asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect to announce new appointments to the Committee on Standards in Public Life. [HL994]

I am pleased to announce that the Prime Minister has appointed Sir Nigel Wicks GCB CVO CBE as the new chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life in succession to Lord Neill of Bladen QC, with effect from 1 March 2001.In addition, the Prime Minister has appointed two new members to the Committee: Rabbi Julia Neuberger and Rita Donaghy OBE. They are appointed in succession to Sir William Utting and Sir Clifford Boulton. All three appointments are for three years in the first instance, with the possibility of renewal. All three appointments were made fully in line with the Guidance of the Commissioner on Public Appointments.The Government are very grateful to Lord Neill, Sir William and Sir Clifford for their work on the Committee and for the significant contribution they have made to standards in public life.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any Minister at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has discussed with Mr Keith Vaz the financial contribution of the Hinduja brothers to the Millennium Dome; and [HL666]Whether the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has ever received representations on behalf of the Hinduja brothers from the Prime Minister's Special Envoy, Lord Levy; and [HL667]Whether any Minister at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has discussed the financial contribution of the Hinduja brothers to the Millennium Dome with the sole shareholder of the New Millennium Experience Company. [HL671]

Ministers at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have not received representations from, nor had discussions with, Lord Levy, the sole shareholder or the Minister for Europe, about the Hinduja Foundation and its support for the Faith zone in the Millennium Dome.

asked Her Majesty's Government:On what basis the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in its January report on the review of the statutory requirements for the provision of subtitling, signing and audio-description stated that "there are doubts about the feasibility of 100 per cent provision" of subtitling on digital terrestrial television channels, given the BBC's commitment to subtitle 100 per cent of its own digital terrestrial television output by the 10th anniversary of the start of the service and the rapid development of voice recognition technology for subtitling. [HL816]

We need to strike the right balance between practicability and benefit. During the consultation exercise that preceded the Government's recent announcement of the review, concerns were expressed, including by the Independent Television Commission (ITC), that 100 per cent subtitling on digital terrestrial television (DTT) was not a feasible target. It would be extremely difficult and expensive to subtitle all live programmes, late-running programmes and late-delivered material, such as promotions between programmes. There is also a danger that the financial costs to the smaller channels might result in them leaving the DTT platform. The 80 per cent target is challenging but achievable and is in line with the analogue target for 2004. We will, however, keep the target under review, and if an increase beyond 80 per cent is deemed achievable in the future, we will consider raising the target.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are concerned at the 6 per cent fall in the number of overseas tourism in Britain between November 1999 and November 2000; how far this reduction is attributable to the strength of the pound sterling; and what they will do to help the British Tourist Authority reverse this deficit. [HL828]

By contrast with the November figures, overseas visits to the UK in December 2000 compared with December 1999 are estimated to have increased by 8 per cent. However, the Government do not accept that such year-on-year comparisons of one month's figures are sufficient to establish trends. Whole-year statistics are more significant, and these indicate that overseas visits to the UK in 2000 are virtually the same as for 1999, while earnings from overseas visitors to the UK over the same period are up by 2 per cent.Ministers would like to congratulate the British Tourist Authority in particular for contributing to an increase of 5 per cent in visits to the UK from North America in 2000 over the previous year, and of 4 per cent from other long-haul destinations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have yet been granted permission by European Union authorities to reduce VAT on repairs to churches. [HL882]

I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave to Lord Geddes on 13 February (Hansard, col. 141).

asked Her Majesty's Government:What they are doing through international channels and direct contacts with neighbouring African states to halt the Zimbabwe Government's la test attack on the judiciary. [HL763]

My honourable friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Brian Wilson, called in the Zimbabwe High Commissioner on 19 February to express serious concern about the Government of Zimbabwe's harassment of, and pressure on, the judiciary and the media, including the recent unacceptable treatment of the BBC correspondent in Harare. In addition, my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary agreed with the Commonwealth Secretary-General on 21 February on the importance of sending a Commonwealth team to Zimbabwe, to report back to the meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on 19–20 March.

