To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will oppose in the Council of Ministers proposals providing for journey time of longer than eight hours for all animals travelling for slaughter or further fattening; [166931](2) if she will make representations for EU regulations on the maximum legally permitted temperature at which animals can be transported to be reduced; and if she will make a statement; [166933](3) if she will make representations for EU regulations on the maximum stocking densities for animals in transit to be reduced to allow animals to

These are all important matters that were considered at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 26 April. The talks failed as the Presidency could not secure a qualified majority for its proposals, which in our opinion failed to do enough to improve animal welfare. For this reason the UK was among those member states which could not support the Presidency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with Asian countries in order to ensure that surveillance of the vaccination programme to combat the bird influenza outbreak in chickens is rigorous enough to spot the evolution of new strains of the virus. [165261]

We have had no direct contact on this issue. Our key protection against the disease is to control or ban imports. That operates regardless of the strain. We have received reports on the outbreak through the OIE and from EU representatives in south east Asia and have acted immediately to ban imports from wherever the disease has occurred.Thailand is the only country in the region from which imports of poultry products were permitted prior to the outbreak of avian influenza. Imports of poultry products which could transmit the virus have been stopped and will be allowed to resume only once it is clear that the disease has been eradicated. Thailand has reported that it has not used vaccination in its efforts to eradicate the disease.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many inspections have been carried out on battery cage systems in the past 12 months; how many breaches of the law were found; whether there was full compliance with the Welfare of Farmed Animals Regulations (England) 2002 requirement that each hen should be given at least 550 square centimetres space; what action has been taken to address breaches of UK legislation; and if she will make a statement. [173058]

From the 1 April 2003–31 March 2004 there were 95 inspections carried out on battery cage systems in England.There were 19 breaches of welfare law found. Of the 19 breaches, two revealed a failure to comply with the Welfare of Farmed Animals Regulations (England) 2002 requirement that each hen should be given at least 550 square centimetres space.Action taken to address breaches of UK legislation is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the feasibility of recolonising areas cleared of TB infected badgers from areas in the UK colonised by badgers which are known to be free from TB infection. [158606]

No such assessment has been made.Translocating animals is not a straightforward process. There are significant welfare implications for the animals concerned that need to be fully assessed prior to any animal movements. In addition, there do not appear to be any good reasons to translocate badgers from areas of low TB incidence to areas of high incidence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her proposals for the Compensation Scheme Review. [173876]

The consultation period on proposals for rationalising compensation for notifiable animal diseases ended on 7 January this year.The results of the consultation have been analysed and a summary of the responses posted on the Defra website.In light of the responses, officials are considering how best to take the policy forward.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much Government funding was available in each of the past three years to the Tidy Britain campaign. [168809]

Government funding was provided to Encams (formerly Tidy Britain Group) as follows:

	Thousand
2001–02	3,762
2002–03	14,597
2003–04	3,574
1 Defra allocated an additional 1 million to local authorities through ENCAMS for the Local Environmental Quality Pathfinder Programme that forged partnerships between local authorities and the local community. Some of the projects developed reduced fast food litter, railway land litter and schools litter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which European Union directives for which her Department has responsibility were not transposed into UK law before the passing of the transposition deadlines in each of the last five years. [168368]

While every effort is made to ensure that transposition deadlines are met, it is inevitable that this will not always be the case. Transposition can be complex, and it is important that timely transposition is balanced against other objectives, such as avoiding over implementation and unnecessary regulation. In most cases these directives require transposition by the devolved Administrations as well as at Westminster and in some cases also in Gibraltar.The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs plays a leading role in the United Kingdom's EU policy on the environment, agriculture, fisheries, animal and plant health. Between 8 June 2001 and 31 December 2003, 42 EU directives were not fully transposed across the whole of the UK by the transposition deadline. Of these, 88 per cent. have now been transposed.A table listing the directives that have not been transposed into UK law before the transposition deadlines had been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list which EU member states (a) intend to make single farm payments to fruit growers and (b) do not. [166025]

Under EU legislation governing the Single Payment Scheme, land under permanent crops, including top fruit, is not eligible to use in support of a payment claim in any member state. However, land used to grow soft fruit will be eligible in those member states and regions which adopt the flat rate or 'hybrid' payment models. Our current understanding is that Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Luxembourg, in addition to England, Northern Ireland, are likely to adopt such models. We expect that no payments will be made in respect of land used for fruit production in the remaining member states, nor in Scotland and Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the (a) risk to human health and (b) impact on the environment of discarded waste from fast food outlets; what action she requires to be taken to deal with this problem, and by whom; and if she will make a statement. [173240]

The Government's approach to cutting fast food litter, with the voluntary code we have promoted resulting in a 20 per cent. cut in fast food litter in pilot areas compared with a general worsening by 12 per cent. across the country between 2002 and 2003. The challenge now is for all concerned to put the lessons into practice.In October 2003 Defra launched a consultation exercise in order to establish a Voluntary Code of Practice for the Fast Food Industry, following 18 months of research with industry representatives. Defra commissioned ENCAMS (formerly Tidy Britain Group) to develop the voluntary code. In February we published the Local Environmental Quality Survey for England 2002–03 (LEQSE) carried out by ENCAMS which showed fast food litter had increased by 12 per cent. over the last year, and that it had become more widespread. However, with practical application of the code's recommendations, a good practice example project led to a 20 per cent. reduction in fast food littering.The aim of the proposed voluntary code of practice is to reduce fast food litter and waste that becomes litter in the local environment by outlining best practice and recommendations for action to be taken by all fast food retailers working with local authorities and seeking to involve the local public. It will allow all parties to work together in a mutually supportive partnership, to find local solutions to local problems.In addition the Government are involved in studies regarding the health effects of waste management processes, although these have not been concerned with small scale local issues such as commercial waste from food outlets. These are dealt with effectively by way of local authority Environmental Health Officers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what plans she has to make the regulations for (a) the manufacture and (b) the supply of ammonium nitrate fertiliser more stringent; [172742]

