To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is towards the commitment of British forces to long-term peacekeeping missions in urban areas in Iraq. [105449]

We have made it clear that we are committed to help the Iraqi people rebuild their country once Saddam Hussein's regime is removed from power. We envisage that United Kingdom forces will help to provide a safe and secure environment to allow the renewal effort to begin.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to secure the Iraq/Iran border. [105463]

The area in Southern Iraq in which United Kingdom forces are operating includes a significant segment of the Iraq/Iran border. UK forces are responsible for ensuring the security of the whole of the area under their control. I can assure my hon. Friend that the Government is making every effort to liaise closely with the Iranian authorities to reduce the scope for any potential misunderstandings. We see no need to take special measures relating to the security of the Iraq/Iran border.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on Iraq. [105467]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the military situation in Iraq. [105468]

I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave a short while ago to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Dudley, North (Mr. Cranston), my hon. Friend the Member for North West Leicestershire (Mr. Taylor) and the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, West (Mr. Brady).

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) soldiers from British Overseas Territories and (b) Gibraltarians are deployed in Iraq. [105248]

Details of the number of soldiers from the British Overseas Territories and Gibraltarians are deployed in Iraq are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker), of 23 January 2003, Official Report, column 450W, on Iraq, how much of the money was spent on munitions. [105355]

The costs identified in my earlier answer are only the net additional costs the Department has incurred. Operational costs are recorded only when normal rates of peacetime activity and consumption are exceeded. As a result figures do not record the cost of all munitions used, only those expended in excess of normal requirements. However, centrally held records do not identify separately the additional costs of munitions consumed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the logistic support required to sustain British forces in the Gulf region. [105453]

The massive logistic effort, involving many of the 28,000 civilian and military personnel in the Defence Logistics Organisation and around 5,000 personnel in theatre, in support of United Kingdom armed forces operations in the Gulf, and the build up to it, has been extremely successful. The size of this task has been considerable; we have deployed an equivalent quantity of materiel to that supplied for the last Gulf conflict in half the time. This has ranged from some 13,000 tonnes of ammunition and over 15,000 vehicles, to 2.5 million operational ration packs. This level of logistic support is being maintained, including delivery of about 2,000 bags of mail per day totalling over 185 tonnes so far.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received about delays to mail from UK forces in Iraq to the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [106068]

I have received no representations about delays to mail from United Kingdom forces in Iraq. On the wider question of mail services between UK and the Gulf area, I have received a large number of enquires from hon. Members and from the general public about services available. The British Forces Post Office is despatching and receiving mail regularly and there are no delays. Naturally, it is more difficult to arrange collection and delivery of mail to deployed units, many of which are moving rapidly across Iraq.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hot meals a day soldiers in the Gulf conflict are receiving. [105512]

Personnel who have moved forward into Iraq are currently on Operational Ration Packs. These provide for two hot meals and one cold meal, plus snacks, per day. Similarly, personnel in the camps in Gulf have access to at least two hot meals a day.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many women from each of the British armed forces are taking part in Operation Iraqi Freedom. [105215]

[holding answer 27 March 2003]: As of 28 March 2003, there were 2,966 women serving with all three services in support of Operation TELIC. The figures by service are not available. Of these, 2,690 were serving in the Arabian Peninsular and 276 are in Cyprus.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on Iraqi defections. [105461]

There have so far been no 'defections' of very senior politicians or military commanders to the coalition.The coalition is, however, currently holding over 8,000 prisoners of war, many of whom have surrendered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his working relationship with the media during the conflict with Iraq. [105464]

The working relationship between the Ministry of Defence and the media during times of conflict or war is covered in detail in the Green Book—"Working Arrangements with the Media in times of Emergency, Tension, Conflict or War".In the United Kingdom, we have provided the media with briefings by Ministers, officials and military officers, and arranged facilities to demonstrate our capabilities. In theatre, we have established a media information service at the Coalition Headquarters. We have also compiled a media pool of 128 accredited UK war correspondents who are now embedded with our forces in the Gulf.While it is inevitable that at times the relationship is bound to be tested, overall the new arrangements appear to be working very well for both parties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on military co-ordination of humanitarian aid in Iraq. [105465]

Coalition forces are taking the utmost care to minimise the effects of conflict on the Iraqi people. However, there is an urgent need for humanitarian relief, not least because of damage and neglect during the long years of Saddam Hussein's misrule.United Kingdom forces will, where they are able, deliver emergency humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq until the post-conflict security situation is stable enough for civilian aid agencies to deploy. The Government have allocated up to £30 million to United Kingdom Forces to provide this immediate assistance.In due course, the intention is that responsibility for humanitarian provision should be transferred to civilian aid agencies, however, assistance provided so far by UK forces has included drinking water, food, shelter, and medical supplies. Supplies have been delivered both overland from Kuwait, and through the deep port at Umm Qasr.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, If he will make a statement on the future of the European Security and Defence Policy. [105469]

We continue to make progress in developing the European Security and Defence European Union agreed Policy. Earlier this month, NATO and the arrangements, known as "Berlin Plus", giving the EU ready access to the Alliance's common assets and capabilities for operations. As a consequence, the EU is now able to launch its first military mission in Macedonia, taking over from the NATO operation "Allied Harmony" today. This is a tangible demonstration of the strategic partnership between the two organisations and of the EU's determination to strengthen its ability to undertake crisis management operations. We also continue to make progress on improving European military capabilities and are actively engaged in the debate on the future of the ESDP in the Convention on the Future of Europe.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the Army is deployed or warned to deploy on operations. [105470]

Around 57 per cent. of the Army are currently deployed and between four to five per cent. are preparing to deploy on Operations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to replace units currently engaged in the Gulf. [105471]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry, South (Mr. Cunningham).

