To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent progress has been made in decommissioning terrorist weapons. [107075]

Currently no organisation is in contact with the IICD. I have reiterated on many occasions, and the position remains the same, it is imperative that both republican and loyalist paramilitary organisations complete the transition to exclusively peaceful means, real, total and permanent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on decommissioning. [107080]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to my hon. Friend the Member for North-West Leicestershire (David Taylor).

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether representatives from every bereaved family have been invited to the official opening ceremony of the RUC Garden of Remembrance. [107076]

No date has been set yet for the official opening of the Garden of Remembrance. The Trustees of the RUC GC Foundation have advised me that they intend to issue invitations to all the families of murdered officers to the opening ceremony and to special events following the official opening.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent talks he has had with the political parties in Northern Ireland on the future of political institutions. [107078]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Anniesland (John Robertson).

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had on the prospects for re-establishing the Northern Ireland Assembly. [107079]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Anniesland (John Robertson).

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent talks he has had with Northern Ireland party leaders on the future of devolution in Northern Ireland. [107081]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Anniesland (Joan Robertson).

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what dates in the past six months fire pumping appliances at Coleraine Fire Station have been found to the mechanically unsound and unsuitable for use in attending fire calls. [106999]

Over the past six months, the two fire appliances stationed at Coleraine Fire Station have been 'off run' due to mechanical defects on a total of five occasions. The longest of these was 37 days and a replacement vehicle was available for the period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether there has been a change in policy on response levels for the Fire Brigade; and whether response times were met at Coleraine Fire Station on (a) 4 March and (b) 7 March. [107000]

The Northern Ireland Fire Brigade applies nationally defined standards of fire cover, categorised as A, B, C & D, where A is the highest risk.On 4 March 2003 fire appliances from Coleraine Fire Station were required to attend one Category C incident, which required an appliance to be at the scene within 8–10 minutes. On this occasion the response time was not met and the appliance arrived 13 minutes from the time of alert.On the 7 March 2003 there were a total of four incidents, all Category C requiring attendance by appliances from Coleraine Fire Station. On each occasion the first appliance arrived within 8 minutes from the time of the alert.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what mechanical work has been undertaken to the fire pumping appliances located at Coleraine Fire Station in the six months to 7 March 2003. [107001]

Over the past six months to 7 March 2003, the following repairs were required to the two appliances stationed at Coleraine:

Vehicle: PDZ 4239
Date	Repair
10 September 2002	Repairs to relay
23 September 2002	Air leak
18 October 2002	Air leak
18 November 2002	Brakes defective
19 November 2002	Service
20 November 2002	List from service
21 January 2003 to 26 February 2003	Accident damage repairs
3 March 2003	Wailer defective
4 March 2003	Fail to start
7 March 2003	Renew Wiring

Vehicle: NDZ 2505
Date	Repair
23 September 2002	Wiring defective
3 October 2002	Hose reel blown off (nozzle)
22 October 2002	Defective searchlight
29 October 2002	Defective indicator

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects work to commence on the installation of car-parking facilities adjacent to Derryboy Primary Schoool in the South Eastern Education and Library area. [106126]

The South Eastern Education and Library Board are responsible for capital development at Derryboy Primary School. The Board has advised that additional land is required to enable the provision of car parking facilities at the school. The Board has identified a site and is awaiting a valuation from the Valuation and Lands Agency. When the valuation is available, the Board will be able to seek the approval of the Department of Education for the purchase of the site and to consider the project for inclusion in its minor works programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many procedures were postponed at hospitals in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months; and how many of these postponements resulted from emergency pressures. [106617]

Information is not readily available in the form requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are used to assess the level of activity at hospitals in Northern Ireland. [106618]

Activity levels are assessed in terms of the number of beds and their usage, the number of sessions held and the number of attendances. Detailed definitions of all of the specific measures can be found in the DHSSPS annual Hospital Statistics publication which is available in the Library and from our website http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/stats&research/order.html.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cancellations and postponements of appointments there were at Northern Ireland hospitals in each of the last three years. [106619]

Information is riot available in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what grants and other financial assistance have been made available to Hyster for the expansion of manufacturing at its Craigavon plant; and what assessment has been made of the impact on other Hyster plants in the UK as a result of grants given to support the expansion of manufacturing at its Craigavon plant. [108117]

My officials at Invest NI are in the process of finalising an agreement with NACCO Materials Handling Group, which manufactures a full range of forklift trucks under the Hyster and Yale brands. As that agreement has not yet been signed or approved by the Board of NACCO, I cannot provide you with specific financial information. I can, however, state that this project is not an expansion of current activities, but is aimed at securing and safeguarding current employment levels at Craigavon and an integral part of the appraisal process is to ensure that any proposed assistance does not disadvantage any other area of the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which organisations and projects have received grants from the Lisburn Peace and Reconciliation Partnership in each year since its formation. [106869]

The Lisburn Peace and Reconciliation Partnership was set up to administer a range of Measures under PEACE I and PEACE II Programmes. To date it has allocated funding of £4.47 million.