The Government have taken a number of measures to control the manufacture, storage and use of AN fertiliser in the general climate of heightened security. We need to balance the risks of potential misuse associated with AN against its clear and proven benefits in supporting food output in this country.The Government have been working with the fertiliser industry to improve controls in the storage and supply chain of AN. We have endorsed industry guidelines which advise producers and sellers of AN fertiliser to:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will make a statement on the use of pelagic fishing gear for the fishing of demersal species; [172946](2) whether her Department classifies sea bass as a

Pelagic fishing gear is normally used for shoaling mid-water swimming species such as mackerel, pilchards and sprats. Other species of fish may also be taken as a bycatch when pelagic gear is used and these may include demersal species.Sea bass can be taken in both pelagic (that is, fished in mid-water) and demersal (fished in contact with the seabed) gears and so could be classed as either pelagic or demersal since its behaviour at different times of the year leads it to swim in mid-water or near the bottom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many horse passports had been issued by the issuing authorities by 1 May; how many applications received are awaiting issue; how many she expects to be issued by 30 June; and what percentage of the horse-owning population she expects to comply. [173101]

As of 1 May, Defra have been notified of a minimum of 179,000 passports issued. This figure will increase as we are waiting for some Passport Issuing Organisations to inform us about how many passports they have issued.The above figure includes passports returned to Passport Issuing Organisations for updating in order that they meet the new European requirements.Passport Issuing Organisations based in England have approximately 37,000 outstanding passport applications.All horse owners will be expected to comply with the regulations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter to her from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton dated 15 March 2004 with regard to Jo Hopkin. [168986]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State responded on 14 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list (a) the official meetings she has had with the Mayor of London since July 2000 and (b) the dates and subject of each meeting. [170569]

[holding answer 4 May 2004]: No such meetings have taken place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the conditions are for repayment attached to the loan to the Meat and Livestock Commission in respect of the welfare scheme which operated during the foot and mouth disease outbreak; and whether the loan has been repaid. [172683]

The Pig Industry Development Scheme (PIDS) was initiated in March 2001 to establish an industry fund to help provide advice, services, facilities and financial assistance to British pig producers to assist with the prevention of exotic pig diseases such as Classical Swine Fever, and/or to help minimise their impact. Collection of this industry levy was delayed due to the foot and mouth disease outbreak of that year. In April 2001 the then MAFF and the Meat and Livestock Commission concluded a loan agreement to enable early payment of the industry top-up to producers.Under the terms of the loan agreement, repayment, including interest, was due on 31 July 2003. However problems associated with the unforseen decline in pig slaughterings delayed the collection of the levy from pig producers to repay the loan. By mutual agreement the loan deadline was extended to 31 December 2003 and repayment was made by that date, including the interest to that date.The PIDS levy on slaughterings was reduced to zero in August 2003; however the scheme is to remain open for the foreseeable future with the facility to increase the levy if required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to announce her decision on the designation of the New Forest as a National Park. [173482]

I am currently considering the Inspector's report. No announcement can be made until that consideration is complete.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the itinerary was for the transport from the country of origin to the final country of destination of the potatoes which brought potato ring-rot into the UK. [174154]

As Defra's Final Report into the 2003 Ring Rot Outbreak in the UK makes clear, it has not been possible to trace the origin of infection which resulted in the ring rot outbreak in Wales. However, Appendix VI of the Report (see http://defra.gov.uk/planth/ring/repfinal/app6.pdf) outlines the itinerary for the Provento seed potatoes which were supplied to the Welsh farm, from which the crop was grown which resulted in the outbreak. This Appendix was prepared by the Dutch Plant Protection Service who gave permission for it to be published as part of Defra's Report.In essence, the Dutch report indicates that the seed potatoes were exported from the Netherlands to Honduras on 26 September 2002. The consignment was refused entry to Honduras because it did not meet their requirements on the absence of soil (not because of a concern with the potatoes) and was returned to the Netherlands on 5 December 2002. Following re-sorting and re-bagging, to remove potatoes which had sprouted, the seed potatoes were split into different lots which were then sent directly to various destinations (Wales, Portugal, Iraq, Honduras and Ukraine) between the period 5 December 2002 and 1 May 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the size of the specialist fermentation sector of the food industry is in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Europe. [170081]

For beer, UK production in the 2001–02 financial year was 57 million hectolitres compared with 254 million hectolitres in the rest of the EU in 2002. For cider, UK production was 4.9 million hectolitres in 2001–02 compared with 5.1 million hectolitres in the rest of the EU in 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much EU funding was given to growing tobacco in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will list the countries which benefited. [173772]

The main recipients of tobacco subsidies are Greece. Italy, Spain and France. A table showing the tobacco premiums paid in each of the EU member states which benefited is as follows.

EU expenditure on tobacco premiums in 2002
	€ million
Greece	369
Italy	330.8
Spain	115.4
France	80.4
Germany	35.1
Portugal	16.3
Belgium	3.9
Austria	0.9
Total	951.8
Source:
EU Commission

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which species of wildlife (a) inhabit and (b) visit Two Tree Island in the Thames during a typical year. [171871]