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it will be possible to adapt either of the two new aircraft carriers so as to make them interoperable with the Rafale aircraft. [97328]

As we announced on 30 September 2002, the Royal Navy's two new aircraft carriers will be configured to operate the STOVL version of the Joint Strike Fighter rather than a conventionally launched aircraft such as Rafale. The vessels will, however, be constructed to an adaptable design. which will allow us, if we so decide in the future, to modify the vessels from their original STOVL configuration to facilitate conventional flight operations.Although it might be technically possible to build the vessels so that they could operate STOVL-JSF and conventional carrier aircraft simultaneously, we assess that this could not viably or safely be achieved without substantial revision of the basic design. This would impact on construction and through life operations, as well as affordability.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the effect of a declaration of war is on the (a) pay, (b) taxation and (c) legal liability of armed forces personnel. [105223]

The declaration of war has no effect on the pay or taxation of armed forces personnel. In the event of a fatality, the only tax issue affected is the estate of the deceased member of the armed forces of the Crown, which may qualify for an exemption from inheritance tax under section 154 of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984. The presence or absence of a declaration of war does not have any effect on the legal position of armed forces personnel. Once a state of armed conflict exists, international humanitarian law applies to the conduct of the campaign.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether UK military liaison teams provided (a) advice and (b) assistance to the Colombian armed forces during 2002; and what plans there are to do so this year. [105584]

There have been occasions when we have sent military liaison teams to Colombia to provide advice and training assistance. The nature of this advice and assistance is confidential between governments and I am withholding the details under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, which covers information whose disclosure would be harmful to national security, defence or international relations. The uncertainties regarding military deployment as a result of Operation TELIC make forward planning for this type of assistance this year impossible at present.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what crèche facilities are provided by his Department and at what cost. [104305]

The Ministry of Defence provides the following child care support for its civilian and military employees:

45 work place nurseries offering 1,700 full day care places for children aged three months to five years. (Three new nurseries were opened during 2002–03 at Northwood, Andover and Ensleigh Bath).

36 crèches (benefiting 700 children) providing occasional care and 70 pre schools (benefiting over 2,000 children) providing education on a sessional basis, primarily for Service families.

14 wrap-around care schemes for 5–12 year olds (benefiting 350 children) providing after school care to match the working day.

15 holiday play schemes providing full day care for 5℃12 year olds during school holidays (three are shared with other Government Departments) benefiting 550 children.

Two child care voucher schemes: for civilian employees in Glasgow and a new scheme for Defence Science and Technology Laboratory staff, which started May 2002. (The schemes benefit over 18 parents).

Within MOD responsibility for child care is delegated to the main budget areas. Initial funding can be from a variety of sources: the central budget allocation, MOD's grant from the Civil Service Modernisation fund (£900,000 in FY2000–01 and FY 2001–02 only), local authorities, benevolent funds or raised by the parents themselves. The business case then determines how much direct or indirect subsidy the MOD gives.MOD nurseries are usually run by contractors, as commercial enterprises. They frequently receive indirect subsidies in the form of a peppercorn rent. In addition about 10 per cent. of the nurseries offer direct subsidies, which can reduce the fees by around a third. Some play schemes also receive direct subsidies. MOD's two voucher schemes provide employees with about a third of actual costs for the registered care of their choice at a cost of some £16,000 a month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the availability of (a) boots and (b) protection goggles to members of the armed forces who are stationed in the Gulf. [103134]

[holding answer 17 March 2003]: There are sufficient quantities of both desert boots and protection goggles available for all personnel expected to fulfil a combat role in the Gulf.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will encourage the Trustees of the Gulf Trust Fund to make payments of (a) capital and (b) income to civilian Gulf War veterans. [105979]

The Gulf Trust was set up on 12 February 1991 to meet the financial needs arising out of the engagement of the British Armed Forces and civilian personnel attached to or accompanying British Armed Forces in military and other operations relating to or in connection with the 1990–1991 Gulf conflict. The Gulf Trust was administered independently of the Ministry of Defence in accordance with Charity Law by the United Services Trustee. The fund was closed on 31 July 1994 at which point the remaining money in the fund was distributed on a pro-rata basis to the three Service Benevolent Funds. It would be inappropriate for the Ministry of Defence to intervene in any issues concerning disbursements of funds raised by the Gulf Trust. All enquiries, representations, applications for financial assistance or questions regarding the administration of funds raised by the Gulf Trust, should be directed as follows:RN, RM, and RFA personnel and all other sea-borne civilians:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel are serving in Kosovo. [106450]

As at 21 March 2003 there were 1,264 United Kingdom Service Personnel serving in Kosovo.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent since the end of hostilities of the Gulf War in 1991 by Her Majesty's Government on operations in the Middle East in each year since 1991, broken down by each of the armed services. [105780]

The Department identifies the costs of Operations in terms of the net additional costs it has incurred. The costs which the Department would have incurred had the operation not been undertaken—expenditure on wages and salaries or on conducting training exercises for example—are deducted from the total costs of the operation. The information requested is as follows:

	£ million
Year	Costs of operations
1992–93	551
1993–94	179
1994–95	58
1995–96	14
1996–97	6
1997–98	16
1998–99	35
1999–2000	28
2000–01	25
2001–02	161
2002–032	2 31,045
1 Denotes figure calculated on a full resource cost basis; all previous figures are cash-based.
2 Estimate
3 Includes £1,000 million for operations against Iraq.

This information cannot be sub-divided into costs for each of the services. Costs are reported by Top Level budget holders. None of these are single-service organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which company is providing the doors for the refurbishment of the main MOD building; what types of wood will be used in their manufacture; and what efforts have been made to ensure that the timber used is being sourced from legal and sustainable sources. [105387]

Contracts have been awarded for the supply of doors in the refurbished Main Building as follows:

Swift Horsman. Timber doors made from American White Oak. PFI Contractor Skanska United Kingdom has paid a premium for a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified chain of custody.

