Order Book Part 1

House of Commons

Session 2002 - 03
Publications on the internet
The Order Book

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Wednesday 19 March 2003

Here you can browse the Written Questions for answer on Wednesday 19 March 2003, of which previous notice has been given in the Notices of Questions paper. They are arranged in alphabetical order of answering Department.

Notes:
* Indicates a Question for Oral Answer.
+ Indicates a Question not included in the random selection process but accepted because the quota for that day had not been filled.
[N] Indicates a Question for Written Answer on a named day, i.e. the Member has indicated under S.O. No. 22(4) the day on which he wishes the Question to be answered.
[R] Indicates that a relevant interest has been declared.

WEDNESDAY 19th MARCH

1   Annabelle Ewing (Perth): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to release Cabinet Office papers from 1975-76 concerning Indonesia, East Timor and the Balebo killings.

(103920)

2   Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's Precedents Book.

(103990)

3   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what funding has been earmarked for humanitarian relief in (a) Iraq and (b) its neighbours.

(103943)

4
N   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to ask the Inland Revenue to investigate the remuneration policies of the Royal households.

(103824)

5   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to extend the responsibilities of the Financial Services Authority.

(103914)

6   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 12th March, Official Report, column 283W, on National Insurance, if he will publish the estimates made by the Government Actuary's Department regarding changes to benefit rates and contribution rates.

(103967)

7   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Saving Gateway scheme.

(103913)

8   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the recalculation of personal tax liabilities.

(103915)

9   Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 11th March 2003, Official Report, column 133W, on the Financial Sector Green Paper, if he will make a statement on the ongoing work undertaken by his Department to strengthen financial sector resilience.

(103968)

10   Andrew Rosindell (Romford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 30th January, Official Report, column 991W, on the euro, what issues have been discussed by government officials with representatives of (a) Gibraltar and (b) the Isle of Man.

(104046)

11   Andrew Rosindell (Romford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 30th January, Official Report, column 991W, on the euro, which government officials are responsible for liaison with officials from Jersey; how often meetings occur between government officials and representatives from Jersey; and whether there are regularly scheduled talks between the two groups.

(104047)

12   Mr Sio(r)n Simon (Birmingham, Erdington): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance he gives on interpretation of the terms (a) not ordinarily resident and (b) ordinarily resident, used in Part 6 of The Child Benefit (General) Regulations 2003 (SI 493 of 2003).

(103917)

13   Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what measures she has taken to ensure that sportsmen and women in Northern Ireland who wish to compete as British competitors receive funding from the National Lottery; what measures she has taken to ensure that sportsmen and women in Northern Ireland who wish to compete on behalf of the Republic of Ireland do not receive funding from the National Lottery; and if she will list the occasions when funding from the National Lottery has been used to assist in the development of sport in a foreign country.

(103942)

14   Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon & East Chelmsford): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a statement on the Government's policy towards the promotion of recreational sea angling.

(104015)

15   Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon & East Chelmsford): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the National Federation of Sea Angling.

(104016)

16   Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the UK forces serving in the Gulf area are under 18; and if he will make a statement as to their roles.

(104048)

17   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has commissioned capacity from ships and aircraft to supply the needs of an additional humanitarian emergency in the area of the Gulf where UK forces are operating.

(103948)

18   Annabelle Ewing (Perth): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to release departmental papers from 1975-76 concerning Indonesia, East Timor and the Balebo killings.

(103922)

19   Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what DDepartment for International Development staff have been assigned to his Department in the past year; to whom they report; and what are and will their responsibilities be.

(104034)

20   Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many modularised transportable surgical facilities have been procured for the Armed Forces.

(103978)

21   Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which officials within his Department have responsibility for liaising with the Department for International Development; whether their roles are full time; whether they report through the chiefs of staff; and what their (a) purpose and (b) function are.

(104031)

22   Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost of the Defence Medical Services was in each year from 1995-96.

(103976)

23   Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funds his Department has been allocated in connection with humanitarian relief tasks (a) this year and (b) last year; and for what purposes.

(104029)

24   Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assistance British forces are giving to the Department for International Development in respect of contingency plans for humanitarian relief missions in Iraq and the Gulf region.

(104032)

25   Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) staff and (b) funds will be under the control of his Department for post-conflict civil and military projects in Iraq; and if they will be at the disposal of any UK peacekeeping forces that may be established.

(104033)

26   Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what percentage of the (a) Army and (b) RAF is (i) deployed and (ii) warned to deploy to operations, including operation FRESCO.