Two Tree Island is split into two areas, eastern and western. The eastern part of Two Tree Island consists of a small tidal island with the adjoining saltmarsh (86 acres) and a large area of inter-tidal mudflats (271 acres). It is part of Leigh National Nature Reserve.The mudflats are noted for their dense, vigorous growth of eel grass species, which, together with a large resource of invertebrates, support nationally and internationally important numbers of dark-bellied Brent geese and waders, such as grey plover and knot. Waders such as curlew, dunlin, and redshank, occur in significant numbers outside the breeding season. The nearby Leigh cockle sheds bring winter flocks of turnstone close inshore and attract some of the rarer gull species.The saltmarshes are the most important on the north side of the Thames Estuary. They are of considerable botanical interest being noted for the five glasswort species that occur there. Sea aster, with small cord-grass, common cord-grass and glasswort species are found on the lower marshes, while sea purslane dominates the upper marshes. In addition the area also supports other saltmarsh plants such as golden samphire, sea wormwood, common and lax-flowered sea lavenders.At its western tip a range of birds can be seen such as redshank and heron. The island itself consists mainly of grassland and scrub, with the former rubbish tip supporting a number of interesting alien plants and 'escapes'. A wide variety of birds can be seen at its western tip, including kestrels aid short-eared owls during the winter, hunting for field voles. Grass snakes and lizards are seen. Insects of note include the marbled white butterfly, Roesel's bush cricket, the house cricket and the lesser marsh grasshopper.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of railway lines have been reopened since 1 May 1997. [173505]

Between 1996–97; and 2003–04 the total length of railway open to passenger traffic has increased from 15,034 kilometres to 15,042 kilometres.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on progress in the Rail Review. [173506]

The review is progressing and as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, said in his statement to the House on 19 January, we will publish proposals in the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on measures to address the problem of noisy roads. [173507]

The Government recognises that traffic noise from main roads can be a nuisance. Our strategy is to set vehicle construction standards that reduce noise at source wherever feasible and desirable on safety grounds. We also encourage the mitigation of noise with insulation, barriers, traffic management measures and low noise surfaces.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the threat to strategic road and rail routes from global warming. [173508]

The Department is aware that climate change will have a profound impact on both the Department's work and that of the delivery agencies. To this end, assessments have been made by the Department, the Rail Safety and Standards Board and the Highways Agency. The Department's report can be found on our website and copies of this and of the other reports can be found in both libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with Nottingham city council on transport issues in the city. [173509]

When my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport visited Nottingham to launch Line One of the Nottingham Express Transit system, he also attended a meeting with the Greater Nottingham Transport Partnership (on which the City and county councils are represented). A number of issues relating to transport in Nottingham were raised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to ensure that shipping lanes are not impeded by off-shore wind farms. [173510]

Government have assured the shipping and ports industries that offshore wind farms will not be sited where they present a danger to navigation. No offshore wind farms can be constructed without Government consents. Full consultation with the shipping and ports industries will be undertaken before any consent granted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the sources are of the statistics published by his Department on (a) bus reliability, (b) bus punctuality and (c) bus patronage; whether independent audits are conducted to verify the source data and the methods used to produce these statistics; and if he will place source information and methodology statements in the Library. [173470]

The statistics published on bus reliability and patronage are based on returns completed by bus operators. There are currently no statistics on bus punctuality. The bus patronage data are collected via a statutory survey under the Statistics of Trade Act 1947. The bus reliability survey is voluntary. When received, the raw data are treated as Restricted-Commercial and are not released to other parties, except with the permission of the operators themselves.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list bus usage in terms of (a) number

Million passenger journeys
	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03
North East	262	253	252	243	241	237
North West	507	509	493	489	480	485
Yorks and Humberside	411	386	381	374	369	37
West Midlands	464	447	450	454	447	439
East Midlands	209	212	210	210	210	212
Eastern	163	165	167	170	172	167
London	1,294	1,279	1,307	1,359	1,434	1,542
South East	272	287	289	282	276	268
South West	191	183	182	179	175	175
England	3,773	3,719	3,732	3,760	3,804	3,901
London (million passenger kilometres)	4,350	4,315	4,429	4,709	5,128	5,721

The estimates for passenger journeys are taken from Table 13 of the "Bulletin of Public Transport Statistics Great Britain: 2003 Edition", copies of which are held in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding has been made available to local authorities specifically to promote car-sharing, car clubs, education programmes to promote walking and cycling or other soft measures to address transport issues in each year since 1997. [173312]

In general, revenue funding provided to local authorities is not dedicated to specific purposes in this way. We have, however, provided some ring-fenced funding to local authorities through our bursary scheme for the employment of school and workplace travel plan co-ordinators at a cost of £3 million per annum for the three years from April 2001 to March 2004. From April 2004, the bursary scheme has been focussed on school travel plan co-ordinators, and its value has increased to £7.5 million per year (joint with DfES).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment the Government have made of car-sharing within schools as a means of reducing congestion associated with the school run. [173315]

The Department has commissioned research to identify the most successful school travel plans in the country and what has made these plans successful. We shall be publishing good practice guidance drawn from this research under the title "Making School Travel Plans Work" later this year. The guidance will include information on car-sharing initiatives where these have contributed to the wider success of school travel plans. We already know of a number of individual car-sharing initiatives that have been effective in reducing the number of cars taking children to school, and that many families make their own informal arrangements for sharing.

The estimates of local bus usage in terms of passenger journeys for the years 1997–98 to 2002–03 are given it the following table. Estimates of passenger kilometres are only available for London and are given in the final row of the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the Crossrail project; and what the level of Government involvement in the project is. [173512]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport is currently considering Adrian Montague's detailed advice on Crossrail and will publish his findings in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the production of his Department's latest annual report cost; how many copies were printed; how many copies of it were sold at its cover price; to whom copies of the report have been provided free of charge; and how many copies were provided free of charge. [171079]

The Department's Annual Report was published on 30 April 2004 and is freely available on the DfT website.1,100 copies of the report were printed. To date, a total of approximately 250 copies have been provided free of charge to the House Libraries, the Transport Select Committee, Department for Transport Ministers and officials, and to other Government Departments. The Stationery Office (TSO) has taken 700 copies for sale. Data on the level of sales is not yet available.The total cost of the Annual Report was £34,820 excluding VAT.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport under what statutory basis the Chief Executive, Chief Driving Examiner and the directors of the Driving Standards Agency have withheld their salary and performance pay from being disclosed in the Driving Standards Agency's Annual Report. [172084]