Stafford Bridge Doors. The frames, lippings and veneers of which are made from American White Oak. Cores are Ghanaian Celtis finger jointed off-cuts. The American White Oak originates from a FSC certified custody chain and the larger frames come from North American sustainable forests. Ghana is a member of International Tropical Timber Organisation with certification that the products are from a Sustained Yield Management system.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the fleet of 18 Nimrod MRA.4 Maritime Patrol Aircraft will be operational; why these have been delayed; how much the aircraft will cost; how much they were originally expected to cost; and if he will make a statement. [104238]

My noble Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement (Lord Bach) announced in another place on 19 February 2003, Official Report, columns 175–77W, that, as a result of the recent agreement with BAE SYSTEMS to restructure the Nimrod MRA4 contract, the revised in-service date is 2009. This is now defined as the delivery of the sixth series production aircraft. The balance of the 18 aircraft fleet is envisaged to be delivered during the subsequent period to mid 2011. The reasons for the delay are those that are indicated by the reply my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Dr. Moonie) gave to the hon. Member for Newark (Patrick Mercer) on 10 December 2002, Official Report, columns 222–23W. The Agreement with BAE SYSTEMS recognises the delays that have occurred on this programme by deferring the start of series production of later aircraft until we have seen demonstrated performance from the first three flight trials aircraft. When an appropriate level of design maturity has been reached (and we envisage this to be in late 2005), we will then be in a position to finalise the negotiations with the Company over the production price of the remaining number of aircraft. As my hon. Friend also indicated in his statement of 19 February, the MOD has agreed to make a contribution to this restructured programme of an additional £270 million. Subject to on-going negotiations, this increase therefore brings the expected contract value to some £2,600 million at current prices. I have nothing further to add to the statement made by my hon. Friend on 19 February 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his colleagues in the Northern Ireland Office about the establishment of a UDR Fund to recognise and support the widows and families of soldiers serving with the Ulster Defence Regiment who were murdered by terrorists in Northern Ireland. [105980]

The Ministry of Defence has, to date, had no formal discussions with the Northern Ireland Office about this issue. However I did meet with representatives from the UDR widows and widowers on 5 March 2003. This matter is being considered, although the Department is not yet in a position to make a decision on the way ahead.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on problems with the SA80 in the conflict in the Gulf; and what steps are being taken to overcome such problems. [105513]

Hot and dusty environments—such as those pertaining in the Gulf area—are the most demanding in which to operate small arms of any kind. The new cleaning regime introduced for the modified SA80 is minimising the effects of the harsh environmental conditions. Units have expressed confidence in the modified SA80, and its performance during operations in Iraq thus far has demonstrated that it is one of the most reliable weapons in its class.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the facilities available for families to communicate with service personnel by television. [105644]

The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) is produced by the Services Sound and Vision Corporation (SSVC) under contract to the Ministry of Defence and provides radio and television services to most locations overseas where significant numbers of British forces are permanently stationed and, subject to practicality, to operational theatres.Two channels of BFBS TV, plus BBC News 24 and Sky News, are transmitted continuously from the UK to a satellite covering the Greater European and middle east operational areas. The signal is distributed to 55 locations in Kuwait and from 27 March to parts of southern Iraq. BFBS TV is therefore available live at all major UK military locations in the middle east, as well as to RN andRFA ships in the area.BFBS TV film messages from both service personnel in the Gulf and their families in the UK and Germany, and transmit these as "fillers" between TV programmes in lieu of the more usual community and welfare announcements. BFBS has a 'tie-in' with ITV's flagship programme "This Morning" (which is retransmitted on BFBS) which also provides a chance for families to see video messages from their people on operational duty. BFBS TV also communicates to the Forces via a daily news magazine programme, `BFBS Reports' which goes out across the BFBS network.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether university student reservists called up to serve in the Gulf will be required to pay back the additional year's student loan that they may have to take out; and if he will make a statement. [104978]

[holding answer 27 March 2003]: Reservists who are full-time university students may apply to have their call-out notices revoked or deferred. Details on how to make such applications are given at the time call-out notices are served. The situation referred to in the question is unlikely, therefore, to arise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding has been made available by her Department to tackle air pollution in Buckinghamshire in 2002–03. [105695]

The Department wrote to local authorities in England on 14 February last year inviting applications for Supplementary Credit Approvals to support proposals for capital expenditure in 2002–03 on their air quality management duties under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995. Milton Keynes was the only authority in Buckinghamshire to apply, and £30,000 in additional borrowing powers has been awarded. Since 1997/98 the Government's annual revenue support grant settlement has included provision to support local authorities running costs associated with these duties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many days of (a) moderate, (b) high and (c) very high air pollution there were (i) in the United Kingdom and (ii) in Buckinghamshire in 2002; and if she will make a statement on the suspected causes of high and very high readings. [106013]

Air quality is now a devolved matter therefore my reply focuses on England. According to data provided by the Automatic Urban and Rural monitoring Network (AURN), the number of days air pollution at at least one AURN sites in England in 2002 was:

(a) moderate: 194.

(b) high: 25.

(c) very high: 4.

Very high readings were all related to particles (PM10). Of the 25 high readings, two were related to sulphur dioxide (S02), four were related to ozone and the remaining 19 were all related to particles (PM10). Meteorological conditions also affects the level of all pollutants.There is no AURN site in Buckinghamshire but all local authorities, including in Buckinghamshire, have a statutory duty under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 to review and assess the local air quality in their area against the national air quality objectives. I have provided information on the five local authorities in Buckinghamshire in PQ 106012.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the air quality strategy. [105421]

The Government and Devolved Administrations' air quality policies are set out in detail in the air quality strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, published in January 2000. An Addendum to the strategy was published in February 2003. The strategy and addendum can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality/index.htm.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in Buckinghamshire towards meeting the National Air Quality Strategy targets. [106012]

Local authorities have a statutory duty under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 to review and assess the local air quality in their area against the national air quality objectives for seven of the pollutants prescribed in regulations for the purpose of local air quality management. Where it is likely that the air quality objectives will not be met by the relevant deadline, the local authority must designate an air quality management area and produce an action plan setting out the measures they intend to implement to work towards meeting the air quality objectives.Of the five local authorities in the Buckinghamshire region (Milton Keynes, Aylesbury Vale District Council, Chiltern District Council, South Buckinghamshire District Council and Wycombe District Council), only one authority (Wycombe District Council) has declared an air quality management area along the M40 motorway due to predicted exceedences of the annual mean Nitrogen Dioxide objective. Wycombe District Council has produced an action plan which has been appraised by my Department. Wycombe will now have to work with the Highways Agency and other stakeholders to look to implement the most cost-effective and proportionate measures to improve the local air quality within the area affected by the M40.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the risk to the Norfolk Broads as a result of coastal erosion in the Happisburgh area. [103778]

