addition, the amount of revenue will depend on the number of allowances to be auctioned. This will not be known until the revised EU ETS Directive is agreed and the cap for the 2012 phase is set.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they accept the Environment Agency's conclusions on the positive results to date of the Beddington zero energy sustainable community project. [HL2317]

Other than the Environment Agency's commendation of the Beddington zero energy development (BedZed) project in its 2003 water efficiency awards, the Government are not aware of any specific conclusions reached by the Environment Agency on the positive results to date of BedZed. The Government last year announced their policy that all new homes should be zero carbon from 2016. Exemplary projects and programmes—such as BedZed, English Partnerships' Carbon Challenge and Communities and Local Government's eco-towns programme—will play an important role in helping to pave the way for industry to reach the zero carbon standard.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What estimate they have made of the number of households spending more than one-tenth of their disposable income on energy in each of the past five years for which figures are available. [HL2306]

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

Letter from Karen Dunnell, National Statistician and Registrar General, to Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope, dated 17 March 2008.

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Question asking Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of households spending more than one tenth of their disposable income on energy in each of the last five years for which figures are available (HL2306).

The table below shows the number of UK households that spent more than 10 per cent of their disposable income on energy bills in each of the years from 2001-02 to 2005-06. These estimates are based on data collected through the Expenditure and Food Survey, which is a sample survey covering approximately 7,000 households in the UK.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps they propose to take to implement the proposals of the Thorensen report on establishing a free national advice service. [HL2256]

The Government have welcomed the Thoresen report and on 3 March, the Chief Secretary announced that the Government will take forward a £12 million money guidance pathfinder, to be delivered by the Financial Services Authority. The Government will publish a detailed response to Thoresen, including plans for the pathfinder, in their financial capability action plan later in the spring. Evidence from the pathfinder project will inform the Government's decision on how best to implement a national service.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether an independent audit of the efficiency of the interface between the National Firearms Licensing Management System and the Police National Computer was carried out after it was completed in September 2007; and if so, whether they will place a copy of the audit report in the Library of the House. [HL2290]

Following successful completion of the implementation of the interface between the National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS) and the Police National Computer (PNC), a review of the efficiency of the interface between the two systems is now being conducted with a view to ensuring that the business benefits are fully realised by the police service.

The review is being conducted by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) and the Association of Chief Police Officers. A summary of the review will be available on the NPIA website (www.npia.police.uk) in due course and, as such, there are no plans to place copies of the review in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will ensure that all applications for material under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requested by Members of the House of Commons or the House of Lords require no payment. [HL2276]

The Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004 provide for the charging of fees in relation to requests for information where the cost of complying would exceed appropriate limits. The appropriate limit is currently £600 for central government and £450 for other public authorities. In addition, public authorities may charge for disbursements and for information supplied in accordance with their publication schemes. It is the request that engages the fees regulations and not the requester. The Government currently have no plans to amend the fees regulations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What public appointments the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland undertook in Northern Ireland during the first six weeks of 2008. [HL2084]

The disclosure of some of the information requested, including details of internal or interdepartmental meetings with Ministers or officials, would be prejudicial to the effective conduct of public affairs.

The information that can be disclosed is as follows; as 1 January was a public holiday, all government departments were closed. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State was on leave on 2, 3 and 4 January. During the period in question, the Secretary of State held receptions at Hillsborough Castle for Cardinal Brady and Childline. He also had a meeting with the First and Deputy First Ministers, visited the Women's Support Network and visited Bombardier (Shorts Plc).