The attached Annexes details the organisations and amounts which received funding from the PEACE I (Annex A) and PEACE II (Annex B) Programmes. The detail for the PEACE I Programme is only available at organisation and amount awarded level.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on neurosurgery services in Northern Ireland, with particular reference to the availability of elective surgery. [107478]

Neurosurgery services in Northern Ireland are managed on a regional basis by the Royal Group of Hospitals Trust. Currently, the service is under significant pressure and limited elective neurosurgery is being carried out, the majority of cases being emergency and clinically urgent cases.The pressures on the Regional Neurosurgery service have arisen mainly as a result of shortages in experienced nursing staff, which is not a phenomenon particular to Northern Ireland; there are similar problems with this service throughout the NHS. Considerable efforts are being made by the Royal Group of Hospitals to address the current problems. These include the provision of additional theatre lists, the recruitment of nurses to allow additional neurosurgical beds to be opened, and treatment provided outside Northern Ireland for a small number of suitable patients. Work is also ongoing at the Royal Group of Hospitals in conjunction with the Health and Social Services Boards to consider proposals to further improve the service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which schools in the South Eastern Education and Library Board area will lose funding as a result of the Department of Education's decision on the changes to payment of the threshold award; and what the shortfall will be for each of the schools affected. [106125]

As the increase in schools' delegated budgets in 2003–04 is greater than in 2002–03, the South Eastern Education and Library Board provided the schools it funds with threshold figures for planning purposes only. The Board compared the actual costs of the threshold salary uplift in 2002–03 with the nominal position had the threshold budget been included in the Aggregated Schools Budget that year. However, as the Board has increased its Aggregated Schools Budget by 9 per cent. in 2003– 04, it is more appropriate for schools to consider their entire salary expenditure against their total budget before a budget shortfall can be inferred. It is also the case that the Board is proposing to its Finance and Property Services Committee to make £165,700 available to assist those schools with particular levels of threshold salary costs. In these circumstances, the final position will not be known until schools have completed their expenditure plans against their whole budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding has gone from the Northern Ireland Sports Council to the Northern Ireland Cycling Federation in the last three years. [106363]

The Sports Council for Northern Ireland has not allocated any funding to the Northern Ireland Cycling Federation over the last three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many awards from the (a) Talented Athlete, (b) Talented Athlete Next Generation and (c) Talented Junior programmes have been made to cyclists who are members of the Northern Ireland Cycling Federation. [106364]

One award has been made to a cyclist, who is a member of the Northern Ireland Cycling Federation, under the Talented Junior Programme in 2002–03. To date no awards from the Talented Athlete or Talented Athlete Next Generation programmes have been made directly to cyclists who are members of the Northern Ireland Cycling Federation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in what constituencies (a) Exchequer and (b) Lottery funding goes to prepare competitions in (i) hockey, (ii) athletics, (iii) cycling, (iv) swimming and (v) equestrianism to compete against British teams. [106365]

Information on Exchequer and Lottery funding for sport is retained in accordance with how it is distributed, i.e. to sport, to individual athletes and by programme. Exchequer and Lottery funding is not distributed on a parliamentary constituency basis and consequently the details you have requested cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money has been allocated to (a) athletes and (b) equestrianism in Northern Ireland from (i) Lottery funding, and (ii) Exchequer funding in (a) 2000– 01, (b) 2001–02, (c) 2002– 03 and (d) 2003–04; and for which country the competitors allocated funding for the 2004 Olympic Games will be competing. [106366]

The total amount of funding allocated to (a) athletics and (b) equestrianism in Northern Ireland from (i) Lottery Funding and (ii) Exchequer Funding in the years listed is as follows:

(i) Lottery funding
£
	Talented athlete	Talented athlete next generation	Talented junior
(a) Athletics
2000–01	92,962	20,502	36,225
2001–02	25,524	18,150	—
2002–03	80,560	11,560	31,500
Total	199,046	50,212	67,725
(b) Equestrianism
2000–01	—	—	—
2001–02	55,560	—	—
2002–03	32,800	6,600	—
Total	88,360	6,600	—

All athletes and riders currently in receipt of Lottery Funding will, if selected, represent Ireland at the 2004 Olympic Games. However, as yet, selection for competition at the 2004 Olympic Games has not taken place, and it would therefore be premature to state that any of the individuals in receipt of awards will be competing. Furthermore any funding awarded is to assist towards preparation and training for major competition in general rather than specific competition such as the 2004 Olympic Games.