Responsibility for assessing such risks rests with the local operating authorities. The Environment Agency has sea defence responsibility for the length of coastline from Cart Gap, Eccles to Winterton, which fronts the low lying hinterland including the Norfolk Broads. North Norfolk district council has coast protection responsibility for the cliffs at Happisburgh. There is some concern abut the risk of a breach in the frontage at Cart Gap as a result of cliff erosion, but both operating authorities judge that such a risk is not expected for at least 15 to 20 years. Both authorities are keeping the position under review, and the Council monitors the rate of erosion monthly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost was of (a) the in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by the Department in 2002. [104251]

The costs of the subsidies paid by the Department for the four in house canteens, three in central London and one in York, for 2002 was £132,413.75.The figures for the full costs of these canteens and other catering services could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the occasions on which her Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies failed to pay valid invoices within 30 days or after the agreed credit period within financial year 2001–02. [104313]

Information on the occasions where the Department, Agencies and non-departmental public bodies failed to pay valid invoices within the 30 days or after the agreed credit period can be obtained only by disproportionate cost. However I am able to say that the percentage of bills which were paid by Defra within 30 days of receipt of a valid invoice was 91 per cent., or 85 per cent. when FMD transactions are included for financial year 2001–02. The average percentage of bills paid by the Departments' Agencies was 93 per cent. over the same period. The average percentage of bills paid by the Departments non-departmental public bodies was 76 per cent. over the same period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fines were imposed for dog fouling during 2001. [105714]

The number of fines imposed nationally for dog fouling during 2001–02 was 2,227.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what plans she has to expand the remit of the Environment Agency; [105050](2) what recent discussions she has had with the Environment Agency regarding a more independent status for the organisation. [105052]

We intend that the Environment Agency should take responsibility from local authorities and internal drainage boards for all watercourses that present the greatest flood risk. We also intend that the Agency's flood defence functions should be funded by a single stream of DEFRA block grant which will, subject to enactment of the water bill, replace our grants for individual capital schemes and also the levies currently paid by local authorities. The timing of these changes will be announced in due course. The Department has no other plans to change the remit or status of the Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 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 and its predecessors in each year since 1997. [103714]

The information requested in this question is not held centrally in the form requested and could be collated only at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she will take to ensure the promotion of rural tourism after the merger of the English Tourism Council and the British Tourist Authority. [105533]

I have been asked to reply.VisitBritain, the new organisation which has been created from the merger of the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourism Council will market England within Britain and Britain to the rest of the world. VisitBritain is developing a comprehensive long-term strategy for the marketing of England, to include the countryside. A partnership between VisitBritain, the Regional Development Agencies, the Regional Tourist Boards and the private sector will shortly launch a spring 2003 tourism marketing campaign urging British people to explore England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what priority will be given to the funding of waste minimisation and recycling schemes in local authorities with a significant number of landfill sites in their area when changes to the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme are introduced; and if she will make a statement. [98525]

[holding answer 24 February 2003]: Prior to current Landfill Tax Credit Scheme (LTCS) reform, LTCS funding was directed mainly at approved environmental and social/community projects (approximately one third of the Scheme) and at local authority collection and recycling infrastructure improvements.Under the proposed reforms, the former will continue to be funded along similar lines as now, while the latter will be supported through closer focussing on sustainable waste management objectives. That will certainly include suitable waste minimisation and recycling schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the UK Government are taking to ensure aid agencies have safe access to endangered populations. [105200]

Humanitarian agencies cannot operate until a permissive security environment has been established. In the interim, the military will discharge their humanitarian obligations under the Geneva Convention and Hague Regulations in order to provide relief in the areas they occupy. Once the situation allows, NGOs will need to undertake their own security assessments before engaging.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on aid to Cuba. [105497]

We do not have a government-to-government bilateral aid programme to Cuba nor do we have plans to develop one.Funding for DFID programmes in Cuba in 2001–02 was £346,000 primarily through NGOs.In addition DFID contributes £1 million as its share of the EC aid programme to Cuba.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development for what reasons the Government has not made extra funding available to her Department to finance emergency preparedness. [105202]

On 27 March the Chancellor announced that HM Treasury would provide an additional £120 million to DFID for its work in Iraq.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government will take to support the role of the UN in co-ordinating humanitarian relief efforts. [105181]

It is essential that international plans are co-ordinated. This is the role of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). We have provided £150,000 to support their Iraq co-ordination centre in Cyprus and have seconded two members of staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government will take to ensure that humanitarian assistance is given on the basis of need by impartial and independent organisations. [105212]

The UK is committed to humanitarian assistance being provided by civilian agencies wherever possible, on the basis of need, and not as part of a military strategy. We are supporting the role of UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in co-ordinating humanitarian assistance. DFID funds for humanitarian assistance are disbursed through independent agencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral funding her Department has allocated for development aid for Iraqi citizens in (i) 2002–03 and (ii) each of the next three years. [105065]

Our bi-lateral programme assistance to Iraq in 2002–03 is expected to total approximately £8 million.Since the onset of the current crisis, DFID has committed £50 million to support preparations by humanitarian agencies, including £32 million for the Red Cross/Red Crescent and £8 million for the World Food Programme. DFID has a further £160 million earmarked for the humanitarian response and is considering further assistance in line with emerging needs. We will consider further resource needs for the reconstruction phase in due course. It is not possible at this stage to anticipate the sums that will be required over the next three years, or to anticipate the balance between bi-lateral and multilateral funding.DFID provides 19 per cent. of European Community (EC) funding to Iraq through the Humanitarian Aid Office of the European Commission (ECHO). Since 1991, these contributions have totalled £15 million.On 21 March 2003, the College of European Commissioners proposed to release an additional 79 million euros from their Emergency Aid Reserve for Iraq, increasing their total humanitarian commitment in the current crisis to 100 million euros. This funding is still to be approved by the European Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the levels of food and medicines stockpiled by the coalition on the Iraqi border for Iraqi refugees and internally displaced people within Iraq. [105106]

I have been asked to reply.United Kingdom forces will, where they are able, deliver emergency humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq until the post-conflict security situation stabilises sufficiently for civilian agencies to deploy. The coalition has long recognised that this would be the case, and has made extensive preparations, including the purchase and pre-positioning of food, water, medicines and other supplies. Those supplies will be deployed as any humanitarian requirements arise, and on the advice of experts from the Department for International Development.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the (a) cost and (b) logistical challenge of aid operations to replace the Oil for Food Programme will be met. [105201]