In addition to those functions listed, the Secretary of State has regular meetings with political parties, local politicians, the Minister of State, internal and external stakeholders and his officials. He also carried out a full range of duties and engagements in London.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why the Romany Gypsy Liaison Officer for the South West Region was not invited to speak, though present, at the South West Regional Spatial Strategy Examination in Public on 3 March; and whether they will ensure that any views she may submit will be given careful consideration. [HL2400]

The Romany Gypsy Liaison Officer for the South West was invited to participate in the examination in public. However, on the first day (4 March) her seat was taken by another gypsy representative. This was observed by the CLG regional lead officer who raised it both with the panel secretary and the liaison officer. However, the liaison officer was not prepared to make a complaint against the other gypsy representative, and no formal action was taken on behalf of the panel. The panel will, however, take account of any written representations she has made.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many adverse reactions to measles, mumps and rubella vaccines have been reported by parents and medical professionals since their introduction; and how many of those reported adverse reactions included bowel problems. [HL2371]

As of 6 March 2008 the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has received 7,785 suspected UK adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports associated with MMR vaccine, measles and rubella vaccine and single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines.

Of these 7,785 ADR reports, 20 reports contained a reaction related to inflammatory bowel problems. The following table shows a breakdown of these reports.

Number of suspected ADR reports with reactions related to inflammatory bowel problems associated with MMR vaccine, measles and rubella vaccine and single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines up to 6 March 2008:

It is important to note that a report of an ADR does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the vaccine. Many factors have to be taken into account in assessing causal relationships including temporal association, the possible contribution of concomitant medication and any underlying disease.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps they are taking to ensure that every local authority area provides accommodation and day services to meet the needs of vulnerable single homeless people. [HL2348]

Rough sleeping and homelessness remain a priority for this Government. We recently announced £200 million homelessness grants for local authorities and the voluntary sector over the next three years to help prevent homelessness and tackle rough sleeping—the largest ever cash injection for homelessness services.

We are also putting considerable investment into improving hostels—£160 million is being spent to make them real places of change that transform the lives of rough sleepers.

More than £58 million has been spent on the provision of support to rough sleepers under the £6.9 billion Supporting People programme since its launch in 2003.

Every local authority has a homelessness strategy which should tackle all forms of homelessness in the area, including the needs of vulnerable single homeless people.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What redress is available to persons who purchase new homes, following planning approval by local authorities, on flood plains or land at high risk of flooding; against whom such redress is available; and what are the obligations of local authorities in this regard. [HL2343]

It is for individual householders to satisfy themselves about the adequacy of insurance cover for flooding and other risks to their properties. The Government are committed to working with the insurance industry to maximise the availability of flood insurance for homes and small businesses, and maintains regular contact with the Association of British Insurers to discuss insurance cover for existing properties, and other issues of mutual interest.

The Government's planning policies on development and flood risk are set out in planning policy statement 25 (PPS25), “Development and Flood Risk”. Our policy approach, which we strengthened in December 2006, is to avoid inappropriate development in flood risk areas, and to direct development away from high- risk areas by ensuring that sites at little or no risk of flooding are developed in preference to areas at higher risk. To support the policies in PPS25, we have made the Environment Agency a statutory consultee on applications for development in flood risk areas.

Local authorities are required to decide planning applications for new housing in flood risk areas in accordance with the development plan. They must also take into account all material considerations, including government policy in PPS25, and any views expressed by the Environment Agency.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 28 February (WA 135) regarding barriers to implementation of the February 2004 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines, to what extent the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has facilitated access to three full cycles of IVF treatment notwithstanding a patient's location; and why they propose to establish a separate expert group on fertility provision. [HL2397]

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) established an expert group on multiple births after in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in October 2005 and the group published its report One Child at a Time in October 2006. The HFEA is now working with professional groups involved in the provision of IVF with the aim of reducing multiple births following assisted conception.

It is not the role of the HFEA to facilitate access to three full cycles of IVF as National Health Service fertility services are commissioned by primary care trusts. This department is currently establishing an expert group on commissioning NHS infertility provision.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many asylum applications remain in the backlog (that is, have not been granted, closed or removed) at the most recent date; at what point after the date of original application a case is deemed to belong to the backlog; and by when they expect to have cleared the backlog. [HL2105]

In her update to the Home Affairs Select Committee of 17 December 2007, Lin Homer (the chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency) stated that 52,000 cases have been concluded by the Border and Immigration Agency, of which about 16,000 have led to removals. A copy of the letter is in the House Library. Lin Homer gave an undertaking to update the Home Affairs Select Committee on progress every six months.