asked Her Majesty's Government:At what stage they consider it appropriate to make representations against the use of the death penalty in cases of British nationals being tried overseas. [HL949]

Our overriding objective is to avoid the execution of British nationals. We will now express our opposition to the death penalty and its use on a British national at whatever stage and level is judged appropriate from the moment when the imposition of a death sentence on a British national becomes a possibility. Our previous policy was to make these representations only when the judicial process had been exhausted.We have already taken action under the new policy in the case of Krishna Maharaj. I have written to the Florida State Attorney setting out the UK's opposition to the death penalty and requesting that the death sentence not be pursued in his case.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any goods subject to strategic export controls have recently been approved for export to Iraq. [HL950]

Following consultation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry recently approved a licence to export computer equipment, including 10 Fujitsu Siemens Scenic ED-1170A computers and 2 Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook C-6545 Notebook computers, controlled under the Dual Use Items (Export Control) Regulations 2000, to Iraq for use by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in its humanitarian activities. The export of these goods to Iraq has been approved by the UN Sanctions Committee.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for March; and what are the major European Union events for the period between 31 March and August 2001. [HL952]

Please see the following list.To date we have received the detailed agendas for the following Council meetings in March:

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will publish the next report to Parliament on Hong Kong and the Sino-British Joint Declaration. [HL953]

The eighth report in this series, covering the period July-December 2000, was published today and copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House. A copy of the report is also available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website (www.fco.gov.uk). The report includes a foreword by my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary. I commend the report to the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:If the proposed Treaty of Nice is ratified, which articles in the Consolidated Treaty on European Union and the Consolidated Treaty establishing the European Community will still be subject to the national veto. [HL806]

The following table sets out this information.Unless otherwise stated, all articles are from the Treaty establishing the European Community:

Treaty articles which will remain subject to unanimity in the EU and EC treaties following ratification of the Treaty of Nice
Article
Article 7.1 (TEU)	Sanctions clause
Article 17.1 (TEU)	European Council decisions on "common defence" and EU/WEU integration
Article 23.1 (TEU)	Foreign policy and defence decisions (Title V TEU)
Article 28.3 (TEU)	Operational expenditure under CFSP
Article 24 (TEU)	Conclusion of international agreements
Article 38 (TEU)	covering issues for which unanimity is required for the adoption of internal decisions (except implementation of joint actions or common positions)

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much provision they have made for grants to London Transport to support investment in the Underground from April 2001, pending completion of public private partnership contracts. [HL908]

Last summer's spending review provided grant of £104 million for London Transport for the financial year from April 2001. The review recognised that additional grant might be necessary, but, given the need to maintain commercial confidentiality during PPP negotiations, agreed that this could be the subject of a later claim on the central Reserve. The Government are currently considering what additional resources to make available in respect of London Underground.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What arrangements are being made to set up a high level body comprising the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, the Strategic Rail Authority and Transport for London to co-ordinate future development of the rail system serving London. [HL909]

Last November, I agreed some high-level arrangements with the Mayor and Sir Alastair Morton to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the development and taking forward of rail schemes in London. Meetings at official level between my department, the Government Office for London, the Strategic Rail Authority, and Transport for London are currently taking place. On the basis of their work, I expect to meet with the mayor, Bob Kiley and Sir Alastair Morton in early March.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will update the table showing deaths from new vCJD, published in the

An updated table is provided as follows. It includes information relating to known deaths from variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (vCJD) up to 2 February 2001. It supersedes the data provided on 27 March 2000, and contains some corrections.