(ii) Exchequer Funding
£
	(a) Athletics	(b) Equestrianism
2000–01	40,500	4,663.41
2001–02	48,800	2,000
2002–03	62,500	2,874
Total	151,800	9,537.41

No awards for either Exchequer or Lottery have been issued for the period 2003–04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the impact on the Ulster Hospital of proposed restructuring of hospital services in the province, with particular reference to capital expenditure. [106127]

Under Developing Better Services, the Ulster Hospital will play an integral part in the delivery of acute services for the greater Belfast area.A 4-phase Strategic Development Plan for the Ulster Hospital, estimated at just over £100 million, was announced in July 2001 by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. Phase 1 has been completed at a cost of £1.5 million. The second phase is underway and due for completion during 2005–06 at an estimated cost of £44 million Phases 3 and 4, estimated at a cost of £5 8 million will address the modernisation of the A&E Unit and the enhancement of a range of services and facilities which will help ensure that the Ulster hospital fulfils its role as an acute hospital.The timetable and funding of these developments will be decided when detailed proposals have been agreed with the Trust.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the longest time is that any individual has been waiting for neurosurgical (a) admission and (b) initial outpatient assessment in Northern Ireland. [104733]

Information from the Royal Group of Hospitals indicates that at the end of January 2003 the longest time an individual has been waiting for neurosurgical admission is 3,308 days. That individual has been in regular contact with the consultant and has been receiving other treatment during that time.At the end of January 2003 the longest time an individual has been waiting for a first neurosurgical outpatient appointment is 749 days. That individual has cancelled their appointments on two occasions and has failed to attend on two other occasions. The first outpatient appointment was offered to the patient 183 days after the GP's referral.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether a building research establishment environmental assessment method document has been prepared for the refurbishment at Eland House. [96402]

There are no current plans for a major refurbishment of Eland House. Eland House did have a Design Stage, the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) assessment in 1995, when its fit out for the then Department of the Environment was nearing completion. A Very Good rating was achieved.Recent works to remodel two floors for open plan accommodation did not significantly alter the design of the building and thus did not require a specific BREEAM assessment.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list area-based initiatives operating in (a) the West Midlands and (b) the south-east region, giving the (c) annual budget and (d) regional budget for each in each year since 2000. [106880]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Ludlow (Matthew Green) on 12 March 2003, Official Report, column 320W.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what conferences his Department has (a) sponsored and (b) been represented at since May 2002; and what was the cost of each sponsored conference since May 2002. [91621]

The main conference sponsored by the Office was the November 2002 Urban Summit conference at a cost of £300,000. The Summit contributed to Government's thinking on the future urban agenda, including the Sustainable Communities Plan.Other significant conferences that the Office has contributed to include:

	£
UNECE 9th Conference on Urban and Regional research	90,000
Six national E-local Government regional conferences	30,000
Major Infrastructures Conference	26,000
The Strategic Partnering Taskforce Conference	22,000
NHS Confederation "Connecting 2002" Annual Conference	20,000
New Economics Foundation Inner Cities 100 Forum	20,000

The Office has given support to a further 14 conferences, costing a total of £67,050.Information on conferences at which the Office has been represented is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimates he has made of the cost of council tax collection and enforcement in each local authority in Suffolk. [108018]

Local authorities in Suffolk reported council tax collection costs in 2002–03 as tabled as follows:

	£0001
Babergh	470
Forest Heath	494
Ipswich	1,173
Mid Suffolk	274
St. Edmundsbury	738
Suffolk Coastal	774
Waveney	469
1 Budgeted figures

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the budget is for the Homebuy scheme for (a) the current financial year and (b) 2003–04; and what his forecast is for spend as a percentage of budget by 31 March. [92785]

The Housing Corporation expects to spend 100 per cent. of the £42.1 million budget for the Homebuy scheme in the current financial year (2002–03). The amount of funding for the scheme for 2003–04 has not yet been determined.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homeless people there were in the Buckingham constituency on 31 March 2002. [107777]

Aylesbury Vale District Council reported that there were 137 homeless households resident in all forms of temporary accommodation under statutory homelessness provisions on 31 March 2002. This information relates to households in the local authority area. Aylesbury Vale DC contains the entire Parliamentary constituency of Buckingham, and part of Aylesbury.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will publish a model code of conduct for employees of local authorities under section 82 of Part III of the Local Government Act 2000; and if he will make a statement. [107840]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister intends to issue a draft code for consultation later in the year.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received about the Local Authorities (Alteration of Requisite Calculations) (England) Regulations. [107783]

No representations were received about the draft Local Authorities (Alteration of Requisite Calculations) (England) Regulations 2003, nor have any representations about those regulations been received since these regulations (S.I. 2003/195) were made.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the time scale by which newly elected parish and town councillors must meet the requirements of the new Code of Practice [108116]