Cases in the backlog include unresolved asylum applications lodged with the Border and Immigration Agency before 5 March 2007 which were not being processed by case owners in the regional asylum teams on that date.

We remain confident that we are on track to conclude these cases by the summer of 2011.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many illegal immigrants in the United Kingdom have been detained as a result of raids over the past six months; and from which countries they originate. [HL2338]

The information requested could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many visitors and students are overstaying their leave to enter; and what proportion of them have acquired national insurance numbers. [HL2106]

Exit controls were phased out from 1994 and as such no Government have ever been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who remain in the country illegally. By its very nature it is impossible to quantify accurately and that remains the case. Consequently it is not possible to determine what percentage of overstayers has acquired national insurance numbers.

As part of the Government's 10-point plan for delivery, by Christmas 2008 the majority of foreign nationals will be counted in and out of the country. This will build on the successes of our early testing of the e-Borders programme (Project Semaphore) which already covers over 30 million passenger movements and has led to 18,000 alerts and more than 1,500 arrests.

This is part of a sweeping programme of border protection which also includes the global rollout of fingerprint visas, compulsory watch-list checks for all travellers from high-risk countries before they land in Britain and ID cards for foreign nationals.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How the forthcoming points-based immigration system will affect illegal immigrants who have been resident in the United Kingdom for at least five years and wish to apply for permits to work in the United Kingdom or British citizenship. [HL1531]

The points-based system will enable Her Majesty's Government better to manage migration in the national interest. It will ensure that only those migrants that Britain needs can come here to work and study. It will not give illegal migrants a way of staying in the UK.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why they did not mention in the debates on Rule 35 pro forma letters in proceedings on the UK Borders Bill that they had issued a Detention Services Order (DSO 3/2008) and related Asylum Policy Instructions about people who have been tortured or are otherwise unfit for detention. [HL2398]

Detention Services Order 3/2008 and the Asylum Policy Instruction on Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001 were issued by the Border and Immigration Agency in early February 2008, just over three months after the UK Borders Act had received Royal Assent. It would not, therefore, have been possible for these instructions to have been mentioned during the passage of the legislation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How the Ministry of Defence is planning to respond to the implications for Headley Court of the increased tempo of military operations. [HL2042]

This issue was raised in the House of Commons Defence Select Committee report Medical Care for the Armed Forces, published on 18 February. The Government are currently considering the committee's recommendations and will submit their formal response to the committee within the next two months. However, the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court has the necessary capacity to treat all military patients requiring rehabilitation as a result of the increased tempo of military operations. That capacity was increased by the opening of a 30-bed ward annex last May and will be further enhanced later this year by the building of a new staff and patient accommodation block.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will clarify the proposed “arm's-length” arrangement between the Government and the new management of Northern Rock. [HL2171]

During this period of temporary public ownership, Northern Rock is managed by its board at arm's length from government on commercial principles.

Northern Rock's board is developing a strategic plan as a matter of priority and will agree this plan with the Government shortly. Any subsequent major decisions will need the approval of the shareholder, in this case the Government—as in the case of any publicly owned company. Details of the strategic plan will be made public. However, the Government will not be involved in the day-to-day operations of the company.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many people over the age of 55 have been recruited by each government department over the past two years. [HL2430]

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

Letter from Karen Dunnell, National Statistician and Registrar General, to Lord Ouseley, dated 17 March 2008.

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many people over the age of 55 have been recruited by each government department over the last two years. (HL2430)

Civil Service statistics are published annually by the Office for National Statistics on the National Statistics website. The latest published statistics are for September 2006.

www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/article.asp?id=l885

Statistics on the age distribution of entrants to government departments are not published. In order to provide information on entrants over the age of 55, an ad hoc analysis has been required. This analysis is based on the mandate survey which currently provides approximately 85 per cent coverage of Civil Service departments and agencies. Please note that the department date of entry historically has a lower completion rate than other variables collected and missing data are labelled in the attached table.