The Driving Standards Agency is a Trading Fund. HM Treasury accounting guidance for Trading Funds allows for non-disclosure of the remuneration of the Chief Executive, the Chief Driving Examiner and the full-time directors in the Agency's Annual Report and Accounts, provided that consent to non-disclosure is noted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many harassment contact officers were employed by his Department on the last date for which figures are available. [174174]

The Department for Transport has a total of 86 harrassment contact officers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether MOT garages were charged additional supplements for the MOT certificates they purchased from (a) the former Vehicle Inspectorate and (b) the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency. [173890]

No supplements have been added to MOT test certificate charges, levied on MOT testing stations, either by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency or, before April 2003, by the Vehicle Inspectorate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many train services have been cut, and on which lines, as a result of the Strategic Rail Authority's policy of selective thinning of train services. [170266](2) what criteria are used by the Strategic Rail Authority to implement the objective of selective thinning of train services. [170267]

SRA sites released for disposal since end 2002
Map reference	Location	Site description	Status
G-HAS-13–1	Alloa	Site of former crossing at Hilton Road Whinhill	Under offer
LNW-GC-4–2	Aylesbury	Railway club and sports ground Perm Road	Under offer
BI-DB-27–6	Banbury	Fields by Woodford closed line	Under offer
BI-DB-27–8	Banbury	South end of closed line in Woodford Halse	Under offer
LS-ECO-2–1	Bexhill	Former Galley Hill sidings	For sale
BI-FFD-1–1	Brize Norton	Part of former Fairford branch	—
BI-FFD-1–2	Cassington	Part of former Fairford branch	—
W-LNW-ER-45–1	Castlethorpe	Former goods yard	Under offer
BR-XBS-34–34	Challow	Former station yard	—
LNE-CWN-2–1	Colchester Town	Lower Yard, Magdalene Street	—
BI-KEM-19–1	Corby	Land at Cottingham Road	Sold
LNW-TL-38–1	Dunstable	Land at Skimpot Road/Jeans Way	—
LNW-TL-23–2	Elstree	Former goods yard	—
BR-WSP-30–30	Exeter	Former goods yard	—
BR-WSP-26–26	Exeter	Land and building (Red House)	Sold
BR-WSP-29–29	Exeter	Tan Lane former goods yard	—
M-SOG-18–1	Formby	Andrew's Lane	Sold
BR-XFR-3–3	Frome	Former east goods yard	—
G-EG-4–1	Glasgow	Eastfield Depot	Under offer
LS-WC0-10–1	Goring-by-Sea	Land south of railway	—
LS-DCE-1–1	Greenhithe	Land by station	—
Y-ALS-1–1	Haltwhistle	Alston branch	Under offer
BR-FWB-5–5	Hullavington	Former goods yard	—
M-MVE-104/105/106–1	Horwich	Land at site of former railway works	Under offer
Y-LNO-1–7	Hunslet	Land between Ivory Street and Jack lane	For sale

The Strategic Rail Authority has no policy of selective thinning of train services. The changes to the May and September 2003 timetables for Virgin Cross Country, Central Trains, South West Trains, Wessex, Arriva Trains Northern and Wales and Borders represent less than 1 per cent. of the daily services. They were made to improve performance and reliability through better capacity utilisation. The main changes were to Virgin Cross Country where they contributed to a 25 per cent. improvement in performance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will announce his findings on the review of the railways while Parliament is in session. [172989]

As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport said in his statement to the House on 19 January, the rail review will publish its proposals in the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which of the new train operators serving London and the south east showed the greatest improvement in punctuality between the third quarter of 2003–04 and the third quarter of 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [173918]

The biggest improvement was at West Anglia Great Northern. Its average performance for the year to the end of quarter three 2003–04 was 82.3 per cent. compared with 77.9 per cent. for the year to the end of quarter three 2002–03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 12 May 2004, Official Report, column 410W, on railways, how many of the sites identified have (a) been put up for sale, (b) been sold and (c) are under offer. [174240]

Of the 36 sites identified by the Strategic Rail Authority as suitable for disposal, 20 have been put up for sale; of these, four have been sold, 12 are under offer and four are still for sale. This is shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his latest assessment is of the number of accidents attributable to sleep and microsleep on roads. [167658]

Research studies indicate that driver sleepiness accounts for 15–20 per cent. of accidents on motorways and similar roads and for about 10 per cent. of all accidents on the road network in Great Britain.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the Department for Transport is monitoring changes in (a) training and (b) employment positions for seafaring ratings generated by the tonnage tax scheme. [172990]

As part of its annual application for approval of a core training commitment, each tonnage tax company or group is required to provide a breakdown of the number of deck and engine ratings employed on its ships according to whether they are British, other European Economic Area (EEA), or other, non-EEA, nationality. The company or group is also required to state which of the training and employment recommendations of the Ratings Task Force it expects to implement.Where a company is meeting part of its training commitment in respect of officers by employing apprentices or ratings to officer conversion trainees, this is reported to us on end of period adjustment reports due three times a year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he has put in place to ensure that companies do not remove themselves from the 10-year obligation to the UK shipping industry tonnage tax regime by switching registers. [172991]

None. The act of a tonnage tax company in switching vessels from one register to another does not remove those vessels from the tonnage tax regime or change the obligations of the company under the tax.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent by his Department on Transport Direct, broken down by year; and how this has changed since original estimates of the cost of the work were made. [170869]

The total spend up to March 2002 was £0.7 million. The spend for 2002–03 was £2.8 million (original estimate £5.0 million), while the spend for 2003–04 was £13.2 million (original estimate £23.0 million).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of reductions in traffic accident rates at vehicle activated sign sites; and if he will make a statement. [171897]