(103979)

27   Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library copies of the balance sheets maintained by his Department's management groupings since 1999-2000.

(103989)

28   Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funds have been transferred from the Department for International Development to the Ministry of Defence in each of the last four years; and for what purposes.

(104030)

29   Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) military establishment and (b) strength is of each Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit.

(103977)

30   Mr Peter Kilfoyle (Liverpool, Walton): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the shelf life of VX gas is; and what the rate is of natural degradation of VX gas where VX-stabiliser is used.

(103973)

31
N   Mr Robert N. Wareing (Liverpool, West Derby): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list those countries whose military forces have been provided with training in the United Kingdom since 1997.

(103464)

32
N   Mr Robert N. Wareing (Liverpool, West Derby): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list those countries in which British military forces have provided training since 1997.

(103465)

33
N   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what mechanism exists to reclassify brown-field sites as green-field sites where the characteristics of a brown-field site are no longer present; and how much land has been thus reclassified since July 2001.

(103828)

34   Mr Ben Chapman (Wirral South): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on the amount of Objective One money spent in each Merseyside constituency.

(103927)

35
N   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what is the timetable of expenditure for the additional monies allocated to planning.

(103821)

36
N   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if she will make a statement on the twin-funding of planning applications.

(103822)

37
N   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what discussions she has had with local authorities and the Local Government Association on the subject of third party right of appeal, with specific reference to local authorities granting their own permission and departures from the local plans.

(103823)

38   Mr Alan Hurst (Braintree): To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much in grant monies, excluding rate support grant, was paid to (a) Essex County Council and (b) Braintree District Council, in each year since 1990.

(104060)

39
N   Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under-Lyme): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what definition of lower-income families is used in the White Paper on Higher Education.

(103783)

40   Dr Hywel Francis (Aberavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what proportion of 16 to 17 year olds are studying for an (a) academic and (b) vocational qualification in (i) further education colleges, (ii) sixth form colleges, (iii) schools and (iv) other training providers.[R]

(103984)

41   Dr Hywel Francis (Aberavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many students aged 19 or under are studying in further education colleges for qualification at (a) level 1, (b) level 2, (c) level 3 and (d) level 4 or above in each of the Learning and Skills Council areas.

(103986)

42   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, which British university had the highest percentage of students spending at least one term abroad at a foreign university institution as part of an exchange programme in the last year for which figures are available.

(103928)

43   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what recent representations he has received on the level of academic wages.

(103932)

44   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many British university students participated in international exchange programmes, where at least one term of a full academic year was spent at an institution abroad, in (a) 1995, (b) 1997, (c) 1999, (d) 2001 and (e) 2002.

(103931)

45
N   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she supported French proposals at the Environment Council on 4th March to create a programme to monitor by satellite hydrocarbon discharges at sea; and if she will make a statement.

(103825)

46
N   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the position she adopted in respect of GMOs at the meeting of the Environment Council on 4th March, with particular reference to separation distances.

(103826)

47
N   Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of existing eco-labelling; and what her policy on it is.

(103827)

48   Sue Doughty (Guildford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will work with appropriate bodies to maintain progress with implementation of existing proposals for international monitoring for cetacean bycatches in order to put in place a scheme by early 2004.

(104025)

49   Sue Doughty (Guildford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will raise the issue of cetacean bycatching at the next meeting of the Council of Fisheries Ministers.

(104026)

50   Sue Doughty (Guildford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will work with appropriate bodies to put in place new measures for the introduction of a strategy to reduce incidental bycatch in European waters by early 2005; and if she will make a statement.

(104024)

51   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what powers her Department has to enforce a national movement ban on animals on the first day of a major animal disease outbreak; and what power it had prior to the last foot and mouth disease outbreak.

(104050)

52   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to expand the State Veterinary Service.

(104036)

53   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the funds that DEFRA is withholding from companies who were tasked to undertake the foot and mouth disease clean-up.

(104039)

54   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what powers her Department has to call in military support in the event of another foot and mouth disease outbreak.

(104052)

55   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to change the contiguous cull policy of the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak.

(104037)

56   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that there is greater consistency between the performance of different disease control centres in the event of a major animal disease outbreak.

(104042)

57   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what advice her Department has (a) sought and (b) given regarding the closure of footpaths in the event of another animal disease outbreak on the scale of the last foot and mouth outbreak.

(104051)

58
N   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what additional financial assistance will be given to those who previously fur farmed.

(103820)

59   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish her latest advice on the use of vaccinations to fight the spread of foot and mouth disease.