Tabel 1: Variant CJD cases in the United Kingdom, by month and year of death, dale of onset of symptoms and date \CJD was confirmed
Date of death	Date of onset of symptoms	Date vCJD confirmed
May 1995	Jun 1994	Sep 1995
Nov 1995	Jan 1995	Jan 1996
Nov 1995	Dec 1994	Jan 1996
Jan 1996	Feb 1994	Jan 1996
Jan 1996	Jul 1994	Jan 1996
Feb 1996	Mar 1995	Mar 1996
Feb 1996	Jan 1995	Mar 1996
Feb 1996	Aug 1994	Feb 1996
May 1996	Aug 1995	Mar 1996
Jun 1996	Jan 1995	Apr 1996
Jun 1996	Jan 1994	July 1996
Sep 1996	July 1995	Sep 1996
Nov 1996	Dec 1995	*
Feb 1997	Dec 1995	June 1997
Feb 1997	Dec 1994	July 1997
Mar 1997	Oct 1995	May 1997
Mar 1997	Mar 1996	Feb 1997
May 1997	Mar 1996	June 1997
May 1997	Mar 1994	Sep 1995
Jun 1997	Jan 1996	Jun 1997
July 1997	Nov 1996	Oct 1997
Oct 1997	Oct 1996	Nov 1997

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the detailed research that is undertaken on the life and habits of victims of new variant CJD has included, or will from now include, a record of whether or not they have been blood donors. [HL594]

The standard questionnaire used by National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit staff, when obtaining information about patients, includes a question on whether the patient has ever been a blood donor, and also asks for the dates) and place(s) of any donation(s).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will revise the Department of Health

The Government neither condone nor encourage under-age sex. The national media campaign we have initiated as part of our broader strategy to tackle teenage pregnancy encourages young people to take control of their lives and not to be pressurised into having sex.The new guidance on sex and relationship education issued by the Department for Education and Employment in July 2000 emphasises the importance of learning the reasons for delaying sexual activity, and the benefits to be gained from such delay.However much we may disapprove, we must recognise that a minority of young people do become sexually active before they are 16. Research suggests that only half of these young people use contraception the first time they have sex. That is why improving access to contraception and advice services is central to our strategy to tackle teenage pregnancy.Research with young people has identified nonjudgmental staff as a key feature of a service they would trust and access. The best practice guidance on the provision of effective contraception and advice services for young people, taken together

with Health Circular (86)1/HC(FP)(86)1/LAC(86)3

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 12 February (

The Food Standards Agency considers that there is not enough information available at present to be able to say that organic foods are significantly different in terms of their safety or nutritional content from those produced conventionally. What matters is the nutrient content and overall balance of the diet as a whole, rather than the composition of individual foods.Administration of the certification scheme for organic food lies with the United Kingdom Register of Organic Food Standards. Enforcement of the regulations dealing with organic products lies with local authorities. The agency's role is to set standards of enforcement and to assist enforcement authorities in their task. The agency has commissioned research to find a method which would indicate whether vegetables meet some of the standards required in organic production.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the oral Answer on 13 February, how many of the 134,000 ex-miners suffering from dust related diseases are still awaiting assessment. [HL744]

To date, IRISC, the department's claims handlers, have registered over 135,500 claims and more are coming in each week. Of these, 66,000 claimants have undergone lung function tests, the first stage of the Medical Assessment Process, MAP, and a further 14,000 have been invited to make appointments. To date, around 11,500 claimants have undergone the full MAP assessment, with a further 4,300 appointments made. Currently, 31,500 individual payments have been made, amounting to £117.7 million.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many sub-post offices have closed in the past three years, 1998, 1999 and 2000; and, of those closures in the year 2000, how many have closed in the second half of that year. [HL756]

I understand from the Post Office that the numbers of sub-post office closures, were as follows:

• Year ending March 1998: 238
• Year ending March 1999: 232
• Year ending March 2000: 382

In the year to March 2001, closures of sub-post offices in the nine months to December 2000 were 434, of which 135 were in the October-December quarter.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the roll-out so far of Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) installations by British Telecom has provided adequate opportunity for all Internet Service Providers to compete fairly in the market. [HL803]