Vehicle activated signs are used predominately where there are concerns about inappropriate speed. They are not designed to deal with excessive speed. Research into the effectiveness of vehicle activated signs at a range of locations was carried out by TRL Ltd. on behalf of the Department for Transport in 2002. Results of this work concluded that across all sites there was a 31 per cent. reduction in accidents following installation. In addition where vehicle activated signs were used to remind the driver of the speed limit in force, speed reductions of between three and nine mph were achieved. Where installed to warn drivers of a potential hazard, reductions of up to seven mph were achieved. Guidance on the use of vehicle activated signs, is available in the Libraries of the House (Ref: Traffic Advisory Leaflet 1/03—Vehicle Activated Signs).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the (a) financial arrangements and (b) resources provided for the merger between the Vehicle Inspectorate and the Traffic Area Network in 2003. [173887]

As part of a merger between the Vehicle Inspectorate and Traffic Area Network a new Trading Fund named Vehicle and Operator Services Agency was established. All income and expenditure of the merged organisation is accounted for within the new Trading Fund.Resources for supporting and delivering the merger are funded from within the Trading Fund. This includes project management support, ICT and process integration, Agency name and branding changes and harmonisation of pay.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) resource provision and (b) outturn for his Department's executive non-departmental public bodies was for financial years (i) 2000–01, (ii) 2001–02 and (iii) 2002–03. [172124]

The executive non -departmental public bodies produced their own sets of accounts for these years, and these are available is the Library of the House. Non-departmental bodies secure funding for their operations from various sources. The Department's contribution to these bodies is generally in the form of grants-in-aid, and this has been disclosed in Note 10 of the Departmental Resource Accounts for the respective years. The bodies would normally draw down their full grant-in-aid provision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to promote adventure holidays and other outdoor pursuits in schools; and if she will make a statement. [171605]

The issue of adventure holidays and outdoor pursuits within schools is a matter for the Department for Education and Skills. I refer the hon Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Education and Skills (Mr. Twigg) on 13 May 2004, Official Report, column 540W.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he intends to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton dated 5 April with regard to Ms Catherine Thompson. [172258]

I replied to my right hon. Friend on 17 May 2004.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will reply to the letter to him from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, dated 5 April, with regard to Ms Catherine Thompson. [174148]

I replied to my right hon. Friend on 17 May 2004.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his target was for the proportion of houses brought up to the Decent Homes Standard by 1 April; and what proportion was achieved by that date, broken down by housing sector. [173670]

The milestone for 1 April was

"to achieve a reduction of one third in the number of non-decent social sector homes over the 2001 baseline."

It will be met if the estimates reported by local authorities through their Business Plan Statistical returns and the regulatory returns from housing associations submitted in July 2004 (stating the number of non-decent homes as at 1 April 2004), show that in aggregate the number of non-decent dwellings has reduced by at least one third reduction since 2001; and the 2004–05 continuous EHCS (reporting in October 2005) confirms there are 1.1 million or fewer non-decent social sector dwellings.The target was for both sectors combined not each sector separately. Our estimate, based on local authority and registered social landlord (RSL) out-turn data up to the end March 2003 and their plans to March 2004, shows a 26 per cent. reduction across both sectors. Local authorities show a 32 per cent. reduction taking into account the stock they transferred. There was a 6 per cent. reduction in the RSL sector, which takes into account all the non-decent stock they receive through stock transferred from local authorities.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the Guidance on the Government use of Public Relations Consultants, Annex B to Guidance on the work of the Government Information Service, paragraph 6, on what grounds he decided that the core components of the Your Say information campaign on elected regional assemblies could not be carried out by the Government's own employees. [174275]

No public relations consultants have been appointed to work on this campaign. All the relevant PR activity has been undertaken by Government employees.The marketing and advertising arm of Robson Brown have been contracted to work on other aspects of the campaign, including branding, leaflet design, event management and advertising. This is in line with current guidance and normal practice.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average number of empty homes in the United Kingdom was in each year since 1997, broken down by area. [173697]

The available information on empty residential dwellings in England by Government Office region is in the table. This data has been provided from a combination of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Housing Investment Programme return and Housing Corporation's Regulatory Statistical Return. The same information from similar sources for other parts of the United Kingdom is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects local authorities to be able to use the powers provided by the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 to deal with high hedges. [173530]

The powers to deal with complaints about high hedges given to local authorities by the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 are expected to be fully operational towards the end of 2004. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently conducting a public consultation in England on how the legislation will work in practice.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homes in the United Kingdom were classed as overcrowded in each year since 1997, broken down by area. [173698]

The information requested is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Only 2 per cent. of households are overcrowded nationally; this means that annual estimates, derived from sample surveys such as the Survey of English Housing or the Family Resources Survey, of such a small target population are subject to considerable sampling error. For this reason reliable annual estimates cannot be produced at regional or sub-regional level.Although annual estimates cannot be produced at regional and sub-regional level, estimates can be produced for several years combined. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has recently produced two research reports into levels of overcrowding for the years 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03 combined, which are available on our website and the path to reach them is: "Home">"Housing">"Housing research">"Housing research reports">"The impact of overcrowding on health and education".

