To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on (a) the date of commencement and (b) the date of intended completion of construction of the Aston Clinton Bypass. [134416]

I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Tim Matthews, to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he plans to publish the minutes of evidence of the Dog Identification Working Group; and if he will list the groups and organisations which gave evidence to the group in respect of the use of implanted microchips. [134358]

The report of the Dog Identification Group contains copies of the minutes of the meetings and the evidence they considered. I will make an announcement soon with regard to the publication of the report. The following groups and organisations were represented on the Dog Identification Group and others are indicated where they provided separate evidence.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to receive the report of the Dog Identification Working Group; when he plans to respond to that report; and if he plans to publish the report and his responses thereto. [134363]

I met the Dog Identification Group on 6 September where they formally presented me with their report. I agreed to consider the group's recommendations and at this stage I am minded to consult interested bodies on the content of the report and to place a copy on the Department's website. I will make a further announcement soon on the next course of action.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his most recent estimate of the number of defective rails requiring urgent attention by Railtrack for safety reasons in each regional train operator's franchise and in total. [134895]

On Friday 27 October there were 276 sites where Railtrack engineers were checking for evidence of gauge corner cracking, the fault which is believed to have caused the accident at Hatfield.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what rules govern regular consultation and exchange of information and opinion between representatives of train crews and representatives of train operators, Railtrack and other agencies related to safe operation of railways; how often such meetings take place; what reports are made to him concerning such deliberations; and if he will review such rules. [135448]

The current legal requirements relating to worker consultation in relation to train crews are set out in: the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974; the European "Framework" Directive 89/391/EEC; the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977; the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996; and the Railways (Safety Case) Regulations 1994. The new Railway (Safety Case) Regulations 2000, which will come into force on 31 December 2000, will strengthen the arrangements for consultation and communication. The recently mandated confidential incident reporting and analysis system (CIRAS) allows for regular quarterly meetings to discuss and probe particular adverse events. The unions are represented on the Railway Industry Advisory Committee (RIAC) and Railtrack's Safety Advisory Body (SAB). Details of the meetings taking place under these provisions are not normally communicated to the Secretary of State. The Rail Safety Monitoring Group also includes union representation and is responsible for monitoring implementation of the industry's safety commitments announced at the second Rail Safety Summit in November 1999. The Secretary of State is informed of the outcome of these meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will add to the current remit of the Railways and Health and Safety Inspectorates, assessment of potential systems and structures of financing, assisting planning, maintaining, contracting for reward and operating railway services in the United Kingdom in respect of their optimum contributions to safety. [135449]

The role of HM Railway Inspectorate, a division of the Health and Safety Executive, is to secure the proper control of risks to the health and safety of employees, passengers and others who might be affected by the operation of Britain's railways. The Health and Safety Executive's remit already extends to considering the implications for health and safety of structural changes within the railway industry and taking action where appropriate to secure the maintenance of health and safety standards. It would not be appropriate to pre-empt the outcome of Lord Cullen's wide-ranging public inquiry into railway safety by proposing major changes to the Executive's functions at the present time.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many people on passenger trains were killed in railway accidents in each of the last three years. [135100]

The number of people on passenger trains killed in railway accidents is shown in the following table produced by the Health and Safety Executive's HM Railway Inspectorate.

Category	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	Total
Passenger	14	6	33	53
Railway Staff	0	0	2	2
Total	14	6	35	55

Comprehensive data on railway safety can be found in HM Chief Inspector of Railways Annual Reports on Railway Safety in Great Britain, copies of which can be found in both House Libraries.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the allocation of resources to regional development agencies will be determined by the recently published Index of Multiple Deprivation. [134567]

The RDAs' existing programmes will largely continue in 2001–02. The proposed new arrangements for allocating the physical regeneration budget include use of the Indices of Deprivation 2000 and the agreed transitional arrangements. No other RDA programme uses the indices.The method for allocating funds to RDAs under the new single programme from April 2002 has not been decided. A variety of indicators and indices are likely to play a part.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will publish the criteria used for recommending the detrunking of a road; [134413](2) if he will publish the criteria for including a road in the trunk route network. [134412]