(104049)

60   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to impose valuations for the purposes of compensation upon those affected by a major animal disease outbreak in the manner proposed by the Committee of Public Accounts.

(104035)

61   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on why average compensation values for cattle and sheep increased during the foot and mouth disease outbreak.

(104044)

62   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the protocol extant during the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak which stated that local movement reduction controls were preferable to a national control.

(104043)

63   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with (a) other government departments, (b) local authorities and (c) the tourism industry on contingency planning for a major animal disease outbreak.

(104040)

64   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on the idea of insurance-based cover for farmers in the event of a major animal disease outbreak.

(104038)

65   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has for the mass burial sites which (a) have not been used and (b) were significantly underused as a result of the foot and mouth disease outbreak.

(104045)

66   Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many industrial fish farms are in operation in the United Kingdom; what types of fish are farmed at these locations; and how much of each respective fish species was farmed in each of the past five years.

(103945)

67   Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Scottish-based trawlers targeting whitefish have been recorded as fishing in the statistical rectangle 39E4 in the past three months.

(103944)

68   Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what developments have taken place towards the creation of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management; what steps have been made to engage stakeholders in the preparatory process; and whether the terms of reference for the Committee have been finalised.

(104006)

69   Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the future of Nirex.

(104005)

70   Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what matters from its work programme remain to be reported on by the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee; and if she will make a statement on the future of the Advisory Committee.

(104009)

71   Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria were used in choosing those invited to the meeting held in Manchester in March to discuss the way forward for the new Committee on Radioactive Waste Management; which consultants were used to organise the meeting; and whether the consultants were chosen by competitive tender.

(104007)

72   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what percentage of printed newspapers were recycled in (a) 1995, (b) 2000, (c) 2001 and (d) 2002.

(103929)

73   Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received about the designation order for the South Downs National Park.

(103918)

74   Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what figures she collates on traffic flows in national parks.

(103909)

75   Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many visitors there were to each of the National Parks in each of the last 10 years.

(103919)

76   Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to introduce congestion charging in national parks.

(103910)

77   Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon & East Chelmsford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what account she has taken of the interests of sea anglers in discussions of reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.

(104014)

78   Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon & East Chelmsford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the implications of reform of the Common Fisheries Policy for recreational sea angling.

(104013)

79   Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received a copy of the Iraqi declaration to the United Nations of 7th December 2002; if he will place a copy in the Library; and if he will make statement.

(104054)

80   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has agreed protocols for assistance by UK forces of UN agencies in the co-ordination of new relief efforts in the Gulf.

(103946)

81   Annabelle Ewing (Perth): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he next plans to discuss with the (a) Indonesian and (b) Australian Governments the deaths of Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters.

(103923)

82   Annabelle Ewing (Perth): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Indonesian and East Timor papers from 1975-76 released in late 2002 represent all the Indonesian and East Timor papers held by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

(103966)

83   Annabelle Ewing (Perth): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many diplomatic written communications were sent or transmitted (a) by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the British Embassy in Jakarta and (b) by the British Embassy in Jakarta to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in (i) 1975 and (ii) 1976 concerning Indonesia and East Timor.

(103965)

84   Annabelle Ewing (Perth): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with UN officials concerning the UN investigation into the deaths of Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters.

(103962)

85   Annabelle Ewing (Perth): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the (a) Foreign and Commonwealth Office telegram of 28th October 1975 and (b) Foreign and Commonwealth Office telegram no 394 of 24th October 1975 sent from the British Embassy in Jakarta to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the deaths of Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters.

(103964)

86   Annabelle Ewing (Perth): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the UK Government first made representations to the Indonesian Government about the deaths of Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters.

(103963)

87   Mr Peter Kilfoyle (Liverpool, Walton): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times during the inspections in Iraq carried out prior to 1998 the Iraqi Government was recorded by the UN as non-cooperative, broken down by (a) minor delays and (b) actual inspection refusals.

(103972)

88
N   Mr Peter Lilley (Hitchin & Harpenden): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the source was of the material provided to UNSCOM about Iraq's attempts to obtain nuclear material in Africa; and if he will make a statement.

(103861)

89
N   Mr Peter Lilley (Hitchin & Harpenden): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish the evidence provided to UNSCOM that Iraq has tried to procure nuclear material in Africa.

(103862)

90   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the assistance being offered to the Serbian Government in the aftermath of the assassination of Zoran Djindjic.