Newly elected parish and town councillors are required to make a declaration of acceptance of office, which includes an undertaking to observe the code of conduct. The code requires that within 28 days of election or appointment to office, a member must register his financial and other interests.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the pilot programme of neighbourhood wardens schemes across England and Wales. [107096]

The evaluation of Neighbourhood Wardens is ongoing and the final report is expected in the Summer. Evaluation of the Street Warden programme is in its early stages and interim reports are not yet available. A copy of the 'Neighbourhood Wardens Scheme Evaluation Case Studies—Preliminary Report' and the 'Implications Paper' has been placed in the in the Library of the House.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is on balancing urban infill against new settlements. [107150]

"Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future" underlines the Government's determination to tackle housing shortages in a way that ensures communities are sustainable. Planning Policy Guidance note 3, 'Housing', sets out the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's policy that local planning authorities should consider redevelopment of previously developed land for housing before greenfield sites, and states that urban extensions are likely to be more sustainable than new settlements.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his target for new social housing in urban areas. [107151]

The Government have not set a target for new social housing in urban areas.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the maximum time allotment for the appeals process under the rateable values system is. [107041]

Rating appeals are dealt with in accordance with programmes drawn up by the valuation officers, and the valuation tribunals which will hear the appeals. There is no statutory time limit within which an appeal must be heard, but the programme will indicate the timetable for dealing with a particular appeal. Where an appeal is successful, interest is paid on the refund.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide funding for an improvement to the junction of the A59 at the Clitheroe and Sabden junction. [107954]

The Highways Agency will shortly take forward an improvement of this junction including a prohibition of right-turns and some changes of signing and lining. Lancashire county council are due to take control of this section of road this year and it will be for them to decide whether future improvements are necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the (a) roles, (b) function and (c) staffing of the air travel health unit in his Department; and what the annual budget of the unit will be. [108009]

The Aviation Health Unit, announced on 6 March, will become a centre of expertise and the primary source of advice to the Department for Transport and the Department for Health on health issues affecting air passengers and crew.Based at the offices of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) at Gatwick, it will offer advice to air passengers and crew; handle public enquiries; investigate potential new aviation health concerns; provide technical input into international organisations; and identify the need for, and manage, future research.The Head of the Unit will decide on staffing requirements. Funding of up to £200,000 a year will be provided by the Department for Transport until the CAA is given statutory duties for aviation health, allowing it to fund the unit's work out of charges imposed on the aviation industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on bicycle safety in London. [107405]

My Department has received eight such representations in the financial year 02/03. Cycling safety in London is the responsibility of the Mayor of London and Transport for London.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff were employed by his Department in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03. [106966]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 4 April 2003, Official Report, columns 891–92W.

Expenditure on named schemes in the Tendring district of Essex
£000
Scheme	1998– 99	1999– 2000	2000–01	2001– 02	2002–031
A133 Little Clacton Bypass	166	381	394	0	0
Al20 Dovercourt Bypass Stage 2 Phase 1	9	14	18	0	0
A133 Little Clacton Bypass and Gorse Lane Link Stage 2	95	16	0	0	0
A136 Parkeston Bypass Stage 1	491	322	207	16	-2
A136 Parkeston Bypass Stage 2	103	0	0	656	973
B1029 Brightlingsea Bends	0	15	12	15	296
Jaywick Relief Road	250	0	0	0	0
Jaywick Spine Road Stage 2	0	0	0	341	236
Total	1,114	748	631	1,028	1,503
1 Note final

Expenditure in Tendring district under LTP on:
	£	£
Integrated Transport Scheme	409,000	437,000
Roads maintenance	1,529,000	779,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the British Airline Pilots Association about EU proposals to standardise flight time limitations throughout the EU; and if he will make a statement. [107221]

[holding answer 8 April 2003]: There have been several meetings between BALPA and the Civil Aviation Authority at which the European Parliament's proposal has been discussed. The CAA has reviewed the European Parliament's proposed FTL requirements. They advise that, while the requirements are not totally acceptable, with suitable amendment they could form a baseline European FTL requirement which could be supplemented by additional requirements in each Member State. We recognise the need for FTL requirements to be harmonised at a European level and should the proposal come before the Council we will work constructively with other Member States to ensure that it is appropriately amended.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding the Harwich constituency has received under the local transport plan since 1997. [107714]

Since year 2000, allocations under the Local Transport Plan procedures (and prior to that their predecessor Transport Policies and Programme) have been made by my Department to local transport authorities, in this case Essex county Council. LTPs identify individual schemes costing over £5 million as `major schemes'; make a block allocations for integrated transport measures each costing less than £5 million; and make an allocation for maintenance based on a common formula. Figures are kept only for the Tendring district council area as a whole and so it is possible to identify expenditure falling solely within the Harwich constituency only for major schemes, by reference to their location.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 3 February 2003, Official Report, column 40W, on Crossrail, when his Department will announce its final decision on the project. [107743]