The trunk road network was created by and defined in the Trunk Roads Act 1936 as the national system of routes for through traffic. The Trunk Roads Act 1946 extended the network. Neither Act specified criteria for including a route in the trunk road network.The provisions of the 1946 Act, now incorporated as section 10 of the Highways Act 1980, require the Secretary of State to keep the trunk road network under review, and if he is satisfied, after taking into consideration the requirements of local and national planning, including the requirements of agriculture, that it is expedient for the purpose of extending, improving or reorganising the system he may create new trunk roads or remove existing ones by publication of an order under that section of the Act.During the Roads Review in 1997–98 we undertook a comprehensive review of the existing trunk road network and identified a core network of routes that were of truly national strategic importance today. This core network will remain as the national system of routes for through traffic while the non-core routes that serve only regional or local functions will be detrunked and become the responsibility of local highway authorities. The factors for deciding which routes should be retained in the core network included:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will seek information from his EU transport counterparts on restrictions on driving vehicles by people with insulin-treated diabetes. [135398]

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has written to all EU counterparts. To date replies have been received from Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Spain and Germany. Information has also been obtained from Norway.In the light of this information, the Secretary of State's honorary advisory medical panel on diabetes and driving has reconsidered its previous advice and recommended that applicants with good diabetic control and no significant complications may apply for C1 entitlement (vehicles of between 3.5 to 7.5 tonnes). The panel will meet again on 8 November to finalise the details, after which public consultation will begin with a view to having the legislative changes in place by spring 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to review the ban on driving of Group II vehicles by insulin-using diabetics. [135496]

[holding answer 31 October 2000]: At their meeting on 4 October, the Secretary of State's honorary medical advisory panel on driving and diabetes reviewed the licensing arrangements for Group 2 vehicles (vehicles above 3.5 tonnes). They agreed that those with good diabetic control and no significant complications should be allowed to apply for a licence for category Cl vehicles (between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes). They will meet again on 8 November to finalise the details, after which public consultation will begin with a view to having the legislative changes in place by spring 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what arrangements he has made to take account of specific Welsh needs when drawing up his Bill on the proposals in the housing Green Paper. [135116]

My Department maintains regular contact with the National Assembly for Wales, both at official and ministerial level, about taking forward the proposals in our housing Green Paper. My hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning also hopes to meet the new Assembly Minister for Finance, Local Government and Communities in the near future. Responses to the Green Paper, and consultation with the National Assembly, will inform the framing of any proposed legislation. We will be announcing the outcome of the Green Paper consultation before the end of the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list those single regeneration budget bids which (a) were not successful in SRB Round 6 and (b) did not receive their funding bid in full. [134847]

[holding answer 26 October 2000]: There were 258 final bids received under round 6 of the single regeneration budget and 189 of these were awarded SRB funding. The unsuccessful bids are given in list A. Successful bids that received reduced funding are listed in table B. All SRB bidders were required to prioritise the different elements of their bid to show what would be suitable at reduced levels of funding.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what previous rail service, or experience, is required by recruits as trainee drivers (a) in respect of any rail employment and (b) as drivers of yard, suburban and freight train movement in respect of the high speed train services operated by the Great Western and Great North Eastern Railway. [135404]

Previous rail service or experience is not a requirement for trainee drivers. First Great Western and Great North Eastern Railway are required to comply with Railtrack Group Standard GP/RT3251. This standard requires train operating companies to ensure that any person authorised to drive a train is assessed and certified as medically fit.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will state, in respect of the high-speed train sets currently operated by the Great North Eastern Railway, which organisations are responsible for their design, construction, commissioning and testing; who owns the sets; who leases them; who maintains them; who crews them; and who is responsible for other functions formerly carried out by the British Railways Board in relation to those sets. [135403]

Great Northern Eastern Railway's (GNER) fleet of vehicles are owned by, and leased from, two different rolling stock leasing companies (ROSCOs), Angel Train Contracts Ltd. and Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. These vehicles were designed, manufactured, commissioned and tested by British Rail before privatisation. Heavy maintenance of the fleet is the responsibility of the ROSCO while light maintenance and crewing is the responsibility of GNER.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much was spent per head of population by each local authority in England on public transport subsidy for each of the last five years for which figures are available. [135096]

