To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which functions of his core Department are carried out in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Wales; and what administrative costs were associated with these functions for each area in the last year.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister carries out no functions in relation to Northern Ireland. In relation to Wales, while the vast majority of functions for which ODPM has responsibility have been devolved to the Welsh Assembly Government since devolution, ODPM does retain some residual functions in relation to Wales, specifically in relation to building regulations and local authority pension arrangements. Since these functions are already exercised in relation to England, the additional costs associated with administering these functions for Wales are minimal and therefore have not been measured. In addition, ODPM acts for the whole of the UK in international forums where it has the lead policy responsibility internationally (e.g. on the EC's environmental impact assessment directive), however, implementation is a matter for the devolved Administrations (where the implementation mechanism is devolved).