The Department is continuing to examine proposals for Crossrail. Decisions on the way forward and on the timing of any announcements have yet to been taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the M1 motorway in both directions between junctions 23 and 25 to be devoid of lane closures due to roadworks. [107551]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for South-East Cambridgeshire (Mr. Paice) of 6 March 2003, Official Report, columns 1155–56W, on pollution, what sources were used to calculate the cost of abatement of pollutants. [107166]

The data presented in my answer were based on work from a number of different sources. Figures for the cost of emissions reduction from LPG vehicles were calculated using work carried out by the Energy Saving Trust as part of the Government's Powershift programme.Figures for the costs of carbon reduction for biofuels were based on a range of life-cycle' CO2 values from the following published studies:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions (a) his Department and (b) the Strategic Rail Authority have had with Chiltern Rail on the impact of the proposed Central Railways project on passenger services. [107738]

The Strategic Rail Authority has commissioned studies to examine, inter alia, the impact of the Central Railways proposals on the existing rail network and services (both passenger and freight).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Strategic Rail Authority regarding the impact of its Capacity Utilisation Policy on rail services to and from Edinburgh. [107030]

The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) has consulted widely on its Capacity Utilisation Policy and has recently published a Statement of Principles (copy in the House Library). The next stage is for the SRA to commence route by route studies of Capacity Utilisation and at this stage local stakeholders will be consulted about the possible impact of the Policy in their localities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the adequacy of information collected on incidents affecting passenger (a) experiences and (b) perceptions of personal safety when using the railways; and if he will make a statement. [106882]

The British Transport Police records all reported crime on the railways in accordance with Home Office instructions and standards. The Strategic Rail Authority's twice yearly "National Passenger Survey" includes questions on passengers' perceptions of safety. The survey is carried out to an approved methodology in accordance with Market Research Society's codes of conduct.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on recent SRA directions to Virgin trains regarding their financial position. [107364]

The Strategic Rail Authority has determined franchise payments for both Virgin franchises for the year March 2003 to February 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the volatile organic compounds level is (a) in the south east region of England and (b) in the vicinity of the main airports in the south east region of England. [107010]

I have been asked to reply.Volatile organic compounds are monitored at nine sites in the south east region of England. The annual mean data for benzene and 1,3-butadiene are given in tables 1 and 2. Further information for a wider range of other volatile organic compounds is available on the National Air Information Quality Archive (www.airquality.co.uk) for two of these sites.Defra does not undertake any volatile organic compounds measurements at the main airports in the south east region of England. BAA has undertaken measurements of benzene and 1,3-butadiene at Gatwick and Heathrow. These indicated that concentrations of both pollutants are below the levels set in the Air Quality Strategy.

Table 1: Means of measured Benzene concentrations, in micrograms per metre cubed, (µg/m3) at UK hydrocarbon sites
	Annual mean
Monitoring Site	1999	2000	2001	2002
Harwell 1	0.88	0.53	0.62	0.60
Marylebone Road 2	10.75	6.29	4.55	3.91
Oxford Centre 3	n/a	n/a	n/a	41.40
Reading 5	n/a	n/a	n/a	61.43
Southampton Centre 5	n/a	n/a	n/a	1.63
Portsmouth 5	n/a	n/a	n/a	61.17
Hove roadside 3	n/a	n/a	n/a	41.66
London Bloomsbury 5	n/a	n/a	n/a	61.56
Haringey roadside 3	n/a	n/a	n/a	42.63

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will estimate (a) the number of people who would benefit from a rise in the national minimum wage to £6 per hour, (b) how much Government expenditure would be saved by the consequential reduction of means tested benefits and (c) what the economic consequences would be of such a rise, with a statement of how she arrived at her estimate; and if she will make a statement. [105105]

The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many (a) adults and (b) employers were on the adult development rate of the national minimum wage in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002 and (iii) 2003; [106659](2) what the guidelines are for the operation of the adult development rate of the national minimum wage; [106658](3) what the guidelines are for payment of the national minimum wage. [106657]

Around 60,000 adults were eligible for the older workers' Development Rate in both 2001 and 2002, according to data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). There are no LFS figures for 2003 available yet.Use of the older workers' Development Rate remains small. According to a survey of employers in low-paying sectors by the Low Pay Commission, 4 per cent. Of employers said they used it. This is likely to be an overestimate of the use of the Development Rate among employers in the economy as a whole. However, the Commission recommended in their recent report that, on balance, they thought the older workers' Development Rate should remain in place for the time being.Guidelines on the operation of the minimum wage are contained in the booklet, "A Detailed Guide to the National Minimum Wage", which is available from the Inland Revenue's National Minimum Wage helpline 0845–6000–678, and is also available on the Department of Trade and Industry's website at: www.dti.gov.uk/er/nmw. I will send the hon. Member a copy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the measures relating to the use of intranets in the draft Orders under the Export Control Act 2000 require that intranet servers are located in the United Kingdom. [106088]