The figures requested have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what response he has made to the first report of his Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment. [135438]

The Government welcome the first report of the Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment. It contains a number of positive recommendations on how we can reduce the impacts products make on the environment.I met the Committee Chair, Dr. Alan Knight, last month and indicated to him that we will be considering carefully all the Committee's recommendations for action. We are already looking at how those relating to graded labels for cars and homes, standards for government procurement, and the development of a consumer website to help environmental choice, could be put into practice. I will be writing to Dr. Knight to keep him informed of progress on the recommendations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what provisions have been made and guidance issued allowing referendums on elected mayors to take place on the same day as local elections. [135075]

[holding answer 30 October 2000]: As I told the House on 26 October 2000, Official Report, column 173–74W, we have now published guidance on new council constitutions for English local authorities, in which is stated our intention to make regulations under the Local Government Act 2000 which would allow referendums on elected mayors to take place on the same day as any ordinary local election, and to require such polls to be combined.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what guidance he has given to local authorities on determining the validity of petitions requiring a referendum on introducing an elected mayor. [135076]

[holding answer 30 October 2000]: As I told the House on 26 October 2000, Official Report, columns 173–74W, we have now published guidance on new council constitutions for English local authorities, which includes guidance on determining the validity of petitions in accordance with the provisions of the Local Authorities (Referendums) (Petitions and Directions) (England) Regulations 2000 (SI 2000/2852). To make this determination a local authority must, in particular, satisfy itself that the petition includes the names, addresses and signatures of at least 5 per cent. of the local government electors for its area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the effect on the clothing and textiles sector of the withdrawal of compulsory competitive tendering in the public sector. [135563]

None. There is no obvious connection between the local authority activities that were subject to competitive tendering and the health of the clothing and textile sector. The new duty of best value, which applies from 1 April 2000, will encourage the development of new markets in the provision of local authority services.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many vehicles were impounded because their owners failed to buy a road fund licence; and how many were crushed in each year since 1995. [135910]

The wheelclamping scheme for vehicle excise duty evasion was introduced in August 1997. The following information relates to that scheme:

Year	Impounded	Crushed
1997	557	163
1998	4,838	3,663
1999	10,718	8,369
20001	11,962	10,205
1To date

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to extend the arrangements for conversion of vehicles from petrol or diesel to liquified petroleum gas to older vehicles. [135739]

[holding answer 31 October 2000]: The Powershift programme sponsored by my Department provides grants only towards the cost of converting vehicles that are under one year old to run on liquefied petroleum gas. Through Powershift we are trying to encourage vehicle manufacturers to produce production-line gas vehicles rather than the after-market conversions that currently dominate the market. Not only will production-line vehicles be much cheaper than after-market conversions, their emissions performance should also be better. Therefore, Powershift grants are targeted at new vehicles to ensure manufacturers develop the high performance systems and technologies needed to manufacture gas vehicles on the production line.However my Department also sponsors a Cleaner Vehicles Programme that aims to reduce emissions from existing vehicles operating in urban areas. The programme includes targeted projects to fit emission reduction technologies and to convert older vehicles to run on alternative fuels, including LPG, where it proves cost effective and environmentally beneficial to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what efforts he is making to prevent the criminal damage of genetically-manipulated crops. [133659]

Acts of vandalism or violence against those involved in evaluations of legally grown GM plants are totally unacceptable. The police have powers under public order legislation to deal with those who commit such acts and this has not changed. In a democratic society there is no reason for people to resort to violence against others or their property and it is right that the police use their powers to prevent this happening.We are continuing to explore our options for protecting the property and families of farmers participating in the farm scale evaluations, with them, the industry and the police. We are looking at how we can best secure sites, which by their very nature are difficult to protect. We have, however, consistently promised to have a science-led, open and transparent regulatory environment and this means letting people know about the sites notified to us.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment. Transport and the Regions what measures his Department will take to co-ordinate Government policy for rural areas following publication of the Rural White Paper. [133658]