From 2007, a new annual survey (replacing mandate) will deliver significant improvements to the coverage and quality of the Civil Service statistics. The results of the survey are scheduled for publication in June 2008.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How they monitor their recruitment practices to identify possible breaches in the age discrimination legislation and regulations. [HL2431]

The Department for Communities and Local Government is committed to valuing diversity and equality of opportunity and recruits on the basis of people's skills and competence matched against the relevant job description. Recruitment processes are carried out in accordance with the Civil Service Commissioner's Code which sets out that selection should be based on merit and through fair and open competition. All job applicants are asked to complete a diversity monitoring form, which includes their age. This form does not form any part of the selection process, but is used to monitor diversity data in relation to recruitment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 27 February (WA 124) concerning British passports, in each of the past 10 years, how many Irish citizens applied for British citizenship under Section 6 of the British Nationality Act 1981; and how many of those were successful. [HL2383]

The requested information is available only from October 2001 and is shown in the table attached.

The information has been provided from local management information and is not a national statistic. As such it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many people will face a return of less than inflation in 2050 if they have been automatically enrolled in a personal account for (a) 15 years, (b) 20 years, and (c) 25 years. [HL2286]

The information is not available in the form requested.

Following the Turner report, a broad consensus emerged to encourage saving, to extend the opportunities of pension saving to millions of people, and to implement personal accounts.

Most people can expect to gain from being auto-enrolled into a pension, with saving providing the best means to meet rising expectations of a higher income in retirement.

The Pension Bill reforms will ensure clear incentives from employer contributions and tax relief, providing a pound for pound matching contribution and extending access to pension saving to millions of people for the first time.

The Government recognise the need for well-informed discussion and evaluation of savings incentives, and have therefore established a government-led work programme to consider this.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What new policies they propose to reduce the use of plastic shopping bags by British shoppers. [HL2316]

The Government are considering carefully the issue of single use carrier bags and will present policy proposals in due course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will invite members of the public who have no objection voluntarily to place their DNA on the DNA database. [HL2107]

The police may, as part of their investigation of a crime, ask a participant in an intelligence-led screen, a victim, a witness or some other person who has had legitimate access to a crime scene to give a DNA sample voluntarily so that their DNA profile can be eliminated from those profiles found at the crime scene. Such samples are known as “volunteer” samples.

Volunteer samples may be taken only with the person's written consent to giving a DNA sample in order to assist the police investigation. The resulting DNA profile is then compared in the forensic laboratory with the DNA material recovered from the crime scene. Volunteer subject sample profiles are added to the National DNA Database (NDNAD) only where the individual has also given separate written consent for their profile to be loaded and retained on the NDNAD for searching against other unsolved crime scene profiles.

There are no plans to issue any general invitation to the public to provide DNA samples voluntarily. Inviting members of the public to give DNA where there is no reason to do so in connection with a particular investigation is not likely to be a cost-effective use of police and NDNAD resources. If a member of the public offers to provide the police with a DNA sample voluntarily without any connection to a particular investigation, it would be a matter for the chief officer of the police force concerned to consider whether to accept this offer in the light of the particular circumstances of the case.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many children under the age of 10 currently have their DNA profiles on the National DNA Database. [HL2239]

As at 31 January 2008, the National DNA Database (NDNAD) held 44 profiles from individuals under the age of 10, from all United Kingdom police forces (including England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands). In England and Wales, a child under the age of 10 is below the age of criminal responsibility and therefore a DNA sample can be taken only with the consent of a parent or guardian. If police think a child under 10 might have committed a crime they might decide to take a DNA sample to establish whether they have done it or to eliminate them from investigations. A child under 10 might also have DNA taken to eliminate their profile because they were a victim or present at the crime scene.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether Mr Eesa (Dhiren) Barot was attacked with boiling oil and water at HM Prison Frankland on or around 6 July 2007; if so, what medical treatment he received; what is his present state of health; and whether anyone has been disciplined on account of this attack. [HL2364]