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to assist teachers in London with housing costs; what the reasons were for changing from 1 April the criteria by which teachers qualify for assistance with housing costs in London; and if he will make a statement. [173461]

The Key Worker Living (KWL) programme which started on 1 April 2004 is helping teachers in London into home ownership and intermediate rented accommodation. It also offers teachers who are existing home owners help to buy a larger home to meet their household needs. The programme superseded the Starter Home Initiative which came to an end on 31 March.The assistance available under KWL is:

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to receive the final business case covering the Pathfinder scheme for Swarcliffe. [173934]

Leeds City Council is aiming to submit a Final Business Case to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for late May or early June 2004.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost was of gap funding for housing transfers in each year since it was introduced; and what the projected costs are for the next financial year. [173666]

No gap funding has been paid to date. Regional Housing Boards (RHB) provisional allocations for 2004–05 are £1.029 million for the transfer of housing on the Tarling Estate and £1.759 million on the Crossways Estate both in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Provisional allocations for 2005–06 are a further £3.564 million for the transfer of housing on the Crossways Estate in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and £2.0 million for the transfer of the housing stock of North East Lincolnshire Council.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his estimate is of the annual cost of the extra gap funding he has announced for housing transfers in areas with negative equity; and whether gap funding allocations will be increased for such areas already in the process of transfer. [173667]

The annual cost of any gap funding will be dependent on those authorities whose decent home delivery option appraisal determines that a negative value transfer is the best value for money option to pursue and who then secure a positive tenant ballot result. Those transfers already on the housing transfer programme have demonstrated they have deliverable transfer schemes and it is not anticipated that they should therefore require gap funding.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much money has been committed to date for setting up arm's length management organisations for housing transfer; and on what basis this is allocated. [173668]

Expenditure under the arm's length management organisation (Almo) programme to the end of 2003–04 has been approximately £365 million. Current commitments for 2004–05 and 2005–06 total £952 million, subject in some cases to Almos achieving at least a 2* rating from the Housing Inspectorate. Further allocations are subject to the outcome of the 2004 Spending Review. Expenditure on setting up Almos is a matter for the local authorities concerned. Under the Almo option the local authority remains the owner and landlord of the housing stock: no transfer of ownership occurs. Almo funding for work towards the Government's Decent Homes target is allocated on the basis of local authorities' bids, which are assessed against the criteria set out in the Almo Guidance published in March 2003.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how he has advised tenants who have rejected arm's length management organisations or transfers of housing stock to rethink their decision; what proposals he has for facilitating this; and what sanctions and resources he proposes to bring to bear to facilitate rethinking. [173695]

Where tenants have rejected transfer and arm's length management organisations prior to local authorities being required to have an option appraisal signed off by Government Offices they will be asked to undertake an option appraisal. Guidance on option appraisal makes it clear that local authorities should engage with their tenants from the very beginning of the option appraisal process. The decision on which option to pursue should therefore incorporate the views of tenants before any ballot is held. Effective tenant engagement is a key criterion of the option appraisal assessment process and appraisals will not be signed off unless this has been achieved.The Community Housing Task Force (CHTF) is the main resource available to assist councils and their tenants in delivering option appraisals. Tenants may also seek advice from their Independent Tenant Adviser (ITA). Further training and capacity building for tenants to help them with options appraisal is funded by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and provided via the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS), PEP and the National Tenants Resource Centre (NTRC).If tenants subsequently reject all options that deliver extra resources and the option appraisal process has been effectively undertaken then the wishes of the tenants will be respected and they will not be forced into accepting the options available.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit has commissioned into the barriers that stop sport and renewal working together more closely. [173708]

The Neighbourhood Renewal Unit (NRU) has recently received the report from a study on joint working between sport and neighbourhood renewal agencies. The research aims were to identify existing arrangements for joint working, to highlight barriers to further integration, and to provide suggestions for overcoming these in the future.The report finds that at both the regional and local levels, joint working is generally underdeveloped. Where joint working does occur, projects are rarely focused on the achievement of well-defined outcomes or targeted towards influencing mainstream services. There is incomplete data on sporting participation in deprived areas and amongst specific groups. There are also few explicit targets for raising participation and a lack of incentives for joint working. Nevertheless, there are some noteworthy examples of joint strategic working between local authority health and education Departments and sport—in ways that will impact on deprived areas.In response to these findings, the NRU has produced a short practitioner guide for local and regional decision-makers and frontline workers in both sports and regeneration organisations. It explains the importance of linking sport and renewal activities, provides practical advice on how to do this, and shows where to find further resources and help.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether road maintenance expenditure as set out in figure 5a, page 49 of the Department for Transport Annual Report is met from the Revenue Support Grant administered by his office. [174175]

Footnote 1 to Figure 5a: Local transport spending by central Government, page 49 of the Department for Transport Annual Report 2004 states "Excludes local transport expenditure on highway maintenance, concessionary fares and other public transport support that is funded by the Revenue Support Grant".

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the amount spent by local authorities on road maintenance in the last financial year for which figures are available. [174176]

Local authorities in England reported net current expenditure on highways maintenance in 2002–03 as £1,949 million.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on progress on the consultation on the operation of home sellers' packs. [173867]

Wide-ranging consultation and extensive research by independent contractors have endorsed the benefits of home information packs in helping to make the home buying and selling process easier and more certain. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is working closely with industry and consumer stakeholders on the detail of the proposals in order to ensure a smooth introduction of mandatory home information packs from January 2007. Many home buyers and sellers will not have to wait until 2007 to benefit from home information packs. An increasing number of estate agents, surveyors and conveyancers are operating pack schemes on a voluntary basis.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had on the proposal by chartered surveyors to remove mandatory home condition reports from home sellers packs. [173868]

None. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) supports the Government's proposals for mandatory home information packs, including a home condition report. These reports will provide at the start of the transaction process reliable information about the condition of the property. This information is important to the decisions buyers and sellers need to make and, along with other components of home information pack, will make home buying and selling more transparent and more certain.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research he has undertaken on possible legal and insurance claims against surveyors in advance of the introduction of home condition reports. [173869]

Home Inspectors preparing the home condition report will be required to have appropriate indemnity insurance to protect the home seller, a potential or actual buyer, and mortgage lender. With assistance from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the Association of British Insurers and other industry stakeholder the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is carrying out research into the insurance requirements. This includes an analysis by insurance specialists Willis Ltd. of historic claims made against surveyors for negligent surveys to determine the average number of successful and unsuccessful claims as well as the average sum paid and the cost of claims administration. We expect to publish an interim report very shortly.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what charge he estimates will be levied for home condition reports. [173870]

The home condition report will be a professional and objective report on the condition and energy efficiency of the property, which can be legally relied upon by sellers, buyers and mortgage lenders. It will be for the market to determine the price of home condition reports in practice and the point at which any charge is paid. Based on current prices, it is estimated that the report will cost about £300 on average (plus VAT). This estimate is based on a report on a three bedroom semi-detached house in a provincial town and can be compared with the typical costs of a building survey (£500 plus VAT) and mortgage lenders valuation report (£180).