The Cabinet Committee on Rural Affairs already has the remit of co-ordinating the Government's policies affecting rural areas. Its tasks include looking at the policies of all Departments so as to ensure that they take account of their impact on rural areas and that they work as effectively as they can together to support rural life. The Rural White Paper will include our assessment of what more needs to be done to ensure that the rural dimension of each Department's policies is clearly identified and integrated across all Departments.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a further statement on the safety of concrete flues in dwellings. [136427]

Last year the Government were made aware of concerns about the safety of certain flue liners which are intended for use in chimneys serving appliances burning solid fuel. The Minister for Housing and Planning made an announcement about this on 24 February 1999. To resolve these concerns my Department commissioned a risk analysis, and has considered with experts what may need to be done about existing houses and what amendments might be necessary to improve the Building Regulations approved guidance. This report was published today, and can be viewed on the DETR Website at www.construction.detr.gov.uk/bribr06.htmThe Department's risk analyst contractor CRE Group Ltd. has been unable to show conclusively that the concerns over additional danger are well founded. As well as this, neither my Department nor the two principal housing warranty providers are aware of any fatal or other accidents that have arisen as a result of the failure of the sorts of concrete flue liners whose safety has been questioned. On the evidence that the experts have produced it therefore seems reasonable to believe that householders are unlikely to be exposed to additional dangers if they apply common sense in following combustion appliance manufacturers' advice on routine maintenance and chimney sweeping.There remain some doubts however about the durability of poorer quality, cheaper varieties of concrete flue liners, and owners of dwellings built since about 1990 with concrete flue liners may be faced with the need for repairs or replacements sooner than they might have expected. This should not be a risk to safety unless householders fail to carry out the proper maintenance and sweeping previously mentioned.Whilst not finding clear evidence of additional risks, CRE Group Ltd, has made a number of useful recommendations regarding the safety of flues in general. They include improvement of the performance standards given in the Building Regulations, improving the competence of those engaged in building, maintaining and sweeping chimneys, remaining alert to the possibility of clusters of flue failures, and reminding those householders

who burn solid fuel as their main heating source that proper appliance maintenance and chimney sweeping are essential. Most of the recommendations are accepted in principle, and my Department will be working with the Building Regulations Advisory Committee, the DTI, and with the fuel suppliers, chimney component manufacturers and chimney engineers and sweeps to implement them as soon as practical by:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the cost to businesses of the EU agreement on e-commerce jurisdiction in favour of powers of courts of a consumer's country of residence; and if he will make a statement. [135565]

My Department has made a provisional Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) on the consumer provisions of the European Commission's proposal for a Community Regulation on jurisdiction and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (the "Brussels Regulation").Compared to Article 13 of the existing 1968 Brussels Convention, the Commission proposal broadened the scope for consumers to take legal action in their home country when in dispute with traders in other EU member states. The RIA suggests that the risk of being sued by a consumer in another member state is small, but that the Commission proposal could lead to a slight increase in legal expenses insurance premiums for those traders who take out such insurance.The Government opposed the part of the Commission proposal (Recital 13) that would have meant that firms maintaining internet websites would automatically have been at risk of being sued in other EU jurisdictions. The Commission's amended proposal which has just been received omits that recital. Discussions between member states in the Council working group last week suggest that the amended Commission proposal is likely to form the basis of the final agreement on the consumer provisions of the draft Regulation. My Department will prepare a revised RIA. Our provisional assessment is that in comparison with the existing Article 13, the final text is unlikely to impose substantial additional costs on traders.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will ask the Post Office Users' National Council to reconsider the guidelines for consultation by the Post Office on the closure of main offices with a view to requiring such consultation before any commercial contracts are agreed. [134508]

I understand that the Post Office Users' National Council and the Post Office are in the process of reviewing and revising the Code of Practice on post office closures, including the consultation procedures, to see how the code might be improved and strengthened.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what is the expected percentage real return for the Department of Trade and Industry on the launch aid which has been provided for the Airbus A3XX; [135853](2) what is the total value of repayments to the Department of Trade and Industry which fall due under contractual conditions on the Airbus A3XX grant aid package. [135856]

Conditions in the A3XX launch investment contract, as with all other launch investments, remain commercially confidential.Launch investment is a risk and revenue sharing Government investment in the design and development of specific civil aerospace projects in the UK. The investment is not a grant and is repayable at a real rate of return, usually via levies on sales of the product developed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if his Department uses the Index of Multiple Deprivation in the allocation of funds. [134574]