(103936)

91
N   Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the NHS is of the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of HIV and AIDS in the latest year for which figures are available.

(103547)

92   Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 10th March, Official Report, columns 103-5W, on midwifery, what the attrition rate was for midwifery students in each year since direct entry to midwifery was introduced; and what proportion of midwives who completed their training and became eligible to register as midwives (a) registered and (b) practised in each of those years.

(104055)

93   Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many individuals are (a) eligible to register as midwives, (b) registered as midwives and (c) practising as midwives.

(104056)

94   Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the rights, acquired during accession negotiations, of Polish midwives to practise in the UK and elsewhere in the European Union; what consultation took place (a) with relevant UK bodies, including the Royal College of Midwives and (b) within and between government departments; what representations he has received regarding this; what assessment he has made of its impact on public health; and if he will renegotiate what freedom there is to this matter during the remaining stages of the accession process.

(104057)

95
N   Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many smokers there are in the UK population; and what evaluation he has made of the resultant cost to the NHS per individual.

(102655)

96
N   Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many obese people there are in the UK population; and what evaluation he has made of the average resultant cost to the NHS per individual.

(102656)

97   Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress is being made towards developing an international consensus on the issue of human cloning.

(103970)

98   Sue Doughty (Guildford): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 11th March, Official Report, column 246W, on private health schemes, what procedures are in place to monitor National Health Service trusts and primary care trusts to ensure that the offering of private patient services is not interfering with the performance by a trust of its functions or of its obligations under NHS contracts.

(104053)

99   Mr Dai Havard (Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in the UK in the last five years have died from (a) hepatitis C, (b) HIV and AIDS and (c) vCJD; and how many of them were blood donors.

(103980)

100   Mr Dai Havard (Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much NHS money has been paid out in each of the last five years to people as a result of (a) clinical errors from blood transfusions and (b) infection from contaminated blood and blood product.

(103981)

101   Mr Dai Havard (Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the risk of blood stocks becoming contaminated from blood donated from those who have received blood transfusions in the last 10 years.

(103983)

102   Mr Dai Havard (Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish Advisory Committee of the Microbiological Safety of Blood and Tissues for Transplantation findings from their consideration of whether recipients of blood and tissue should be excluded from donating blood.

(103982)

103   Annabelle Ewing (Perth): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to release Home Office papers from 1975-76 concerning Indonesia, East Timor and the Balebo killings.

(103921)

104   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the offenders who defaulted on paying their fixed penalty notices for disorder offences during the recent pilot scheme have since made the payment in full.

(103950)

105   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many teaching hours have been cancelled at Holloway Prison over the last 12 months owing to staff shortages.

(103953)

106   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of fixed penalty notices for disorder offences were paid 21 days after their issue during the recent pilot scheme.

(103951)

107   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fixed penalty notices for disorder offences in the pilot scheme were withdrawn; and for what reasons.

(103952)

108   Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under what circumstances, when payment is not forthcoming after 21 days, a fixed penalty notice for disorder offences may be withdrawn.

(103949)

109   Stephen Hesford (Wirral West): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to seek new powers to combat domestic violence to bring more offenders to justice; and if he will make a statement.

(103926)

110   Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for naturalisation as a British citizen have been outstanding for (a) more than 13 months, (b) more than 18 months and (c) more than two years; and what the nationalities are of the applicants whose applications have been outstanding for over 12 months.

(103937)

111   Mr Chris Mullin (Sunderland South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria he takes into account when assessing ex gratia payments for persons whose convictions have been quashed as a result of a miscarriage of justice; and if he will make a statement.

(103961)

112   Richard Ottaway (Croydon South): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what security policing community support officers have provided in central London in the last month.

(104012)

113   Mr John Randall (Uxbridge): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are serving community punishment orders; and what estimate he has made of the cost of administration of community punishment orders.

(104002)

114   Mr Sio(r)n Simon (Birmingham, Erdington): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Thai nationals, married to UK citizens, have applied for leave to remain in the UK in each of the last 12 months.

(103916)

115   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress the Government has made with the US Administration over a co-ordination of response to the humanitarian relief effort in the event of a major new humanitarian emergency in the area of the Gulf where their military forces are co-operating.

(103857)

116   Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment has been made of the numbers of Iraqi civilians who would face hunger and disease in the event of a breakdown of water supplies and food rations lasting longer than seven days.

(103947)

117   Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make a statement on the arrangements in place to maintain distribution of food within Iraq under the Oil-for-Food Programme in the circumstances of a military attack on Iraq.