It is not Prison Service policy to comment on individual prisoners.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have recently reviewed the charging regime in national record offices and its impact on those conducting research; and whether this adds to the administrative tasks undertaken by record office staff. [HL2114]

The present charges at the National Archives commenced on 1 April 2005 and are listed in the Public Record Office (Fees) Regulations (S.I. 2005/471). Charges at local authority record offices are a matter for the local authority concerned. We have seen no evidence of the impact of charging regimes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Jones of Birmingham on 29 January (WA 111–2) on regulators: criminal prosecution, what were the categories of offences for which the prosecutions were brought. [HL2153]

Prosecutions for offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Acts 1949 and 2006 (WT Acts), the Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Directive (R&TTE), the Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations (EMC), Coastal Station Radio (CSR) and Citizens Band (CB) brought by the Office of Communications (Ofcom) in the past three years were as follows:

No criminal prosecutions were brought in the past three years by the British Hallmarking Council, the Coal Authority, the Competition Commission and the Office of Fair Trading.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 29 January (WA 112) on regulators: criminal prosecution, what was the offence for which the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission brought the prosecution. [HL2156]

The offence was the demolition of a grade II listed building known as Greenside, Wentworth, Surrey, without listed building consent, contrary to Section 9(1) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their response to the reported comments of the Lord Mayor of London that City professionals with high income and assets should seek to avoid paying United Kingdom taxes through the exercise of non-domicile status privileges. [HL2226]

The Chancellor announced the Government's response to the consultation on residence and domicile in the recent Budget report.

The remittance basis of taxation does not represent a form of tax avoidance. Rather, it offers an alternative basis of taxation that helps to make the UK an attractive destination for international talent and investment. The Government's reforms will retain these special rules, while ensuring that they operate more fairly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What assessment they have made of the percentage of those employed full-time playing football in the United Kingdom who are not domiciled in the United Kingdom for tax purposes. [HL2427]

The information requested is not available.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Following the judgment of the House of Lords in Condé Nast Publications Limited v Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs on 23 January, whether they have announced a new date which HM Revenue and Customs will recognise as a valid cut-off date for the submission of claims for the repayment of VAT alleged to have been previously overpaid; and what steps they will take to publish this new date. [HL2365]

Under provisions introduced in this year's Finance Bill, businesses will have until 31 March 2009 to make VAT claims for periods before 1 May 1997 for input tax and 4 December 1996 for output tax. Details will be included in the notes accompanying the returns sent to all VAT registered businesses.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether HM Revenue and Customs accepts that claims to be considered as a result of the judgment of the House of Lords in Condé Nast Publications Limited v Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs on 23 January should now embrace issues of both input and output tax. [HL2366]

HM Revenue and Customs accepts that the terms of the judgment of the House of Lords should be applied to both input tax and output tax claims. An announcement was made by HM Revenue and Customs on 20 February 2008 and can be found at HMRC's internet site via this link www.hmrc.gov.uk/briefs/vat/brief0708.htm.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What present contingencies HM Revenue and Customs has to cover all potential claims which may arise following the judgment of the House of Lords in Condé Nast Publications Limited v Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs on 23 January. [HL2367]

HMRC is making additional resources available to the team responsible for the processing, verification and payment of claims.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they intend to increase the information provided by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to home dwellers to encourage reduced water usage to counteract the effects of drought after the winter. [HL2313]

Although there is no drought at present and we have no reason to expect one this year, the need for us all to value water as a precious resource has been highlighted in the Government's recently published strategy Future Water. Water efficiency will be key as we adapt to the likely effects of climate change, as reducing the amount of water used in homes, particularly hot water, will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they plan to discuss the creation of significant new wetland locations with regional and local authorities and other agencies. [HL2315]

The UK Biodiversity Action Plan Partnership, which includes the Government, devolved Administrations and the non-governmental community, agreed in November 2006 a target to establish eight new landscape-scale wetlands in the UK by 2020. The creation of any such wetland would be subject to proper consultations with all relevant authorities, agencies and other stakeholders.