No. In 1999, the Government, co-ordinated by the Department of Trade and Industry, used ward information from the previous 1998 Index of Local Deprivation in England and its Scottish and Welsh equivalents to help identify areas covered by the urban strand of Objective 2 of the European Structural Funds for the period 2000–06. No similar decisions have occurred since publication of the new Indices of Deprivation 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) external consultants and (b) departmental officials her Department employed in Tanzania between 1997 and 2000–01; and if she will list which projects they have worked on. [135217]

Between 1997 and 2000–01 this Department has directly employed more than 230 external consultants from many different countries, including as many as possible locally, on over 300 assignments to contribute to our programme in Tanzania and has increased the number of our staff in country from 14 to 26. We have also contributed resources to joint Government of Tanzania/multi-donor projects that employ local consultants. All projects in the Tanzania programme have benefited from consultancy inputs.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Tourism Challenge Fund; and if she will list the countries which are taking part. [135113]

The Tourism Challenge Fund was launched at the beginning of this year and the first projects were selected in July. At present, we are finalising contractual arrangements with the successful bidders. It is too early to determine the effectiveness of the Fund as the selected projects have not yet been established. Moreover, as we are still in the process of completing the Fund's first full bidding cycle, it is also too early to evaluate policy and procedures. We intend to review the Fund's performance in the fourth quarter of 2001.The projects selected in the first bidding round are located in Namibia, The Gambia and Indonesia.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many press releases were issued by her Department, its agencies and non-departmental bodies in (a) 1999 and (b) 2000 to date; and how many of them have been made available on the Department's website. [135157]

This Department issued 82 press releases in 1999, and has issued 37 press releases so far in 2000. They are available on the Department's website.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff her Department employs to maintain her Department's website; how frequently each topic area within the website is updated; what expenditure has been incurred by her Department in the operation of the website in 1999–2000; and what the average number of hits on the site was in each of the last six months. [135156]

The Department for International Development has one internet manager maintaining its website. The various topic areas within the website are updated regularly, where appropriate on a daily basis. The total expenditure incurred in the operation of the website for 1999–2000 was £13,257. The average number of hits on the website for the last six months are as follows: May—38,670, June—38,081, July—39,800, August—40,199, September 37,933, October—46,863.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from the UK' s partners in (a) the Trigat Medium Range Anti-Tank guided weapon programme and (b) other joint programmes in which the UK is a partner about the UK's withdrawal from the Trigat programme; and if he will make a statement. [134345]

This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many nuclear hunter-killer submarines will be berthed in Devonport at a single time (a) awaiting rectification work and (b) while rectification work is being carried out; [135757](2) how many hunter-killer submarines he estimates will be berthed in Devonport in order to carry out rectification work to prevent leakages in their cooling systems; [135756](3) what estimate he has made of the likely duration of rectification work being carried out on hunter-killer submarines in Devonport. [135752]

The full inspection programme for nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarines will not be completed until mid-November. The results of the inspections will then need to be analysed and a rectification programme developed for those submarines that require repair. For these reasons, it is impossible at this stage to estimate how long the repair programme at Devonport will take, or the number of submarines that will be under repair or awaiting repair there at any one time. I can confirm, however, that each repair is expected to take some months, but that it should be possible to work on more than one submarine at a time. In addition to Devonport, repairs could be undertaken at HM Naval Base Clyde.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to make an announcement about the contract for roll on/roll off vessels for his Department. [135662]

I announced on 26 October 2000, Official Report, columns 413–14, that subject to final negotiations, we intend to sign a 25-year private finance initiative contract with AWSR Shipping Ltd., based in the UK, for the strategic sealift service. This will deliver the requirement of six roll on/roll off ferries identified in the Strategic Defence Review. Two of the ships for this service will be built by Harland and Wolff, securing 400–600 jobs in Northern Ireland, and four will be built in the Flensburger shipyard. As part of this contract, the ships will be fully crewed by British merchant mariners when they are in Ministry of Defence use. The contract is worth around £950 million (based on expected usage of the ships), of which we expect that about 85 per cent. will be spent in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the availability of live ammunition for use in naval exercises. [134930]