The immediate humanitarian priority is to get the UN humanitarian actors back into Iraq as soon as the security situation allows, at the same time we must work to get the Oil For Food (OFF) programme back up and running. A new Security Council Resolution has been passed which allows the UN Secretary General to take charge of the programme.The UK has meanwhile been in discussion with the UN humanitarian agencies, Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement and international NGOs to determine what resources they require to procure food to cover any temporary, gap in the OFF programme. The UN is currently planning on a medium case scenario under which the World Food Programme will provide food assistance for a three-month period. We have committed £115 million to support the preparations of our humanitarian partners including the World Food Programme. The WFP is acutely aware of the need to maintain and re-build the Iraqi distribution system used for OFF so that humanitarian supplies can be delivered quickly to those in need.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to discuss the re-building of Iraqi institutions with European Union partners. [105829]

The first step is to secure a strong UN mandate for reconstruction. The European Council on 20 and 21 March agreed that the UN Security Council should give the UN such a mandate for post-conflict Iraq and make sure that the new Iraqi administration is one that is representative, respects the human rights of the Iraqi people, and allows the people of Iraq to live in peace internally and with their neighbours.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how she will ensure that humanitarian aid and re-construction of Iraq are carried out under the auspices of the United Nations. [105830]

The UN humanitarian agencies are well prepared and ready to re-enter Iraq as soon as the security situation allows. Iraq staff are still working within Iraq. The UN system has prepositioned stocks and supplies in the region, the World Food Programme has one months worth of food for two million people and is procuring more. The next priority is to get the Oil For Food (OFF) programme back up and running. A Security Council Resolution has now been passed to allow the UN Secretary General to take charge of the programme. 16 million people are reliant on OFF. Most have been provided with food supplies to the end of April but thereafter the need to supply food will be very urgent.We are also working to secure a UN mandate which will be required to provide legal authority for the reconstruction effort, and to make possible the engagement of the International Financial Institutions and the wider international community. The Government are holding on-going discussions with key partners to ensure such a mandate is put in place.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions her Department as had with the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs regarding food shortages in Liberia. [105148]

We have not held recent discussions with the UN Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) on the subject. DFID has provided substantial support to the International Committee of the Red Cross, Medicins Sans Frontieres, the UN High Commission for Refugees and UNOCHA in Liberia during the past year for both refugees and displaced people. Some of this assistance may be used to help tackle food security needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the expected saving to public funds from the private finance initiative schemes due to become operational in 2003. [105720]

DFID has no private finance initiatives.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support her Department is giving to the Somali peace process taking place in Kenya; and if she will make a statement. [105619]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has contributed £25,000 to the Somali Reconciliation process. Since January 2003, a new joint DFID/FCO Officer in the High Commission in Nairobi has engaged with the reconciliation talks and has facilitated several policy discussions on behalf of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development ([GAD) Special Envoy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will seek to ensure that banks allow customers with regular current accounts to access their pensions and benefits at the Post Office; and if she will make a statement. [105577]

The Post Office currently provides banking services on behalf of Girobank/Alliance and Leicester, Barclays, Lloyds TSB, the Co-Operative, and the Internet Banks Smile and Cahoot. This (paper-based) service enables customers of these banks to cash cheques at post offices free of charge. The Post Office is in discussion with the banks to modernise these services and to extend commercial arrangements to cover other financial institutions. This is a commercial matter between Post Office Ltd. and the individual financial institutions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the (a) banks and (b) building societies that will offer access to (i) standard current accounts and (ii) basic bank accounts through the Post Office. [105578]

The Post Office currently provides banking services on behalf of Girobank/Alliance and Leicester, Barclays Lloyds TSB, the Co-Operative, and the Internet Banks Smile and Cahoot. This (paper-based) service enables customers of these banks to cash cheques at post offices free of charge. The Post Office is in discussion with the banks to modernise these services and to extend commercial arrangements to cover other financial institutions.From April this year the Post Office will provide access to basic bank accounts on behalf of Barclays, Lloyds TSB, Royal Bank of Scotland/Nat West, HSBC, Abbey National, HBOS, Alliance and Leicester, NAG, the Co-operative Bank, First Trust, the Bank of Ireland and the Nationwide Building Society.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial assistance her Department is providing to help small businesses in rural Suffolk access broadband services. [104807]

DTI has supplied the East of England Development Agency with £3.22 million from the UK Broadband Fund. Part of this funding has been used towards the RABBIT initiative (Remote Area Broadband Inclusion Trial), which has supplied SMEs throughout the East of England with financial grants to help purchase broadband connections other than ADSL or cable modem. EEDA's connecting communities competition, which aims to provide funding for groups of companies or individuals towards obtaining broadband connections for their communities, has seen more applications from Suffolk than any other EEDA county.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what help her Department gives to (a) district and (b) borough councils to help local business to (i) expand and (ii) start up. [105514]

The Department supports small businesses and those thinking of starting a business through the Small Business Service (SBS). SBS works through a network of business link operators across England who provide information, advice, or access to experts on any aspect needed to start and expand a business. The budget totalled £140 million in 2002–03. Business link operators are independent autonomous organisations who work in partnership with local organisations such as their local authorities, district and borough councils.SBS funds over 90 Phoenix Development Fund projects to promote enterprise in disadvantaged areas amongst disadvantaged groups, a number have active local council involvement and two are run by local councils. Haringey council is being funded to undertake enterprise outreach work with young people in the local African Caribbean community. Stevenage borough council is receiving funding for 'Community Enterprise Champions' to work with groups who have found it difficult to access traditional forms of business support e.g. ethnic minorities, women and young people.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the support given by the Carbon Trust to the development of fuel cell technology in the UK. [105218]

[holding answer 27 March 2003]: The department works closely with the Carbon Trust on a range of energy and carbon related matters including fuel cell technology development. The Carbon Trust, an independent, not for profit company, has recently published an assessment of low carbon technologies and fuel cells were identified as one of its priorities for support through its Low Carbon Innovation Programme.In February, we published a joint study with the Carbon Trust reviewing the commercial potential of fuel cells in the UK. This study will help the department and the Carbon Trust develop a complementary approach to supporting the development and commercialisation of fuel cells for the home and export markets. Within this co-operative framework, individual funding decisions are matters for the respective organisations. In the case of the Carbon Trust, these decisions are taken by the company.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she is taking to promote the use of Post Office card accounts. [105776]