The consultation document on the draft secondary legislation sets out how the proposed controls on the electronic transfer of information would operate in respect of the location and use of internet servers.Whether or not a licence is required depends on where the addressee of an electronic transfer is located, not on where the transfer may be routed in the course of the transfer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to review the application of (a) British Summer Time and (b) Greenwich Mean Time. [108007]

The Government have no plans to alter the present summer time arrangements, but we shall continue to listen to the arguments for and against change.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 11 February, Official Report, column 660W, if she will make a statement on the value for money which has been secured from spending on civil space aid for the period from 1997 to 2003. [107196]

[holding answer 8 April 2003]: A comprehensive review by Technopolis Group Ltd. examined the impact and achievements of public support for UK civil space activities and was published by my Department in 2001. It concluded that it has been appropriate for the UK to contribute to the development of a global space infrastructure and the sponsorship of pioneering services. It also recommended that the Partners in the British National Space Centre explore ways in which they might improve the evidence base from which they formulate policies and evaluate opportunities. As a result, in parallel with the preparation of the new draft UK Space Strategy, my Department has commissioned researchers from SQW and SPRU (University of Sussex) to assess the extent to which DTI funded business support programmes have generated economic benefits for the UK. The results of this study will be published.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what guidance her Department issues to civil servants on how to deal with claims from organisations that the information they provide to the Department is commercially confidential. [105560]

It is not standard practice to verify claims of commercial confidentiality on receiving information from organisations as this issue is normally only relevant if the question arises as to whether the information should be disclosed to another party.The Code of Practice on Access to Government Information and the guidance on the operation of the Code helps officials determine whether such information should be disclosed or withheld in response to an individual request. Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice specifically exempts a third party's commercial confidences. The Code and accompanying guidance is available to staff on the DTI intranet.While it is ultimately for my Department to determine, in accordance with the Code, whether to disclose information in response to requests we receive, third parties whose interests may be adversely affected a re normally consulted in order to inform the Department's decision.Similar considerations apply if the information requested is environmental information which is subject to the Environmental Information Regulations as distinct from the Code of Practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the fees paid by her Department to (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte & Touche, (c) KPMG and (d) Ernst & Young since January 2002. [100832]

Central records indicate that the following fees have been paid in the period since January 2002:

	£
PricewaterhouseCoopers	8,407,225
Deloitte & Touche	6,415,336
KPMG	64,625
Ernst & Young	1,357,586

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many documents are held by her Department that are subject to security classification, broken down by category of classification. [107347]

It is not possible to provide the requested statistics without incurring disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much (a) her Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body spent on external consultancy in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (planned); and if she will make a statement. [92260]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my Noble Friend, Lord Sainsbury on 14 January 2003, Official Report, column 26. Central records indicate that for the current financial year, 2002–03, £35 million is at present committed for consultancy.I have asked the Department's Executive Agencies to respond directly to the hon. Member. Information by NDPBs is not held centrally and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to her Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by her Department in each year since 1997. [103724]

I have understood an external report to be a report produced at the request of government by a person, group or organisation external to the department and which is publicly available. To distinguish the external reports produced by my Department, and provide their commissioned authors or organisations, could only be done at disproportionate cost, as this information is not held centrally.However a list of all DTI publications produced since 12 February 2002, which have been notified to my Department's Publications Unit, has been placed in the Libraries of the House. For publications produced prior to this date I refer the hon Member to the answer given to the hon Member for Buckingham on 25 February 2002,

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Indus try what the estimated level of saving to the Department is from the use of market testing in 2002–03. [107771]

The Department of Trade and Industry has not undertaken any market testing in the year 2002–03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list telephone services operated by her Department in order to provide advice or services relating to changes in the method of paying pensions and benefits; and if she will place in the Library copies of the scripts used by the people answering the telephones. [107596]

The customer telephone helpline services. concerning changes to the payment arrangements for benefits and pensions, are operated by the Department for Work and Pensions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions her Department has had with the UK broadband industry regarding proposed changes to the legislative framework regulating street works. [107808]

There have been discussions with a number of telecoms operators at ministerial and official level regarding the proposed street works legislation.

To ask the Minister for Women how many documents are held by her office that are subject to security classification, broken down by category of classification. [107350]

It is not possible to provide the requested statistics without incurring disproportionate cost.