Live ammunition is available for use by HM ships in naval exercises. Each individual ship has an annual practice allowance, some of which may be used during exercises. The quantity used in naval exercises is determined by a range of factors such as operational and training priorities and the most cost-effective balance between live and simulated firings.The specific allocation of ammunition is withheld in accordance with exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, which relates to defence, security and international relations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the proportion of total defence spending which is to be spent on nuclear armaments. [135389]

In the last financial year, 1999–2000, expenditure on the nuclear warhead programme totalled £391 million—that is, approximately 1.75 per cent. of net defence expenditure for the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress being made in regard to the sea bed containment of cluster bombs dropped by his Department in Luce bay. [135117]

Work on the sea bed containment of the cluster bombs released in Luce bay began on 31 August 2000. The manufacture of the RENO mattresses at the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) range at West Freugh is now complete. The frames to which the mattresses will be attached have been delivered and tested. The associated equipment, including a barge and crane, required for the deployment of these mattresses is in place. Two of the 12 locations of the cluster bombs have been successfully covered and work on the containment of a third site has commenced. Progress, however, has been hampered in recent weeks by severe weather conditions. To complete the work a two-week period of good weather conditions is required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what type of projectiles have been (a) fired and (b) dropped at the Luce Bay (Tons Warren) range in the last 12 months; and if the (i) firings and (ii) bombings were at hard targets. [135833]

During the last five years, a variety of stores, both inert and live, have been released and/or fired on the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) range at West Freugh which comprises the sea danger area of Luce Bay and the land target area of Tons Warren. Bombs, rockets and missiles have been released over Luce Bay where most of the trials activities take place. Fixed and rotary wing machine guns of various calibres are also fired. Bombs are also released on the land target area and fixed and rotary wing machine guns of various calibres fired. Missiles are fired from the land out into the bay. Hard targets are normally perceived to be bunkers and vehicles such as tanks. There are no such targets at DERA West Freugh. There are, however, barges in the bay which are used for inert store releases and three large concrete areas on the land. Any live stores released on to either the concrete or the surrounding softer land are cleared by explosive ordnance demolition techniques as part of DERA's good housekeeping.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contingency plans he has for using service drivers to deliver oil to other than essential service providers. [135943]

[holding answer 31 October 2000]: Contingency planning is in hand to provide military drivers if required to deliver fuel to essential service providers. Definitions of essential services, and decisions on who should receive fuel, are not a matter for the Ministry of Defence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what powers he has to direct service drivers to drive oil tankers owned by private contractors or oil companies. [135942]

[holding answer 31 October 2000]: The Emergency Powers Act 1964 empowers the Defence Council to authorise the employment of the armed forces on urgent work of national importance. The provision of tankers is a matter for the oil companies and other Government Departments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service drivers are being trained to drive oil tankers. [135941]

[holding answer 31 October 2000]: Around 900 drivers are expected to have been trained by mid-November. These are in addition to the drivers, numbering nearly 200, who are already qualified and able to provide assistance if required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK forces are (a) deployed in Sierra Leone and (b) about to be deployed; from which parts of the armed forces they have come; and what their mission and rules of engagement are. [135921]

[holding answer 31 October 2000]: The total number of troops deployed on the ground in Sierra Leone will vary, depending on the training under way, but it will be somewhat over 400, compared with the 300 prior to the announcement on 10 October 2000.The personnel are drawn from all three services and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service.The UK forces in Sierra Leone are employed in a training and advisory capacity, not to participate directly in combat operations. They are, however, issued with robust rules of engagement to allow them to defend themselves if necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the work of his Department in promoting awareness of AIDS and how to avoid contracting it. [134744]

In the absence of a cure for AIDS or a vaccine against HIV, prevention remains our best weapon in the fight against the spread of HIV. We therefore remain committed to funding health promotion work, including awareness campaigns for groups most at risk of HIV and the general population. £3 million has been allocated to sexual health promotion work for 2000–01 including HIV/AIDS health promotion. The Department also funds the National AIDS Helpline health promotion. The Department also funds the National AIDS Helpline which provides confidential advice and information on all aspects of HIV and AIDS.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to (a) social services departments, (b) care home providers and (c) providers of care in non-residential settings concerning the development and application of resuscitation policies; and how compliance with such guidance is monitored. [134842]