(104008)

118   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will list appointees on the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission.

(103934)

119   Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many individuals are (a) eligible to register, (b) registered and (c) practising as midwives.

(104041)

120   Mr Peter Kilfoyle (Liverpool, Walton): To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 17th March to the honourable Member for Stone, Official Report, column 515W, what advice the Attorney General has given the Government on war with Iraq without explicit United Nations authorisation.

(103971)

121   Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent): To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to her Answer of 17th March, Official Report, column 515W, on Iraq, what discussions the Attorney General has had with his United States counterpart on the legality of a military attack upon Iraq without a successor resolution to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441.

(104004)

122
N   Mr John Horam (Orpington): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will institute an annual holiday early in November, to be called Veterans' Day, in honour of those who have given their life in defence of the country.

(103192)

123   Ian Lucas (Wrexham): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when the Minister for e-Commerce and Competitiveness will reply to the letter of the honourable Member for Wrexham of 27th November

(104003)

124   Andrew Rosindell (Romford): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many post office card accounts have been opened.

(104018)

125   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much energy was produced by renewable resources in the United Kingdom, in megawatts, broken down by generating source, in the last year for which figures are available; and how much energy was produced by fossil fuels.

(103924)

126   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much funding was allocated to development of renewable energy in each of the last five years; what areas the investments have been focused on; and when are projects are expected to become economically viable.

(103941)

127   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what percentage of power was produced by (a) coal, (b) oil and (c) nuclear power plants in the United Kingdom in the last year for which figures are available; how many (i) coal, (ii) oil and (iii) nuclear power plants operate in the UK; and what the lifespan is of each.

(103925)

128   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he had with First Great Western in advance of their decision to shut Paddington Station over the Easter weekend.

(104027)

129   Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with First Great Western over its decision to declare void days regarding compensation because of poor performance.

(104028)

130   Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe & Nantwich): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Civil Aviation Authority have taken to ensure that (a) aerodrome operators and (b) air traffic service providers have the required expertise and resources to undertake (i) aerodrome safeguarding and (ii) design of instrument approach procedures.

(103994)

131   Mrs Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe & Nantwich): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what percentage of the Safety Regulation Group's total yearly funding is received from the aviation industry.

(103993)

132   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the latest performance figures on the railways, with particular reference to punctuality; and if he will make a statement.

(103988)

133   Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Central Line closure on (a) businesses in London, (b) shops and stores in London and (c) galleries and theatres in London; and if he will make a statement.

(103987)

134   Mr George Osborne (Tatton): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects to receive the report from the Highways Agency on the proposed improvement of Junction 20 of the M6; and if he will publish the report.

(103939)

135   Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will answer the letters of 5th December 2002 and 25th January from M J Mundy of the Hampshire Advocacy Group for the Partially Sighted in Southampton.

(103975)

136   Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent estimate he has made of how many badgers there are in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

(103969)

137
N   Mr Harry Barnes (North East Derbyshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners there are in North East Derbyshire; how many qualify for a free television licence; and how many get the minimum income guarantee.

(103577)

138   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received housing benefit in the last year for which figures are available; and what percentage of British households claimed housing benefit.

(103935)

139   Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many company pension funds have been (a) closed and (b) closed to new entrants in each of the last five years.

(103911)

140   Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's 2002 staff survey.

(103991)

141   Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioner households in which the benefit recipient or their partner is (a) over 60 and (b) over 75 are in receipt of (i) an amount of council tax benefit and (ii) full council tax benefit.

(103992)

142   Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon & East Chelmsford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the contribution of recreational sea angling to the UK economy.

[Transferred] (104017)

143   Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on reflective strips for builders' skips.

[Transferred] (103940)

144   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the detection of beef and pork proteins in imported chicken.

[Transferred] (103933)

145   Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the budget is for civil defence in (a) East Sussex and (b) Eastbourne in 2003.

[Transferred] (103912)

146   Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written statement of 3rd February, Official Report, column 5WS, on the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme, whether the Scheme in Northern Ireland will remain unaltered following the coming budget.

[Transferred] (103908)

147   Dr Hywel Francis (Aberavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what proportion of (a) level 2 and (b) level 3 qualifications were achieved in (i) schools and (ii) further education and sixth form colleges in the last year for which figures are available.

[Transferred] (103985)

148   Keith Vaz (Leicester East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will make a statement on the report by the Association of University Teachers on the levels of morale and motivation amongst academic staff; and what steps he is taking to contract people to the academic profession.

[Transferred] (103930)