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the likely impact on property prices of the introduction of home sellers' packs. [173871]

The initial view of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is that the introduction of home information packs (HIPs) is unlikely to have a significant effect on property prices. This is supported by evidence from other countries that have introduced similar measures and by a survey carried out by the UK's largest estate agency group which suggested there would be little impact on the number of properties sold if HIPs were introduced. We will continue to keep this assessment under review during our discussions with stakeholders and consumer representatives on the final contents of the HIP.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his estimate is of the costs of repair and renovation of social housing over the next 10 years under (a) council ownership, (b) registered social landlord ownership and (c) arm's length management organisation ownership. [173561]

Local authorities and registered social landlords are expected to put in place plans to meet the decent homes target 2010.At 2001 there was an estimated backlog of £20 billion of repair and improvement work required for local authority housing. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects local authorities to have tackled the majority of this backlog by 2010.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his estimate is of the total number of properties owned by (a) registered social landlords and (b) each of the 20 largest registered social landlords. [174283]

Housing association (registered social landlord) stock in England as at 31 March 2003 was estimated at 1,728,000.The 20 largest housing associations (measured by stock) were as tabled following and together accounted for about 21 per cent. of the total housing association stock.

Name of housing association	Total stock at 31 March 2003
North British Housing Ltd	36,567
Home Group Limited	28,558
Anchor Trust	27,313
Sanctuary Housing Association	25,927
London and Quadrant Housing Trust	23,915
The Guinness Trust	20,019
Riverside Housing	19,889
Knowsley Housing Trust	16,480
Peabody Trust	16,432
William Sutton Trust	15,726
Northern Counties Housing Association Limited	15,575
Hyde Housing Association Limited	14,518
Helena Housing Limited	14,214
Orbit Housing Association	14,171
Metropolitan Housing Trust Limited	13,801
Housing 21	12,558
Focus Housing Association Limited	12,365
Pennine Housing 2000 Limited	12,108
Circle Thirty Three Housing Trust Limited	11,949
Broomleigh Housing Association Limited	11,789
Source:
Housing Corporation, Regulatory and statistical Return 2003.

To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what the total expenditure on facilities entirely for the use of hon. Members was in each year since 1995. [174150]

There are few facilities that are used exclusively by hon. Members. The facilities that are exclusively for Members include Members' Offices, the Smoking Room, the Chess Room, the three Lady Members' rooms, the Members' changing room and the Members' cloakroom. We do not have sufficient disaggregated data on the cost of running these facilities to provide the information requested.

To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many employees there were as at 1 January, in each year since 1995 in the House (a) Works Services Directorate, (b) Operations Directorate, (c) Personnel Policy Directorate, (d) Internal Review Services Directorate, (e) Financial Management Directorate, (f) Communications Directorate and (g) Estates Directorate. [174153]

The information requested is as follows. The information is not available for 1 January; the reference date used is therefore 31 March. For 1 April 2002 and previous years the breakdown requested is not available, but more general information about the numbers of staff in House departments is available in the House of Commons Commission's Annual Reports for those covering years.

	Full time equivalents
Directorate	Employees at 1 Apri1 2003	Employees at 1 April 2004
Works Services	138	141
Operations (Department of Finance and Administration)	74	75
Personnel Policy	20	20
Internal Review Services	6	7
Financial Management	25	21
Communications	60	69
Estates	22	24

To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what the total annual running costs were in each year since 1995 of the House (a) Works Services Directorate, (b) Operations Directorate, (c) Personnel Policy Directorate, (d) Internal Review Services Directorate, (e) Financial Management Directorate, (f) Communications Directorate and (g) Estates Directorate. [174152]

The table shows the annual costs to the House of running the named directorates since 1995–96. These are the administrative costs; they do not include capital expenditure, or the cost of general services provided for the House as a whole, but which are managed within each directorate's budgets. For example, the Estates Directorate pays rent and rent and rates for the whole of Parliament, but this is not included in the figures.Not all of the directorates have been in existence since 1995–96; costs are provided from the time of their establishment.

To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many officers other than Clerks there were in the House on 1 January in each year since 1995. [174151]

The information requested is as follows. The information is not available for 1 January each year; the reference date is therefore 31 March each year.

	Number
1995	110
1996	113.5
1997	118.5
1998	118.5
1999	122.5
2000	127.5
2001	132
2002	1142
2003	1141
2004	1161
1 Since 2002 the figures have been calculated as full time equivalents. Earlier figures are the numbers of individuals.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action the Department is taking in assisting the police to enforce the ban on sales of aerosol paints to under-16s. [172497]

We are in discussion with relevant stakeholders as to what further measures might be necessary to ensure the effective enforcement of these provisions.The Together Action Line—0870 220 2000—is also available to practitioners throughout England and Wales to provide help and support in tackling antisocial behaviour. This includes police officers with queries on the aerosol paint ban. Throughout March we ran a series of Together Academies across the country to help professionals develop best practice in addressing all forms of anti-social behaviour.These new powers are just one part of measures to tackle graffiti through our Together campaign on antisocial behaviour. For example, 12 pilot local authorities are testing new powers to clean graffiti from street furniture and public transport property. In addition our "name that tag" campaign, encouraging the public to report "taggers" sends a clear message to graffiti vandals that we will deal with the problem.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many animal rights activists have been arrested in the last 36 months, broken down by the type of offence for which they were arrested; how many were convicted; and what sentences were passed on those convicted. [168982]