To ask the Minister for Women what recent EU funding her Department has received from the Daphne programme: and what specific projects were supported by such funding. [107517]

To date, there has been no funding bid submitted to the Daphne programme by this Department. We are currently liaising with non-governmental organisations so that they are aware of the opportunities offered by the new Daphne programme.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 31 March, Official Report, column 560W, on the Crown Estate, when a Minister from the Treasury last met Crown Estate representatives; and what issues were discussed. [108196]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 11 February 2002 Official Report columns 114–115W.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 31 March, Official Report, column 560W, on the Crown Estate, what assessment has been made of the impact of Crown Estate charges levied for use of the seabed on those who pay it. [108197]

Rents charged by The Crown Estate for use of the seabed are established by professional valuers in negotiation with users and where appropriate involve consultation with the relevant industry or interest groups. The rents are set at levels appropriate to the market conditions and must not take advantage of any monopoly interest. Any tenant may have the level of rent independently evaluated by the Valuation Office.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of (a) the in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by the Department in 2002. [1042541

The cost of the staff restaurant and associated facilities provided by the Treasury's caterers during 2001–02 was £156,126. The cost of other catering services was £198,048.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) staff and (b) staff engaged in inspection work have been employed by (i) HM Customs and Excise and (ii) the Inland Revenue in each year since 1997. [105872]

The information is as follows:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent in 2002 on providing taxis for staff. [105618]

[holding answer 28 March 2003]: The Treasury meets the cost of taxis necessarily used by its staff for official business. When a member of staff is required to work until after 9pm, it will also meet the cost of a taxi home. In 2002, total expenditure on the Department's taxi and courier contract was £111,000. Of this, some £3,500 was in respect of taxis home.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the sunset clauses included in legislation from his Department since 1997. [106939]

No substantive provision of post-1997 legislation for which the Chancellor's Department is responsible lapses automatically after a specified period of time or ceases to have effect on a particular date.However, some of the transitional provisions connected with the coming into force of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 cease to have effect on a certain date.In addition, certain provisions in legislation for which the Treasury is responsible cease to have effect on the occurrence of a particular event. For example, legislation which implements United Nations Security Council Resolutions which call on the UK to impose financial sanctions generally provide that if the United Nations Security Council cancel the operation of the relevant Resolution, the Order ceases to have effect.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress is being made over proposals to amend the EC marketing standard for apples and pears. [108069]

[holding answer 8 April 2003]: The EU Commission tabled further proposals to amend the marketing standard for apples and pears at a meeting of member states' experts on 28 March. Our Horticultural Marketing Inspectorate is consulting widely on these proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 1 April 2003, Official Report, column 641W, on conservation boards, what steps conservation boards could take to avoid paying VAT. [108005]

As I explained in my previous reply, I am considering the options. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her estimate is of the proportion of her Department's budget which is spent on food, fishing and farming and which is discretionary, rather than being passed through from the European Union; and if she will make a statement. [105082]

Of the Department's Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) budget, 4.8 per cent. is allocated to the Food, Farming and Fisheries Directorate-General, and 14.8 percent. of that allocation is to cover national expenditure under various European Union (EU) schemes, that is expenditure which is additional to that provided by the European Union. No EU funds relating to this Directorate-General's budget are passed through the Department's DEL.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the running costs in 2002 were of (a) her Ministers' private offices, separately identifying expenditure on staff, and (b) her Department. [106005]

The running cost of this Department's Secretariat, including Ministers' private offices, for the financial year 2001–02 (from June 2001 when the Defra was created) was £2,757,000, of which £1,907,000 was on pay. Running costs for 2002–03 are forecast to be in the region of £3,380,000 of which £2,340,000 will be on pay.The actual 2001–02 administrative cost budget outturn for the whole Department was £643.9 million. The departmental running cost figure for 2002–03 will be published shortly in departmental appropriation and resource accounts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the EU Directives and Regulations which have been implemented by her Department since 17 April 2002. [106825]

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs plays a leading role in the UK's EU policy on the environment, agriculture, fisheries, animal and plant health. Since 17 April 2002. the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has led on the implementation of 32 Directives. The attached table shows the Directives implemented during the period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress is being made on the review into the future of horticultural research. [108068]

[holding answer 8 April 20031: Following the Government response to the Quinquennial Review of Horticultural Research International (HRI) announced on 20 January, Defra has been engaged in negotiations with HRI, the University of Warwick and the East Mailing Trust to establish whether the scenarios recommended by the Quinquennial Review team are achievable and affordable and whether any further Government investment is necessary.Good progress has been made. All the policy, legal and financial issues which need to be addressed have been identified and action has been put in hand to take them forward. This work will underpin the business cases which will inform the Government's detailed decisions on the new bodies intended to replace HRI.HRI is an exceptionally complex business and it has not proved possible to conclude the initial phase of the negotiations by the end of March as we had hoped. We are still working towards the original target date of 1 April 2004 for the new bodies to be operational.The Department is appreciative of the positive and committed way in which all the parties engaged in these delicate negotiations are working together to achieve a successful and stable future for HRI. It is optimistic that it will be in a position to make a more definitive announcement in the near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she will take to investigate the treatment of the deer in the League Against Cruel Sports sanctuary, Baronsdown on Exmoor. [108006]