The Post Office card account is one of a range of accounts that people can use to receive benefit payments into, and which will enable people who wish

	Biodegradable municipal solid waste				Waste tyres
	Used to generate heat (thousand tonnes of oil equivalent)	Percentage of total renewables and wastes used to generate heat	Electricity generated (GWh)	Percentage of total electricity generate from renewables and wastes	Used to generated heat (thousand tonnes of oil equivalent)	Percentage of total renewables and wastes used to generate heat	Electricity generated (GWh)	Percentage of total electricity from generated renewables and wastes
1992	49.0	11.2	177	2.7	3.7	0.8	—	—
1993	44.9	6.9	251	4.3	3.9	0.6	18	0.3
1994	46.8	5.2	449	6.1	3.4	0.4	88	1.2
1995	48.5	5.1	471	6.5	2.3	0.2	135	1.9
1996	50.6	5.3	490	8.0	—	—	129	2.1
1997	14.3	1.5	585	7.9	—	—	139	1.9
1998	24.1	2.8	849	9.2	—	—	84	0.9
1999	32.0	4.0	856	8.4	—	—	55	0.5
2000	40.6	5.6	862	8.2	—	—	26	0.2
2001	46.5	6.6	948	9.4	—	—	—	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of UK companies employ 15 or fewer employees; and what proportion of the UK workforce such establishments employ. [105819]

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimates she has made of the number of builders that will receive reduced insurance premiums as a result of the new health and safety assessments made as part of the Quality Mark scheme. [101348]

Discounts on liability insurance premiums are a commercial proposition, open to all Quality Marked firms. They are part of a package of financial benefits which will help drive take up of the scheme. Likely numbers are difficult to estimate at this early stage. Firms which do not initially pass the required health and safety assessment are given advice on how to meet the standards, to access the discount.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what the total amount was of (a) electricity and (b) heat produced by the combustion of biodegradable municipal solid waste (i) including and (ii) excluding tyres in the United Kingdom every year since 1992; and what percentage of the total renewable energy produced these represented; [105669](2) what the total amount of

[holding answers 28 March 2003]: The available information is as follows:

Data for businesses with 15 or fewer employees is not available. However, published figures do cover the size-classes 0–9 employees and 10–19 employees.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what action he is taking to maximise broadband connections to new housing developments. [105308]

On 14 March the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published a public consultation document entitled "The Building Regulations and Electronic Communications Services (Broadband)¹". The aim of this consultation is to assess whether the demand for broadband services is being restricted by the inconvenience people may experience when retrospectively installing broadband services in existing premises, and whether this should be addressed through the Building Regulations, by Government supported voluntary means or not at all. The consultation closes on 13 June 2003.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of unpaid council house rents in the East Riding of Yorkshire in each year since 1997. [105279]

The information requested is tabled.

East Riding Of Yorkshire Local authority housing arrears (unaudited figures)
(£000s)
Date	Current tenants	Former tenants	Total
31 March 1997	920	88	1,008
31 March 1998	908	263	1,171
31 March 1999	634	305	938
31 March 2000	842	319	1,161
31 March 2001	1,198	311	1,509
31 March 2002	940	503	1,443

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what legal duties Swale borough council has when issuing a lawful development certificate to (a) consult parish councils and (b) inform elected council members. [105225]

There is no statutory requirement on local planning authorities to consult parish councils when issuing lawful development certificates. The local planning authority may, however, seek evidence from the parish council if there is reason to believe that they possess relevant information about a specific lawful development certificate application. Lawful development certificate applications and decisions are entered in the local planning authority's planning register in accordance with section 69 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The planning register is available for inspection by the public, including members of parish councils and elected council members.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homeless households in the constituency of Buckingham have been resident in bed and breakfast accommodation in 2002; and what percentage of these claimed social security benefits in 2002. [106022]

Information reported by Aylesbury Vale District Council on the number of homeless households resident in bed and breakfast hotels under statutory homelessness provisions at the end of each quarter in 2002 is given as follows. This information relates to households in the local authority area. Aylesbury Vale DC comprises the entire parliamentary constituency of Buckingham, and part of Aylesbury. The number of these households claiming, or in receipt of, social security benefits is not collected centrally.

Homeless households in bed and breakfast accommodation (including shared facility annexes): Aylesbury Vale DC
2002	Number
31 March	1
30 June	4
30 September	4
31 December	0

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council houses there are in each (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) district or borough council area. [106024]

The information is as follows:

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures the Department has taken to publicise public meetings arising from the public consultation into referendums for regional assemblies. [105197]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister invited responses by post and email from individuals and organisations to our soundings exercise on the level of interest in each English region outside London in holding a referendum about establishing an elected regional assembly. We advised representative bodies that we would attach additional weight to responses which had been framed in response to wide consultation, but left it to them to decide on how best to consult their members, constituents or the general public in their area. No public meetings were held by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many responses he has received to the consultation on a referendum for an elected regional assembly for Yorkshire and the Humber. [105289]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister asked for responses by 3 March on its soundings exercise about the level of interest in each English region in holding a referendum about an elected regional assembly. Approximately 5,000 responses have been received so far, amongst which we have identified just over 400 from Yorkshire and the Humber.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many responses he has received from the north-west in the recent soundings consultation on directly elected regional assemblies; and if he will make a statement. [105444]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister asked for responses by 3 March 2003 on its soundings exercise about the level of interest in each English region in holding a referendum about an elected regional assembly. Approximately 5,000 responses have been received so far, among which we have identified just under 2000 from the north-west.Decisions will be announced after the Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Bill has received Royal Assent.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what EU funding is spent by regional assemblies. [105524]

None.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what civil service support is available to regional assemblies. [105525]

Meeting room space in government offices has occasionally been provided. But the voluntary regional assemblies are freestanding bodies that do not have civil service support.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the responses he has received to his proposals for referendums on regional assemblies. [106015]

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister asked for responses by 3 March 2003 on its soundings exercise about the level of regional interest in each English region in holding a referendum about an elected regional assembly. So far the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received approximately 5,000 responses. We will announce our decisions after the Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Bill has received Royal Assent.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what role the South West Regional Assembly can play in revising the report of the South West Area Multi-Modal Study. [105518]

As Regional Planning Body, the South West Regional Assembly has reported to the Government with its conclusions and recommendations relating to the study. The final decision rests with Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if it is the policy of the Government that premises owned by brass bands and used for rehearsals and practice should be subject to licensing. [104744]

Under the Licensing Bill rehearsing or practising of any form of entertainment would not be licensable unless it is intended to be provided for the public or a charge was made for a private audience. Other users of, for instance, a village hall, passing through the practice or rehearsal area would not trigger the licensing requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 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. [105553]

Procurement in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is the responsibility of procurement staff qualified by examination and experience and who, by virtue of the professional training they have received, are able to deal with questions of commercial confidentiality without further guidance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her estimate is of the expenditure of her Department on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in 2002. [106311]

The Department's spend on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in 2002–03 was £29,393.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 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. [103712]

The title and subject, cost and the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by the Department in each year since 1997 is shown in the following table.