[holding answer 26 October 2000]: Resuscitation decisions are among the most sensitive decisions that clinicians, patients and parents may have to make. Decisions whether to resuscitate patients is primarily a clinical matter for the doctor responsible for the treatment of the patient concerned. Whenever possible, the doctor should involve the patient in the decision-making, and when appropriate, their relatives or carers.When making resuscitation decisions the doctor should have regard to guidance on resuscitation decision-making issued by a professional and recognised body of medical opinion.On 5 September, the Department issued a Health Service Circular Resuscitation Policy (HSC2000/28) to National Health Service trust chief executives—copied to chairs of public health groups—which makes clear that patients' rights are central to decision-making on resuscitation.It is not the responsibility of social services departments, care home providers, nor providers of care in non-residential settings, to make decisions concerning resuscitation.In circumstances where persons in their care may have collapsed and are in need of medical attention, local procedures should have been developed which set out arrangements to deal appropriately with such cases. This protocol should be available and understood by all staff involved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average amount spent per child in care by each local authority in England on the placement of children in residential care for each of the last five years for which figures are available. [135097]

Information on reported gross expenditure per child per week on the placement of children in residential care by local authorities is contained in the Department's key indicator graphical system. Indicator PAFB9 provides information for 1997–98, 1998–99 and 1999–2000 but is not available for earlier years. It refers to children placed in community homes. Indicator UC74 provides information for 1998–99 and earlier years on a slightly different basis as it also includes placements in secure units; it is not yet available for 1999–2000. Tables for both indicators have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were placed in residential care homes by each local authority in England in the last five years for which figures are available. [135105]

The information requested is given in the table.

Number of children1 looked after by local authorities who were placed in residential children's homes at 31 March, 1995 to 2000,
England
	Residential children's homes2
	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
England	6,600	6,400	6,200	6,300	6,500
North East Shire counties
Durham	74	74	67	55	72
Northumberland	58	47	45	39	41
Unitary authorities
Darlington	30	33	25	17	14
Hartlepool	9	7	2	1	3
Middlesbrough	34	27	18	17	19
Redcar and Cleveland	30	22	24	15	11
Stockton on Tees	21	23	16	25	3
Metropolitan districts
Gateshead	73	57	64	48	48
Newcastle upon Tyne	56	63	59	64	61
North Tyneside	18	22	21	18	22
South Tyneside	53	50	58	52	44
Sunderland	73	71	61	70	70
North West Shire counties
Cheshire	35	38	48	47	39
Cumbria	38	34	42	29	33
Lancashire	285	296	291	301	274
Unitary authorities
Blackburn and Darwen	55	49	70	50	46
Blackpool	47	41	38	31	30
Halton	2	4	6	5	6
Warrington	9	12	13	13	12
Metropolitan districts
Bolton	47	38	39	27	29
Bury	26	25	24	28	30
Manchester	92	110	82	92	95
Oldham	37	33	42	42	53
Rochdale	31	34	31	41	25
Salford	37	46	51	60	94
Stockport	71	72	56	70	51
Tameside	28	30	31	21	23
Trafford	40	45	32	47	35
Wigan	33	34	39	41	41
Merseyside metropolitan districts
Knowsley	16	23	20	16	19
Liverpool	184	187	203	191	203
Sefton	59	47	41	49	44
St. Helens	41	37	45	36	42
Wirral	49	39	33	30	28
Yorkshire and Humberside Shire counties
North Yorkshire	22	16	26	29	24
Unitary authorities
East Riding Yorkshire	14	23	48	36	36
Kingston upon Hull	92	103	113	103	103
North East Lincolnshire	38	33	29	29	32
North Lincolnshire	44	43	27	37	28
York	23	21	14	18	17
Metropolitan districts
Barnsley	59	77	58	57	57
Bradford	44	54	45	90	99
Calderdale	48	53	48	40	37
Doncaster	43	48	58	53	65