Veterinary Officers from my Department have visited the Baronsdown Deer Sanctuary. I have considered the report of the visit and I am satisfied that there is no evidence of the deer exhibiting signs of ill treatment or suffering.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what gains and losses in (a) actual and (b) percentage terms there have been in the size of the National Orchard in 2002. [108067]

[holding answer 8 April 2003]: The area of the National Orchard fell by 2.4 thousand hectares (11 per cent.) between 2001 and 2002. The table as follows shows the results of the Orchard Fruit Surveys 1997–2002.

Orchard Fruit Survey England and Wales (excluding minor holdings)
Year	Tree area (hectares)	Percentage change
1997	23,523	—
1998	21,981	-6.6
1999	21,483	-2.3
2000	20,823	-3.1
20011	121,104	11.4
2002	18,739	-11.2
1 2001 figures revised when 2002 results were published

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how often meat and bone meal storage facilities for material produced under the over-30-month scheme are inspected; when the last inspection for each facility took place; and if she will make a statement. [107812]

Over-30-month scheme (OTMS) meat and bone meal storage facilities are subject to regular control visits, which are carried out by the Rural Payments Agency. The Agency undertakes quarterly Technical Inspectorate visits to such stores 10 check the integrity of the store, and that the scheme controls and paperwork are being correctly administered. In addition the Agency's OTMS operations team also carry out periodic site inspections on an ad hoc basis. This is the team responsible for the ongoing storage and disposal arrangements relating to OTMS meat and bone meal.In addition, when stores are either taking in or outloading material, the Agency employs the Meat and Livestock Commission as its agent to provide daily controls. These include overseeing the integrity and security of the site, accounting for every kilogram of meat and bone meal held in stock, and monitoring all activity that takes place on the storage sites. All stores are currently outloading material, but the date of the last inspection at each store is shown in the following table:

Store name	Location	Date of latest inspection
Glenrothes	Glenrothes, Scotland	27 March 2003
Bonnington	Kirknewtown, Scotland	6 February 2003
Blyton	Blyton, Lincolnshire, England	18 March 2003
Barkston Heath	Barkston Heath, Lincolnshire, England	18 March 2003
Preston	Preston, Lancashire, England	19 March 2003
Longton	Longton, Lancashire, England	3 April 2003
Widnes	Widnes, Cheshire, England	5 March 2003
Alleena	Prescott, Chesire, England	17 March 2003
Greendale	Woodbury Salterton, Devon, England	1 April 2003
Wrangaton	Wrangaton, Devon, England	1 April 2003
Supermix	Newtonstewart, Northern Ireland	25 March 2003

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how old the oldest meat and bone meal produced as a result of the over-30month scheme is which is stored by her Department and its non-departmental public bodies. [107813]

Meat and bone meal is stored in heaps and it is not possible to be precise about the age of that which remains in store. However it is likely that some of this material produced in the earliest weeks of the scheme (May 1996) remains in store pending incineration. To date the Rural Payments Agency has incinerated (for the most part with energy recovery) some 593,465 tonnes out of 736,797 tonnes of the material produced under the over-30-month scheme since its commencement in May 1996, this equates to 79 per cent. of the material produced. All of the storage sites are currently outloading the material to incineration plants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the (a) funded and (b) unfunded public sector pension schemes for which her Department, its agencies and its non-departmental public bodies are responsible; when the last actuarial valuation was of each scheme; what the value was of the assets at the last actuarial valuation of each scheme; what deficit is disclosed by the last actuarial valuation of each scheme; and if she will make a statement. [104935]

Staff in the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and its six agencies i.e. the Central Science Laboratory, the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, the Centre for Environmental Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, the Pesticides Safety Directorate, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and the Rural Payments Agency are members of the unfunded Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme which is the responsibility of the Cabinet Office.Information on the pension arrangements for the staff of the Department's non- departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many notifications the Environment Agency has received from (a) Buckinghamshire county council and (b) Aylesbury Vale district council under the requirements of the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995. [106934]

The Environment Agency received 23 and 62 planning applications from Buckinghamshire county council in 2001 and 2002 respectively under the requirements of the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995. In the same period, the Agency received 167 and 143 applications under the same Order from Aylesbury Vale district council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints have been received since 6 February 2002 by the Environment Agency concerning pollution in the Buckinghamshire constituency. [106380]