Year	Title	Cost £ (including VAT where indicated)	Author
1997	A review of the Ecclesiastical Exemption from listed building controls jointly with the Welsh Office): Listings	30,000	John Newman
1998	A study to assess the economic impact of Government policies for digital television and for the closure of analogue transmission: Broadcasting	137,996.93	National Economic Research Associates
1998	A feasibility study for compiling a tourism satellite account for the United Kingdom: Tourism	not known	Cambridge Policy consultants and Geoff Broom Associates
1999	Coalfields and the Lottery: Lottery	113,240	Tony Gore, Gordon Dabinett and Jonathan Breeze Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, Sheffield Hallam University
1999	Establising a new National Tourism Body for Tourism in England—Report and Action plan: Tourism	18,000	Angela Heath
1999	The Efficiency and Effectiveness of Government-sponsored Museums and Galleries: Museums and Galleries	1260,424	Deloitte Touche and Lord Cultural Resources and Planning
1999	Review of the future funding of the BBC: Broadcasting	not known	Gavyn Davies
2000	Improving Lottery Funding Access and Delivery in the British Coalfield: Lottery	130,475	Tony Gore, Gordon Dabinett and Jonathan Breeze Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, Sheffield Hallam University
2000	Out of the Box—The Programme Supply Market in the Digital Age—Broadcasting	176,051.88	David Graham and Associates
2000	Review of the BBC's Financial Projections: Broadcasting	123,4847	PKF
2001	A study into the Social Impacts of Lottery good cause spending in the UK: Lottery	121,296.95	Graeme Evans and Phyllidia Shaw, Centre for Leisure and Tourism Studies, University of North London
2001	Future of the Royal Park Constabulary—The Speed Report: Royal Parks Agency	20,950	Anthony Speed
2001	Review of the Tote privitisation sale strategy/An updated assessment reflection of the Tote's current financial projections and business plan: Gambling	20,000	PricewaterhouseCoopers
2001	To quantify the enviromental and cost saving benefits of waste minimisation in the hotels sector: Tourism	19,900	AEA Technology
2001	Review of the BBC's Fair Trading Commitment and Commercial Policy: Broadcasting	not known	Michael Whish
2001	English National Stadium Review—Interim Report2	46,000	Patrick Carter
2002	UK Television Programme Supply review	25,0000	ITC
2002	Final Evaluation of the Travel Cumbria Project: Tourism	4,995	Halcrow Fox
2002	The Economic Impact of Tourism—North East pilot study: NE England Economy	10,000	Trends Business Research with Cogentsi
2002	Independent Review of BBC News 24: Broadcasting	139,473.4	Richard Lambert
2002	Lessons Learned—Review of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester Final Report—December 20023	0	KPMG
2002	English National Stadium Review—Final Report4	346,000	Patrick Carter
2002	Survey of Public Opinion on a London 2012 Olympic Bids5	37,750	ICM Polling
2003	Considering the potential taxation implications arising from he planned transfer of assets upon abolition of the Levy Board: Horserace Betting Levy Board	5,023	PKF
2003	E-commerce Impact Study on the Tourism Sector: Tourism5	0	PricewaterhouseCoopers
1 Indicates that VAT has been charged
2 This figure includes the costs of the Review of the National Athletics Centre for Sport England.
3 Jointly commissioned by DCMS, Sport England and Manchester city council in August 2002. The cost of the report was met from Games funding to which DCMS contributed but there is no direct, invoiced cost to us
4 Published 16 October 2002. Costs of the Review process from 19 December 2001 to present day
5 Although commissioned by the Department, this report was paid for by ukonline.

The costs of these reports could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what awards have been made to the Battersea constituency by the distributing bodies of the National Lottery in each of the last five years. [105641]

According to the National Lottery awards database, which is based upon the information provided by the Lottery distributors, the number of awards that have been made to the Battersea constituency by each of the National Lottery good causes in the last five calendar years is set out in the following table:

	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
Arts	5	9	18	14	14
Charitable expenditure	5	13	3	11	12
Health, education and the environment	0	1	5	6	5
Heritage	2	1	2	2	2
Millennium	0	3	0	0	0
Sports	0	1	3	3	1

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action she is taking to (a) increase and (b) refurbish sports facilities in London; and if she will make a statement. [105598]

Local authorities a re the key providers of sport and recreation facilities in their areas. For that reason they are responsible for making the difficult judgments about what sports facilities to provide at the expense of local taxpayers, and the decisions about the renovation of local facilities.Significant investment from the National Lottery has helped to create new state of the art community sports facilities. Local authorities may apply to the Lottery Sports Fund for grants for the creation of new sports facilities, and the upgrading of existing facilities to increase participation. London boroughs have received 201 grants from the Lottery Sports Fund's Community Capital Fund totalling over £249.5 million, for projects costing over £675 million.Local education authorities in the London boroughs will also benefit from the New Opportunities Fund's PE and Sport programme which aims to bring about a step change in the provision of sports facilities for young people and for the local community. The New Opportunities Fund provisionally allocated funding to each local education authority area to ensure that funding is available for projects in all parts of the country. Local education authorities in London have been allocated £81,286,000 under the programme.The Government's planning guidance to local authorities (PPG 17) requires local planning authorities to undertake assessments to determine what deficiencies exist in their areas and to remedy those deficiencies in provision via their plans and planning decisions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what impact he estimates a reduction in passenger demand for air travel as a result of the introduction of proposals to introduce environmental taxation on air travel, outlined in Aviation and the Environment, would have on Government estimates of passenger demand cited in 'The Future Development of Air Transport in the South East'. [105240]