BT was required by OFTEL to make available its wholesale ADSL products to all service providers, including its own service provider business, on the same terms and conditions. OFTEL monitors BT's ADSL roll-out closely to ensure that BT does not engage in anticompetitive behaviour in breach of its licence or the Competition Act. OFTEL investigates carefully any allegations of anti-competitive behaviour and will take enforcement action where appropriate. Already over 40 service providers are marketing ADSL products in competition with BT.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In relation to Article 6.4.4 of the 16 September Common Position Statement on the proposed Copyright and Information Society Directive, whether member states can intervene to prevent technical blocks being used (a) to deprive disabled people of the right to copy on-line material to put it into accessible format; and (b) to prevent the public from exercising lawful exceptions in the on-line environment; and, if so, why. [HL833]

Article 6.4.4 of the Common Position on the draft copyright directive applies only in the case of material made available to the public on agreed contractual terms by means of interactive "on-demand" services. A new recital (52a) recently approved by the European Parliament at its second reading of the directive is intended to clarify the limited scope of this provision. The Government have indicated their readiness to accept this amendment to the Common Position, which also makes clear that other forms of online use of material remain subject to the safeguards in the first and second subparagraphs of Article 6.4 for member states to be able to act to ensure that users can benefit from the exceptions in question. The European Parliament's amendments to the draft directive will now be considered by the EU Council of Ministers.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in the interests of small businesses and communication within the European Union, they have any intention to seek to reverse the differential pricing introduced by the Post Office between the first class inland rate (27 pence) and the cost of 36 pence to send a letter or postcard of up to 20 grams to the rest of Europe (including the Republic of Ireland [HL926]

The Government have no plans to request changes in the price of mail services. This is a matter for the Post Office and, from 26 March, the regulator, the Postal Services Commission, to decide.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the outcome of the First Stage of the Quinquennial Review of the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils will be announced; and what are the principal recommendations for the future governance and organisation of CCLRC. [HL983]

I am today able to announce the outcome of the First Stage of the Quinquennial Review of the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils.Reviews of Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) are a key part of our programme to modernise government. The Government are committed to achieving better public services that are of higher quality and are more responsive to the needs of the people who use them. Regular NDPB reviews are an important element in ensuring that we have in place the right structures to deliver the Government's agenda effectively and to provide a strong focus on improving future performance.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What estimate has been made of the numbers of extra teachers and extra teacher assistants trained in special educational needs skills who will be needed to implement the provisions of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Bill in each of the years 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. [HL855]

The Explanatory Notes that were published when the Special Educational Needs and Disability Bill received its First Reading in the House of Lords on 6 December gave an estimate of the effect of the Bill on public sector finances, including the effect on public service manpower (paragraph 141). The Government also published, last year, a Regulatory Impact Assessment of the effect of the Bill on the private and voluntary sectors.We are making significant resources available to support implementation of the Bill. In support of the planning duty, we are making available £220 million between 2001 and 2004 to help schools widen access to premises and the curriculum for pupils with SEN and disabilities.We are also supporting implementation by providing significant—record—levels of financial support for the training and professional development of teachers and other staff working with pupils with special educational needs. Under the Standards Fund 2000–01, we are supporting expenditure of £26 million on SEN training and development—an increase from £21 million in 1999–2000. In 2001–02 we envisage that £30 million of the overall SEN Standards Fund allocation (£82 million) will be spent on SEN training. LEAs will be free to spend more.In the Green Paper

asked Her Majesty's Government:What future levels of development assistance they intend to provide to Montserrat. [HL984]

We have informed the Government of Montserrat (GoM) that approximate future levels of assistance will be as follows:

	£m
2001–02	24.4
2002–03	17.0
2003–04	13.6
2004–05	9.5
2005–06	7.5

These amounts include both budgetary aid and development assistance. The 2001–02 figure is firm, subject to parliamentary approval. Figures for subsequent years are for planning purposes and are subject to the normal processes of resource allocation and review in the light of changing circumstances.By the end of March 2001, DFID will have provided over £135 million to Montserrat since the onset of volcanic activity in 1995. A substantial amount of work has been completed during this period, with much of the essential economic and social infrastructure now in place in the previously underdeveloped north of the island.DFID's assistance to Montserrat in the next five years will focus on building the capacity of GoM to deliver effective and efficient public services, with a reduced requirement for significant external budgetary assistance.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress they have made in the preparation of guidance on the conduct of regulatory toxicology and safety evaluation studies. [HL995]

We have today published guidance on the conduct of regulatory toxicology and safety evaluation studies and a copy has been placed in the Library.The guidance has been prepared by the Home Office working with the British Toxicology Society, the British Society of Toxicological Pathologists and the Department of Health and takes account of consultation with the scientific community and animal welfare and animal protection groups.Copies of the guidance will be issued shortly to all establishments licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, and it will also be available on the Home Office website.The guidance will not impact significantly on the numbers of animals used, but will ensure that all possible refinement strategies are considered in the design of these studies.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What changes they intend to make to the random mandatory drug testing programme for immigration detainees. [HL996]

Immigration detainees rarely test positive for drugs. As a result, from 1 April 2001 detainees held at Her Majesty's Prison Haslar and within discrete units at Her Majesty's Prisons Lindholme and Rochester will no longer be subject to the random mandatory drug testing programme.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What additional terrorist organisations they intend to proscribe, following the coming into force of the Terrorism Act 2000. [HL997]

My right honourable friend the Home Secretary has today laid a draft order, under Section 123(4)(a) of the Terrorism Act, recommending to Parliament that the following organisations be added to the list of proscribed organisations in Schedule 2 to the Act:

• Al-Qa'ida
• Egyptian Islamic Jihad
• Al-Gama' at al-Islamiya
• Armed Islamic Group (Groupe Islamique Armée) (GIA)
• Salafist Group for Call and Combat (Groupe Salafiste pour la Prediction et le Combat) (GSPC)
• Babbar Khalsa
• International Sikh Youth Federation
• Harakat Mujahideen
• Jaish e Mohammed
• Lashkar e Tayyaba
• Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
• Hizballah External Security Organisation
• Hamas-Izz al-Din al-Qassem Brigades
• Palestinian Islamic Jihad—Shaqaqi
• Abu Nidal Organisation
• Islamic Army of Aden
• Mujaheddin e Khalq
• Kurdistan Workers' Party (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan) (PKK)
• Revolutionary Peoples' Liberation Party—Front (Devrimci Halk Kurtulus Partisi—Cephesi) (DHKP-C)
• Basque Homeland and Liberty (Euskadi to Askatasuna) (ETA)
• 17 November Revolutionary Organisation (N 17)

Under Section 3(3)(a) of the Act, my right honourable friend the Home Secretary may by order add an organisation to Schedule 2 where he believes that it is concerned in terrorism, as defined in Section 1 of the Act. He is entirely satisfied that the organisations named above are "concerned in terrorism" as set out in Section 3(5) of the Act, and has, after careful consideration, decided to exercise his discretion to proscribe them. The draft order is subject to the affirmative resolution procedure. There will therefore be a debate in both Houses on his recommendations. If approved by Parliament, the proscriptions will take effect on the day after my right honourable friend the Home Secretary signs the order. To assist consideration by both Houses, we have placed in the Libraries, the Vote Office, and the Printed Paper Office, copies of a Note setting out a brief summary in respect of each organisation named in the draft order.The Act provides for an appeal process. After the order comes into force, it will be open for any of the organisations so proscribed, or any person affected by their proscription, to make application to me for deproscription. If that application is refused, the Act provides for an appeal to a new independent tribunal, the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission, established by the Terrorism Act.