It is not possible from the information collected centrally by the Home Office to identify whether a defendant is an animal rights activist.However we understand from the police that there were 117 arrests of animal rights activists during the first four months of 2004 compared with 15 arrests during the same period in 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many companies and organisations have reported illegal actions against them over the last 24 months by animal rights activists. [172057]

It is not possible from the information collected centrally by the Home Office to identify whether a victim of crime works in a company or organisation targeted by animal rights extremists. The Government are working closely with industry, the police and other criminal justice agencies to protect those who work in the pharmaceutical and bioscience industries and their suppliers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has to introduce legislation to restrict the activities of animal rights activists; and if he will make a statement. [172061]

The police have a range of powers under existing criminal law and public order legislation to deal with the unlawful activities of animal rights extremists. Changes to legislation have been made to strengthen police powers to deal with intimidatory protests and office occupations in the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003.We are looking carefully at whether further action is needed to strengthen police powers to deal with the tactics employed by extremist protestors.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how his Department keeps track of asylum seekers who are evicted by local authorities from National Asylum Support Service accommodation following refusal of an application for asylum. [171345]

The Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) maintains databases containing address and other information for asylum seekers. This is also recorded in the individual Home Office file.Applicants and their representatives are informed of their obligation to notify the Home Office of any subsequent change of address. This may be done either in person, at a designated Reporting Centre (RC), or by post to the Change of Address Team (CoAT), based in Croydon.The Immigration Service (IS) has eleven designated reporting centres to assist in managing reporting regimes and, in addition, a person may be required to report to a police station. The reporting network will be further expanded by the development of Accommodation Centres and the establishment of additional RCs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Commission for Racial Equality Office in Leeds will close and if he will make a statement. [170238]

I understand from the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) that the lease on its Leeds office is due for renewal, but that an in-principle decision not to extend it has been taken in view of the likely expense involved in making the premises compliant with the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act and in enhancing security measures to protect staff. It is therefore proposed that Leeds-based staff be transferred to the Manchester office in order to create a unified CRE presence in the north of England. The Commission is presently consulting its partners on this proposal.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the crime figures, including figures for (a) dangerous crime and (b) drug-related offences, in the constituency of Edmonton in (i) 1991–92, (ii) 2001–02 and (iii) 2003. [169303]

[holding answer 5 May 2004]: The constituency of Edmonton is within the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) for Enfield. 'Dangerous crime' is taken to mean violent crime. The available information therefore relates to offences of violent crime which is comprised of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery. With regard to drug-related offences, the available data relates to the recorded offences of trafficking, possession and other drug offences. CDRP data for violent crime is only available from 1998–99, and for drug offences from 2002–03, and is quoted in the table.

Recorded offences in the Enfield Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership Area
	Violent crime	Drug offenses
1991	n/a	n/a
2001–02	6,665	n/a
2002–03	6,964	746
Note:
Figures for 2002–03 will have been affected by the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard on 1 April 2002.

The total number of offences recorded in the Enfield Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership for 2002–03 is 30,042. Totals for earlier years are not available centrally. Detailed statistics for Enfield for 2002–03 (including quarterly data) are available on the new Home Office website at: www.crimestatistics.org.uk.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether changes to the (a) definition and (b) seriousness of due care in motoring offences are included in the existing proposals to reform the criminal justice system. [172789]

The Government are reviewing the existing framework of the criminal law concerning bad driving, particularly where death or injury results, in order to ensure that appropriate offences and penalties are put in place. This includes the offence of driving without due care and attention. We hope to publish a consultation paper in the near future detailing the options for change.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice he has given to chief constables concerning enforcement of the legislation relating to the riding of cycles (a) on pavements and (b) without lights during the hours of darkness. [172157]

Chief officers of police are best placed to assess the level, nature and cause of cycling offences locally and decide the response.Police officers will take action as appropriate against cyclists whom they see breaking road traffic laws in the ways described. Forces also sometimes undertake short intensive campaigns to deal with persistent cycling offenders.We have, to help the police with enforcement, given Community Support Officers the power to issue £30 fixed penalty notices for cycling inconsiderately or irresponsibly on the pavement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with Scottish Ministers on the expansion of Dungavel removal centre. [162630]

[holding answer 22 March 2004]: Officials met Andrew Kerr MSP on 13 March 2003. The discussion, which was wide ranging about the feasibility study we intended to make concerning the expansion of Dungavel, was a useful precursor to discussions with the local council.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what public funds were spent on tackling drug misuse in Wirral, South in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 2003–04. [172689]

	Fund	Treatment provider	Budget headings	Amount (£)	Source of information
Wirral health authority	AID/HIV monies	Wirral West Cheshire partnership trust	Aids/HIV	39,137	PCT records
			Needle and Syringe Exchange	152,411
			Infection control nurse	12,304
			Drug Service budget	109,852
			Total	313,704
Wirral MBC Social Services Department	Social Services Grant	Arch Initiatives	SS Grant for counselling and support and residential services	296,748	Wirral MBC and Arch Initiatives
			Total	296,748

In 2003–04 the total drugs allocation was £5,265,567. In order to ensure consistency figures supplied are based on funding streams associated with the National Drug Strategy and are readily verifiable. These funding streams are specifically targeted at tackling the harm caused to individuals, families and communities by the misuse of drugs. Other mainstream funding is made available at a local level, this varies and both in amount and origin as a result it is not possible to provide robust financial information.

2003–04
	£
Partnership Capacity (DAT CAD and DAT DEV and strategic grant)	80,328
Treatment Pooled Budget	4,299,273
Through Care After Care Pump Priming	35,000
Building Safer Communities1	362,745
Young people	488,221
Total	5,265,567
1 Contains non drug elements.