There would be no material difference as this has already been taken into account. Demand forecasts in The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom' consultation document took into account aviation's contribution to climate change, by far the most significant environmental cost. They did so by assuming a CO₂ tax in place by 2015 to internalise aviation's climate change costs.The recent discussion paper 'Aviation and the Environment: Using Economic Instruments' cites a figure of £1.4 billion as the estimated annual cost of aviation's contribution to climate change. The costs are similar to the value of the CO

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from English Heritage in respect of the proposed Brighton West Pier Harbour Revision Order. [105381]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce a decision on the proposed Harbour Revision Order for the Brighton West Pier. [105382]

There is one outstanding objection to this application and the Harbours Act 1964 requires that when this is the case, an inquiry must be held. If the applicants apply for an inquiry now, a decision on the Harbour Revision Order could be made within five to six months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of the need for repair to and restoration of the Brighton West Pier in considering the Harbour Revision Order; [105408] (2) what assessment he has made of the decision of Brighton and Hove City Council's Planning Applications Sub-Committee of 26 February 2003, in relation to the Brighton West Pier and the subsequent decision of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on the West Pier Planning Application in considering the proposed West Pier Harbour Revision Order. [105407]

None. The Secretary of State will receive advice on all relevant issues from the Inspector after a public inquiry into the Order, if and when an inquiry is held.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has asked the Strategic Rail Authority to amend any aspect of its report delivered in autumn 2002 on the Central Railway proposal. [105550]

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his Department's (a) responsibilities and (b) assets with regard to civil contingency planning; what funds are committed; what action he is taking within his Department to improve such planning; and what action he is taking in collaboration with other departments. [102623]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 21 March 2003 Official Report, columns 957–58. Following a recent internal review the Department has increased its capacity for handling civil contingency planning by establishing a dedicated team within its Defence and Civil Contingency Planning Division. The overall resource for the current year is around £850,000 and will increase by £150,000 for 2003–04 mainly to reflect the increased work on civil contingency planning.The Civil Contingency Planning team is reviewing the Department's role with the transport sector's own contingency planning. It is also working closely with Whitehall committees, Government Departments and Government Offices on developing civil contingency issues and responses to such events, as demonstrated by the co-operation during the current fire fighters dispute and recent exercises. The team is also working closely on the improvement of the department's own contingency plan. The Department will also continue to play an active role in Government exercises.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what grades in the Civil Service in his Department are allowed to travel by air (a) first class and (b) business class at public expense when on official duties. [104965]

Staff in my Department must use the most efficient and economic means of travel commensurate with meeting operational needs.Staff may only use first class air travel where it is unavoidable, for instance:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many communications masts will be required for the new GSM-R digital network. [105416]

I understand that Network Rail is upgrading its analogue radio systems network of around 1,400 telecommunications masts to a national digital network of approximately 2,000 masts. The increased number arises from the extended coverage of the new system across the entire rail network, including all tunnels and cuttings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by his Department and which took place on non-departmental premises in the last 12 months, broken down by title, purpose, date and cost. [104275]

This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997. [103725]

Information on publications and reports produced by the Department is not broken down to this level of detail. This could be provided only at disproportionate cost.The Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions' annual report in 2001 lists all white and green papers and major policy documents issued by the Department between April 1997 and March 2001.A list of the titles published by and for the Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997 is available in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on maintaining the M5 in Somerset in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03. [105520]

The total works and supervision cost spent on maintaining the M5 in Somerset for (a) 2001–02 was £1,649,416 and for (b) 2002–03 (to date) £4,178,450.Spend in 2002–03 is higher because a major road renewal scheme to replace a section of concrete carriageway was carried out south of Junction 26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether Network Rail pays (a) corporation tax, (b) income tax and (c) stamp duty; and what the VAT status of Network Rail is. [105118]

Network Rail is treated in the same manner as any other private sector company in relation to these matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements his Department makes for the regulation of private hire vehicle companies employed by local authorities to transport (a) adults and (b) children with (i) autism and (ii) other disabilities. [105209]

Primary legislation requires that private hire vehicle companies must be licensed by district or borough councils, unitary authorities or Transport for London. However, it is a matter for the local authorities making the arrangements with private hire vehicle companies to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place with regard to the carriage of passengers with particular needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the occasions on which (a) his Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department failed to pay valid invoices within 30 days or after the agreed credit period in the financial year 2001–02. [104320]

Information in respect of the financial year 2001–02 is not available as my Department came into being in May 2002. The Department currently has a service delivery agreement target to pay at least 98 per cent. of valid invoices within 30 days of receipt. The overall performance of the Department and its agencies is monitored centrally and corrective action taken when necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on changes in rail performance since May 1997. [104938]

Rail performance is measured using the Public Performance Measure (PPM). This takes account of both the punctuality and reliability of trains. The SRA publish PPM data each quarter in National Rail Trends. The latest edition, published Wednesday 12 March, gives information PPM from Q1 1997–1998 to Q3 2002–2003. The document is in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement of his policy on minor improvements to the rail network designed to improve reliability of punctuality of services; and how he expects Network Rail and the Strategic Rail Authority to assess the cost and benefits of such minor schemes. [104988]

Securing the development of the rail network is a specific purpose of the Strategic Rail Authority. The Authority's strategic plan, published at the end of January, explains their investment priorities and approach to appraisal. The Authority must ensure that any expenditure from their budget is affordable and provides value for money. As stated in their directions and guidance, the Authority's assessment of value for money should be consistent with Treasury guidance in the green book.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department has made with the proposals contained in the report, "Development of a Rural Road Hierarchy for Speed Management", published in November 2001. [105963]

Following the publication of the Rural Road Hierarchy Report in November 2001 we are progressing work to improve safety across our rural road network. This includes simplifying the procedures to introduce 30mph village speed limits and the development of a framework to assess what speeds are appropriate, together with surveys of what speeds are actually being driven on rural roads. The first results of this work should be available shortly and will feed into other work, including a review of the guidance on setting speed limits due to start later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to publish good practice guidance on rural road speed management. [105964]